On our third day in New York, we took the subway up to Chelsea where we met Bob, our Big Apple Greeter guide.

We met Bob at Balducci’s, an amazing market of fresh foods. I wish we had a chance to sample some of the things there. They looked phenomenal. We reviewed things in the city we had seen and things were interested in, nailing down a game plan.

Our first stop was a hotel which had a rooftop pool and deck lending itself to breathtaking views of the city. Bob took us through several famous (and some not-so-famous but equally captivating) restaurants before leading us through the Chelsea Market where Food Network shows are filmed.

After Chelsea, we made our way to Canal Street. Stupidly, we bought two cupcakes, each with huge flowers on top, individually boxed, which I insisted on carrying level for the rest of the day as to not smoosh the artful icing. I carried them up and down the crowded streets, into and out of the shadiest back rooms you’ve ever been in. It was nuts… On our way out of Chinatown, we walked through a bit of SoHo where I got to go into Jonathan Adler and see handfuls of other designer stores, most of which I had never heart of.

After dinner, we took the subway down to the south end of Manhattan where we boarded the Staten Island Ferry.