the big, delicious apple.

to greta and rosie: how did you ever leave? after having lived in nyc, anything else has got to be a serious let down. granted, it's probably much different living there rather than visiting for a weekend, but still. just curious.

that said, we had a fabulous weekend. a pretty high bar was set for subsequent mother's days. i love you matt and fox; good luck with next year. we stayed on the 51st floor at the W hotel in time's square and hobnobbed with some pretty serious stars, like this guy:

georg listing, bassist for the biggest rock act to ever come out of deutschland, "tokio hotel." there's your random trivia for the day, and don't ask me how i know this cos it's embarrassing and i'll never tell. what a dreamboat though, eh ladies? yep, all 5' 2" of him. he shared an elevator ride with us, and i eavesdropped on his conversation with what little german skills i still possess. and that was our brush with fame for the weekend. i feel hugely satisfied.

fox is a good sport.

besides georg, we saw some artwork at the met, wandered through central park and the upper east side, ate, explored a street festival in east village, went to church in the bronx, ate, took advantage of the grungy new york subway, breastfed in a taxi, and ate. now, some people have lists of things to do before they die; i have lists of places i want to eat at before i die. if you're not a fellow foodie, you can stop reading.

if you're ever in new york, please consider the following:

frank restaurant. www.frankrestaurant.com. homemade italian in east village. tiny little place with a lot of character, and the pasta is insanely fresh. i had some killer gnocchi, and we were serenaded by the sounds of a gospel choir practicing up the street. very cool.

sarita's macaroni and cheese, or s'mac. www.smacnyc.com. i have to thank the lovely lindsay southwick for the heads up on this one. personally, i think if you don't like macaroni and cheese, you should have to relinquish your american citizenship. and the dudes at s'mac take mac 'n' cheese to new and exciting levels. i had the garden lite nosh, but don't be fooled, there was nothin' lite about it, and i refuse to feel guilty. i love the breastfeeding caloric burn.

pinkberry. www.pinkberry.com. it's not unique to new york, but still a great place for a decent froyo. it's no senate froyo, for those who are in the know, but still worth a go-around.

rice to riches. www.ricetoriches.com. nothing but rice pudding. HELLO! probably my favorite part of the weekend. i stood there staring slack-jawed at all the wonderful flavors they had to offer. we ordered three kinds, just to be safe. in-credible. i highly reommend the cinnamon sling with raisins. but the best part? they ship overnight to anywhere in the united states. have mercy.

sarahbeth's. www.sarahbethscps.com. mother's day brunch on central park south. best apple cinnamon french toast i will probably ever had the pleasure to have met.

max brenner, chocolate by the bald man. www.maxbrenner.com. we went to the location near union square where they also serve real food, not just chocolate (although i oft times consider chocolate a meal in itself). the pulled pork crepe was really quite good, but i don't have a dessert recommendation. they serve chocolate everything: beverages, cakes, ice creams, fondues, waffles, sundaes, you name it. how could you go wrong? i'll be back.

i love this city.