My husband and I were able to go on a quick getaway sans children this past weekend and had a blast exploring the city*.  There is so much to do and see in New York it can be hard to narrow down what you want to do, but here are a few of the things we did and loved.

Brasserie Les Halles  What better way to start the day off in the city than with a delicious French brunch?  One of my favorite spots in the city is Brasserie Les Halles on Park Avenue.  I’ve been here a few times now and each time I leave so satisfied.  My go-to must have menu item are the Eggs Benedict–absolutely delicious!

On The Town–What’s a weekend in the city without stopping to see one of the many musicals on Broadway?  We took in an afternoon matinée of On The Town, a take on the Gene Kelly classic movie of the same name.  In this show, three sailors find themselves with 24 hours to take in the sights of New York City, a place they have never been before.  They find themselves on a search to find Ms. Turnstiles, the subway poster girl of the month, for their friend. Wild adventures ensue as they explore the city, leaving no corner unearthed. Lots of song and dance in this fun musical that the audience was loving.  I loved “New York, New York” and “Come Up to My Place.” This fun 1940s musical is now playing at the Lyric Theatre on 42nd street.  You can purchase your own tickets to see the show here.

Guggenheim There is no shortage of museums to check out in the city, but the Guggenheim is one that we had not ever gone to before.  Seeing the building itself is a treat, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The layout of the museum is quite spectacular and inside holds some treasures from artists like Cezanne, Seurat, and Monet, which I loved seeing.  There were also some beautiful mirrored sculptures and an unusual installation– On Kawara–Silence.  The focus at the Guggenheim is contemporary and modern art, so be prepared to see things you haven’t seen before.

Times Scare As a huge fan of Halloween, the idea of being able to go to a haunted house in the middle of New York City any time of year was right up my alley.  We arrived to this fun destination to check out one of the many things you can do there–the haunted house.  We had been to a play there before, but hadn’t had a chance to check out the other spooky offerings.  You can arrive any time of day to go through the haunted house.  You can also attend a magic show or sing Scaryoke at certain times in the night, or just enjoy a drink at their bar.  We got in line for the haunted house and immediately found ourselves in a labyrinth of terror.  Very dark and theatrical, we enjoyed our stroll through the corridors of the buildings that is actually rumored to be the setting of an actual murder back in the 1800s. We braved our way through the madness with a couple of other patrons who were scared out of their wits.  It was really fun and totally appropriate for ages 10 and up, so you can take your kids if you were to go in with them later on.

Madame Tussaud’s  It’s always fun to spot celebrities in the city, but you can’t always get up close and personal with them, and you certainly can’t get all the pictures you would like.  But, when you visit Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in Times Square, you can be like the paparazzi and take your picture with every one you encounter.  Come see Brad and Angelina at a Hollywood Premiere, pose for the camera with Kim Kardashian, dance with The Spice Girls as they exhibit their Girl Power, sit on a park bench with Woody Allen, and take in a concert with Rhianna and Beyonce.  You can even defend the city with all the Avengers–we love Iron Man and Spider-Man! So much fun to see what everyone looks like, immortalized in wax.

Body Worlds: Pulse There is always something awesome to found at Discovery Times Square.  This weekend we checked out Body Worlds:Pulse, an exhibit focusing on health and wellness using actual bodies donated for the purpose of science.  This is absolutely fascinating to behold!  Bodies are preserved to show the inner workings of the human form.  It was so interesting to get an in-depth look at actual organs, nervous systems, muscular and bone structures.  Very educational to see the bodies of athletes, smokers, mothers, and more and the impact their health choices made on their bodies. Definitely something to check out!

Toloache After all that sight-seeing and adventure in the city, you are bound to be starving.  Mexican food is my favorite food and I love any opportunity to try a new place.  We stopped by Toloache for dinner.  Located near 50th and 8th, this was a great location for all the places we had been visiting, yet not at all a spot where all the tourists would go.  The restaurant was packed for an early dinner (always a good sign!).  We ordered an appetizer of spicy guacamole, homemade chips, and the most delicious chipotle salsa.  Our dinner was not the traditional Mexican I am used to, but loaded with flavor and was a fantastic meal.  I tried the Enchiladas Borrachas and was thrilled with my choice.

*We were invited to visit these places to facilitate a review, all opinions are my own.