NYC: Back to Manhattan

My Moleskine NYC city guide is all fired up...if only I were ready to go! I'm only taking three days off work to go New York tomorrow morning but from the number of hours I spent in the office today, you would be forgiven for thinking I was going for longer. Now I just need to turn my control-freak tendencies from work mode to holiday mode.

J'arrive, NYC!

The easiest way for me to do this is by updating my Moleskine NYC city guide, writing down the addresses of new espresso bars, shops, restaurants and cocktail bars that might merit a visit. To make life easier for myself, I tend to record these in a Google Spreadsheet (which has the same tabs as the notebook--coffee, cafes, restaus, bars, shops, things to do, places to stay, places to avoid) and then copy them into the pending section of my notebook before a trip.

But to get myself in the mood for an NYC trip, I sometimes read some of my old NYC-themed blog posts; some of my favourites can be found in the Bex and the City tab. As for what I'm going to do on this trip, I haven't made a formal to-do list but I expect that it will involve most of the following (many of these are not new things for me):

• Go to directly to J. Crew. Do not pass Abercrombie. Try not to hand over more than $200. I find my J. Crew shopping is usually more successful if I haven't perused the website beforehand; however, I hope the pink skirt I like is still there, in my size and (preferably) on sale.
• After my J. Crew desires have been sated, I'll be visiting the new-to-me Kate Spade boutique. Oh, and on the subject of shopping, I'd also like to visit Market NYC, where I will probably buy yet another colourful necklace. 
• Check out some more new espresso bars from NYT's The Scoop list. Last visit, Bluebird, Think Coffee and Everyman Espresso were all new discoveries via The Scoop. La Colombe Torrefaction is on my to-caffeinate list and as I'm staying in Midtown, Zibetto will definitely come in handy pre- and post-Central park running. 
• Speaking of running, I will definitely do at least one circuit of Central Park; maybe two, unless I decide to run over Brooklyn Bridge on the second run instead.
• The High Line will, no doubt, feature at some point (unfortunately, I'll miss screenings of Strangers on a Train and Some Like It Hot).
• I certainly hope I'll be drinking an exquisitely mixed cocktail, preferably somewhere new like Mulberry Project; well, or my old favourite, Employees Only.
• I don't have any new restaus on my list since my last visit, but I would happily revisit Pulino's, Minetta Tavern, Five Leaves and Fanelli's.

Before I can do any of this, however, I must pack. Farewell until Manhattan!