We started at the newly renovated Waldorf Astoria New York, settling into Peacock Alley where it’s still very much a see and be seen situation. Yes, I ordered the $35 martini. Yes, it was followed by wagyu pigs in a blanket.

Dinner that night was at Le Veau d'Or—the historic Upper East Side French bistro brought back to life by Lee Hansonand Riad Nasr. We were greeted like old friends by Erica Cantley and tucked into a back booth with a perfect view of the room. Ryan guided us through it all, pommes soufflées, caviar rouge à la crème, and a chicken with morels that did not hold back on the butter.

Day two started with a cortado from For Five Coffee Roasters, we went because someone said the prices were “unhinged.” They are. The coffee is excellent.

Lucky us, we got tickets to the Tony nominated The Death of a Salesman with Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, intense, and incredibly well done.

Dinner that night was at Shukette. Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja delivers bold, vibrant flavors, the hummus alone is worth the reservation. (Also: soft serve. Obviously.) We ended the night with cocktails at Martiny's.

Monday brought us to The Chef's Assembly, thoughtful conversations and a lot of familiar faces. The panel The Cookbook Journey, moderated by Joshua David Stein, featured Hawa Hassan, Santiago Lastra, Ella Quittner, Hillary Sterling, and Nok Suntaranon, a smart, engaging look at the stories behind the books.

Also caught Tom Sietsema leading a panel on restaurants as the “third space,” with Talia Berman, Jacob Cross, Johno Morisano, and Jill Tyler.

We slipped out for a walk through Little Island before heading to the Culinary Institute of America event, where Amber Pfau was celebrated on her appointment to the board. The evening was hosted by Spike Mendelsohn, with Kwame Onwuachi among those honored.

And then a quiet morning walk through Central Park before heading home.

A lot in a few days. Exactly how I like it.