My husband and I celebrated my birthday this year in New York City with dinner and a play.

We took the train in on a Friday afternoon and made our way straight to our hotel, Sofitel New York, for our one-night stay. We dropped off our bags and ventured back out to explore ahead of our evening plans. It was a cold day, and we didn’t last long outside, but we spent time popping in and out of shops and bars. Since it’s hard to avoid touristy locations in Midtown Manhattan, we embraced it and went to Sardi’s for a drink. The iconic restaurant is known for its caricature-filled walls displaying images of popular performers. Our drinks were fine, but the vibe was charming, and we had fun chatting with other patrons at the bar.

For dinner we visited nearby Japanese barbecue spot Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ. We were there during happy hour, so we ordered some dishes and drinks off the happy hour menu. It was a perfect break from the cold before heading to Lyceum Theater. We saw Oh, Mary!, a dark comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln in the days leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. I don’t want to spoil the plot any further, but I will share the show had us laughing the entire performance. We saw the original cast perform a few days before a new cast took over. I recommend checking it out if you’re in New York.

It was a great night and a great way to start a new year ahead.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director