We arrived Thursday evening to crazier-than-bustling traffic (does that city ever get a break in traffic?). Because we were stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel for quite some time, I called and cancelled our dinner reservations at Balthazar. (this was the view from our hotel room) .
After a taxi ride that cost us $4 more because we didn't know to walk to the other side of Madison Square Garden to avoid paying to drive around the block in bumper-to-bumper traffic, we arrived near our hotel (due to the proximity to the Holland Tunnel and the ridiculous traffic in that direction, our cabby thought we'd get there quicker if we walked from the corner - he was right. As a matter of fact, we should have gotten out a few blocks sooner and gotten there even more quickly, even dragging our suitcase behind us). We dumped our stuff and headed in search of dinner.
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The front desk agent suggested The Cupping Room. We walked in that direction, but decided to pass - I just wasn't feelin' it. We kept walking.
We walked past Felix, which was recommended by Rebekah, but I didn't realize it was on her list of good places, so we didn't even cross the street to check it out. A couple more blocks and we stopped to check out Pepolino's. It was wonderful. (Saturday morning, we walked past Balthazar and realized that it really worked out well that our anniversary dinner was not at a loud, crowded restaurant, but an intimate and cozy one in a less popular area.) The food was amazing - really fresh and I'm sure it was the most delicious Italian food I've had anywhere.Some kind locals gave us walking directions to Max Brenner's on Broadway, which was on Rebekah's list. It was quite a long walk for my knee, but much needed to work off some of dinner before loading up on chocolate. On the way, we stopped to buy a lovely blue pashmina scarf for me from a street vendor and comic books from another vendor for Husband. 
When we arrived for "Chocolate by the Bald Guy", we shared the chocolate fondue trio and it was absolutely sinful. Roasting marshmallows over a little grill seemed to be Husband's favorite part of the evening. Well, roasting them then dipping them in pure chocolate and stuffing them in his mouth..... If I can figure out how to post a video, I have a slightly amusing one of him doing that, though the lighting isn't good. (We also thought it was a good place to get a little Thank You gift for my friend who kept the girls. Turns out I was right - even though she told me I shouldn't have given her anything, I could tell she couldn't wait to get home and make some hot cocoa for herself last night. Thanks, Jo!)
When we arrived for "Chocolate by the Bald Guy", we shared the chocolate fondue trio and it was absolutely sinful. Roasting marshmallows over a little grill seemed to be Husband's favorite part of the evening. Well, roasting them then dipping them in pure chocolate and stuffing them in his mouth..... If I can figure out how to post a video, I have a slightly amusing one of him doing that, though the lighting isn't good. (We also thought it was a good place to get a little Thank You gift for my friend who kept the girls. Turns out I was right - even though she told me I shouldn't have given her anything, I could tell she couldn't wait to get home and make some hot cocoa for herself last night. Thanks, Jo!).
By the time we were finished, we were stuffed and incredibly tired. It'd been a long day and more walking than I've done in at least 6 months. We took the Q train back down into SoHo and wandered around trying to find our hotel, since I seem to have lost my perfect sense of direction.
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At the hotel, I realized that instead of packing my own underpants, I'd packed those belonging to my 6 year-old (yeah, not really easy to confuse the two, I have NO idea how I did that). Also, I'd failed to pack my pjs. And so, being over-tired, I cried like a baby. It was really romantic. Yeah. Notsomuch.
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In spite of that, it was a lovely anniversary and I'm hopeful that my husband will stick with me at least another ten years.
