Though the view of the New York City skyline is visibly marred by the lack of the massive Twin Towers, it’s still spectacular. From the airplane, the tall buildings on the island of Manhattan look like busy commuters jostling for standing room on an overcrowded train.

From below, as I exit the cab in a posh neighborhood on the Upper East Side, the city is everything I remember, maybe even better. At 10 a.m., fruit stands are packed with fresh oranges, apples – even papayas – that are perfectly ripe. Cafes are busy preparing for the lunch crowd while lingering croissant-eaters mull frothy cappuccinos and read the paper. I join them and savor a late breakfast of a chocolate pastry and a steaming café au lait.

Time for Mom
Separated from my husband and baby for the first time in a year, I am exuberant about a weekend away. That, of course, includes a spa treatment or two, which is why I have come to the Atzen Clinical Spa on Lexington Avenue. Having read about Catherine Atzen’s treatments, which include special massage techniques to help eliminate toxins from the skin with the help of her skin care products, I am anxious to experience her therapy firsthand. In addition to the facial (which includes a hand and foot rub), I opt for reflexology for my feet and a full body massage. All in all, it’s a tremendously luxurious experience and into the next day, several people comment on the “freshness” of my face.

I have booked a room at the W Hotel in Union Square, which is an area of New York City I’ve never experienced. The neighborhood has a funky, creative feel, which is contributed to by the Union Square Theater across the street, where Edward Norton and Catherine Keener are performing Burn This.

The hotel is bustling and full of energy, and the glamorous staff members (from the desk clerks to the bellhops) look like they just stepped off the pages of Vogue. My room has huge windows overlooking Union Square, and the special little touches such as a martini glass filled with candy, a cozy robe and buttery sheets make my stay at the W a memorable one.

My hotel experience is short-lived, as I plan to stay with a friend from school for the duration of the weekend. Not only are hotels expensive, but it’s always more fun to enjoy a city with someone who lives there, especially in New York, where there are enough different activities and attractions to fill a calendar year.

Shop ‘Til You Drop
My friend, Carole, lives in Greenwich Village, and we spend all day Saturday walking around her neighborhood and neighboring SoHo, which is another area I’ve never explored. Our first stop is a small street fair on Carmine Street where local restaurants are providing small portions of their most popular dishes to promote their menus. The effects of September 11 are still very palpable in many ways, especially for restaurant owners for whom business is still sluggish. For $25, we buy a ticket for five “tastes” and proceed to enjoy a wide variety of foods, including sushi, paella and pulled pork, which is more than enough for both of us.

SoHo is our next stop, and we pop in and out of funky clothing boutiques and art galleries. After an hour or so of ogling high-priced, unattainable items, I ask Carole to show me a “shoppable” store, to which she responds, “I have just the place – Daffy’s.” Still pretty much limited to the East Coast, this amazing discount store offers incredible deals on designer (and just plain fabulous) clothes. From Italian leather skirts (for less than $30!) to cashmere at 70 percent off retail, I have a hard time not overbuying. Instead, I settle for two cozy sweaters to help get me through another Chicago winter and a pair of casual shoes. But half the fun is just looking, and we end up spending two and a half hours in Daffy’s.

In need of a beverage before heading back to Carole’s, we stop into a SoHo restaurant called Ñ, which serves tapas and great sangria. The place is empty, but we are soon joined by young Hollywood actress Leelee Sobieski, who sits with her friends at a table in the back. My first (and only) celebrity sighting!

Finishing our drinks, we head back to Carole’s to get ready for dinner. On our walk back, she points out two fire stations for which that fateful day the previous September meant the loss of most of their workforce. We say “Hi” to a couple of firemen hanging out in front, and I briefly ponder what their lives have been like these last 12 months.

As we walk, Carole recounts a story about the past New Year’s Eve and how she and her friends went out to a restaurant near Ground Zero to show their support for businesses in the area. At midnight, she says, a group of men working on the site came into the restaurant for a Coke to celebrate the New Year. To one she said, “This year will be better.” To which he replied, “It just has to be.”

A Big Night Out
Carole rounds out my fabulous weekend by reserving us a table at one of the hottest restaurants in town. After a brief rest and a shower, we head to Butter, a top pick (at least that week!) for food, wine and people watching. The atmosphere is unique, with lots of light-colored wood and a backlit image of a birch forest that gives the large space a classy, woodsy feeling. Though we don’t see any famous faces at Butter, the food is excellent, and the atmosphere is a grand escape for this Midwest mom.

All too soon, the evening is over, and the next thing I know, it’s Sunday and I’m grabbing a cab to the airport. Though short, the weekend was a fun-filled success and a great break from a hectic and baby-filled schedule.

As the cab zigzags through the streets, I briefly consider making a detour to the World Trade Center site, but I decide against it. Instead I take with me a promising image of a city that has bounced back, stronger and more alive than ever.

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• Talk about it!