Meghan Markle Once Revealed the “Mother F-ing” Reason N.Y.C. Has Her “Wrapped Around Its Little Finger”
Meghan Markle may be a California girl at heart, but there’s something about New York City that has her smitten.
The Big Apple may seem like a surprising choice for the Duchess of Sussex to gather with close friends for her baby shower. After all, she has West Coast roots – and her mother, Doria Ragland, still calls Los Angeles home – and she adopted Toronto as her base while filming Suits for a number of years. But Meghan has plenty of ties to New York.
The royal mom-to-be wrote about the hustle and bustle of the city in a June 2014 post on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig.
“The memories of filming the pilot for Suits, the fast frenetic energy only lulled by my morning jog through Central Park, the quintessential Manhattan bravado, the elderly ladies who lunch at Bergdorfs (draped in diamonds, nursing their martinis, watching the day go by against the backdrop of Kelly Wearstler papered walls) – these are a few of the reasons I love New York,” Meghan wrote. “But it’s the food, the mother f-ing fantastic, crave-worthy food, that keeps me wrapped around its little finger.”
The avid food lover went on to list a few her must-hit restaurants, “whether I have 5 days in the city or just 32 hours.” Some of her favorites? Mulberry Street pizza joint Rubirosa, ramen haven Hinata and Chef Jean George Vongerichten’s eponymous New French eatery overlooking Central Park.
Meghan also highlighted some of her favorite NYC spots in a profile for Citiphile, including her favorite cocktail spot (a dirty martini from Fedora in the West Village) and her go-to date night location (another West Village restaurant, Joseph Leonard – it’s “dimly lit and so tiny that you simply must snuggle up to your date,” she notes).
The future royal also shared her “ultimate NY moment” – and it involved one of her BFFs.
“After attending back-to-back shows during NYFW, I hopped in a car and went straight to Flushing to cheer on Serena [Williams] at the women’s finals of the U.S. Open,” Meghan said. “The fact that your day can take you in a million amazing directions from couture to court side is simply fantastic; only in New York.”
Meghan has also been known to catch a Broadway show — she shared a touristy pic holding a Hamilton Playbill in front of a yellow cab with pal Priyanka Chopra on her now-deleted Instagram — and get sporty. She told Citiphile that she’ll fit in a run along the West Side Highway and she’s been known to catch a New York Rangers hockey game at Madison Square Garden.
She also participated in the 2014 DirecTV Beach Bowl, a star-studded game of touch football played in conjunction with the Super Bowl.
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But food and fun aren’t the only things that draw Meghan to New York City – there’s also work! Her acting credits include Gotham staples like CSI: NY, plus she made more than a few appearances on morning shows filmed in the city to promote her shows and even act as a style correspondent.
Of course, Meghan’s current trip to New York is for a special occasion: to celebrate the upcoming birth of her first child with Prince Harry with her closest friends!
Toronto-based stylist and Meghan’s longtime pal Jessica Mulroney, whose three children served important roles in Meghan’s bridal party at her royal wedding, is expected to be among those hosting the shower. Friends reported to be in attendance include former Suits costar Abigail Spencer (who shared a photo of herself on Instagram making her way through an airport on Monday), Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra and Misha Nonoo. Meghan’s mother could also fly in from Los Angeles for the celebration.
This article originally appeared on People. For more stories like this, visit people.com.