New York, NY
New York was amazing. It was everything I had imagined and then some.
Walking down the streets with the perfect little front doors and stairs made me feel like I was on the set of a movie.
The cobblestone streets stole my heart.
I fell in love with the old New York, not the lights on steroids of Times Square. I think I've been desensitized to lights because both Vegas and Hollywood are just like it. I'll admit that Times Square is just massive because of the size of the billboards, but really, it's just as bright as Vegas.
Central Park is my new favorite place.
A broadway show was just what I needed.
Recap:
Thursday I woke up at 5am because my dog wouldn't let me sleep any longer. His morning clock is way off and needs to be adjusted or I am going to be cranky every morning. I caught a taxi because I couldn't and wouldn't bug anyone to be late to work to take me to the airport. I also don't know many people in the OC LOL It was a quick ride to John Wayne and I arrived an hour and a half before my take off flight. I had McDonalds and read some Jules Verne before boarding. Once inside the plane, I remember getting my pillow, snuggling up (horay for window seats) and falling asleep. My flight from Orange County to Dallas was forgetful because I slept for 75% of it. I happened to check the time when they announced we were getting ready to land and it was 2:15pm; this flight was scheduled to LAND at 2:05. My next flight with the final destination being NY was at 3:05pm. Holy shit. We landed in Dallas at 2:30. By the time the ignorant people on the plane got their shit together and started moving, it was 2:45pm. I bolted. I arrived at my gate at 2:57pm. I had enough time to put my duffle bag in the overhead compartment, sit down, buckle in and catch my breath. Next thing I know, we're on the runway. Close call. I tried sleeping but couldn't sleep for more than 15 mins at a time. I read mostly and had a cracker, cheese and nut tray to hold me over because I didn't get a chance to grab a sandwich in Dallas. I was starving. We landed early, I was in NY at 7:03pm. I got out at LaGuardia Airport and made the line for a taxi. I got in and we took off. The sun was setting and it was amazing. My cabbie was a jerk and had me going in circles, what a jerk. I finally arrived at Greenpoint/Manhattan Ave. Home, sweet home for the next 3 nights. Cindy came to meet me at the corner and we walked back to her apartment. The wooden steps creaked up to the 3rd floor and the hallways were humid. Ah, New York. I got settled in, put my bags down and we headed out to catch the subway down to Times Square for dinner. The subway is a lot like the Red Line in Downtown L.A. so I was very comfortable with the whole environment. We got on the subway, got off at Times Square after a connection train and into the streets we went. It was kind of breezy and cool that night so it made it an easy transition. We had dinner at the Olive Garden after sitting down and waiting at the TGIF down the block for 20 mins without any help. Prices are ridiculous for food. At TGIF, a petite steak you can get here for $18.99 was $24.99 there. A McDonalds meal even cost $2 more. They have calorie counts on EVERYTHING (yes, even fountain drinks) but no healthy food alternatives. I will admit that I didn't see many overweight people in NY. I guess it's all the walking and climbing stairs on the subway. Anywho, we drooled at the buildings and took a horse carriage ride down to all the popular spots; Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, NBC 30 Rock, St. Patricks Cathedral, MoMA and down where all the hot stores are. We passed right in the middle of a movie set, but we couldn't get anyone to tell us what movie it was. It was an amazing experience seeing everything on the back of a horse carriage. We decided to go back to the apartment, but not before heading to the bar 3 doors down from home. It was 1am at this time and I thought it would be a waste since last call was probably going to be announced any minute. No sir, last call was at 3:30am because bars in NY close at 4am! WHAT???!! This was awesome. I had about 4-5 beers. I can't really remember, I just know they were the best beers I have ever had in my life. I started with Weihenstephan, the oldest beer in the world! Then I had Rare Vos, which was the Banana, Bubblegum, Floral beer. It smelled like ripe bananas, tastes sweet like bubblegum and leaves a floral after taste. SO.DELICIOUS. I was in beer heaven. Between the 3 of us, we had about 15 beers and I only paid $40 because we are friends with the bartender. Go us. We dragged ourselves up the stairs at 4am (we're troopers, stayed til closing time), ate donuts because we were drunks and sat out at the fire escape listening to music and chatting up til about 5am when we finally went to sleep.
Friday we woke up around 11am. I felt like crap. Lots of water and aspirin after I made us all breakfast and showered. We headed out at 2pm to get iced coffee and hail down a taxi. We drove down Williamsburg, past Prospect Park and got out at the Brookyln Museum. What was so important for us to see? An art exhibit for fuckin' ANDY WARHOL! We would not be respectable artists if we didn't take this chance up. I hadn't been to one of his exhibitions since my first year of college. I was way overdue for an art museum anyway. We literally only left because we stayed until the employees made us leave because it was closing time. We got on the subway and headed to Central Park. We took the North Entrance (it's insanely MASSIVE) and headed on a trail. It was an oasis of forestry. Seriously, how can something this GREEN be in such a huge city? It had everything, long wooded trails, gardens, waterfalls and lakes for fishing! That's with just being there for an hour! I can't imagine what else I'd encounter if we had stayed longer. We made our way out close to nigh tfall because we were told to not be there after dark. Point taken. We had to stop at Times Square because Cindy forgot her Debit Card at the Olive Garden. While we were there, I took a walk over to the Palace Theatre to get tickets to see West Side Story for the next day. I also got my dearest husband a vintage style NY Yankee baseball cap at Lids. By this time, we hadn't eaten since breakfast so we decided dinner was to go big, or go home. We took the subway down to Little Italy for some good Italian food. We had a brick oven Pizza Bianca (no marinara), some pasta and garlic bread. We walked down the streets and stopped at an Italian bakery for some cannoli's ... $16 worth of pastries shared between 3 people... priceless. Oh, and sugar rushes all around. We went back to the bar for one drink (just one, promise) and then went back to the apartment where we tried (and failed) to get to sleep early. This was a night of fails since my phone died and it meant no alarm to wake us up. Fail big time.
Saturday we were suppose to get up at 7am to be out the door by 8am to be at South Street Seaport for our boat tour by 9am check in. We failed miserably when I stretched and yawned and noticed I was too rested for it to be early. It was 9am. Shit. I literally dragged both of them out of bed and onto the subway. We didn't make it. Fuck. By this time we decided to walk around the Pier and the mall. We head back to Times Square so Cindy and I can go watch the musical. We made our way into this old Theatre that opened in 1913! It is stunning. The detail is superb. I purchased box seats so up we went into our little space. It felt so classic. The show was not sold out, so they moved us to towards the center, front of mezzanine (theater people know how awesome this is) for free! UPGRADE! Cha-ching! The musical was amazing, the orchestra was phenomenal and the 2.5 hours went by like minutes. It felt SO insanely amazing to be able to check something off my 'must do' list of life. Broadway musical? Check! It really was that big of a deal to me. A piece of me felt like I did Ms. Massey proud. We then jetted off in a taxi back to South Street Seaport to catch the last boat ride! Water taxi ftw! We saw everything! It was like a history class all over again, but in person and up close and personal. We saw Ellis Island, and it made my heart sad to not have stopped there. Must go back and visit the museum. We saw the beautiful Statue of Liberty, WTC, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge & Williamsburg Bridge (BMW) and so much more. Oh the history! We went back and had dinner after our awesome boat ride at the Seaport. Mmmmm Crab Cakes. We then decided to head back because it was late and I was to leave at 4:30am Sunday. Ugh. We did stop for a portrait drawing for $5. You can't go wrong with a drawing. I got a chance to sit down and realize that it went by way too quickly. On our way back, we got ice cream and donuts, go us. We caught up online, checked emails, I repacked my bags, took showers, ate and sat down to watch Zombieland. I fell asleep 1/4 of the way into the movie.
Sunday I got up way too early. I walked down to meet my taxi at 4:35am. After grabbing some cheap souvenirs at the airport, I was on a plane at 5:50am heading home. Goodbye New York.
I got home at 11:15am to a clean home, an excited dog, a moody cat, a quiet bunny and a loving husband. It felt SO nice to be home.
Next stop: Michigan for Labor Day Weekend.
Walking down the streets with the perfect little front doors and stairs made me feel like I was on the set of a movie.
The cobblestone streets stole my heart.
I fell in love with the old New York, not the lights on steroids of Times Square. I think I've been desensitized to lights because both Vegas and Hollywood are just like it. I'll admit that Times Square is just massive because of the size of the billboards, but really, it's just as bright as Vegas.
Central Park is my new favorite place.
A broadway show was just what I needed.
Recap:
Thursday I woke up at 5am because my dog wouldn't let me sleep any longer. His morning clock is way off and needs to be adjusted or I am going to be cranky every morning. I caught a taxi because I couldn't and wouldn't bug anyone to be late to work to take me to the airport. I also don't know many people in the OC LOL It was a quick ride to John Wayne and I arrived an hour and a half before my take off flight. I had McDonalds and read some Jules Verne before boarding. Once inside the plane, I remember getting my pillow, snuggling up (horay for window seats) and falling asleep. My flight from Orange County to Dallas was forgetful because I slept for 75% of it. I happened to check the time when they announced we were getting ready to land and it was 2:15pm; this flight was scheduled to LAND at 2:05. My next flight with the final destination being NY was at 3:05pm. Holy shit. We landed in Dallas at 2:30. By the time the ignorant people on the plane got their shit together and started moving, it was 2:45pm. I bolted. I arrived at my gate at 2:57pm. I had enough time to put my duffle bag in the overhead compartment, sit down, buckle in and catch my breath. Next thing I know, we're on the runway. Close call. I tried sleeping but couldn't sleep for more than 15 mins at a time. I read mostly and had a cracker, cheese and nut tray to hold me over because I didn't get a chance to grab a sandwich in Dallas. I was starving. We landed early, I was in NY at 7:03pm. I got out at LaGuardia Airport and made the line for a taxi. I got in and we took off. The sun was setting and it was amazing. My cabbie was a jerk and had me going in circles, what a jerk. I finally arrived at Greenpoint/Manhattan Ave. Home, sweet home for the next 3 nights. Cindy came to meet me at the corner and we walked back to her apartment. The wooden steps creaked up to the 3rd floor and the hallways were humid. Ah, New York. I got settled in, put my bags down and we headed out to catch the subway down to Times Square for dinner. The subway is a lot like the Red Line in Downtown L.A. so I was very comfortable with the whole environment. We got on the subway, got off at Times Square after a connection train and into the streets we went. It was kind of breezy and cool that night so it made it an easy transition. We had dinner at the Olive Garden after sitting down and waiting at the TGIF down the block for 20 mins without any help. Prices are ridiculous for food. At TGIF, a petite steak you can get here for $18.99 was $24.99 there. A McDonalds meal even cost $2 more. They have calorie counts on EVERYTHING (yes, even fountain drinks) but no healthy food alternatives. I will admit that I didn't see many overweight people in NY. I guess it's all the walking and climbing stairs on the subway. Anywho, we drooled at the buildings and took a horse carriage ride down to all the popular spots; Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, NBC 30 Rock, St. Patricks Cathedral, MoMA and down where all the hot stores are. We passed right in the middle of a movie set, but we couldn't get anyone to tell us what movie it was. It was an amazing experience seeing everything on the back of a horse carriage. We decided to go back to the apartment, but not before heading to the bar 3 doors down from home. It was 1am at this time and I thought it would be a waste since last call was probably going to be announced any minute. No sir, last call was at 3:30am because bars in NY close at 4am! WHAT???!! This was awesome. I had about 4-5 beers. I can't really remember, I just know they were the best beers I have ever had in my life. I started with Weihenstephan, the oldest beer in the world! Then I had Rare Vos, which was the Banana, Bubblegum, Floral beer. It smelled like ripe bananas, tastes sweet like bubblegum and leaves a floral after taste. SO.DELICIOUS. I was in beer heaven. Between the 3 of us, we had about 15 beers and I only paid $40 because we are friends with the bartender. Go us. We dragged ourselves up the stairs at 4am (we're troopers, stayed til closing time), ate donuts because we were drunks and sat out at the fire escape listening to music and chatting up til about 5am when we finally went to sleep.
Friday we woke up around 11am. I felt like crap. Lots of water and aspirin after I made us all breakfast and showered. We headed out at 2pm to get iced coffee and hail down a taxi. We drove down Williamsburg, past Prospect Park and got out at the Brookyln Museum. What was so important for us to see? An art exhibit for fuckin' ANDY WARHOL! We would not be respectable artists if we didn't take this chance up. I hadn't been to one of his exhibitions since my first year of college. I was way overdue for an art museum anyway. We literally only left because we stayed until the employees made us leave because it was closing time. We got on the subway and headed to Central Park. We took the North Entrance (it's insanely MASSIVE) and headed on a trail. It was an oasis of forestry. Seriously, how can something this GREEN be in such a huge city? It had everything, long wooded trails, gardens, waterfalls and lakes for fishing! That's with just being there for an hour! I can't imagine what else I'd encounter if we had stayed longer. We made our way out close to nigh tfall because we were told to not be there after dark. Point taken. We had to stop at Times Square because Cindy forgot her Debit Card at the Olive Garden. While we were there, I took a walk over to the Palace Theatre to get tickets to see West Side Story for the next day. I also got my dearest husband a vintage style NY Yankee baseball cap at Lids. By this time, we hadn't eaten since breakfast so we decided dinner was to go big, or go home. We took the subway down to Little Italy for some good Italian food. We had a brick oven Pizza Bianca (no marinara), some pasta and garlic bread. We walked down the streets and stopped at an Italian bakery for some cannoli's ... $16 worth of pastries shared between 3 people... priceless. Oh, and sugar rushes all around. We went back to the bar for one drink (just one, promise) and then went back to the apartment where we tried (and failed) to get to sleep early. This was a night of fails since my phone died and it meant no alarm to wake us up. Fail big time.
Saturday we were suppose to get up at 7am to be out the door by 8am to be at South Street Seaport for our boat tour by 9am check in. We failed miserably when I stretched and yawned and noticed I was too rested for it to be early. It was 9am. Shit. I literally dragged both of them out of bed and onto the subway. We didn't make it. Fuck. By this time we decided to walk around the Pier and the mall. We head back to Times Square so Cindy and I can go watch the musical. We made our way into this old Theatre that opened in 1913! It is stunning. The detail is superb. I purchased box seats so up we went into our little space. It felt so classic. The show was not sold out, so they moved us to towards the center, front of mezzanine (theater people know how awesome this is) for free! UPGRADE! Cha-ching! The musical was amazing, the orchestra was phenomenal and the 2.5 hours went by like minutes. It felt SO insanely amazing to be able to check something off my 'must do' list of life. Broadway musical? Check! It really was that big of a deal to me. A piece of me felt like I did Ms. Massey proud. We then jetted off in a taxi back to South Street Seaport to catch the last boat ride! Water taxi ftw! We saw everything! It was like a history class all over again, but in person and up close and personal. We saw Ellis Island, and it made my heart sad to not have stopped there. Must go back and visit the museum. We saw the beautiful Statue of Liberty, WTC, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge & Williamsburg Bridge (BMW) and so much more. Oh the history! We went back and had dinner after our awesome boat ride at the Seaport. Mmmmm Crab Cakes. We then decided to head back because it was late and I was to leave at 4:30am Sunday. Ugh. We did stop for a portrait drawing for $5. You can't go wrong with a drawing. I got a chance to sit down and realize that it went by way too quickly. On our way back, we got ice cream and donuts, go us. We caught up online, checked emails, I repacked my bags, took showers, ate and sat down to watch Zombieland. I fell asleep 1/4 of the way into the movie.
Sunday I got up way too early. I walked down to meet my taxi at 4:35am. After grabbing some cheap souvenirs at the airport, I was on a plane at 5:50am heading home. Goodbye New York.
I got home at 11:15am to a clean home, an excited dog, a moody cat, a quiet bunny and a loving husband. It felt SO nice to be home.
Next stop: Michigan for Labor Day Weekend.