NYC- Day 4

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Jerome and I woke up to another beautiful day in the city. Jerome woke up early and went for a run through Central Park, something he had been looking forward to doing for a long time. We got ready and made our way down to our usual spot, Starbucks, to grab a coffee and a bite to eat before heading out for the day. As we sat and enjoyed our breakfast, the guy who plays Mitchell on Modern Family came in and ordered a drink. Jerome and I were so stoked because we are huge fans of the show! It totally got our morning off to a good start!

Our first stop on the agenda for today was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We decided to walk through Central Park, since it was only a short distance. We walked along the path on the upper East Side, admiring the buildings that peaked through the trees. Everything looked so beautiful! I'm so glad we came during Spring and were able to see all of the newly blooming flowers and cherry blossom trees.

At 72nd street, we exited the park, onto 5th avenue. Within minutes we came upon the Met. The building alone was somewhat of a masterpiece. It was so huge, and I hate to keep using the word grand, but there really are no other words that come to mind. Just looking at the facade made us even more excited to see what was inside!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the steps of The Met

Jerome and I spent several hours exploring all of the exhibits. The amount of history in the building is just astounding. I was especially in love with all of the European Decorative Arts. The interiors was incredible! Although we spent a few hours there, we still did not see everything the Met had to offer. It is definitely a place you could get lost in!

Next on our to-do list was checking out the Upper West Side. We continued walking through Central Park (stopping for a little bite to eat from a street vendor- nothing too exciting!) until we came to the Jackie Onassis Reservoir. From there we crossed the park and exited on to 86th Street, in the Upper West Side. One thing I loved about the Upper West Side was it felt very "homey". I loved all the walk-up brownstones mixed in with the towering apartment buildings. I would love to live here!

View of the Upper East Side from the Jackie Onassis Reservoir

View of the Upper West Side

Jerome and I walked south along Broadway. Our first stop was Zabars- a legendary specialty food store. I had been wanting to go there since seeing it in the movie "You've Got Mail" and also hearing from my girlfriend Janelle about what a gem it was. We spent some time browsing the store, but my back was beginning to hurt (and I really had to pee!), so we left pretty quickly (regrettably without any goodies). After a stop at Starbucks, so I could use the loo, we stopped in at Filene's Basement. In my opinion, Filene's is very similar to a low-end Loehmans. After perusing the racks, and getting very disappointed because there were no small sizes in both shoes and clothing, I left empty handed. We continued walking down Broadway, and came across Gray's Papaya. Our friends, George and Vanessa, love hot dogs, and they suggested we check this place out. For under $5, Jerome and I got 2 hot dogs and some of their famous papaya juice. I am not hugely in love with hot dogs, but I must say, these were pretty tasty! From there we made our way towards the subway station on 72nd street and Central Park West. We stopped in front of the Dakota Building to take a picture. I had been always been a huge Beatles and John Lennon fan, so I knew it was a place I had to see. The building was beautiful. Another slice of amazing architecture in the city!

The Dakota

After a pit stop back at our hotel, Jerome and I headed across the street to have a glass of wine with Pamela and Dave at Landmarc, a treat at Bouchon Bakery, and then it was onward to meet one of their friends at John's Pizzeria on 44th street. Jerome and I had not eaten any pizza yet on our trip, and this was definitely a great place to start with! Our friend Dave is known as the "Pizza Monster" because he is pretty much obsessed with eating pizza, so it was very fitting that our first slice in the city be with him. John's is a cool place because not only was the pizza delicious, but the restaurant is in an old church building. It was surprisingly very pretty inside.

My "Oreo" from Bouchon Bakery

We capped off the night by hopping between a few bars that were within walking distance. We had a few drinks and some pretty deep conversations. It was great getting to hang with Pamela after all these years. We probably could have stayed out all night drinking, but we ended the night around 1 am, so we would be somewhat coherent for our trip to Brooklyn the following day.

Pamela and I

On deck for Day 5: Brooklyn

NYC- Day 3

Monday, April 5, 2010

We began the day with our usual stop for breakfast at the nearby Starbucks, and then made our way on the B train to Rockefeller Center. We had originally planned to get up super early and try to do the Today show audience, but when our alarms went off at 5am, we were over it, and decided we'd just pop down there and try to catch a glimpse of Kathie Lee and Hoda doing their show. After all, they are the only part of the Today Show that we ever watch. We got to Rockefeller Center (passing Radio City Music Hall along the way). I peered through the windows of the Today Show, in hopes of catching a glimpse of Kathie Lee and Hoda, but sadly, they have huge opaque screens covering the windows, and all I could see was the girl who always checks the message boards for them (her name is escaping me). We took a few pics of the plaza area, admired the ice skaters, and then made our way onward towards St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Radio City Music Hall

The ice rink at Rockefeller Center

Beautiful plants Rockefeller Center

As I mentioned in my Day 2 post, the churches in NYC are incredible, and St. Patrick's Cathedral was by far, the grand daddy of them all! This Neo-Gothic-style cathedral was built in 1878. Yes, 1878! The architecture and design of St. Patrick's is so grand that pictures do not do it an ounce of justice. We spent a long time admiring the spires and nave of the cathedral, and picturing what it would be like during one of St. Patrick's masses, which can hold up to nearly 2,200 people. It seemed odd taking picture inside, but we did manage to snap up a few.

The entry to St. Patrick's Cathedral

The nave of St. Patrick's Cathedral

After St. Patrick's Cathedral, we made our way down 5th towards Grand Central Station. Along the way we stopped by the Roosevelt Hotel, where Jerome had stayed on a previous trip. We saw the Chrysler Building, but sadly, our pictures are not worth posting. We made it in to Grand Central Station, and I found it totally fascinating. I love airports and train stations because I enjoy the idea of all of these people coming together and then departing to different places. As i saw people checking in at the ticketing windows, my mind was a flutter, wondering where everyone was going and why they were doing so. Jerome and I also loved looking at all the cities on the itinerary board and were even more excited that Boston was only a 3 hour ride away! How cool!

Grand Central Station

From there, we made our way down 42nd street to the New York Public Library. This was yet another grand building in NYC! The front entrance to the NYPL was still under construction and thus covered with tarps and scaffolding, but people filled the steps, eating lunch and enjoying the mildly warm weather. Jerome and I made it inside, and both of our jaws dropped. Now this was a library! Marble walls and floors, hand painted ceilings, thousands of books...it was incredible! We spent some time wandering around and managed to get a few photos before heading out.

The main entry way

One of two sprawling staircases in the main hall of NYPL

(the same stairs where Carrie was supposed to marry Big the in SATC movie)

Our next stop was Bryant Park, which is located behind the NYPL between 40 and 41st on 6th Avenue. This was yet another beautiful slice of nature in the middle of the city. The park has a huge, lush green lawn that is surrounded by a dirt path and many tables for seating. By this time, it was lunch, and the park was full of business people, eating lunch and getting in some noontime sun. The crowds at the park's cafes were quite big, so we decided to grab a bite to eat across the street at Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ), which happens to be one of Jerome's favorite places to eat in L.A, as well as somewhere he has been planning to take me to for some time. We grabbed a spot at their communal table, ordered mimosas, some fresh squeezed lemonade, tuna tartine and proscuitto, arugula and white bean salad. If you have the chance to eat at LPQ (they have several L.A locations as well as others around the world), do it! The meal was so delicious!!!

Bryant Park

Bryant Park, with NYPL in the background

After lunch, we decided to take a short walk to Times Square. I really had no desire to go to Times Square, but Jerome figured I better go and see it at least once. I have one word to describe Times Square and the area surrounding it- GROSS! In a city so full of culture and diversity, I found it sad to find so many low end chain restaurants (i.e. Red Lobster and Olive Garden) and lackluster clothing stores. This was also the only place in the city where I truly felt unsafe. It was dirty and there were tons of people lurking on the corners. It was an obvious tourist trap and I feel bad for anyone who comes to NYC and never ventures past the intersection of Broadway and 42nd street. I'm glad we saw it, but I don't think we'll be planning a stop there again. Here's a couple photos:

A few weeks before we left for NY, I had entered a drawing for tickets to see a taping the David Letterman show, and as luck would have it, I got a call from one of their ticketing agents. After answering a trivia question (What does Rupert Gee own?), we got them! We had to pick up the tickets at 2pm, so after our jaunt through Times Square, we made our way to the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway and 53rd. The guests on the show that night were Chris Rock and Jane Lynch. Dave had some laryngitis going on and kept saying that he did not feel well. Chris Rock was hilarious, but we were most excited about seeing Jane Lynch. We loved her in The 40 Year Old Virgin and Role Models, and are even more in love with her as Sue Sylvester on Glee. Sadly, the interview with her was not as funny as we'd hoped. In fact, it was a major low point. As I said, Dave was not feeling well to start with, and Jane Lynch was his last segment for the show. During the interview he kept asking about her childhood and early comedy gigs. Jane very obviously did not enjoy his line of questions, and at one point she told Dave that he needed to start asking her the questions his staff had prepped her on. He obviously didn't like being told what to do, so he stopped asking questions, gave a few plugs for some magazine covers she was on, and then told everyone to watch Glee. It was the last segment of the show, so he ended by saying good night to the audience, then stood up and walked off stage. No handshake or thank you for Jane Lynch. They clearly did not get along, and I'd be very surprised if she comes back on the show.

After the Letterman taping, we got a call that our friends Pamela and Dave had made it in to town. They were staying at our same hotel, so we met them at the rooftop park for a drink. It was another beautiful evening, and the 4 of use enjoyed our cocktails and planned some outings for the next few days. Around 7 we parted ways. Jerome and I freshened up, then caught the 1 train to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square in the West Village to meet Jerome's long time friends, Amanda and Lisa, for dinner. After getting a little lost (the streets are a bit confusing in the West Village), we met up with them at Chow Bar. Jerome had not seen his friend Amanda in nearly 10 years, and it had been close to 2 years since we had seen Lisa. The four of us had a fantastic dinner and it was great catching up with them. We told them how much we were in love with NYC, and they were very excited to know that we would be visiting way more!

Lisa, Amanda, myself and Jerome

We ended dinner around 11, and decided to catch a cab instead of venture back on the train. The cab was pretty cheap (under 10 bucks), and it was cool seeing the city at night, since most of our travels have been underground. Back at the hotel, Pamela and Dave had invited us to join them for drinks down in SoHO, but we were utterly exhausted. We decided to stay in, put on NY1 news, and quickly drift off to sleep.

On deck for Day 4: The Met, Upper East Side and Upper West Side

NYC- Day 2

Sunday, April 4, 2010 (Easter)

Day 2 got off to somewhat of a late start. We had hoped to be out and about by 9am, but we overslept and didn't manage to make it out of our room until 10:00 am. We grabbed breakfast at Starbucks on the corner of 58th and 8th, and then walked a few blocks to the train station at 57th & 7th. The station was next to Carnegie Hall, which was cool to see.

Carnegie Hall

From there, we caught the N train to Union Square. It was another beautiful day and there were lots of people out, enjoying the weather. Union Square had a small art festival set up, with a variety of artists selling their work. We browsed around the booths, then decided to continue on towards Gramercy Park. We stopped to take a picture of the famous George Washington statue in Union Square, and we were approached by a reporter from a website called "Winkball.com". The women asked us if she could interview us on what makes us happy. We said sure, so she filmed a short video of us explaining the things that make us happy. It was random! After she left, Jerome and I laughed because this was the second time we were stopped and interviewed for something. Obviously we look too friendly! Here are our interviews:

Jen

**note my seriously squinty eyes, due to the fact that she had me staring directly into the sunlight, but wouldn't allow me to wear my sunglasses. Booo!**

Click here to see the video wall

Jerome

**note his use of "Central Park", which was an obvious mistake, since we were in Union Square! Oops!**

Click here to see the video wall

The George Washington statue in Union Square

From Union Square, we walked several blocks to Gramercy Park. This park is one of only two private parks in New York City. It is completely gated, and only residents who live nearby and pay a yearly fee are given a key. We couldn't get inside the park, but we managed to peek through the gates and snap a photo. Inside the park, there were families partaking in an Easter egg hunt, and there was even a cute little table set up with treats. It looked like the perfect place to spend your Easter morning!

Gramercy Park

The placard on the gates around Gramercy Park

A sneak peek inside the gates

The neighborhood surrounding Gramercy was very manicured, quiet and serene. Jerome and I both agreed this would be the kind of neighborhood we would want to live in if we ever moved to Manhattan. Given it was Easter Sunday, there were a lot of well dressed people strolling the streets, heading to church or brunch. We walked around the neighborhood, admiring the beautiful buildings and cherry blossom trees. We decided to continue trekking towards Washington Square. Along the way, we passed a beautiful church. I didn't catch the name of it, but I had to get a picture of it. Something I grew to love about NYC was the plethora of beautiful churches. Tucked between the skyscrapers were these ornate churches, most of which were hundreds of years old. The history is just astounding. You definitely don't see that in California!

Our next stop was Greenwich Village. We stumbled upon a cute little vintage shop and I managed to score a vintage YSL scarf for $15. The low price was totally an accident on the stores behalf (all of the others were marked for $150), but they honored the tag price, and I walked away happy about my deal!

After perusing the cute village streets, we finally made it to Washington Square Park. By this time it was noon, and the weather was blazing hot for NY standards. The park was full of people, laying out on the grass, playing instruments, eating lunch and enjoying the sun. Jerome and I stopped to take some pictures of the famous arch and I made a few phone calls (I had gotten news that a close friend's father was very ill and would probably be passing away within the next 24 hours). We walked around the square, taking in the incredible weather and checking out all of the interesting people. We decided to continue walking down Mercer Street towards SoHo so we could do a little shopping. We passed by NYU, and both of us agreed that we would have loved to have gone to school there (perhaps one of our future children will do so?).

In Washington Square Park

Once in SoHo, we went in and out of tons of boutiques and stores. Jerome got a few things at the Ben Sherman Store (Spring sale in progress!), but I, however, did not have such luck anywhere. I did manage to get a few pashmina's from a street vendor and some books for my classroom about NYC from the Scholastic Store (how sad that I am on vacation and still shopping for work...), but the heat of the day, mixed with the fact that I was dressed in a linen blouse, jeans, boots and a trench coat made me the least bit excited to try on clothes. I have to say that I was not too impressed with SoHo. Countless friends (even my Principal) had told me that SoHo was the place to get my shop on, but sadly, I just wasn't feeling it. Yes, there were tons of stores (designer and low end), but Jerome and I both agreed it just wasn't that great. Perhaps the crazy crowds of people and uncomfortable heat were to blame, but whatever the case, we were not impressed.

Jerome and I decided to grab lunch at the original Dean and Deluca location, on Broadway and Prince Street. We had both been huge fans of the show "Felicity" back in the day, and knew we had to eat at the place where Felicity had worked. We shared a "lunchbox trio" of Italian tuna salad and caesar salad. It was delicious and perfectly refreshing on this unusually hot day. After lunch, we continued walking the streets of SoHo, admiring all of the little shops and restaurants. We saw the cutest little cupcake bakery called "Baked By Melissa". It was the size of a tiny doorway on the side of a building and there was a counter with cupcakes for sale. It totally reminded me of my dear friend Melissa and her passion for baking. Unfortunately Jerome and I were too full from lunch, so we didn't grab any cakes. Maybe next time?

In the late afternoon, Jerome and I decided we would head towards Canal Street. We had mixed feelings about shopping on this street, but figured we should go check it out and see what all the hype was about. We made it about one block in and got totally creeped out. There were all kinds of sketchy people on the street and in the alleys selling their wares. This was totally not our scene, so we immediately turned around and decided to scratch any plans of returning there. No bueno!

Next stop was Little Italy. By this time, it was nearing dinner. Jerome and I had gotten tons of suggestions from friends about where to eat. We decided we would go to the first place we could find, which was La Mela on Mulberry street, as recommended by our friend Amanda. We got seated quickly and had a tasty and authentic dinner of pasta and wine, but I must say we were overall disappointed in Le Mela. The restaurant did not have the ambiance we had hoped for our romantic Italian meal. Plus it was as blazing hot inside the restaurant as it was outside on the streets. We did however, have a few good laughs over the crazy Italian family dining next to us, complete with the nagging mother and Guido looking Grandfather. They made our meal very entertaining!

My thoughts on the neighborhood of Little Italy were equally disappointing. I thought the little red, white and green flags that hung on the street were cute, and the dozens of sidewalk cafes looked delicious, but the area in general left something to be desired. The streets were very dingy and totally uninviting. Most of the area is being overrun by the growth of Chinatown, which is somewhat sad. I'm glad we had a chance to check it out, and I'm sure there are much better restaurants to dine at, but I will most likely skip this area on my next visit.

After dinner we caught the N train back to 57th street (thank goodness for a/c on the subway!). We arrived back at the Hudson, and decided to take advantage of the incredibly beautiful evening, and have a few drinks at the rooftop park bar. This bar was amazing, and I hate myself for not taking any pictures of it. There were tons of cushy couches, tables and ottomans, with large hanging lanterns, candles and potted plants. The "park" was full of people and you would never have known it was Easter Sunday! We managed to score a table and ordered a few rounds of cocktails. As we were relaxing and enjoying the cool, summer-esque evening, we got a call from my sister that there had been a huge, 7.2 earthquake in Baja. Thankfully, everyone at home was okay, but Jerome and I (especially Jerome) were so thankful we were out of town for that! We all know how much Jerome loves earthquakes. Thank you God for letting us dodge that one!

Later on we took a walk to Pinkberry, a few doors down from our hotel on 58th, for a little frozen yogurt. I know it isn't anything uniquely New York and I've never been a major Pinkberry fan, but it was a hot night and the yogurt hit the spot! We capped off the night by watching the news on New York 1, which became my favorite channel during our stay. I am addicted to news, and I loved the fact that NY had a 24 hour local news channel! I watched it every night before drifting off to bed. It made me miss my days of watching OCN! haha.

On deck for Day 3: Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park and the David Letterman Show.

NYC- Day 1

Saturday, April 3, 2010

We landed at JFK around 6:15 am and hurried on our way to the baggage claim. Jerome had booked us a town car for the drive in to the city because he was a little nervous about getting swindled by a so-called "Gypsy Cab". As we entered the baggage claim, we found our town car driver, complete with a big sign that said "Mr. Jerome Boroff". It was very official and important looking. I wish I would have taken a picture of it...

We got our bags and headed out to the car. Our driver's name was Oklahoma (no joke) and he was amazing. He gave us so many tips on where to eat, how to use the subway trains, what newspapers to read, stores to check out... you name it, he knew it. He drove us into the city by taking a "back route" through Queens. It was definitely interesting to see this part of the city, since it was a spot I would probably have never ventured to on my own. After talking our ears off, Oklahoma put on some music for us. I was elated when the first song that came on the dance station (yes, NY has a dance station on the radio- yet another reason to love the city!) was a remix of the song, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. This made Jerome and I both smile because this song holds a lot of great memories for us, and is somewhat of an anthem for my girlfriends and I. Hearing the song made me so excited! I was already in love with the city, and I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet =)

Oklahoma dropped us off at our hotel, The Hudson, on 58th and 8th. The hotel is very modern, and if you weren't looking for it, you probably would never notice it because there is no signage. We headed up a neon yellow escalator into a beautiful atrium lobby, complete with a giant crystal chandelier. At this point, it was only 7 am, and the hotel did not have any rooms available until the afternoon. Rather than wait around, we checked our luggage at the bell desk and decided to get a start on our day. We decided to have breakfast Cafe Saffe, a small, yet very delicious (and cheap!), deli next to our hotel. My back was still hurting majorly, but I did not let that get me down. I was finally in New York!!

We finished breakfast, and headed out to Columbus Circle, which was across the street from where our hotel was located. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was in the mid 60's and there was not a cloud in the sky! We crossed the street from Columbus Circle, and made our way into Central Park. Let me just say that there are really no words to describe how beautiful Central Park is. It is like no park I had ever seen! The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, the grass was rich and green, there were tons of people out walking....all I can say is wow! I was also impressed at how clean it was. It became evident that people definitely appreciate the parks in NYC. There was some sort of a race (maybe a 5K..?) taking place, so the park was full of runners. Jerome was wishing he knew about the race so he could have run it. Maybe next time?

A beautiful morning in Central Park

We walked around on the path for a few minutes, and then a nice gentleman stopped and asked if we wanted him to take a picture for us, which we did, of course. It was funny because the man had his little boy with him, and the little boy said, "Dad, why did you take a picture for them?" and the man replied, "because couples like pictures of themselves. It's what you do when you're a couple". I thought that was pretty funny.

Jerome and I in Central Park

Although I would have been perfectly content continuing to explore the park (it was breathtaking!), we decided to make our way to one of the only majorly touristy things I had planned: the Empire State Building. We were hoping to get there right when it opened, and avoid the often hours-long wait. We walked back across the street to Columbus Circle, where there was a major train station. We purchased our Metro Cards (only $27 each for a week unlimited...way cheaper than gas!!!) and made our way into the terminal. Thanks to the amazing advice from Oklahoma, we knew to take the 1 train downtown to Penn Station/ 34th street. For months leading up to this trip, Jerome was having huge anxiety over riding the subway trains. His previous NY subway expirience was not the best, so he was very apprehensive about riding it this time around. Luckily, his fears did not come to fruition, and thanks to Oklahoma's tips, we were on the right track. We got on the train without any problems, and within a few minutes we were exiting at 34th. From the train we walked a few blocks to the Empire State Building.

Despite getting there just after opening, the line was already incredibly long. I'm talking Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, long. We winded around, in and out of ropes, up and down stairs and elevators (none of which were doing any good for my aching back and lack of sleep). After nearly 2 hours, we finally made it to the 86th floor observation deck. If you know me, you know I'm deathly afraid of heights, so you may be asking yourself (as my own mother continually asked me), "why in the world would you want to go up so high?". I'll tell you why- the view was spectacular! Given the nearly perfect weather, you could see for miles and miles. It's amazing how small and compact the city is, especially when viewed from 86 floors above ground. I admit, my fear of heights was getting to me and the continual swaying of the building was a bit creepy (although Jerome kept telling me the swaying was just me being tired. I later found out said that because he didn't want me to freak out). I knew this was a rare opportunity and something I most likely never do again, so I put my brave face on and made it to the ledges to take a peek of the world below. I'm glad I did because photos just don't do it any justice. Defintiely awe inspiring. Jerome was so proud of me for conquering my fears and not having a panic attack...although I did get a little freaked out watching the people dangle their cameras over the edge to get the 'perfect shot' (what if they dropped it? oh no...). I was proud of myself too! No tears! Woo Hoo!

After we made our way around the 86th floor, snapping pics and dodging the huge crowd of people, it was time to get back in line and make our back down. This set of lines was almost as daunting as the lines that got us up there. It was not fun. I'm definitely glad we made to trip up, but I will probably pass on the Empire State next time around. Just too crowded, and in my opinion, the massive crowds take away from the true beauty of the city skyline. We were later told by a friend that the Top of the Rock is actually better- and much less crowded, so perhaps we will venture there on our next trip.

We walked down 5th Avenue and landed at two things I had on our to do list: The Flatiron Building and Madison Square Park. The Flatiron building is considered to be one of the first skyscrapers ever built. And, with its triangular shape, it is also one of the most unique!

The Flatiron Building

Across the street from the Flatiron Building is Madison Square Park. I immediately fell in love with this park. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city was this beautiful little slice of nature. The grass and plants were lush and green, and it was so clean and well kept! Given the gorgeous weather, the park was full of life. People were relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day and there was a small dog park inside the park, full of pups and pup-owners. Jerome and I immediately pictured ourselves at the park with our own pups, who we were missing terribly! This was definitely the kind of place we would love to spend the day.

LOVE this park!

Jerome and I noticed there was this little take-out place called "The Shake Shack", located in the middle of the park, with a very long line. It was lunch time, so we decided to try it out. After all, with a line as long as it was, we figured it must be good! And, it was! After waiting nearly an hour (we have been waiting a lot today!), we ordered, grabbed a little table and dined on a tasty hamburger, hot dog, fries and my personal favorite, Vanilla frozen custard. The Shake Shack is known for their frozen custard, and believe me, it was heavenly! We loved our lunch and the endless people watching that the park provided. There were so many different types of people, all coming together to enjoy a beautiful day in the park. On a funny note, two guys stopped to interview me for some project they were doing for their university. They wanted me to use the word 'ghetto' in a sentence. I obliged, but sadly, my "cool and clever" sentence was, "That shirt is so ghetto!". Totally not cool or clever!

The Shake Shack @ Madison Square Park

After lunch, we walked back down 5th, and made our way to the famous Macy's flagship store at Herald Square. I am not a big Macy's shopper, but Jerome wanted to show me the old wooden escalators that the store had on it's second and third floors. The escalators were neat, and a little strange, if anything. What was more fascinating was that Macy's had turned their first floor cosmetics and accessories area into a 'flower show', which is something they do every spring. The entire department was turned into a botanical garden, full of beautiful, fresh and unusual flowers. It smelled incredible and looked great. We did not spend long in the store (it was crowded beyond belief), but we managed to fight the crowd and snap a pic of the flower show.

Inside the Macy's Flower Show

(picture does not do it justice!)

By this time, the Hudson hotel had called to let us know that our room was finally ready. We made it back to Penn Station and caught the train back to our stop at Columbus Circle. We stopped at Duane Reade to get some bottled water and some snacks for the room (the most amazing Rold Gold Pretzel Waves- YUM!). After a quick check in, we were in our room on the 19th floor. The room was very small, even by NY standards. There was a bed, TV, small desk, and a tiny bathroom. There wasn't a dresser, so it was a little daunting putting our clothes away (everything was kept in the suitcases, except for a few jackets that were hung on a rack). Despite the small size, the room did have two large, windows with city views, and it smelled like tuberose (which is my favorite scent).

A view from our room (Jerome is obsessed with the water towers on the rooftops)

Our bathroom

Our bed

Jerome partaking in some Pretzel Waves. They

are a cross between pretzels and sun chips. Sadly,

they are not found anywhere on the west coast :(

Once we were settled into our room, we decided we would take a short nap, then get dressed up for a nice dinner at Rosa Mexicana. However, given our lack of sleep from the red-eye flight and our busy day of walking, our "little nap" became 5 hours of deep sleep. Man, we were tired!

We woke up around 8:30 pm, and decided to scrap our original dinner plans and grab something simple near our hotel. The restaurant inside the Hudson is under construction, so we made our way a few doors down to a little place called Sushi Damo. The sushi wasn't anything spectacular, but the drinks were good and the music was fantastic. I also loved the fact that we could go to dinner at 9 pm and not be the only people in the restaurant. NYC is a city of night owls, just like myself!

After dinner, we went back to our hotel, and decided to grab drinks at the Hudson Bar. Since we were staying at the hotel, we got to bypass the line and didn't have to pay a cover! Score! I wish we had taken pictures of the bar because it was so cool. It had white glass floors that were lit from beneath, a hand painted ceiling, and an eclectic mix of modern and classic furniture, all done in rich shades of yellow and green. Jerome and I ordered drinks and made ourselves cozy on a sofa. The people watching was fabulous (totally a 'Gossip Girl' kind of crowd) and the music was absolutely amazing. The DJ played all of my favorites (Kaskade, David Guetta, even a little "September" by Earth Wind and Fire (hello, another "sign"!)). Jerome and I stayed at the bar for a few hours, drinking, dancing and talking about how truly amazing our trip already was, and we weren't even 24 hours in to it. I was moved to tears yet again because I was just so happy to be in the place that I had always wanted to be, with the person I love, listening to the music I love...you get the picture. Pure bliss!

Around 1 am, we decided to go back to our room and get some rest, since we had a super busy day planned for Sunday. I couldn't have imagined a better first day in New York, and was eagerly looking forward to the next 6 days!

NYC- The Prologue

Friday, April 2, 2010

Let me start by saying that this trip was something I had been dreaming/planning/hoping for since I was a mere 8 years old. I have always been in love with NYC. Everything about the city has mesmerized me, and I have to admit, it did not disappoint!!

As you know, Jerome and I booked this trip back in November '09. After months of counting down (and many sleepless nights because my excitement was just too much), the trip was finally upon us. The Friday prior to landing in NY was an extremely hectic day for both Jerome and myself. I had originally hoped to take the day off of work, but ended up working a half day so I could take my 20 kinders on a field trip to Centennial Farm at the OC Fairgrounds. After finishing the field trip, I bolted out of school, ran a few errands, and then proceeded to Urgent Care because I had been suffering from a severe sinus infection and some pretty severe back pain, both of which left me feeling completely miserable. This was so not how I wanted to start my vacation, and in fact I was having some major anxiety over being sick on this trip that I'd waited so long to take! Thanks to 2 hours of x-rays (for my back), some other tests, and a doctor who was more than a little scatter brained, it was decided that I should just continue to take Advil for my pain (insert angry eyes- this had not been helping in the first place, otherwise

I would not have sought medical care!), and I was given some antibiotics for my sinus infection. After waiting for prescriptions, this medical detour finally landed me home around 4 pm. Did I mention I hadn't packed yet..?? Luckily, I had made a meticulous packing list, and it didn't take me long to gather my stuff and get set to go. Meanwhile, Jerome had also been working feverishly to finish up projects at work and pack his office because his employer was moving to a new locale while we were away. Thankfully, he finished ahead of schedule, and was able to leave work early, allowing him to come home instead of meeting me at the airport.

Around 6:30 pm, we headed to our friend's George and Vanessa's home in Long Beach. They had graciously offered to be our shuttle to and from LAX. Vanessa's parents were also in town, which was a fantastic surprise! From their place, we all proceeded onward to the airport. At this point I was in so much pain from my back that I was brought to tears. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but this was bad. I was certainly not looking forward to sitting in an airplane for 6 hours. All I wanted to do was lay down! It also didn't help that I was terribly nervous about leaving our dog Lola for a week. Although her health had been improving tremendously (she was diagnosed with IMHA; an aggressive blood disease) and I knew my sister would be taking excellent care to make sure Lola received her meds and proper diet, I still couldn't help but worry that Lola might have some sort of emergency, for which I would not be able to be there to take care of. I was totally a "nervous mother", and it only makes me wonder how neurotic I'll be when I have to leave my future children...

We made it to the airport on time, and despite a short delay with our in-flight crew, the call was finally made to board our flight around 10:15 pm (originally we were taking off at 9:45). We got in line to board. It was a packed flight, so the line was moving slowly. As we waited in line, the crew at the Virgin America counter put put some speakers and started playing "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra. This definitely got the mood started. As we continued to move along the line, old blue eyes ended, and I could hear,"New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel, beginning to play. It was at this moment I knew that this trip was going to be amazing. That song is one of my absolute favorites and ever since I was a little girl, just hearing the first few seconds of piano would make my eyes fill with tears and my heart with joy. It was the song for my city. In my mind, I always pictured driving in to the city, and listening to that song. It was the soundtrack to the NYC montage I had been planning in my head for years. I am a huge

believer in signs, and hearing those first piano bars was totally a sign from God that I needn't stress and that this trip was meant to be. I admit, I got a little teary eyed. This truly was my dream coming true!

Waiting to board our flight at LAX

Once we got on the plane, we settled in to our seats. I wish I could say that Jerome and I both drifted off in to a deep sleep for the next 5 hours, but thanks to some bumpy turbulence and my back and neck pain, neither of us slept more than a few minutes at a time. Thankfully Virgin America had fabulous in flight entertainment to keep us occupied (a personal touch-screen TV at every seat with satellite cable, games, digital maps to show you the flight's progress and a huge selection of music for you to create your own play list- even wi-fi! I didn't even have to use my iPod!). As we flew, I enjoyed looking out the window at our beautiful country. It's incredible seeing all the lights of the cities below. Everything looks so calm and peaceful when viewed from 30,000 feet.

Around 6:15 am, we landed at JFK. It was official- we had made it to NY, and the adventure was about to begin!