New York! New York!



I recently returned from an amazing trip to the Big Apple.  (I still don't know why it's called that?)  Anyway, I invited my friend, Holly, to come along (since we hadn't seen each other in TWO YEARS!).  My mom and I met up with her at La Guardia and then hopped in a cab just like this one to head to our hotel.  NYC, here we come!



We noticed that everywhere you went, there was some form of media for you to view.  Here, in the back of the cab.  There were also TVs in the elevators!  (This, along with the credit card machine you see here, was new to me.  The last time I'd visited NY was in 2005, and cabs only took cash.)



After dropping off our luggage, we hit the ground running to test out the streets.  Here we are in front of Grand Central.



Our hotel was right next to the Chrysler building.  It's so pretty!



Nerd alert: posing for a train ticket the way they did in the olden days!  I could just imagine all the people a hundred years ago in their best duds waiting to travel.



After dinner at Carmine's (yuuuuuuuuuum, stretched out tummy) we did a touristy shot in Times Square.  This is the rest of our group---CeCe, Aunt Bev, Mom, Aunt Lisa, and Tamara (Tamara and CeCe are my cousins' girlfriend and wife.)



The Empire State building lit up patriotically for Columbus Day.



Some over the top flowers in our lobby



Cab shot!



We had brunch at Sarabeth's.  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh so fresh and good!  I had forgotten, but NYC has the BEST FOOD. 




We strolled through Central Park.  I loved this old man just tootin some tunes out on his horn! 



On the bridge!




The weather was P.E.R.F.E.C.T.  Couldn't have asked for better.



Isn't he cute?  I snapped his pic on the way to FAO Schwartz.




We made a pit stop at the Plaza to see the new renovations.



Bev was diggin this outfit.  We had so much fun together!




Jelly Bean FAO man!



This pic was for AnnMarie. :)




sigh.  My aunt Lisa told us we must go to Henri Bendel.  How, in all my trips to NY, have I never been to this store?  It is now my favorite!  This was hanging from the ceiling---their theme was "The Nutcracker".  This is obviously Clara.



For AnnMarie




Holly and I in front of the Henri Bendel windows.  If you look closely, you can see some of the other Nutcracker characters.  (Rat King, Clara, etc.)  The store was full of jewelry and gift items from local NYC designers as well as a large beauty and makeup department.  We let a saleslady talk us into putting on "lip plumper".  Not sure it did much, but it did tingle!



Since I was with my AL family, we of course had to stop to see the AU game on Saturday!!  (Poor Holly was drug to this.)  :)  It was a big game because we were playing Georgia.  We won by the way!
Anyway, this is a picture of my friend, Kristin, from Auburn who I have not seen in ten years!!!!!  Wow.  It was so great though because we joked around just like we did back in 2000. 
Sidenote for you Bachelor fans---"Ed" from Jillian's season was also at this bar.  Don't think Kristin and I didn't make a "trip to the bathroom" just so we could walk by him.  That's all I could muster up to do.  :)




We caught a few shows.  JERSEY BOYS was my favorite!!!!!!! I absolutely loved it and LOVED singing along with the music.  I'm telling you, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons can bring the house down.  We also saw Mary Poppins, which made Holly and I tear up at the end.  It makes you realize how important what we do at home every day is for our kids!!  This is a picture from inside the Radio City Music Hall.



Which, is where we saw the Rockettes.  Beautiful!!  A classic NY show.  I got AM a Rockette doll that is dressed exactly like these girls.  She LOVED it.  Score one for Mommy.



Horsin around after the show.




This pic is blurry, but in case you've never been here, you sort of get the enormity of Grand Central Station!  My cousin, Trip, bless his heart, was our tour guide for the weekend.  (He was, in fact, the whole reason we planned the trip---so we could go see him!)  Because of him, we knew exactly where we were going, took subways many times, and went to numerous non-touristy restaurants that were TO. DIE.FOR.  Just to mention a few:  Stanton Social, Extra Virgin, Buddakan. 



Holly and I at Buddakan.  This is where the rehearsal dinner scene was filmed from Sex and the City.  It was very dark in there and was exactly how you'd imagine a trendy "New York" restaurant would be.  The darkness, we figured, was also why celebrities like it.  You can't tell who anyone is!




Sadly, our trip had to come to a close.  I did NOT want to leave.  I told Sean when I got home that it's the perfect place to go (well anytime) but especially when you're a mom with young kids.  Because you eat out late, sleep in a little, walk around all day without pushing a stroller, shop till you drop, are entertained, and someone else drives YOU around. 
I caught this message on a store window the last day.  What a great message, and I thought it was very fitting to prepare my mind for going back to reality.  Love my present.  Love my life.  Enjoy these Mommy days at home with no Henri Bendel, H&M or Jersey Boys.  BUT--with lots of Miss Prissful, M&Ms and a stinker boy.  :)



Until next time ( and I can't WAIT, by the way), goodbye, New York.



Lastly, I need to give a BIG shout out and THANK YOU to my mom, who took me on this trip.  It was absolutely wonderful and unforgettable, and I am SO thankful!!!!