Pounding the Pavement - New York Trip Part 3

This is the last part of our New York trip, read part 1 and part 2 to catch up. We moved fast so keep up ;)

Day 3 was our last full day in NYC and we made the most of it. Starting off with a trip to Central Park. We walked around a little bit and took some pictures, but it was really warm so we ventured out of the park and made our way to 5th Avenue. The shops....oh my goodness...so many gorgeous shops. Bergdorf Goodman has window displays that rivaled the Taj Mahal (Vanity Fair images 1-10)! Added perk, seeing The Tiffany Diamond in person. Goooooodnessssss that thing was huge! The picture below doesn't do it justice.

 

After our shopping venture we grabbed a cab to Grand Central Station and the High Line. Who was there? Oh you know, just Bradley Cooper stopping by to have some lunch. Celebrity sighting #2! We walked several blocks of the High Line before heading back to the hotel for some drinks and snacks. Then off to dinner at Cara Mia, a place recommended to us by our New York friends. It didn't disappoint! With reservations at 7:45pm we still had to wait a little. The restaurant is extremely small with tables close together. The bread and olive oil served as an appetizer was delicious. The dishes we ordered were amazing, served piping hot, and the fresh pasta was a hit! Highly recommend if you are looking for Italian food in NYC. Dessert...a New York cheesecake at Junior's.

Grand Central Station

View from the High Line

That wraps up our adventures in New York. I hope you enjoyed the recap and  pictures. Until next post...xoxo Becca

Bites of the Big Apple - New York Trip Part 2

Read Part 1 here. 

Late night and early mornings, that's what we experienced in NYC. It was worth it to see so much of the city. We grabbed a traditional bagel at a store next to the hotel and off we went.

We all agreed we wanted to visit the 9-11 Museum and it was recommended we purchase tickets ahead of time to avoid lines and tickets selling out for the day we wanted to go. To avoid the crowds on the subway we decided on a 10am ticket. Bagel in hand we may our way there. Before I go any further, this was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Being a freshman in high school in 2001 doesn't lend itself to acknowledging the magnitude of the event. As an adult I understand the impact it had from a community level all the way up to a global level.

The day started with a 15 minute video developed exclusively for the museum featuring key political members; George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki etc. Their recount of the day's events was indescribable, you just need to hear it for yourself. The first part of the museum reminded me a lot of an art exhibit; soaring ceilings, dark wood floors, void of sound. Kuddos to the developers of the museum, they did a fantastic job. The second part of the museum takes you through the timeline of the day, the artifacts, and the voices of loved ones lost and those left behind. Photography was not allowed in most of the museum, but here are a few of the photos captured.

“No day shall erase you from the memory of time” - Virgil

It was a very heavy experience and we left the museum in silence. Not much was said amongst the group other than how emotional the visit had been.

To lighten the mood we headed to Chelsea Market to get lunch. There are many options to choose from, but we went with Chelsea Creamline because there wasn't a wait. I had the Griddled PB&J plus banana sandwich and it was deliciously sweet and filling. Dessert was from Doughnuttery and Bar Suzette Creperie.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Radio City Rockettes. On the way, the hubs bought a hotdog from a street vendor. A New York must right?

We finished up our evening with dinner and drinks with family friends.

I hope you've enjoyed "traveling" with me. Day 3 will be posted on Monday and then it's back to Favorite Pin Friday on Christmas day. Until next post...xoxo Becca

A Room with a View - New York Trip Part 1

We are back from a whirlwind trip to New York City! Boy am I exhausted. We accomplished so much while there. With only two and a half days in the city I'd say we hit a lot of the high points, but definitely need to go back. I'm having to break this up into a couple of posts because otherwise it would be too long. Here's day 1.

When we landed at LaGuardia the hubs had arranged for a limo to pick us up. What a fun surprise! Once we checked into the hotel we made our way to the 32nd floor and had a great view of the Empire State Building.

 

 

Then we hit the ground running. Some of our plans fell through thanks to private events, but we made do. Had dinner at Sardi's and sat near Neil Patrick Harris. 1st celebrity sighting! :) The food was really good, but my favorite was the appetizer we ordered; Parma Prosciutto with Melon, Parmesan, Pine Nuts and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. YUM! 

Then we made our way to Rockefeller Center to see the tree and skating rink. Across the street is Saks where we saw a beautiful light show and all their window displays (Vanity Fair images 17-24). Truly magical! The best part was that I had no idea the tree was right behind me while I was filming the light show so when I turned around I felt like a little kid on Christmas. It was so beautiful and exactly as I had pictured it. We waited in line and had professional photos taken. Not all of them turned out good, but we bought the digital versions anyway. It was the cheapest route to go for the few we did want. 

Light show at Saks

Then I turned around and saw this! Almost cried!

The hubs bought me the red coat I've always wanted!

Source

Then we went to Top of the Rock and saw amazing views of the city at night, made our way back to Times Square which honestly looked like daylight at midnight, visited the M&M store and the Hershey's store, had a slice of a New York pizza, and called it a night.

Top of the Rock

View from bed

That's day 1, check back Friday for the next part. Until next post...xoxo Becca

I'm In A New York State of Mind

Remember last week when I shared My Travel Bucket List? I was so excited to strikethrough New Orleans and now....now I get to visit New York City at Christmas time!!!! This is a lifelong dream!

The hubs and I are going with another couple. Everyone has been but me, so of course I'm busy researching all the touristy things plus the "like a local" places to go. I'm most excited to see the tree at Rockefeller Center, the storefronts because I've heard they are beautiful and creatively designed, Times Square, eat at Serendipity (yes because of the movie), and see the Rockettes (the hubs already purchased tickets). Of course there are a million more things to see, but those are my top must-do. If we have time I would like to see the Statue of Liberty and take a tour of Ellis Island. My ancestors came through Ellis Island from Scotland.

Source

This also means shopping!!! Must have warm (and cute) clothes. First things first are warm boots. Came across these 'Lesley' waterproof suede wedge knee-high boots from UGG. The reviews say warm and comfy which means I'm sold :) I have a warm peacoat, but this wool blend moto jacket from Express is such a fun casual look. Not sure how warm it is, but I will keep watching the website for reviews. I've also been dying to have a red peacoat, add to my scarf collection, and wear cute hats and beanies. Goodness the hubs is going to kill me when I start purchasing all this stuff.

If you've been to NYC, what do you suggest doing/seeing? Oh and list some good places to eat. If you haven't been, what's on your list of things to do/see there?

Until next post...xoxo Becca