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An Empire State of Mind - Day 1 and 2

WARNING! This is a LONG post with lots of pictures!

As I've mentioned, a few weeks ago Brandon's parents treated us to an awesome NYC vacation!  All six of us packed up and headed to the Big Apple and hit the ground running once we arrived.

Brandon's mom found a great deal on a three bedroom, three bathroom apartment that suited our group perfectly.  We were able to have our own areas to get ready in and the living room and kitchen were spacious enough for all of us to hang out in the mornings or at night.

As you can see, the apartment was pretty modern and quite spacious for NYC.  The kitchen was especially nice to have so we didn't have to go out to eat every morning and we were able to purchase bottled water to take with us each day instead of spending $1 every time we got thirsty.

The location of the apartment was extremely convenient as we were one block east of 5th Avenue and just four blocks south of Central Park.  We were able to walk a short distance to the subway and we were also able to walk to Times Square, the theatre, Central Park and several restaurants.

Once we got to town, we decided to walk to Rockefeller Center because we wanted to take the Top of the Rock tour at sunset.

 

 

To get to the Top of the Rock, we had to take a couple of elevators and then wind through the building a little bit.  Obviously, everyone was a tourist so none of us had ever taken the tour before.  Once we got on the first elevator, the elevator attendant pushed the buttons and sent us on our way.  When the doors opened up we all thought it was just a random stop because we didn't see another attendant so we all stayed on the elevator.  Well, that elevator took us right back to where we started and the attendant must have thought we were all stupid because he looked inside and said "When the doors open GET OFF!"  We all got a big kick out of him and considered riding it up and down one more time just to mess with him, but we ended up getting off :)

After we left Rockefeller Center, we headed back to the apartment to get rested up for another big day.  Since Brandon's parents and sister had never been to NYC, they (and Justin too) decided to take the hop-on hop-off bus tour to get a good view of the city and since Brandon and I had both taken that tour, we decided to venture to SoHo for the day.

I can't speak for the group, but I think they all enjoyed the bus tour quite a bit!  They hopped off the bus to take the Staten Island Ferry around the Statue of Liberty, the visited Ground Zero, had NYC pizza, and got their picture taken with the bull on Wall Street.

Brandon and I started off our morning at Clinton Street Baking Company, made famous by the INCREDIBLE blueberry pancakes and also featured on Throw Down with Bobby Flay.  We decided to split the blueberry pancakes and they did not disappoint!  They were so good that I ended up buying their cookbook just so I can try to make them at home (along with every other recipe in the book).  I think I'm still licking my lips from that meal :)

After we licked our plate clean, we headed over to SoHo which is a part of the city where we have not spent much time on past trips.  One of my main reasons for hitting this area on this trip...

 

If you can't read the sign in the window it says "Dance With Me SOHO".  That's right, we visited Maks' dance studio!!  While I was hoping I could catch a glimpse of him (swoon!!), unfortunately I think we were there too early to see any action at all.  If I lived in NYC, I'm pretty sure I would take dance lessons there!!

We walked around SoHo most of the morning before making our way to Greenwich Village.  We were pretty enamored with the stoops and architecture in SoHo and the Village.  It is such a different way of living compared to what we are used to.

We made our way through Greenwich Village and ended up taking a break in Washington Square Park while we tried to find a place to eat.

We eventually made our way back to the apartment via Chelsea Market, where we picked up a few Fat Witch Blondies (and another cookbook!), and then through the  Flatiron District.

We had to get back to the apartment early because we had tickets to the big Yankees vs. Red Sox game that evening.  We got to the ballpark early in order to tour Monument Park and then the game was supposed to start at 7:00 p.m.

 

As you might have noticed above, I mentioned that the game was supposed to start at 7:00 p.m. but unfortunately for us, the weather had other plans!

This sign was displayed on that screen for 3.5 HOURS!!!!  That is right, we spent 3.5 hours waiting for the game to start.  So, what do you do while you wait for 3.5 hours???  You eat a lot and take a lot of pictures of everyone waiting...

Then, you get a little cranky while you wait...

This image might just be the best image of the entire trip!!!

Thankfully, we were able to go through the Yankees museum and do a lot of people watching to pass the time.  The stadium also put the NBA finals game on the big screen to keep us entertained.  Once the rain stopped and the game got going we were all pretty happy.  The game was good for the first few innings and then the Yankees started to fall off (which secretly made Brandon happy) and they ended up losing.  By the time we got back to the apartment it was 3:00 a.m. and we were all ready for bed!!

Stay tuned for days 3 and 4....

May To-Do List Update

Remember when I used to post monthly To-Do lists....  Yeah, that was fun wasn't it?!?  I recently realized I never gave an update on our May To-Do list and it is almost the end of June...eek!  Where is the summer going??? 

Anyways, even though I'm almost a month late here is my May To-Do list recap:

1.Try out new recipes that involve items from our new herb garden (photos to come). I'm seeing a lot of pesto, grilled herb-topped fish, and minty lemonades/mojitos in our future!  I will be posting recipes soon, but I have been using the heck out of our garden and plan to continue!

2.Find the perfect maxi-dress for multiple trips we/I have planned for the summer.  Woo Hoo!  Dillards came through big time and I love the dress!  The dress below is the pattern I got, but my dress is mostly black with a pink, coral and blue pattern.  I paired it with a cute coral shrug and it has become one of my favorite summer outfits!

3.Continue to stick to the Weight Watchers plan (I've lost 10 pounds!!) and add in extra excercise.  I'm almost to 15 pounds!  If I meet my goal and at least maintain (or lose more) by my birthday, I've requested a Carnegie Deli cheesecake to celebrate!

Yes, you are seeing that correctly.  The cheesecake is approximately 4-5 inches tall!  Now, if that isn't something to bring to a celebration, I'm not sure what is!
4.Plan a little weekend trip for one of our less busy weekends this month - not sure where we could go, but definitely want to take advantage of our free time.  We didn't get this one accomplished in May, but I'm not giving up hope to do something by the time the summer is over!

5.Attempt to find ways to spend more time on our patio. I would love to have these chairs to sit in, but alas I have martini taste on a beer budget....  We did have a bbq with some friends but I just told Brandon last night that I would like to continue to have more bbqs throughout the summer.  And, while I didn't get the C&B chairs, we still made the most of the Walmart chairs we have :)

Summer Lust List

Since today is the first day of Summer, I thought I would share my Summer Lust List for all to enjoy.  A girl can dream right?  Technically, my birthday does fall in the summer season so maybe a couple of these items will show up on August 2?!?!


Steve Madden Serenite Sandal

In my quest for the perfect sandal prior to our NYC trip (still trying to get the post done and hoping to finish by this weekend - only two weeks late...) I found these sandals and just fell in love with them. However, I knew they were not very practical for long distance walking so I passed them up. I just love everything about the shoe - the gold details, the cute back, the color, everything!


Crate and Barrel Alfresco Fireside Chair

I know I've posted this chair before, but that doesn't mean I ever quit lusting for it!  I'm hoping C&B will have a huge end-of-summer sale and they will still have plenty of these boys in stock and they will offer them at a dirt cheap price!  Wishful thinking, I know!


The Vitamix

My sister-in-law, Natalie, got a Vitamix for Christmas and has been singing its praises ever since.  I never really thought much about the contraption until Memorial Weekend and now I feel like I MUST get one!  You see, she told me about how great it was for smoothies, but in my mind I thought my blender does just fine.  Whoa! Was I wrong!  While we were in KC over the holiday weekend, Natalie whipped up some of the BEST margaritas I've ever tasted with this bad boy and I'm not sure I will ever enjoy another margarita as much as I enjoyed that one.  Oh. My. Word. DELICOUS!


A White Kitchen

 

It is no secret that Brandon and I love white woodwork.  It is also no secret that we really really hate our 1995 orange-ish oak woodwork in our current house.  As much as we'd love to replace all the woodwork in our house, we know that house is not our "forever" house and it would be far too costly and far too time consuming to embark on that project.  But, I do think about a new house quite often and one feature I want in a new house (which we'll have to do ourselves because it doesn't seem like white woodwork is a popular feature in houses in our city) is white woodwork and quite possibly white kitchen cabinets.  I also love love love the shiny white subway tile backsplash.  I think it makes everything look so fresh and clean! Also, Mom, I'd like for you to note the wall color in this picture.  Just think if we had painted all of our walls THAT color!!

 

 

Crate and Barrel Court Dinnerware Set

If storage space was not an issue in our house, I would have multiple sets of dishes to use and change up every now and then.  I've always wanted a set of white square dishes (I know honey, I had white Fiestaware but that just isn't the same) and when I attended a recent baby shower, I was reminded again of how badly I want a set of white dishes.  It just seems that sleek white dishes are so versatile and go with everything.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Fiestaware (now in multiple colors) but I do believe there is a time and place for white dishes!

Raised Garden Bed

 

 

 

While I have been enjoying my cute little herb garden plot next to our deck, next year I would really like to have a raised garden bed.  Since we have pesky rabbits we had to put up chicken wire to keep them out of the parsley.  Now, I'm not sure if a raised bed will help deter the little stinkers, but I sure think it would help. 

 

 

The Fedora

 

 

While shopping (once again) for our NYC trip, I saw a lot of fedoras and really really wanted to purchase one, but Brandon didn't seem to think it was quite my style.  I think he was wrong and it would have looked so cute with just about anything and would have been perfect for the super hot days we had in NYC when my hair was looking anything but cute.  Oh well...

 

What are some of the items on your Summer Lust List? 

 



Fun Phone Photos - Vacay Edition

I'm still working on a full NYC vacation blog, but in the meantime here are a few fun photos from my phone:

• Here are Brandon and I at Top of the Rock, our first official NYC sight of the trip.  I had been to the top of the Empire State Building before, but never to the Top of the Rock. 

• Here is a view of Central Park from the Top of the Rock.  It was pretty neat to see the city from this vantage point at night.



 

• This is a picture of the intersection of Broome and Greene streets in SoHo.  Maks' dance studio is located at this intersection so I was going to tweet this picture to him (yes, I follow him on Twitter!) and say something cheesy, but then I chickened out because I felt like it would have been a tad stalker-ish.  I later realized he hadn't been tweeting the whole time we were in NYC so it wouldn't have made a difference anyway (see...stalker-ish!).

• And this, my friends, is a picture I snapped in the car after we picked up Koby from my parents.  I was trying to get him to come in the front seat with me (while Brandon drove) and he was having NOTHING to do with me!  Needless to say, he really enjoys his time in the "country".