Merry Christmas from NYC

Last weekend Jeff took me to New York City for a little vacation, just the 2 of us. I have been wanting to go to NYC for a while now and of course wanted to go at Christmas time. So jeff surprised me at the beginning of November. Grace stayed back home with my parents. When we got there it was so cold (of course it was. what else would you expect this time of year on the east coast!) We flew in to LaGuardia on Friday, Decemeber 12 in the afternoon. We caught a cab (This was definintely an experience for me riding in a cab. We always hear how crazy they drive and believe me you almost have to close your eyes.) to our hotel which was in Times Square. When we arrived at the Hilton, there were so many lights everywhere. By this time it was dark outside, but because of all the lights and signs it looked like day time. We checked in at our hotel and then headed out for some NY style pizza at this quaint restaurant in Times Square.

The next day, we went out for some sight seeing. We stopped off at Toys R US (which had a huge Farris Wheel in it). I couldn't believe how big the store was. It was 3 stories high. Then we went by the ABC Studios, where they film Good Morning America, NightLine, etc. We went by Broadway, Rockefeller Center (where the big Christmas tree is and the famous ice skating rink), and NBC Studios (where they film The Today Show). By this time Jeff and I were both hungry. We decided to go to this burger joint inside the Le Parker Meridian hotel (which by the way was pretty fancy and down this little hallway was this little hole in the wall burger place). Jeff had heard from some of his Aggie alumni, that live in NYC, that they had great burgers! We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes just to order and then you had to try and grab a table to eat at. There were probably only about 8 booths that sat 4 people and about 6 tables that sat 2. The tables were all full by the time we ordered, but just at the last minute we were able to snag a booth. Boy, did it feel good to sit down for a little while after walking about 3 miles. After eating we walked some more to see some more of the city and ran across St. Patrick's Cathedral. This church was like nothing I've ever seen before. Jeff said it reminded him of the cathedrals he saw in Europe. It was BEAUTIFUL! I can't even begin to describe the ornateness of the church and the amount of people pouring inside just to see it. We,also, took a little self tour of the famous Plaza Hotel. We decided after all the walking we did to catch a cab back to our hotel and rest for just a little while before dinner. Again, Jeff had a place in mind of where we could go eat dinner. The place was called Gaetana's and it was in Greenwich Village. It's a place Kelly Ripa likes to eat at and very much a Mom and Pop place. Great atmosphere...Christmas music playing in the background and a lot of locals eating in there. I ate fried calamari and a salad with walnuts, parmigiano-reggiano and a wonderful balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Jeff ordered pasta fagoili and a pizza with a vodka tomato cream sauce and cheese. It was all amazing. You could taste that everything was of the freshest ingredients. Our waitress even brought us a molten brownie for dessert. By the time dinner was over Jeff and I were so full that we were miserable.

The next day, I woke up and my stomach wasn't feeling very good, but we still decided to go out and do some more sight seeing. I wanted to go to FAO Swartz (one of the famouse toy stores in NYC). We took a cab instead of walking because it was a bit far from our hotel and it was freezing cold outside. When we arrived there was a line to wait in just to go inside and there were men dressed up as toy soldiers (they looked like the soldiers that guard Buckingham Palace in England). The line moved pretty fast and once we got inside I couldn't believe all the toys. Most toy stores around here don't sell toys like these. They had different sections...remote control toys, puppet making area (this is where you could make your own puppet, much like a Build-a-Bear), infant toys, stuffed animals (these stuffed animals were so expensive). Then we headed down stairs for the toddler toys because of course I wanted to buy Grace something. They had the neatest learning toys, clothes, etc. We ended of buying Grace a little stuffed bunny rabbit (We chose it because of the fabric it was made out of. We knew she would like to rub it while she sucks her thumb.) and then I found a traditional styled piggy bank (I have been searching Austin for a unique one.) that would match her room. The piggy bank is salmon pink with buttercream polka dots. After shopping for Grace, We headed up to the 3rd floor of the store which was the baby doll ward (the employees dressed up like nurses), train area, lego area, dress up area and the famous giant piano from the movie Big. You could even take your shoes off and play on it. We watched a little show that 2 of the store employees put on. Then we made our way through the crowd to exit the store. Next, we went to Central Park. I had no idea how big the park was. We tried to catch a horse drawn carriage ride through the park, but couldn't ever figure out where the line started or ended. So, we opted to just walk instead. By this time my stomach was beginning to feel worse and we caught a cab back to our hotel. This is where our trip took a little detour from having fun to being sick. I caught a little stomach virus and we had to stay in for the night. Jeff had eat McDonald's for lunch (because it was extremely close to our hotel) and had to order room service for dinner that night because he didn't want to leave me alone.

The last day we were there, which was Monday, December 15th, we woke up and my stomach still wasn't feeling great, but the weather outside was fabulous. It was 66 degrees. We had a little bit of a late start to the day so we opted to have brunch instead of breakfast. We went to this little cafe in the Tribeca area called Bubby's. It reminded me of Kerby Lane, but just a scale up. They served homestyle food. Jeff ordered meatloaf, mac and cheese and black eyed peas. I had a grilled cheese, salad and a lemon lime press (this was their version of Sprite...freshly squeezed lemon and lime, club soda and a little sugar...IT WAS FABULOUS!). After brunch, we walked down to Ground Zero, Wall Street, and the park where you could catch a boat to take you to the Statue of Liberty. We opted out of the boat tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island because the water was choppy and the boat was really rocking. I didn't think it would be a good idea with my stoamch still feeling yucky. So we just sat on a bench and watched all the comings and goings. It was nice. We took a cab back to our hotel to rest a little before heading out for dinner. Jeff took me to this pizzeria called John's Pizza. He had eaten there before on a work trip. The pizza smelled so good and of course tasted delious.

Jeff and I had so much fun! It was nice to have a little break, from our little sweet pea, to focus on just us. Thanks Mom and Dad for watching Grace and a huge hug and lots of kisses to my hubby for planning such a fabulous trip.

Here are some pictures from our trip: