New York—These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

My husband and I recently returned from a weekend getaway to New York City to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary, and it was amazing! The last time I was in NYC I was a senior in high school on a trip with my music performing group, a show choir named Mixed Company. So this trip was long over due!

The first day/night, we stayed in Tribeca in a cute boutique hotel. In the afternoon, we found what is now my favorite coffee shop/ bakery and had yummy hot cocoa and the most delectable blueberry muffin.

After an afternoon of exploring Tribeca, Soho, and Chinatown, I found my new favorite clothing store (crazy to think I'd never heard of it before!). Joe Fresh. Anyone else as clueless as I was that this store even existed??

That first night we ate at what is now one of my favorite restaurants, mostly because of the decor and ambiance, not necessarily for the food. I'm fine with occasionally dining at fancy restaurants, but to be honest, I'd prefer chicken tenders and french fries any day! The one thing I do love about nice (meaning expensive) restaurants is the ambiance. Beautifully decorated in twinkling lights (for Christmas) and glowing stained-glass chandeliers, the Tribeca Grill (owned by actor Robert de Niro) was as romantic as it was pretty. We had octopus appetizers (not a fan!) and lamb meatballs (cow ones are infinitely better!) and other stuff that I won't attempt to rename on here because I would butcher the names of the dishes completely. :)

Inside of the restaurant, but it's hard to see...

Our second night, we stayed in my favorite hotel ever! The room was contemporary and chic and we had a view of Central Park. In the other direction, we were only a few blocks from Times Square and the Rockefeller Center. And we walked those blocks many, many times. We did lots and lots and lots of walking! (gah, my feet hurt just thinking about it!)

My favorite part of the entire trip was seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. We were only four seats from the stage so I could see every facial expression, every bead of sweat, even the way Carlotta's arms jiggled as she sang. It was AWESOME! And when they raised the giant chandelier, it went right over our heads. I probably could have touched it if I wasn't scared I'd get kicked out and not see the rest of the show! 

Don't be surprised by this picture. The theatre was packed full—we were just early. :)

While we were in New York, we really wanted to see some stand-up comedy since New York is the jumping off point for so many famous comedians. We looked into a few different stand-up comedy places, but once we realized Jim Gaffigan would be performing at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, it was a no-brainer. We had to see him! 

And as we watched him, we totally felt like a New Yorker instead of some awe-struck tourist. Probably because all the "tourists" were camped out in Rockefeller Center trying to get a glimpse of the giant Christmas tree. I believe my exact words, as we were crushed by the half-million people all straining to get to it, were: "What's so great about a giant Christmas tree?"

You can see the tree in the background.

Okay, I admit, we did eventually squeeze our way to the tree to get a pic,

The infamous ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center.

On our last day in NYC, right before we had to go to the airport to catch our flight, we found this total dive of a burger joint, appropriately named The Burger Joint. We waited in line AT LEAST 30 minutes and then because there were so many people and not enough tables, we shared a table with two perfect strangers. Hello New York! :) But the burger and fries were worth the wait!

The wall of The Burger Joint. People have signed their names EVERYWHERE! All part of the unique decor!

And one of my favorite things about New York? People watching! I could seriously sit in Central Park and watch people for hours. I'm so amazed with everyone's sense of style (even when they are only out for a stroll through the park with their baby/stroller.) My husband and I had a lot of fun exploring Central Park, but I think we only saw an eighth of it—it's huge! 

Central Park

I loved all the tunnels in Central Park. It reminded me of the movie Kate and Leopold which I'm pretty sure was shot here somewhere. :)

Look at my husband looking all suave! :)

I couldn't have asked for a better trip or more romantic anniversary. New York City is one of my favorite things for sure! 

But even after such a great trip, I was ready to go home and see my kids. And even more ready to get on the airplane and sit for an hour. We were both sick of walking! :)

Well, it's Christmas Eve and even though I've tried to stay on top of things, there are still presents to wrap, food to make, stockings to stuff, etc. etc. But I'm so excited for Christmas day—we got the boys a BIG surprise and I know they will be thrilled! I've had a hard time not blurting it out all week! Let's just say I'm not the only girl in the house anymore (and no, it's not a baby!) :)

Merry Christmas, everyone! Have a wonderful day tomorrow!