This post feels very rushed and poorly written, but I know that if I don’t do it now I probably never will. So here it is, albeit a bit disjointed. The short version is this: I really loved the city! I found it full of energy and interesting things. Random picture highlights below:
Our first day there we were able to be top notch audience participants for the Dr. Oz show at the last minute. Are carbs addictive like cocaine? I don’t know because thanks to a red eye flight we were pretty much falling asleep during the taping. I haven’t watched the actual episode but I’m okay with it because I’d rather not see myself on national television looking disheveled and sleepy-eyed. We were also lucky enough to get into a taping for Jimmy Fallon. His guests were Alec Baldwin (!) and the girl from Nikita (who, by the way, was RAIL thin - I was worried she’d trip on her heels and shatter into a thousand pieces). We randomly found the
yellow teddy bear in on display, made a few H&M stops, and ate treats at Serendipity … twice (don’t look at me like that). We did a session in the Manhattan Temple, which is really ornate and beautiful. At the TKTS stand we scored tickets to the Broadway musical Memphis, which certainly didn’t disappoint.
We went to Times Square a few times for different reasons, but I always found it super crowded and frustrating. Wal-Mart on a Saturday x 500 which gives me anxiety. But we were able to get treats at Roxy’s and at least sit down for a minute or two. After being photobombed by some random guy on our picture (see below), we ended up wasting time doing our own fake ones, which we thought turned out pretty funny. Let it be known: Miss Shanna Taggart is the queen of photobombing (possibly tied with Natalie Buttars).
We had planned to see Ground Zero on Thursday which, coincidentally, was the same day President Obama chose to visit. We probably should’ve just switched the day altogether because it was crazy crowded. We waited along the street with everyone for a bit, craning our necks to maybe see a glimpse of him. People were smushed EVERYWHERE selling Obama buttons and overpriced American flags, taking pictures, and probably stealing purses. We got tired of it real quick and decided to come back later. On the way out we talked to a police officer who said that the President had actually already visited Ground Zero and was on his way out of the city. Glad we didn’t wait any longer. A few days later it was much less crowded and we were able to take it all in and see what they have planned for the site.
We made it a point to eat at Grimaldi’s under the Brooklyn Bridge. We weren’t expecting the line we saw as we walked up, but figured it was probably worth it. Long story short, Shanna made friends with one of the head honchos which skipped us ahead in the line. The picture below on the right was taken (accidentally) the same time as Shanna’s BFF was letting us know our table was ready. People probably hated us as we slid past them but hey – we were starving at that point. Great pizza and really friendly people.
After dinner we decided to forgo the subway and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We took our time and stopped more than once for random pictures. Like awesome jumping ones. Too bad you can’t even see the city in the background since that was sorta the point of the shot. But the city was beautiful, even if it didn't appear with our Toyota jumps. Overall it was a really great walk and one of my favorite nights there.
Central Park. One of my favorites as well. After walking around the city for awhile it was so refreshing to walk into the park and feel like you had a little bit of space. We rented bikes which gave us a really good taste of the park, which we explored a bit more later. Also on the favorites list: SHAKE SHACK. I’m not quite certain why I liked this so much since I’m not generally a huge fan of burgers. But their food was so good (hellllo crinkle fries) and, true to their name, they also offered shakes. Custard ones. And considering I’ve never tried one before I pretty much fell in love with my chocolate truffle cookie dough banana vanilla custard shake. Um, YEAH. I don’t even want to know the calorie count because I enjoyed it too much to ruin it for myself. We went back twice, thank you very much.
The last few days we spent with our friend Ryan who lives near Central Park (P.S. he’s going to be on Conan this Wednesday so be sure and watch!) We tried our first Turkish restaurant which was loaded with carbs. I’m sure Dr. Oz would've been extremely disappointed in us. I also tried my very first Pinkberry – assembled with love by Ellis, the most helpful employee on earth. This guy wanted me to try all the flavors they had and experience eeeeverything they had to offer. And thanks to him I really loved my yogurt, even if it wasn’t full of chocolate truffle custardy goodness. We walked around the neighborhood, went through a museum, ate hot dogs from street vendors, looked at street displays, and ended the day lounged out on the grass in Central Park.
Other randomness:
- We ran into these guys at church on Sunday. Who knew they lived out there? Shanna about fell off the pew when she spotted them.
- At H&M I learned that jumpsuits are making a comeback. Heaven help us. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if that’s stylish then I guess I’m out. Unless it’s a swim suit cover-up because then I think it’s pretty cute. Or is that just opening the door?
- Good walking shoes are important when visiting a big city. No, I apparently didn’t think of this beforehand but my feet sure told me all about it. Running in Central Park will have to wait until next time.
- We didn’t see one celebrity on the streets – not ONE. What the what, Celebrities? I really had my fingers crossed for a James Franco or James McAvoy sighting, but to no avail.
- Apparently the phrase “get a room” doesn’t apply to those making out (+some) in Central Park. Who needs a room when you have the park?
- When the guy at the TKTS stand says that his family gets into Wicked every single time they sign up for the lottery, he’s lying. Right to your face. We tried three times -- NADA. Nonchalantly crinkling your paper doesn’t even increase your chances.
- Opera singers in the subway are pure awesomeness. I’m sure everyone there is pretty used to it, but I was completely loving it.
- And last but not least, never share your dream of petting a NYC pigeon. Or “diseased flying rat” as Ryan would put it. People laugh AT you, not so much WITH you.
After all that I’m not certain how to end this post. So I’ll just say:
I DO heart NY! (And I now have a touristy sweatshirt to prove it!)
