Planes, trains and a weekend without the little

Some of you may remember the only other time I have ever been to NYC.

I didn't exactly see very much, aside from the inside of a cab and a tiny rehearsal room where I narrowly avoided wetting my pants with anxiety.

And, let's be honest, there's a lot more to New York than that!

Not to mention, Casey and I discovered that we haven't been on a plane together since 2006.  Not to say we haven't taken trips - obviously we have - but always piggy-backing on something he was already doing in some city or another.

So this trip was a much needed, husband-wife adventure.  Here's the recap:

The view from our hotel.  37th floor!

Friday was our first travel day.  We had big plans to do a few touristy things (like the Empire State building), but by the time we got in and after spending time wandering around Times Square, that was about all we had time for. 

Speaking of Times Square, can I just pause to mention how ridiculously much that place overloads your senses?  HOLY MOLY.  It was a neat experience, but just getting sidewalk space is a fairly significant accomplishment.

We had tickets to Phantom of the Opera at 8, so it wasn't too long before we had to head back to the hotel to start getting ready.

I absolutely adore Phantom.  I've seen it four times (Yes - I like my comfort zone.  I'm not exactly one to branch out!), and the difference between a Broadway cast was obvious.  It was by far the best production I have ever seen.  There is a vibrancy and level of talent to the show that others clearly lack. 

After the show, we headed out for dinner.  I did love the idea of having dinner at 11:00 at night.  And walking through Times Square?  Even more challenging than it had been at 3:00 in the afternoon! 

It looks like I have tons of space around me.  That would be because I'm walking in the street.  Because there's nowhere else to go.

We stumbled upon this lovely little Cuban place with absolutely delicious food and live music.  It was so much fun to sit in the city that never sleeps, eating a wonderful meal at midnight.

Saturday brought gloomy weather that again changed our plans.  We had intended to visit the top of Rockefeller Center and take an evening cruise around Manhattan, but the weather was cloudy and chilly, so neither of those would have been very good choices.

Instead, we did a lot of subway riding and a LOT of walking - to Linclon Center, through Central Park, to the World Trade Center, and to Rockefeller Plaza. 

Lincoln Center



This photo gives you a good idea.  Much of NYC was in the clouds that day.



Enjoying Central Park



Matt Lauer!  Okay, you caught me.  Not the real one.

Rockefeller Center

My favorite part of the day was probably visiting the World Trade Center.  We came upon a tour group which was lead by two gentlemen, one of whom was in the Pentagon and the other who was in the South Tower that day.  Hearing their stories and standing on the site, re-living that day was a pretty incredible experience.

World Trade Center site.  The memorial is going in, along with...

...a new World Trade Center building, even bigger than the last.  1776 feet tall and 150(? I think) stories.

We also visited a memorial put up by American Express, dedicated to the 11 people that company lost.  I have to say, it is one of the nicest memorials I've ever seen.  I couldn't hold back the tears while reading the beautiful words about those people. 



The 11-sided circle has the names and a short description of each person.  Randomly, little drops of water fall from the ceiling, symbolizing sadness over their loss, but also the connection between us and them through the ripples in the pool.  SO COOL.  This really moved me.

Saturday night, we went to a Japanese restaurant where we cooked our own dinner.  Why that sounded so appealing, I'm not really sure, but we had a blast!

We also found a little Cabaret/piano bar called Don't Tell Mamma and sat and enjoyed the music and ambiance.

By Sunday, I was definitely missing our girl, so I wasn't exactly sad that it was our last day in the city.  We walked to 34th street to visit Macy's, and then took the subway out to the American Museum of Natural History. 

Obviously I had to visit the site of the Thanksgiving day parade!

By the time we got there, though, we didn't have very much time to actually walk around and view the exhibits.  We might... kind of... well... sort of just walked in without paying (ooooops!!!).

I know, but before you get all judgemental, you should know that museum admission fare is a suggestion (honest!), and we also only stayed about 20 minutes.  It seemed really silly to pay $25 per person for a 20 minute visit. 

All that said, I've never done anything like that before in my life, and the entire time I was convinced somebody was going to come running at us and toss us out on our fannies for not paying.  I couldn't believe no one stopped us to begin with - when we walked in, we just intented to see the rotunda, but no one seemed to mind!  I felt very much like a fugitive, and horribly guilty.

Don't I look guilty?

But, it is kind of a good story to have to tell, especially since I've never met a rule I didn't follow.  Until now...

It was a wonderful weekend, and a very nice way to spend my birthday (that's right!  I'm officially a year older now, and we've reached that brief window in which Casey and I are the same age). 

The best part - as always - was coming home and seeing that beautiful little face we left behind.