I am back from spending 2 and a half days in New York City and I seriously had the most fun that I have had in a VERY long time. Between laughing my butt off and walking for blocks and blocks and blocks, you’d think my pants would be falling down. But alas, they are not. Dee and I counteracted all those burned calories with steaming cups of hot cocoa and gargantuan slices of cheesecake! Here is a summary:
Day 1:
Waking Up: The first phone call I got was from Jonathan at 5:30 am. He knew how scared I was about flying, so he was totally upbeat and said to me, “Everything is going to be great, Jodi, don’t worry, I will sing you the song of the day.” He then proceeded to sing the refrain from Don McLean’s “American Pie”. I was like, “Hello? Jonathan! Are you kidding? That song is about a plane crash!!!” He honestly did not know that and I will forever laugh about it.
The Flight: I discovered that flying is a non-issue for me when my brother in law fixes me “breakfast” that is a screwdriver so strong it could be mistaken for Listerine! And although I was still not afraid when we began our descent over New York, the 45 mph winds shook our little aircraft so much I thought I was going to hurl!
Our Accomodations: Very nice. In the Theatre District. Three blocks from Times Square.
The Weather: Bitter cold. Lots of wind. Temp was 18 degrees with the windchill at 8.
Sightseeing: After breakfast we rode over to Battery Park and hopped on a ferry boat to pay a visit to Lady Liberty. It was there that I learned about the “Magic Bridge” (I will forever laugh about that too). Then we walked up the street to Ground Zero, but didn’t stay long. By now it was after 4 on Friday afternoon and we needed 2 cabs to get all of us back to the hotel.
The Subway: Ummm…let’s just say if it was up to me to get us back to the hotel, we’d still be trying to find the little “you are here” sticker on the map next to the token machine.
Food: I ordered a waffle for breakfast and it cost $18.00!
Broadway: We had 3rd row seats for Phantom of the Opera. It was awesome!!!!
Drinks: Jeremy and I finally met up after Phantom. We joined Jonathan and Dee for drinks in the hotel lobby and I had my first (and second) Cosmo. Very yummy! Very “Sex in the City-ish”.
Day 2:
Breakfast: Missed it. (Did you read about the 2 Cosmos???)
Sightseeing: Back to Ground Zero to spend more time there. Very moving. Brought to tears. Grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor, then headed to China Town and Little Italy.
Lunch: “Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra, Ra, Ra” (you know, like “A Christmas Story”…without the roasted goose…although they did offer us fried chicken feet! Ugh!!!)
Public Restroom: Jeremy gets an oscar for his acting debut that got us into the cleanest bathroom in Little Italy. (Again, still laughing.)
Serendipity: Our biggest “must see” of the day. Finally found it. My mouth was watering thinking about the monsterous hot chocolate I remembered Oprah bragging about months before. When we got up to the door we were told we needed to be put on a 4 hour waiting list to get in! What? For cocoa??? Thanks a lot, Oprah!!!
The Waldorf: Who needs hot cocoa when you can have a glass of the “best tasting Pinot Grigio in the world”.
Shopping: Bloomingdales…to get the Medium Brown Bag. Can’t they just give us the bag?
Dining: A quaint little Italian place with very delicious food. Dee was the spokesperson of the group (hee hee). And once again, the man with a million facts informed us all of why the crust on Italian bread is hard (“back in 1869…”). And maybe it was just the wine, but we all laughed until we cried at Jeremy’s rendition of the Scrubs episode that was playing as we got dressed for dinner that night (oh, my side is hurting)!
Rockefeller Center: Saw the big tree with a gazillion lights. It was beautiful. The guys went to buy $8 cigarettes and Dee got reprimanded for standing on the security gate. Then the officer felt really stupid when he realized she is over 6 feet tall without standing on his precious gate!
Dessert: Black Forest Cheese Cake!!!
Day 3:
Breakfast: At the Red Flame. Think Jerry Seinfield’s diner. Closest thing to a Waffle House we could find in New York.
Central Park: Went for a carriage ride. Saw the ice skating rink. Visited the zoo where Jonathan was disappointed that there were no giraffes…”Madagascar” was animated, Johnny, remember?
Tiffany & Co: Our final stop before packing up to return home. Unfortunately we only had about 5 minutes to go in and look around, but it was fun nonetheless.
Well, this really only covers the highlights. We did so much and saw so much I could never remember it all at once or write it all down. But I look at the pictures and I think of a great weekend with my husband and his family. I downloaded my favorites and added comments on my Flickr account. Check them out here.
4 Comments
I wish I had gone!!! That would’ve been SO much fun!!!
I’m glad y’all had such a good time. And, of course, made it safely back. :)
WoW! How great. Let’s see….what did a dear friend of you tell you before you left? Ha
sounds like an excellent time.. serendipity is fabulous – oprah knows her stuff!
I have to agree that this was one of the funniest weekends I have had in a while – after the jet bounce and cold temperatures and the “hot hands” that didn’t make it except when we were warm it was great. I think dinner with Jeremy and Jon and the “hair” thing was pretty hilarious. I am having a problem getting myi pics on to a disc – there must be too many for my computer but I will get them to you. I only have Jeremy in Central Park when your driver was doing his Dale Earnhardt impersonation.