***Warning: majorly collage-heavy post!***
Mom sent me an email during our beach vacation that said,
'Would you and Tamara be interested in going to NYC with Dad and I
in December as your birthday/Christmas gift?'
Duh.
Ummmm ... yes ma'am!
I think T might have answered yes like 2.5 seconds after Mom hit send on the email.
I got the okay from Bo and wasn't far behind.
We had a wonderful time!
NYC is gorgeous at Christmas.
The weather was cool but not freezing.
The company was excellent -
it's been 20+ years since it was just the 4 of us.
Lots of laughs ...
One of the major perks of traveling with Dad is that he is a 100% Delta man.
Always has been.
We were able to get all checked-in at the airport and then head to the Sky Club -
which is just a nice, big lounge of comfy chairs
with breakfast to boot!
Great start to the trip!
I got all settled in my 'coach' seat,
when Dad came back (he was sitting several rows ahead of us)
and said that he was able to get an upgrade to first class.
Since T had flown first class when Rob took her to NYC,
I was the lucky one to get to move forward!
As soon as I sat down, I was asked what I wanted to drink (Coke Zero).
Then, after take off, I was given a warm wash cloth to wipe my hands off.
I was even was given a yummy chicken lunch to boot.
But the best part was, the sweet woman beside ended up being a Gwinnett County girl
who knew/went to high school with some of our dear friends,
and taught at Collins Hill with another friend!
The world just keeps getting smaller and smaller!
Taxi cab ride and arrival at the hotel.
We were all pleasantly surprised to realize that the Heisman dinners were taking place there.
We did actually catch a glimpse of some former winners!
After settling at the hotel, we were off to lunch at the infamous Carnegie Deli.
All 4 of us split 1 Reuben (thank goodness I had been and knew how HUGE they were!)
We also all split the absolute biggest piece of cheesecake I've ever seen.
Delish!
After eating a late lunch, we headed to walk around Rockefeller Center.
Gorgeous!
And extremely crowded ...
As we headed back to the hotel, we realized we had committed a fatal error.
We hadn't picked out any landmarks around our hotel to make it easier to find.
You'd think the GPS on our phones would help,
but the hotel was positioned at a split in streets that made it hard to locate in all the lights of Times Square.
We kept walking in circles - and seeing the above Walgreens ... over and over.
It really become quite comical ... and we finally asked a cop and got back safely!
Sunday we headed out,
ate a luxurious breakfast at the McDonald's in Times Square (ha!),
then walked around Rockefeller again,
and even did a little shopping (T has a radar for jewelry!).
We saw the Rockettes at a lunchtime showing ...
it was fantastic.
Absolutely a must see!
Even had a live nativity at the end!! :)
After the show, we grabbed a cab and headed to Little Italy to eat at Lombardi's.
I believe they had a sign that said they were the old pizzeria in the US!
From there we went to Ground Zero ...
St. Paul's was the first stop.
The flag has all the names of the victims of 9/11 typed on each stripe.
Moving.
From there we headed to the 9/11 Memorial.
We had to go through airport-like security to enter,
which I'm still a bit puzzled about.
But it was fantastic.
The fountain behind Mom and Dad is where one of the towers stood.
The names of all the victims of this tower are engraved in the marble around the exterior.
The other tower has the same type fountain.
The Survivor Tree was also right there as well -
it was the only tree to survive the attacks,
so it was transplanted while the memorials were being built,
then re-planted once complete.
Again, very moving.
Monday morning Dad headed to his meetings for the day and
we girls headed to the subway to take a train to Chelsea.
I had to snap a pic of the bag I literally carried the whole trip -
it was a birthday gift from my friend Christa
and it was perfect to house my purse as well as bags of stuff bought!
Tamara found a cool Chelsea Market food tour on the internet,
so we had booked our reservations to go.
It was well worth the $50.
We sampled lots of deliciousness all over Chelsea Market,
as well as a restaurant in the meat packing district.
And the info that our tour guide provided us?
Priceless!
Our first stop was a Eleni's and a red velvet cupcake.
Yumm-o!
Next stop was Ronnybrook Dairy Milk Bar ...
full fat chocolate milk.
Oh my ....
Next up, the Lobster Place and yummy soup.
T and Mom got Lobster Bisque.
I got Shrimp & Pancetta.
Good grief ... it was fabulous!
The MLB elevator ...
notice the interior floor!
Next up, Buon Italia ...
and a yummy italian spread of meats, cheeses, and sides.
After that, a yummy beef pie from the Tuck Shop.
Chelsea Market Basket had some of the neatest treasures ...
and yummy pastrami treats to boot!
Next, some homemade biscuits and spreadable fruit from Sarabeth's Bakery.
Middle pic is the actual Sarabeth herself!
After that, we went outside and up on the rooftop to the Highline.
It's a park that's been created from the old train tracks that were used when Chelsea
housed the Nabisco plant.
Great use of space in such a crowded city!
Last stop was Macelleria's and some pasta with oxtail ragu.
I didn't love the ragu, but the pasta was yummy!
Our funny faces that express how our tummies felt after all that tasting!!!
It really was GREAT!
Mom and Dad had a dinner to go to Monday night,
so T and I went to a place called 'Ellen's Stardust Diner.'
All the waitstaff there are Broadway-bound (or hope to be soon)
and they sing as they serve food.
It was a blast - we heard show tunes the whole time we were there -
everything from Grease to Lion King.
And all the servers were super talented!
Then T and I strolled around Rockefeller again ...
Tuesday I don't have as many pictures,
but we headed toward Central Park and took in all the sites & stores there ...
the Plaza hotel & FAO Schwartz to name a few.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Sarabeth's,
right past The Plaza.
The tomato soup was unbelievable!
Then we worked our way down 5th Avenue ...
so many shops, so little time!
My dad was super sport with all the shopping -
he'd just find a comfy chair and play on his iPhone.
Thank goodness for technology!! :)
Last stop was the TEN story Macy's ...
notice T with the map, plotting the plan.
Mom was as well.
Dad's looking for the nearest chair.
I'm just along for the ride!
Loved the old wooden escalator - if only it could talk, the stories it would tell!
Our last dinner was from the Shake Shack -
think Steak & Shake but much better.
The restaurant was a seat yourself type,
and it was completely packed,
so we walked the block or 2 back to the hotel to eat.
Then we packed up our stuff to head out Wednesday morning.
Love this shot of my parents -
they were completely entertaining me in the Sky Club on Wednesday,
as we waited to board our flight back.
Appreciate their generosity in giving us this trip -
lots of great memories made.
I smile just thinking about it ... :)
Love you Mom & Dad!
