But I am BACK... from New York that is.
Amazing trip. Absolutely amazing. I do not know where my love for the city ever came from. I grew up in a small suburb outside the big city and the older I became the more and more I was drawn to the hectic and crowded city life. It seems that each time I move I get a little bit closer. If only I could afford the rent to actually just live in the center of it all, but sometimes... it IS nice to go home to my quiet apartment after a busy day working downtown.
But anyways... the trip. I went with Lawyer (excellent travel companion!) and together we saw Chinatown (way better than California's), Little Italy (yummy Margharita pizza!), Ground Zero and the new building to replace the World Trade Center that is still in works: the World Financial Center in the center of Battery Park City (woah... emotional), Times Square (where our Hilton hotel was front and center to!), Rockefeller Center (on the outside anyways), the ever profound, and much better than I had honestly thought it would be, Central Park where we enjoyed some down time of lunch, napping and games. We also saw the musical Phantom of the Opera (Fantastically heartwarming and tragic. The whole musical was absolutely phenomenal! I held back my tears pretty darn well). We enjoyed some splendid dinners, one of which was upon the Bateaux New York Dinner Cruise line where Lawyer and I celebrated his fast approaching birthday and our last evening in NY. On that cruise after sunset is where I got to see the Statue of Liberty for the first time up close and personal lit up against the dark purple sky (a sight to see without a doubt). While in Manhattan we also got to enjoy shopping on 5th avenue (where I bought my "Please Return To" Tiffany and Co. charm and chain link bracelet that I have wanted for years!!) and one evening we went up to the top of the Marriott Marquis where there is The View Restaurant and Lounge that is a revolving rooftop 48 stories high and we got a great view of Manhattan and it's city lights while enjoying some fabulous cocktails.
The only fluke in NY was the "museum" that was advertised on one of NYC's websites as a must see that was a tribute to 9/11. It turned out to be a total bust. I bought tickets in advance as something for us to do on a lazy (or what we thought would be lazy) Sunday afternoon. It was literally one room the size of a large master bedroom that had chairs you sit on to watch a video and then you walk around this one room to look at pictures and artifacts hanging on the wall while listening to a headset. Really?? Just not what I was expecting and Lawyer and I were tired from all the running around we did that morning so even though we were 30 minutes late (yes.. my fault... because of my MUST HAVE Tiff & Co. bracelet) we left after about 4.6 minutes of watching the video. Instead, we went back to the hotel, took a much needed nap and then got up to get ready for our evening.
Would I go back to the Big Apple? Absolutely! Maybe not all too often, but there is so much we were unable to do that I would still like to see and experience yet. To see the progress of such a big city once every decade, if possible, would be fine by me. Especially to see the finished project for the World Financial Center!
So here is where I would like to take the time to give a special shout out to Lawyer for being a perfect travelling companion, for his undeniable generosity, for his patience (I was actually told before the trip started that I was allowed 3 hours total of "crabby time"... of which I used ZERO! But I still had some challenging moments) and his discreet sincerity when dealing with the tumultuous "T".
I now return you to your regularly scheduled life. . .
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