There was time spent with my best friend... the person that knows me best and loves me even though she knows ALL my faults... the person who constantly shows me how much she cares and is my biggest support...
And that is my sister, Courtney!
It seems like as we have gotten older, there is more stuff grabbing for our attention. More things on our to-do lists. Babies and kids that need us and precious few minutes left for our husbands. That means that it's hard to find time for our quick phone calls and our only time to talk is after midnight, when everyone is sleeping when one of us is visiting the other one.
This year, I wanted to save every penny and to spend those savings on the people I love the most (my family, thus the cruise) and my sweet sister. What could be better than escaping to the bright lights, big city of NEW YORK?!!!
So we said "good luck with the kids!" to our husbands :), packed our bags and headed off for a quick two day trip to NYC...
We are used to working full-time jobs, balancing a baby on our hip and keeping a toddler in check, running at least 10 errands a week, and trying to be "the cook, the baker, and the candlestick maker" of our households. This came in handy for our whirlwind trip because after 6am flights into the city, we literally did not stop until 1am that night!
Our goals were easy... spend time together, see the sights of NYC, and eat all the amazing food that the city has to offer (or maybe that last one was just my goal :)). Anyways, when I asked Debbie (my friend and NYC guru) what I had to eat in NY, she only said one thing...
Il Mulino.
Talk about starting a trip out right! This is known in foodie circles as the best of the best in Italian restaurants of NYC. And it did not disappoint.
We started with their complimentary antipasto. Debbie said if they ask you "do you want ______?" Just say YES. And we did!
There was a bread basket with what appeared to be two full loaves of hot fresh bread and a stack of bacon. Well, it was not bacon... it was long crouton type crunchy bread slices that were drenched in garlic butter. Then there was fried zucchini and thinly sliced salami. And then a hunk of parmesan cheese cut straight from the wheel. And then tomatoes for bruschetta with mussels. And then fresh hot crostini, rubbed with garlic. Are you full yet? Well, we had to make room because that was just the starter.
For our main course, we ordered two of their best pastas to share. We had spagetti with lobster in a tomato vodka cream sauce and cannelloni stuffed with sausage and spinach in a bubbly bechamel sauce. Are you jealous yet? You should be!
We were so stuffed. Like Thanksgiving Day stuffed. Like "unbotton my jeans please" stuffed. But this was a once in a lifetime lunch...
And so we ordered dessert.
And we decided on something "light." Ha! Strawberries with fresh zabaglione. May I just politely say that this should be what they serve you when you enter the pearly gates to heaven? You should be able to dive into a lake made of zabaglione.
Even though it looks so simple, it was perfect in every way. It might even be my favorite memory of the meal!
We spent our first day making our way from downtown to uptown and literally walked at least 30 blocks. Here were a few of our stops...
Statue of Liberty across the Hudson River
Century21 for some fun bargain shopping
Riding the Subway
Rockefeller Plaza
We saw the famous statue at Rockefeller Plaza and the ice rink. Then we started to do a little walking around and exploring at all the shops. And then I saw it...
Another place on my "must eat" list...
Jacques Torres Chocolate Shop. If you don't watch Food Network all day, like I do, then you might not know that name. Jacques Torres won all the awards to be named Best Pastry Chef in the World. And that is no joke. How could I go my whole life without eating a dessert from the best pastry chef in the world? Well, I couldn't...
We look so happy because we just ate this...
That is their famous chocolate chip cookie, which is like two layers of cookie dough with an entire layer of hot oozy chocolate center!
And that gave us enough energy to make it to the "Top of the Rock!"
And even though it had gotten cold and drizzly, we were in awe of the amazing views of the entire city and how beautiful Central Park looked from above.
But we were cold... really cold, so we took our cute handknit hats that we bought for our kids from the awesome outdoor market in the East Village and we shoved our adult heads into our toddler hats!
Court rocked the owl!
And then Court got to make one of her dreams come true... And that would be dancing on the piano at FAO Schwartz! Unfortunately, all the pics of that life changing moment are on her camera, but let me tell you... she got to put a big check mark on her bucket list!
While we were walking through FAO Schwartz, they had doll land which had a nursery, just like the hospital, with plexiglass that you look through and see the faces of sweet babies all wrapped up and waiting for a little girl to fall in love and beg to take them home. And I peered at all those little doll babies and saw a little face that looked like my little Dean...
And I missed him. I missed my little baby and wished I could snuggle him and smell him for one second. It's funny how even when you are having the time of your life, you still would trade it for one second with your kids.
Central Park at dusk
By this time, our feet were aching. We are not New Yorkers... we are Southerners who drive around the mall looking for the closest parking spot so we don't have to walk too far. So we had to head back to the Ritz to refuel with a hot bubble bath and a comfort food dinner of roast chicken and mashed potatoes.
Even though we felt like crawling into those big fluffy beds, we resisted the urge to be "moms" and headed out to spend the evening in Times Square! The bright lights and hoards of people were energizing and we shopped and walked until midnight. All those pics are on Court's camera because there was no way I was walking around with my big DSLR around my neck! We just had one last thing on our to-do list...
(As popularized by Taco Bell Commercials) "Fourth Meal!" Every "must eat" list by the locals included their favorite Halal Cart. I didn't know what Halal meant or what it tasted like, but I knew we had to have it. So we did... Sitting outside on the sidewalk at 1 o'clock in the morning, eating smoky grilled chicken over rice with an amazing white sauce on top...
We did it all! And that was just Day 1!
Awwww, tear. What an amazing adventure we had. I want to be back there with you, hanging out, shopping til we drop, eating til we bust. I can't ask for more, you are truly the best friend. Love you!
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