Three Days in NYC

Judging from how completely wiped out I’ve been for the last couple of days, I would say we had a pretty great time in NY. We should have, since we really didn’t slow down the whole time we were there. We showered, slept and changed clothes in our hotel room and that was the extent of time spent there.  Traveling like that sure tires me out more than it used to.

I’m not 40 anymore! 🙂

I sincerely hope you like lots of pics too.  I couldn’t seem to stop taking them and since this might be my only time there, I made the most of it. When I arrived in from the airport, I gave my friend, Kate, a call to see where they (Cristin with Simplified Bee was with her and such a sweet gal) were and they had just arrived at Rue 57 for an early dinner, so I took off on foot with directions and met up with them for a bite to eat.  I had some burger sliders and fries, not anything really out of the ordinary, but they were very tasty.

One of my biggest regrets is not having more time to try out more restaurants and taste some things that I don’t normally get to try.  I didn’t even get a whole slice of cheesecake, darn it, but what I tasted sure was good. After dinner, the 3 of us took off walking.  I knew that my feet would never make it in high heels, so I opted for flat boots and flats while walking the streets. I saved the only heels I took for the Nate show taping.  You know you just feel cuter when you’re in heels, right? Kate insisted we go in some of the places I had never been, like Tiffany’s.

So, that’s where those little blue boxes come from? 🙂 Never having owned anything from Tiffany’s, it was a treat to browse. Beautiful jewelry was displayed gorgeously in glass cases. Like this little piece.  And this lovely yellow diamond bird piece.  Wowza! Down the street we went, seeing a bride and groom on the way, waiting for their ride.  Amazing place, you never know what you will see.  And see, the bride is carrying those Tiffany blue bags too.  Lucky girl. Next stop, Trump Tower.  Heard about it all my life.  We took the escalator up, there’s Cristin and Kate (being funny!).  We did a quick little peek and came down again.  Beautiful building for sure. Of course, NYC is a pretty old city, with lots of old architecture in the buildings. Harry Winston and DeBeers were all in the same area as Tiffany’s.  Jewels for miles! A pretty black frock in one window display.

A stately old church. More architectural details on an old building. The flavor of the city.  Lots of street vendors selling all sorts of food to eat.  The sights, smells, and sensory appeal of NY is everywhere.  New York’s finest.  Cristin and I couldn’t resist a Pashmina sold on the street.  $5 people!  I mean, why didn’t I buy more than one?What was I thinking?!  I bought a pretty turquoise blue with lime accents and they really feel good to the touch. Another beautiful window display.  Pizza cafes are everywhere, beckoning you inside to smell and taste these treats.  I could eat pizza everyday, given the chance.

There are plenty of Starbucks around town too to get your java fix.  For all the scoop on the Rue party, click over here for who we met and saw that that fun event. 

Back out bright and early the next morning, we strolled into Central Park, near Columbus Circle. Lots of interesting things to see. Like this pretty fountain. Sidewalk cafe along the way. Horse drawn carriage that NY is known for. Overlooking Columbus Circle from inside a bakery we met up at. Love the architecture.  I think this is what is known as a Brownstone, so stately and elegant. A beautiful red church door.Paninis in the window.  I didn’t get to have my share of these either. After the show, we headed down to Times Square, just as dusk was falling.  Wow, this place is larger than life. All the billboards and neon lights are pretty impressive.  You can tell this is #1 on the tourist attraction list, from all the people. Just amazing. So, I had to document actually being there. The hustle and bustle is incredible.  The Lion King is still playing.  Would love to have had time for a show too.  Alas, we just ran out of it.  Time, that is. We did take the subway one time.  Sarah and Kate are pros at all of this, so we followed suit. Sarah and me waiting for the train. She warned us we might see some rats.  We didn’t.  By the way, Sarah and I shared a Queen sized bed, so we’re like sisters now. 🙂 And we were color coordinated too.  Had dinner in Little Italy, so I can say I went there too. Ate here.  Had cheese ravioli that was good, but not exceptionally so.  Radio City Music Hall. Versace store. I think this is St. Patrick’s cathedral.  Correct me if you know better. After dinner, we headed over to Rockefeller Center to go to the Top of the Rock.  So glad we had time for that. Here is that impressive building. Front of it. Cristin, Sarah, Kate, me, and Janell, from Isabella & Max.  Janell was chosen to tape a segment with Nate on the morning of our taping. Can’t wait to see that too!

And we posed for a pic to remember our visit.  Lovely sight! NBC Studios were very quiet at night. So up to the top we went. And when we got to the very top and came out and saw this, I gasped!  What a beautiful sight it was. You can see the magnitude of NYC from this vantage point. Ahhh, so pretty. Glad I took some shots to remember it by.

Thanks for coming along with me to NY!  It was a memorable time that I will never forget, hanging out with old and new friends and making new memories with them.  What a treat it was!

I’ll be back next week with a few more pics from ABC Home, where we went on our last morning before heading to the airport.  That was fun and I got lots of good inspiring shots from the showroom floor!

The winner of the Southern Living magazine giveway is lucky #227: Amy Erpelding.  Congrats, Amy! I’ll put you in touch with Diane to claim your subscription.

For those of you who didn’t win, but would still like to get the special 2 year rate for Southern Living of $20, click over to Diane’s page to sign up.  You have until, Wednesday, September 29th to sign up for this great rate!