New York, New York

I don’t know why I thought I would have free internet access in my hotel in New York City this past week, because everything there is a million dollars excluding hot dogs on the street. I originally wanted to update you day by day about this long anticipated vacation, but instead you’re getting this brief recap.

Day One – Monday

We were out of the door by 5:30 a.m. that morning, but by the time we were checked in and settled in our hotel it was 3:00 p.m. We stayed in the Marriott Marquis, which is in the center of Times Square: convenient, but a very expensive area. We ventured out into the giant mass of tourists and I took a direct line to H&M, the awesomely trendy yet surprisingly affordable clothing store which doesn’t have a branch in Texas and doesn’t support online shopping. (Do you hear me, H&M people? There is a huge untapped market down here that I strongly suggest you take advantage of.) Anyway, since I literally shop for clothes maybe twice a year, David let me kind of go crazy. It was quite fun.

Afterward we ate some pizza and decided to take it easy since traveling had kind of worn us out. We spent the rest of the evening in the hotel watching Dancing With the Stars and the NCAA basketball championship. We’re crazy like that.

Day Two – Tuesday

Since we had such a limited amount of time in NYC, we decided to do something completely touristy and kind of embarrassing, which was take a bus tour. It wasn’t cheap, but I have to say it was money well spent. Aside from the fact that our guide was a lifelong chain smoker who sounded like she probably has active throat cancer and we had to listen to her for five hours straight, it was an extremely enjoyable experience. There is no way we would have been able to see everything on our own. We saw too many sights to mention while riding the bus, but we stopped at the following places:

• Ground Zero
• NY Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, & Wall Street
• Trinity Church
• South Street Seaport
• Rockefeller Center
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• Madison Square Park
• Flatiron Building
• Empire State Building
• Dakota Apartments & Strawberry Fields
• Statue of Liberty (from a boat)

That night we had the best seats in the house (a Christmas gift from David & my brothers) to Billy Elliot, which won a Tony for best musical in 2009. I loved every minute of it, except for the old man behind us who found the need to loudly smack his gum. My wonderful husband put an end to that by politely informing an usher that we were being disturbed. After David saw how much I loved the show, he told me that we could see one every night. He may not admit it, but I’m beginning to suspect that he enjoys musicals as well. :)

Day Three – Wednesday

This was the only really “free” day we had to do whatever we wanted. We decided to take a Subway down to Greenwich Village, and it was definitely the right choice. I was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic in Times Square, and up until that point I thought that there was no way I could live in Manhattan. Greenwich Village, however, is adorable. I think I could spend a few weeks there just exploring all the little shops, cafes, and historical spots.

That night we decided to see Promises, Promises, a 1960’s revival based on the movie The Apartment. It was cute and had two big stars in it: Sean Hayes (from “Will & Grace”) and Kristin Chenoweth (who was in the original Broadway cast of Wicked). It was funny, sweet, and even David really liked it!

Day Four – Thursday

This was the day that David had classes for work all day, so I just stayed in the hotel and relaxed. I can’t say that I regret it, because I really needed a break. I read a LOT, watched a movie, took a nap, and repeated the process. After David’s classes we went outside to walk around for a bit and got our tickets to the last show we’d be able to see. After much deliberation, we decided to see The Phantom of the Opera even though the tickets weren’t cheap and I had already seen it twice before. David really wanted to see it and I wanted to share the experience with him. It ended up being his favorite so I’m glad we spent the money.

Day Five – Friday

David had more classes in the morning while I packed us up. Although our plane didn’t leave until the evening, with travel time and preparations we didn’t have a lot of extra time. I didn’t want to leave New York without at least seeing a little bit of Central Park though, so I dragged David through the southern end.

Returning Home

I have to say that I was pretty depressed on Friday to be leaving, but I always get that way at the end of vacation. There was so much to see and do that we didn’t have time for, although I think we did a lot for the time we had. WHEN I go back I want to see more of Central Park, visit all the amazing museums, and go to the top of Rockefeller Center for starters.

Over the weekend I was busy cleaning, organizing, running errands, and getting ready for the week. It feels good to be back home with our dogs and our own bed, although I’m not ready to be back at work yet! I’ll just have to look forward to our next vacation. :)