New York!

New York was everything I had dreamed it to be and then some.

We arrived at JFK on Thursday. It was my very first time in an airplane and I freaked the eff out to say the least. It truly was a breeze though. We did land in New York to some harsh wind/rain but it didn't effect the flight in anyway. Praise the Lord!

Tarl has had this trip planned since November last year. 

My sister and her husband decided to go last minute. 

Although we did our own thing we did fly out together and have dinner each night together which was great. It was nice seeing a familiar face and discussing what each of us did throughout the day. 

Plus they are a riot and a blast to hang out with.

We had arranged for a car service to pick us up at the airport when we arrived that way we wouldn't have to wait in the endless line of cabs that were outside the airport.

I recommend this company. They are great, quick and affordable!

The first thing we did when we got into the city was check into our hotel.

My husband did great as he chose the Hilton Times Square. It was directly in the middle of it all. 

I was worried it was going to be too loud at night, but it wasn't, plus the view was incredible!

From our room we had a view of Times Square and 42nd Street.

If you looked to the left we saw the Hudson and to our right was the New Years Eve ball.

Right outside of our room where the elevators are located was an incredible view of the Empire Statue Building. Every morning when we left and every night when we arrived we would sit at that window and just stare at it.

The hotel was great. I suggest staying in Times Square for your first time, however Tarl and I both agree'd that when we go again we will stay off the beaten path a bit because New York, particularly Times Square, is very crowded with tourists.

After we dropped our bags we just walked, and walked and walked. We got a feel for the city by just walking around as much as we could. Before we knew it we were about two miles from our hotel and had already seen a lot that was on my list including St. Patricks Cathedral, the Chrysler building, Carlos Bakery, Rockefeller Center, Dylan's Candy Bar, the New York Times, and Radio City Music Hall.

We were so hungry after all the walking that we had done so I decided to scratch another item off of my list, grab a hot dog off of a street cart. Glad I tried them, but beyond nasty! Their version of onions is a red sauce with some onions mixed in and don't expect regular mustard in the city anywhere. All they use is spicy. I took one bite, Tarl took one bite and we threw the rest away. 

Still starved we decided to scratch another item off of my list, an authentic slice of NY pizza. 

Delicious, and we ended up eating pizza 3 more times on this trip, even some for breakfast - that's the great thing about NYC. A lot of places never even close!

After lunch we took our first subway ride back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.

Tarl and I were both so nervous that we were going to end up in Harlem or Brooklyn, but the subways are truly not that hard to figure out. You just have to pay close attention to uptown or downtown as we did make that mistake once and a 5 minute subway ride turned into a 15 minute one, but none-the-less we had fun. 

Carmines was delicious. Something we will definitely be doing again when we go back. Tarl and I ordered ragu with angel hair pasta and my sister and brother-in-law ordered chicken. Both were incredible and come in huge portions!

After dinner we had our first piece of New York cheesecake at world famous, Juniors.

This turned into a nightly tradition for me as we went to Juniors every day there after, including Sunday when we went home. So damn good!

After it was all said and done, we tried the plain, raspberry swirl, strawberry and red velvet!

Yum!

On Friday morning we woke up early and headed to get a cronut that I had heard so much about.

Dominique Ansel invented the cronut a few years ago. His bakery only makes a certain amount every day and he has only one flavor for the season to choose from. This time it was the Hacha Green Tea with Pineapple. I wasn't a fan, but Tarl, Aaron and LaTesha loved it. I did however get a caramel eclair that was sweet and divine!

After we grabbed some coffee and our treats/breakfast we headed to the financial district and Ground Zero. Tarl and I both got so emotional while there. It's something you see on TV, but to be there in person and see the memorials and names and that incredible fountain that was built was just breathtaking. Freedom Tower is beyond beautiful.

While walking in the financial district I got to cross off a few more things, including the Statue of Liberty, Trump tower, Tiffany's and the charging bull statue.

After walking around SoHo and the financial district we decided to hop on the subway and head to Perry Street, which is the home of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. This was a must do off of my list and the brownstones were so beautiful!

After we saw Perry Street we took the subway uptown to Central Park. We walked around and just enjoyed the view. We walked in the Plaza hotel and looked around (so pretty!).





We decided to walk the 18 blocks back to our hotel. This way we could just enjoy the city, stop into places if we wanted to that piqued our interest and just simply enjoy each others company.

While walking, I spotted Perez Hilton. Mind you, I've been a fan of his and an avid blog reader of his for years and years. I shouted his name, he turned around, looked at me, said "hello, hello" and that was it. I was shell shocked to say the least. He's a celebrity and I saw him walking the streets of NYC like it was nothing. So cool!

I was grinning from ear to ear while walking 5th avenue knowing that I had seen my first celebrity walking the streets of the city. Tarl just laughed at me.

Once we arrived in Times Square, only a few more steps to our hotel, I noticed my second celebrity (semi-celebrity), Gary, Amber's boyfriend, Leahs daddy, from Teen Mom. Again, I stopped and talked to him for a brief second then continued walking.

We freshened up and headed to the Empire State Building.











It was magnificent seeing all of New York by standing in one spot. I strongly suggest doing this if you ever visit! So worth the money spent!

Once we walked out there was Macy's and Herald Square. We never did go in, but I'm glad I got to say I stood in Herald Square.

I hailed our first cab to Bar Americain, Bobby Flays restaurant, where we met up with Aaron and Latesha. I ordered the fried chicken, Tarl ordered the Shrimp & grits. Tarls was good, but nothing special. Mine was delicious, but again, nothing special, especially not for what you pay for it. Tesha and Aaron agree'd. I'm so glad we ate at his restaurant, but definitely not something I'd do again.



After dinner, the four of us hopped in a cab to Serendipity. Tesha and I were both looking forward to their frozen hot chocolate, but the wait was an hour. Not a problem, or so we thought, but I will forewarn you. It's a super small restaurant and you cannot wait inside. It was very cold and we were not about to wait outside for an hour, in the cold, to go inside and drink something cold.

We took another cab to Juniors and had some more cheesecake - totally fine by me and a sweet ending to a great day!

Saturday was our last full day in the city. Tarl and I ended up at one end, and back to the other and back again. Our legs were so tired but we saw so much. In fact I saw all twenty seven things on my list, except two, Belvedere Castle and the Bow Bridge, both located in Central Park. We did see Central Park, but it's huge and we were too tired and cold to walk a mile in the park to see those two things. There's always next time :)

China Town and Little Italy were a true experience. We ate at an authentic chinese restaurant and got seated with other people. It was filled to the brim and quite hilarious eating with a stranger. It was the highlight of our trip talking and eating with locals.









Cafe Europe, Hot Chocolate and Red Velvet Cheesecake in Little Italy!

After our treats we headed to the Museum of National History in Central Park.
It was 4 stories high and filled with a lot of great things. We could have easily spent an entire day in there looking around, but as soon as we looked out of the window we saw it snowing in Central Park and wanted to go outside in it, so that's just what we did.

Not long after the snow stopped. It was so magical standing in central park with the love of my life while the snow fell. We headed to FAO Schwarz and that was spectacular. Any childs dream, or adult for that matter! Toys from one end to the other, from the top to the bottom!









We also saw Grand Central Station and sat a while in Bryant Park.







One of my favorite spots was on our last day in Greenwich Village at Washington Square Park. The archway was so much larger than what I thought it was going to be. This area of the city was just stunning with the old architecture against the new buildings being built.







Tarl and I both agree'd that if we ever moved here, we would live in that area!

After we got up close and personal to the Flat Iron Building. That's me standing directly in front of it. Look how skinny it is at it's point!





Dinner that evening was at Chris Santo's restaurant, The Stanton Social which was in the Lower East Side. The roof had a large skylight - so cool!



The style of food is appetizers. You order a lot of them and they continue to bring you them until you're satisfied. It was a very trendy, upbeat restaurant. The food was great. Glad we did it, but another one we wouldn't do again. The food was very upscale so it was a bit different than what we're used to, but again, such a great experience and I would for sure recommend it.





On Sunday morning we got up, grabbed a coffee and headed to the Times Square Diner, which is not in Times Square. It's actually about 6 blocks from it, but the food was delicious and another local spot. Afterwards we went and grabbed some Juniors Cheesecakes to take home with us and headed to JFK. Before our flight took off you could see the entire city in the distance.





Flying over New Jersey



Flying over Philadelphia



This is the moment that Tarl and I decided that we wanted to take a summer beach trip rather then go back to Disney this year. The water was such a beautiful turquoise blue and it's been a while since we've gone on a beach vacation. More to come on our summer trip later (we already can't wait!)



As soon as we arrived back in Savannah, this little gal was waiting at the terminal on us. Ahhh, that sweet face!

It truly was a trip of a lifetime. I cannot wait to go back. New York was everything I had hoped it would be and then some!

xo