"The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien."

"In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There's nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Let's here it for New York, New York, New York..."

-Jay Z

(sis, that was for you)


We're home. And we're exhausted. Jay Z was right - the city never sleeps. Neither did we. We saw it all, did it all and ate it all. We had the best time.

THE SIGHTS:

Wicked - simply amazing.

And even better with cocktails in souvenir glasses!

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

"I don't go into your house and steal your Hello Kitty backpack." - The Office, "A Benihana Christmas" episode. Watch it. Love it.

Okay, here's the deal with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Unless you're a hard core crazy who's willing to get up at 6am and sit on a curb for four hours to stake out a great spot on the parade route, there's going to be about 15 feet of people between you and the street. But it's okay because when you stand on your tippy-toes you can almost see things at street level. Then the parade starts and every kid in the crowd is lifted up onto Dad's shoulders. View gone. (As it should be. It's a parade - it's for the kids. That concept was lost on the gripey lady next to us who threw a hissy fit everytime a child's head interfered with her view.) It's then that you realize that if it's not floating in the air, you're not going to be able to see it. Bottom line: it was fun to do once, but I've checked it off the list. Unless I'm bringing back munchkins some day, in the future I'll stick to watching the parade from the couch in my pjs.

Central Park

I could have spent all day walking the park and watching the ice skaters at Wollman Rink.

The Plaza

Grand Central Station

My handsome hubby at the Met.

He liked the weaponry and armor exhibit.

I preferred the shoe exhibit. (Okay, it was the Egyptian exhibit. Do these sandals not look like Jack Rodgers? Minus the creepy toe caps.)

Rockefeller Center

(How cute is this little guy who walked in front of the picture?)

I think I love this place. Not only is it the home of Liz Lemon and the 30 Rock gang, but there's a giant Christmas tree, a J. Crew and an Anthropologie all within 100 yards. It's my new happy place.

Yeah, I don't look all that happy. But I swear, new happy place for sure.

View of the Park from the Top of the Rock.

THE FOOD:

We split a pastrami sandwich at the Carnegie Deli and between the two of us, we couldn't finish it. That's a lot of meat. (That's what she said.)

Starbucks Pastry. So, I didn't eat any of this, but I had to include this picture. And here's why: They're required to post the calorie content for all menu items. Insane! Does anyone really want to know that there are over 400 calories in a piece of gingerbread? How on earth do they sell any of this crap with the calorie count staring you in the face? Do they do that where you live?(Also - I got yelled at by the barista for taking this picture. And the one after it. Those Starbucks folks are secretive!)

Thanksgiving dinner at the Blue Water Grill. AMAZING. Go there. Get the Crunchy Florida Roll. Best sushi roll I've ever had. And it's not even a sushi restaurant.

LK, Thanks for recommending Penelope's for brunch. Such a charming little place and yummy food!

Patsy's Pizza...mmmm

The pasta that changed my life. Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce from Angelo's in Little Italy. It may not look like anything special but it's by far the best pasta I've ever had. I don't think I can ever make my penne con vodka ever again. It could never compare.

After dinner at Angelo's, we went around the corner to Ferrara for dessert.

That box is full of mini cannolis. So bad, but oh so good.

This picture is really not necessary but I just love those shoes. Hi shoes!

(not pictured - Lunch at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill which was phenomenal and the super cute Irish pub our friend took us to for the Florida - Florida State game.)

Finally, we came to a sad realization: The Mister and I could never afford to live in NYC. We wouldn't be able to support our Diet Coke habit. Free refills do not exist in this city. And we like our Diet Coke - alot. We'd probably spend more on DC than rent. Oh well, guess it wasn't meant to be.

THE RANDOM:

Biggest. Sephora. Ever.

Best. Cupcakes. Ever.

Best. Idea. Ever. (Saks Fifth Avenue)

We had such a great trip. We came home very happy, very full and very tired. I'm so thankful we had the chance to take this trip together and for my wonderful husband, who is such a blast to travel with. I'm looking forward to many more adventures.

So excited to be back to blogging! I promise not to stay away so long again. I've missed you all!