oh new york

it was nothing short of a treat that matthew and i got to take a trip to the big city in the midst of transition in our lives. we jokingly asked each other what monumental decision was going to come out of our time together on this trip. it seems as that's the way it always goes. we get extended time away to not just catch up on the day but really talk. really, really talk. but this trip was mostly just plain ol' fun. trust me, we did a lot of talking but were able to really let down and just have a great time together.

as i came home and was quickly whisked back into the demands of everyday a few things have been left on the forefront of my mind.

1. i need to get out of my own little world a lot more often. this is harder than i make it sound in my own head but i think i can see it's vital importance. not everyone lives in a southern suburb. with everything they could truly ever need or want at their fingertips. there is such a bigger world and so many different lives that intersect that look absolutely nothing like mine. and i need to see that. 

2. i am truly a master of the subway system and should have won an award. i'm being a little prideful here but i never steered us wrong. with the exception of our very first outing (we went downtown instead of uptown) but i fixed that and was somewhat obsessed with the task of getting us where we needed to go. apparently i was in my element.

3. i am so very uncool. and i was so very un-new york. i proudly wore my tennis shoes all around the city. my bright, white, new running shoes that stuck out like a sore thumb. one person asked me for directions and i really didn't think there could be someone that looked more like a tourist than me. and now i am home and i still realize every day how very uncool i am.

4. i have a lot of fun with my husband. it's important that we have a good time together doing things that aren't "normal" for us.

5. whereas that break was much needed and such a luxury, i missed my boys and was very happy to kiss their sweet little faces as soon as i could.

i could really stretch this new york city trip out into lots of posts but why not just throw all of it into one. sure, it will be overwhelmingly obnoxious when i look back on it, but i think it will help me move on with life. 

our first day was filled with flying (my favorite!) and getting acquainted with the city. we finally got our bearings and ended up in rockefeller plaza for the evening, did a little shopping, watched the ice skaters bump and crash, and finished off the evening with dinner and dessert at the ever so charming serendipity. 

thursday we spent the morning eating the most delicious pancakes at clinton street baking company then walked halfway across the williamsburg bridge.  

one of the only things i really really wanted to do was go to ellis island but unfortunately it's still closed due to sandy. so we took a harbor cruise instead which was pretty awesome. we loved seeing manhattan from the water. 

we went up to the 9-11 memorial which was surreal. we got to sneak a peak inside the museum they are building now and i sure can't wait to go back.

we ventured our way up through little italy to eat lombardis for a later lunch. i wasn't really hungry but i tell you, that pizza.  mmm. it was so good. then we couldn't leave without grabbing cannoli which i ate while walking down the street. you better believe i had powdered sugar all over myself. it fit in with my white tennis shoes.

we shopped around a little on canal street then moseyed on over to washington square park to do a little people watching. tried to grab coffee at a few different places that were slammed then found ourselves in a goodwill. which was very different than any goodwill i've been in before. i found all sorts of treasures that i ended up putting back but it was fun nonetheless. 

we had dinner reservations but were so full we couldn't imagine eating another huge meal. so we ended up at shake shack (thanks alexa!) which was absolutely delicious right before we went to see wicked. we found tickets the night before we left and decided to go for it and boy was it worth it! i had seen it before but matthew LOVED it. 

we woke up on friday and went to doughnut plant. oh my heavens. yes sir ree. that was a treat.

then spent the rest of the morning at the american museum of natural history. we could have spent days here. it was incredible. but also incredibly FULL of information. i kept thinking about how much the boys would have loved it. maybe one day.

{we would have had to have restrained tucker from excitement and crawling in the exhibits}

in particular we loved the north american mammal exhibit, the sea exhibit, and the teddy roosevelt exhibit. but it was all awesome.

{having just studied the pilgrims and native americans, i enjoyed this!}

we went to land thai for lunch and man oh man. mmm. clearly the food was some of our main highlights. but alexa, again, steered us in the right direction. we were blown away at how good and inexpensive this was. 

walked through central park for the afternoon then made our way down to the high line. 

it was so cold on the high line so we only walked a little. this is a must if you visit the city. i wish we could have spent more time there. but we made our way into chelsea market where we had handmade crepes with nutella, coconut, and almonds. and a cup of hot coffee. this place was so very neat.

we ended the day in times square at carnegie deli and a little sight seeing.

this was dinner.

then my husband packed my suitcase for the second time because he is a pro at fitting a ridiculous amount of winter clothes into a carry on. what a stud.

our last morning was spent with my dear, precious friend alexa. and that's going to have to be another post. whew.