Showing posts with label new york city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york city. Show all posts

Thursday, June 14, 2012

travel diaries: nyc day 4

we slept in today.  it was nice.  we weren't rushed for time today.  the only thing on our agenda was to explore brooklyn.  smart planning on our part because we were all exhausted.

i mistakenly thought our hotel had a continnental breakfast.  it did not.  so on a whime i had to choose where we should eat for breakfast.  we googled restaurants in brooklyn.  one of the results was a place called milk bar.  i vaguely remembered this name from places i researched so we decided to go there.  another home run for me!  me: vegetarian eggs, gordon: full eggs.  both us had blueberry muffins too.

after breakfast we went to the brooklyn bridge.  we spent some time relaxing in the brooklyn bridge park, then made our way to the bridge, which we walked to the middle, took some photos, and then walked back.

lunch: grimaldi's coal brick-oven pizzeria.  oh my word...this pizza was sooo gooood!  worth the wait indeed.  and worth the small panic attack i had when gordon took his sweet time walking to and from the park to use the restroom and wasn't back and we were getting ready to go in but they wouldn't seat us if all of our party wasn't there.  it all worked out and we were all beyond satisfied with our last new york meal.  all of us: half sundried tomatoes and ricotta cheese, the other half pepperoni.

after lunch we took our last subway ride back to manhattan, boarded the nj transit for the last time, called a cab that took us to the airport and we headed back to utah (the airplane ride home was exhausting.  as bad a layover was, i wish we had one so i could get up and move.  by the time we got home my feet had swollen so much i felt like i was walking on balls!).

farewell nyc...hopefully we'll see you again sometime!













Wednesday, June 13, 2012

nyc travel diaries: day three

another early start.  nj transit to subway station where we ate breakfast.

breakfast @ au bon pain (ask justin to say it for you...his face is hilarious!)  we needed somewhere quick for breakfast because we had another jammed packed day.  justin recommended this place saying this was where he went when he wanted something decent and quick.  all of us: some type of breakfast bagel, orange juice, and i think mel and justin got a pastry to share.

subway to manhattan temple!

manhattan temple.  i thought i knew what a shelter from the world temples were...that means something more to me now.  white never looked brighter.  silent never was more quiet.  peace never came so quickly.  my soul was still.  for two hours i able to take deep breathes, hear my own thoughts, sit comfortably, and feel the spirit more strongly.  in honor of our five year wedding anniversary we decided to do sealings.  i love doing sealings.  the blessing of an eternal family is what keeps me going day to day.  it is the reason i do what i do, i am who i am, i believe what i believe.  giving this gift to others is a remarkable thing that i do not take lightly.  and gordon and i need all the practice we can get across that alter.  the temple is small.  we went on three different floors.  one to rent our clothes, one for the dressing rooms, and the other for the sealing room.  it was weird that it wasn't jammed packed with people.  i love how busy our temples are (that means more work is being done!), but i sure did enjoy the quaintness a smaller temple.

lunch: gray's papaya.  the best hot dog in the city (according to new york magazine).  this was our cheapest meal.  the hot dogs were good.  the juice was better.  all of us: hot dogs with chili, cheese, relish, and/or onions and some kind of tropical juice (i got pina colada...of course).

snack: levain bakery.  if i could go back to new york right now this would be my first stop.  the. best. cookie. i. have. ever. had.  and i'm sure it will be the best cookie i will ever have.  i dream about this cookie.  my mouth waters at the thought of this cookie.  my heaven will be filled with these cookies.  me: dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookie.  him: dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie.

now off to time square to kill some time.  we walked pass cbs where the late show with david letterman is filmed.  we stopped by a gift shop to pick up some flip flops for mel.  we touched one of time square new year's eve balls (from 2009 or something).  and then we headed to jacbo's theater to see our broadway show...

before the show started i had a small breakdown and anxiety attack.  i still had my levain cookie.  i was milking it, i'm not going to lie.  i got nervous because i thought they would check my purse and make me throw it away.  i freaked out.  said that everyone else got to eat their cookie and i was going to have to throw my away.  under my sunglasses, my eyes filled up with tears.  gordon called me on this and i quickly denied it and shoved my cookie in my bag hoping they wouldn't search my bag and make me throw it away (i would have stepped out, eaten the rest - made myself ill doing so because it's so rich - then gone in).  this cookie is so good i would have done anything to finish it.  i finished it during intermission (following mel's que)...breaking the rules for this cookie!

broadway show: once .  tony's award(s) winning show (nominated at the time we went but won best musical!).  i have only been to one broadway show in my life.  phantom of the opera.  i love it.  once was nothing like it.  and i loved it!  the stage set was a bar.  a functioning bar that patrons could use to buy refreshments before the show started.  in the middle of the stage were the actors...warming up for the show...warming the crowd up for the show.  the crowd was swaying, tapping their feet, clapping their hands before the show even started.  so fun right?!  the story was good.  the actors were talented and performed flawlessly.  i enjoyed every minute we were there.

after the show we hoped to meet the cast (apparently the cast will come out and greet their new fans).  they must have came out a back enterance because they were no where in sight.  as we were walking along we noticed the cast of memphis out greeting their fans.  and guess who we saw?  rizzo!  from grease!  we saw her leaving (in her mom jeans...yikes!) and it all happened so quickly that i didn't get a photo.  instead i got a photo of justin and me in our excitment of seeing her.

more walking the streets of new york city.  boy, time square is crowded!  i was getting sick of all the crowds.  (soho, tribeca, and west village are much less crowded i could spend so much time in these areas!)  on our way to the subway we noticed traffic stopped.  that does not happen in nyc unless something big is happening.  we rushed to see what was going on to find a commerical being filmed.  we were a little bummed to find out it was just a commercial.  mel joked with the worker and said he could tell us anything and we would have believed him.  so he said will smith was driving the car.  a girl next to them overheard this and she yelled "will smith was driving!"...boy information spread quickly.  we all had a good laugh.

impulsive treat stop for a macaroon.  neither melanie or i had ever had a macaroon.  we figured there's probably not a better place to try one than nyc.  it was good.

dinner: westville in west village.  this is where we stuck out like sore thumbs.  we were all "dressed up" because of our previous days activities.  normally this wouldn't have been a big deal (we would have fit right in) but because it was a saturday and most people were in their weekend attire, we didn't look like locals.  this place was small.  a very locals only kind of place.  i loved the vibe it had.  and the food was fresh and wholesome (well for me it was...i ordered a vegetable plate).  me: market street vegetable plate with lemon grilled asparagus w/parmasean, peas w/shallots and bacon, pesto mashed potatoes, and roasted zucchini w/cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, and a blended mint lemonade.  him: fish and chips.

dessert: milkshakes at stand4.  i heard amazing things about their toasted marshmallow milkshake.  that's what i ordered.  it did not disappoint.  me: toasted marshmallow, him: mint cookies and cream, melanie: same as gordon, justin: nutella

more exploring west village.  so many adorable apartments lining the streets.  just like in the movies.  i dreamt of living in one of the buildings...and made gordon pose with me in front of it.  i peaked in some of the windows only to find amazing decor and even a party or two going on.  just in glimpse into nyc living.  so glamorous.  as we traveled on we passed union square park.  this park was packed with people of all kinds.  here is where we saw the homeless man passed out in his own vomit.  an example of the not so glamorous nyc life.  there were also chess tournaments going and street performers blowing outrageously huge bubbles (which since being home we have tried to recreate...with success i might add).  we also stumbled upon a outdoor food tasting party.  it was ashame that we had just eaten right before because the food looked tasty!

after a quick subway ride we were at our last stop of the day: the empire state building.  we decided since the view from the top of the rock is similar to the view on the top of the empire state building, that to make it different we would go at night.  we weren't the only ones who wanted to see nyc lite up at night.  we waited in line for 2 hours.  2 hours!  we were all very tired, feet hurt, and getting dilerious (i mean justin was extremely funny...that's how tired i was).  the line was full of high school tours and stinky kids (we will never forget "bo").  once we made it to the top the view was stellar.  and in all "you've got mail" fashion, gordon and i kissed at the top.  so romantic right!

on our way to the bus, we came up from the subway tunnels to take a peak at time square at night, then on the bus we went to new jersey to sleep for the last time in our hotel room.
another eventful and foodful day in nyc!























Tuesday, June 5, 2012

nyc travel diary: day two

more nj transit and subway adventures (feeling much more confident and comfortable today too)

breakfast @ sarabeth's central park.  great breakfast food!  and fun location!  literally right across the street from central park.  it was hard to decide what to get (especially since breakfast food is my favorite).  me: lemon and ricotta pancakes with fresh berries, him: farmer's omelette, mel: pumpkin waffle topped with sour cream, raisins, pumpkin seeds, and honey, justin: classic eggs benedict


biking through central park!!  this was one of the events i was anxiously excited for.  mel and i had subscribed to groupons for nyc since late last year hoping to find some deals.  bike rentals was one of them.  that park is ginormous!  we had two hours to explore and only saw a little more than half of the park.  we turned around at the jackie o. reservoir.  what a beautiful park that houses so much stuff!  the friends fountain, strawberry fields for john lennon, a zoo, lots of bridges and other fountains, and so much more!  its crazy that there is still a lot of traffic there too.  full on streets that run right through it.  biking through central park was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.  and it also gave us the chance to be real new yorkers and bike through the city!  what a rush!  gordon owned it.  i was a nervous wreck and just followed him hoping not to get hit.  even with my heart about to explode, i'm glad we did it.

lots of walking around the city after this.  i'm pretty sure we walked 5+ miles each day.  i was the only successful shoe person on the trip.  i'm pretty proud of that. (gordon would have been if it wasn't for his dress shoes...that was day three...the day he dreaded.)

next stop...museum of natural history.  wow!  that place is also huge and pretty remarkable.  when we walked in i immediately thought of the movie 'night at the museum' and thought about how cool it was to be in that same museum.  we saw a lot of incredible things there: indian artifacts, life sized animals (whoa elephants!), dinosaur bones, reptiles (yay for turtles!), the underwater world, and a short movie about the sun (which we all may have enjoyed a little too much...it was so nice to sit and rest that we may have all taken a little nap during the movie...new york is tiring!)

i couldn't wait for lunch...i had heard nothing but wonderful things about shake shack.  best burgers, best shakes, best everything!  and it was all true!  the fat person inside of me was satisfied beyond measure after eating here.  one of my favorite things about shake shack?  they love dogs!  they have a dog area complete with fake grass and a fire hydrant, and also had 'for dogs' section on their menu!  we also had our first famous person sighting here too.  christopher gorham.  i may have been the only person in shake shack that knew he was famous (i watched the show popular when i was in high school, okay.  and i also saw the movie the other side of heaven, of which he is the star).  me: single shackburger, black and white shack, crinkle fries, abita brewing co. rootbeer on tap, him: single shackburger, vanilla shack, crinkle fries, and the other half of my rootbeer.

and now on to china town (which was dirty and reminded me of mexico the way everyone was coming up to us trying to sell us fake fancy purses and watches) where i saw and smelt a fish market, then on to grand central station.

pit stop at magnolia bakery for the worst cupcake i have ever had, but the best banana pudding i have ever had (thanks for the taste justin).

we rested for a brief minute while we waited for our time to go to the top of the rock.  the elevator ceiling was clear while we rode up 70 floors to the top.  here is where we saw the city in all its glory.  wow!  nyc...you are amazing and exhilarating!  we got to see just how huge central park is, as well as how smooshed and tall everything is.  we had a good time up there.

time to eat again!  tonight's dinner...nyc style pizza at lombardi's.  meatballs on a pizza?  okay!  we all thought it was yummy (although we experienced the better pizza two days later).

for dessert we walked across the street to pinkberry (mel and justin went to rice to riches again...yes it was across the street from lombardi's.  and yes, mel pretended that is wasn't since that is the place i made her walk 2 miles to get to the night before...whoops).  it was good, but i also don't get what all the hype about it is all about.  too many yogurt places around these days make it so the great ones don't get appreciated like they should.  sorry pinkberry.

after dinner we walked the streets of soho (one of my favorite areas of nyc by the way).  saw some sweet graffiti (i love graffiti so much!  sure it's a sign of ghettoness.  but i love it none-the-less.  and soho is far from ghetto).

subway and nj transit home.

and day two of nyc...perfect!