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!
1 comment:
Great pictures, and awesome trip!!! Happy 5 years!! :)
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