I’m so glad we decided to go to New York this weekend because it was an awesome trip! It’s been sort of a whirlwind weekend — with Thanksgiving and then taking the Megabus up to the city — but four days was plenty of time. Since getting back last night, we have the whole day to chill and get ready for the long weekend.

The highlight of my trip was getting to see Heather! She works like crazy and barely has a moment to spare but I was so happy she took the night to meet us for dinner and go to a few cool places. She’s going to be the best lawyer New York has ever seen!

One of my favorite things about New York was the diversity. It’s obvious to say but I love the many countries represented in the people, the languages spoken, the small ethnic businesses, the crazy styles and buzzing atmosphere at all hours of the day and night.

Then, of course, we had to get the classic Times Square photo op! We didn’t have much of an agenda but walking for blocks and stopping at various stores, cute little Irish bars and shops was plenty of a tourism experience. After we missed the location for our walking tour, Rick decided to act as my own personal tour guide despite his lack of NYC knowledge. It was fun to explore and pretend…just do our own thing in the big city.

There’s more where this came from! Click below to see more photos and read more about the weekend!

I love the apartment buildings in the city. Sometimes, they look similar to DC but the ladders make all the difference. Don’t ladders just make them look cooler? I happen to think so!

The stands — oh the stands, how I love them! When I’m in New York City, I always feel like I’m in another country. It’s a country all it’s own, the melting pot of America teeming with the markets and languages and habits of people from every country around the world. Spices you’ve never heard of, fruits you’d never have eaten before. I could have explored the city for weeks!

A vintage record store? Of course it was in NYC and we had to stop in. Of course any record store reminds of one of my favorite movies of all time — High Fidelity. It was fun poking through the classic albums and perhaps pick out a Christmas present or two! 😉

Love it! The colors, the lights, the shows, the style! Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to attend a Broadway show though they did a great job of making me jealous. Tons of music coming out from everywhere and I just knew I was not done with NYC in just one trip.

 

One of my goals for the weekend was to have one of those amazing New York bagels you hear about. Unfortunately, I had idea where the best place was. So…I took a shot and bought a toasted everything bagel from a little roadside stand. Not kidding: best.bagel. ever. The seeds were so tasty and something about the dough was simply incomparable. Extra doughy, slightly sweet in a way I couldn’t pinpoint. So jealous I can’t have these all the time!

What else did I just HAVE to have? Gray’s Papaya hot dogs. I first heard of these wonders when I watched the movie “Fools Rush In” a long time ago. The guy in the movie lives on the West Coast and says how much he misses these hot dogs! Long story short, his girlfriend special orders them in for him. Then, I just kept hearing about them over the years. It had to happen — and after walking two miles with all of our bags on the way to Penn Station, we found it. I’m not kidding when I say it was every bit as good as I hoped. SO good — with only mustard too. If you are in NY — just do it!

There were so many wonderful photos in Central Park but this was one of my favorites. The light was just write. I can see how the city is a photographer’s paradise. I could have people-watched all day in various parts of the city. I have to say — DC isn’t nearly as fun for that!

Another picturesque scene.

What’s NY without a photo with Mickey? Actually, this was after a night out and after this photo, Mickey practically demanded a $20 tip! Long story but let’s just say he ended up with $10 for this quick little moment.