Thursday, March 17, 2016

NYC Treats

Once upon a time, Andrew and I went to NYC. Actually it was a year ago this week, and it was such a great trip that I wanted it documented forever on the interwebs. So here's to getting around to things a year after you do them!

It was everything you would expect of a good New York trip: good food, broadway, the statue of liberty, museums, more good food, so much walking. 



I tried getting tickets to the Tonight Show before the trip to no avail, but I did manage to snag some stand-by rehearsal tickets. We landed in NYC, took a very long bus ride to our hotel, and booked it over to Rockefeller Center to wait in line, and we barely made the cutoff! We got official tickets to come back and see Jimmy Fallon in action. It was awesome, and of course, there was a Mormon/Mitt Romney joke. 

lovers in time square!
I had always heard about people entering the lottery to win broadway tix, so we decided to go for it. Also, Andrew is the luckiest human in the world so he should enter every contest anyway. There were 15-ish names that would be picked and after 14 difficult to pronounce, foreign sounding names, I could not believe my ears when I heard "Andrew Barrett??" WE WERE SO PUMPED. And we got killer tickets for about 1/16th the price. And we had just enough time to go eat some PIZZA.
LOTS of Pizza.
Andrew's first Broadway show!
The next day we had bagels for breakfast, of course, then went to the new World Trade Center building and 9/11 Memorial Museum. It's always difficult to relive such a horrible moment in history, but the museum is beautiful. I'd highly recommend it. Then we walked the Brooklyn Bridge and took the "scenic" route to get some pizza DUMBO at Grimaldi's. Super, super yum. Also... cannoli. 



Strangely great lighting in the pizza place...
okay... really loved this lighting.




And what could be better than more walking, black and white cookies, and experiencing sunset in Central Park?



And then around 11:30 PM, we decided we needed a few more steps and walked to the Empire State Building and made our way to the top. It was empty, and freezing, and windy, but a fun little touristy thing to do. Afterward I totally crashed, but the BYU March Madness game was going on so Andrew went to a nearby Irish Pub, by himself, on St. Patrick's Day. Kinda bummed I missed that experience.



Day 3 started with Doughnut Plant (YUM), a walk down the High Line, and a jaunt around Chelsea Market. I loved all these things. Andrew got some awesome handmade bowties at the market which was probably the highlight for him. We also had some way tasty tacos for lunch.








Next up, the MOMA. Always fun to check out a museum, modern art can be funky but there were definitely some sweet pieces by Van Gogh, Mondrian, Warhol, etc. Also, Anj and Marilyn... doppelgangers? After the museum we got some classic food truck eats at Halal Guys/Chicken and Rice Truck and some banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery (don't skip Magnolia Bakery).





For Christmas, Andrew's parents gave us a gift card for Broadway tickets, and we decided to use them on Les Mis. Let's just say it was a very, very good choice. Thanks again Ruth and Blair! Considering we were in the city that never sleeps, after the show we made our way to some diner for a late night cheesecake snack.





Day 4 we had to go see Lady Liberty. This whole trip was my Christmas Surprise from Andrew, but he totally tricked me on Christmas Day by first giving me a massage gift card that I then realized was at a spa in Brooklyn (whaa???) followed by plane tickets. Today was massage day, so we decided to take the ferry to Ellis Island over on the Brooklyn side. Fun to mix it up. Today was also the day that it snowed. Statue of Liberty was awesome (my first time actually going up to her/going inside), and Andrew let me buy the $2 crown headband which made the experience that much more enjoyable. Also, the massage was heavenly.






Melanie and Michelle, this one's for you.
We wrapped up the night with some DELISH BBQ and, of course, an NBA game. Can't take Andrew anywhere and not somehow get to some sort of athletic event. The Nets' Stadium is huge and awesome, and the game went to double overtime so that's always a thrill. I really don't remember much beside the fact that we were sitting next to these super drunk fans that realllllly loved getting all up in our grills and talking to us.



Our last day consisted of more eating, more walking, more desserts, and more enjoying each other's company.
 If you go to NYC, do not leave without one of these cookies.

I have NO idea what this picture is of but it's here...
Yes, that is a bubble blowing man in central park in a Jazz jacket.

Naturally we finished with $1 pizza slices, which were deliciously cheap. 

It was a perfect New York adventure, and we crammed in all kinds of great things. The food was divine, the shows were moving, the walking was intense. I love NYC!
Most of all, I just loved being there with my love. Here's to many more travels together!