We celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving at my parent's house yesterday, after being in New York City for several days. We decided less than a month before the trip to go and I was certainly filled with doubts beforehand. Honestly, I didn't even let myself get that excited until probably a day or two before. Covid has done this to me, making me automatically think "it probably won't work out" and I'd better start thinking of plans B, C, and D.
I am SO HAPPY to say that things DID work out! We flew to NYC last Saturday and stayed until late Tuesday and had an absolute dream of a trip. I couldn't have asked for it to go any better!
The trip was 98% perfection and 2% stuff I didn't care for: so let's get that part over with first. The subways, while fast and very convenient, were smelly at times and just overall dirty feeling. Not all of them, but most. There were two instances people were visibly upset and yelling and that was a bit startling/upsetting. We did have people offer us their seats and overall, it was an ok experience. The other disappointing part was Chelsea Market. Brett and I have eaten there before and fell in love with the place, but this time it was so packed you could hardly even move. Like, suffocatingly crowded so we got out of there. The first day we also struggled to find bathrooms to use, but we figured that out by day two.
That's it, my only negatives from the trip. Well, ok Times Square was this crowded too but we tried both that and Chelsea Market on Saturday night so I really think it was the timing. Still, Times Square was a sight to see!!
The Brooklyn Bridge.
Now, on to the good. The feeling like you're in a movie, good.
We ate at the most incredible restaurant and this was the gorgeous bathroom. Those are real towels on the right you used to dry your hands. What in the world?!
The food! I am not exaggerating a bit when I say this was some of the best food I've ever eaten in my life. The fries and homemade mustard sauce, the spicy and blackened brussels sprouts, the lemon chicken that's hidden under that bed of lettuce, and the leek gnocchi....oh my goodness! The gnocchi literally melted in your mouth. I've never tasted anything like it. Probably the best dish I've ever eaten.
In case you can't tell, I ate whatever I wanted on this trip and it was DIVINE. We walked about 4-5 miles a day so it helped with digesting all this wonderful food.
Incredible statue.
Central Park Zoo! This was Anna's idea. It wasn't on my original plan but I am so very glad we went! Central Park and the zoo too were incredibly beautiful, due to the fall leaves. I would say this was really a perfect time to visit because we got the gorgeous fall and Christmas decorations up everywhere too. The best of both worlds.
We were at the zoo on Monday (I think) and it wasn't crowded at all. It's a smaller zoo than what we're used to at home in Tulsa, but it had animals we've never seen before! Plus, we got to watch the penguins being fed and a really cool sea lion show. We enjoyed the quiet and smaller crowds for sure.
My country girls can definitely hang in the city, it turns out!
They were sad to leave the city and I'm already dreaming up when we can visit again. :)
Here I go again, talking about my Doc Martens! These were the only shoe I wore there, for four days straight and again, walking up gobs of stairs and at least 4-5 miles a day. They kept my feet comfortable, dry, and warm. I just polished them up once I got home and they look great again!
I mean, can you even believe the leaves here?! This is Central Park, which we absolutely loved.
Penguins at the Central Park Zoo!
More Central Park love. Let me pause and talk about the logistics of the trip, because someone might be wondering. We wore masks the whole time we were inside, anywhere. When going inside a restaurant or museum Brett and I had to show our vaccination cards. So really if you're planning to travel there and be able to do anything, you need to be vaccinated. We saw Aladdin on Broadway and again, showed our vaccination cards. We had to show a negative Covid test for the girls-we managed to get a PCR for Anna before the trip but weren't able to get one for Betsy. (long, stressful story) So we bought a rapid test at Walgreens and did it on the sidewalk before the show to present at the door. None of these details were that big of a deal and in fact, made us feel very safe in the city. On the note of safety, there were police men and women EVERYWHERE in the city and we always felt incredibly safe.
There were workers galore preparing the Rockefeller tree!
We visited our first American Girl store. :)
Burgers and fries at Shake Shack-delicious!
The Museum of Natural History was absolutely amazing! A definite must-see if you visit. We spent hours here. It was crowded at times, but only in certain parts of the museum. We were there on a Sunday. The whale got his shot. :)
I have gobs of photos from the museum, but am only posting these two. It was seriously incredible.
We ate at the same breakfast spot near our hotel each morning and were amused to see they served water from Arkansas. I had a croissant, vanilla latte, and some quiche each day. Eating like a queen!
There were cute, little dogs everywhere in the city. It made me miss our girl, Sugar at home!
The girls and I really loved FAO Schwarz toy store. They got to play the giant keyboard.
The toy store was really crowded, but again just in certain parts. We would all grab each other's hands and got really good at maneuvering the crowds. We loved all the different toys, candies, and demonstrations happening at the toy store. It was magical!
When I saw this almost immediately at the airport, I knew this trip would hold something special.
The one picture I took at Chelsea Market before we gladly escaped. Afterwards we went to a small Asian restaurant and had the most delicious food. Isn't this a colorful, cheerful sight to see though?
Shake Shack burger on a GF bun. YUM. I get the hype around Shake Shack now.
More Central Park! We didn't even see half of it!
Another trip highlight for me was seeing the art of Lisa Congdon at Rockefeller Center. She is one of my most favorite artists and seeing her art in real life was such a treat!
I spent forever online trying to find the best seats for us for Aladdin and my sleuthing paid off. This is how close we were to the stage. No photos or videos were allowed during the show but WOW. It was incredible, moving, funny, and so full of color! There were sparkles everywhere on the costumes and the magic carpet really did fly in front of a bajillion stars and the genie was absolutely hilarious.
The lobby next door to the coffee spot we visited. Seeing the art and style everywhere throughout the city was one of my top favorite parts. I left so filled up and inspired.
Playing at the Museum of Natural History in a special exhibit on color.
I read this and teared up. "The only thing your eyes can detect is light".
Yes.
We paid a few extra dollars for this color exhibit at the museum. They had rooms all decorated in a certain color. It was dreamy!
Playing with light!
My word for life (light) and mission. To find and share the light. This picture means a lot to me.
This photography exhibit was also really moving, just showing how unique and varied we all are.
My favorite wall at the museum. I remembered this specifically from our trip before.
So many delicious coffees on the trip. This one was a date latte and wasn't overly sweet.
My family knows how much I adore the original Home Alone movies so I was thrilled to find Kevin!
I do love you, NY!
We went in St. Patrick's Cathedral and it's hard to even put into words the feeling. I mean, we had gone from the Lego and American Girl stores (crowded and noisy) to this utter calm and silence in the cathedral. It felt overwhelmingly holy. People sat and prayed. I lit a candle by the Mother Teresa statue. I did my research paper on her in high school and she holds a special place in my heart.
This place is extra special. A holy sanctuary.
The Lego store! A really cool space! I loved all the different things they did with Legos, like this amazing tree.
Watching the ice skaters at Rockefeller.
This looks dreamy (in DUMBO) but in all honesty we were trying to find a bathroom and I snapped this super quick in the middle of a stressful moment.
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge! Brett and I didn't do this on our previous trip and I'm so very glad we did this time!
I snuck this picture on the bridge because it looked like a movie scene.
More of Lisa Condon's art!
Toy solider at FAO Schwarz! He was very nice.
We stopped in the NY Public Library for a bit. It was so huge and we couldn't seem to figure out where the books were (lol) but at least we got to visit Patience and Fortitude outside.
For the first time in our lives we had a dessert cart with fancy stuff inside and a light rolled around to our table. We picked two to share.
Art, everywhere!
She loved standing up on the subway.
We saw a red panda at the zoo!
Books are Magic in Brooklyn was just that-magic. It's owned by an actual author!
The perfect photo op for a librarian. :)
WOW!
Our hotel was in the flower district. I felt just like Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail each morning.
I saw flowers I've never even dreamed of! I wish I could have somehow brought these pink, dried flowers home. I thought the bare branches wrapped with lights was a really lovely idea.
The rich color on these stopped me right in my tracks.
This was the view from the top of our hotel! We stayed at Hotel Cambria in Chelsea. The service was excellent! The front desk staff were honest up front about a lack of housekeeping, but we were there such a short time we didn't mind. Our room was tiny, but that's to be expected. The hotel held our bags for us on the last day, free of charge which was very helpful!
The Statue of Liberty from far away.
This was near the 9/11 memorial. The color and light felt hopeful against the tragedy that occurred there.
We wished we would have had more time in Brooklyn! We'll have to go again...
Last photo for this post. I actually took over 400 photos in four days. :)
Was the trip perfect? No, but nearly. Travel can feel risky these days and it's not cheap. But my goodness, I now clearly remember how very good and vitally important it is to step outside of your own small part of the world and remember how big and vast this life really is. I felt my cup filled up to the brim just from looking at the art, flowers, people's style on the streets (I will miss this the most at home), the music, delicious food, coffee everywhere, and unique experiences we just cannot find at home.
We loved this trip. We'll definitely find a way to do NYC again.
Now, home sweet home. I'm still scratching my head wondering how it's possible to love a place like NYC and home/the Buffalo/backroads too in equal measure, but it's true. I will say I wouldn't want to live in New York City....the wide open spaces of home speak to me on too deep a level. But oomph, I will miss this city until we're there again. To the kindness of everyone there, the sights and sounds, the Broadway performers and the moment when the Genie said "It's been 18 months" and we all burst into applause, the fancy business man who gave Betsy and I his seat on the subway, too all of it-thank-you for filling this soul up.
This trip reminded me of the possibility life holds, that it's bigger than my tiny speck of the world.
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