Hey, remember me? I have to resurrect this blog and I'll start here. I hope to go back and recap the past few months of our lives soon!
Graham surprised me for Christmas, after we said no gifts, with a long weekend to New York City and a pair of tickets to see my favorite band in Madison Square Garden- more on that later. I had underrated NYC, it's true, I did. Because everyone under the sun wanted to go there, I didn't care for it. It's fun to feel like I am singular in seeing amazing things (I'm not, hubris is a big flaw of mine). The moment he handed a plane ticket it just all clicked and I was flooded with excitement! New York, The Big Apple, home to Timberland lovers, clipped accents and the Yankees.
I had a good time working hard on the perfect schedule. My family thinks that I am good at searching for plane tickets and things to do, but it's not that I am, rather it's that I get such a thrill out of it. The catch is that I only like doing it if I am the participant, so there goes any chances of being a travel agent ;) Eventually the final draft was reached with highlights in all the main places, we booked the things necessary and I downloaded a countdown on the phone.
Then it came to booking the hotel. New York is pricy, just like all major cities. I looked up mainstream hotels and they were more than what I wanted to pay. AirBnB would normally be fine, but they too were expensive and I wanted the luxury of having someone make my bed for that price. Somehow I stumbled upon Hotwire, a service that offers discounted rooms without giving you the name of the hotel. We chose one near Madison Square Gardens and Times Square, close to a Metro. After using a coupon, who do you guys think I am?, we booked it and it revealed that it was Holiday Inn. Due to the fact that I'm a brat I was a little disappointed. Graham called and said his birthday was coming up (true) and asked for the highest room with a great view. After our flight, the first thing we did was show up to the hotel, which immediately seemed nicer than expected. After check in they handed us a key to the 32nd floor with a view of the city, including the Empire State Building. Every night we would look over huge lit up buildings that shined and gleamed. I was bowled over by how great it was, meanwhile Graham was in hog heaven, especially considering for the price we paid.
Our first day in town we hit up some of the most iconic sights. After checking in and admiring our room, we dropped into Times Square. Interest place, that one. Large buildings and colorful, moving billboards were the backdrop to squealing tourists, costumed clad locals and the most annoying employees who constantly harassed about bus tours. It was fun to drop in, but it certainly was overwhelming and after we saw it, I was ready to split.
Next up was our search for the Manhattan Temple. We love to visit temples when we are on the go, this was no exception. After spotting a pair of elders, they sent us in the right direction. Very uncharacteristically this one was actually in a central area. More often than not, they are usually found in smaller communities out of the city. This one was smack dab in the middle of a busy part of the town right off Broadway. We were shocked to hear that it was a temple on one half, a regular meetinghouse on the other. Naturally we came inside to view it! It sure was neat to enjoy the soundproof building, something that can't be taken for granted in NYC.
After a yummy meal where Graham had 3 sliders and I had the best poutine of my life (not too hard, only the second time). We used our tickets to my first on site Broadway play! I am a huge enthusiast of plays, musicals and the like- Graham will go but only to humor me. We grabbed a pair of tickets to Kinky Boots. They were described as "not at all kinky but a great storyline" from an agent and that was our choice. It was a very fun, energetic musical! Maybe not for everybody, but I was a happy to have watched it. Then we went back to enjoy our amazing view from our room.
On our first morning in the city we booked a cruise to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Statue is, of course, a place that can't be missed. This towering green emblem of the freedoms we Americans obtain was a treasure. During our time on this island President Trump was sworn in, we were oblivious to it until after. We were far too busy photographing everything and rushing up the Pedestal steps for a better view of the spread of the city. Afterwards we dropped into Ellis Island. I had read so much about immigrant children's stories as a child that I was really looking forward to it! We walked through all the exhibits to learn what it was like to go to E.I., why they became citizens and the aftermath of living in the US as a immigrant. It was filled with pain and happiness alike. I tried to think of my ancestors making their way through after months on ships, cold and tired, ready for a new reality.
A ferry ride, walk and subway ride later, we visited the place a friend who visits the city recommended we try: Chelsea Market. It turned out to be an indoor market with many pop up shops. There were listings for all types of international cuisines, not to mention that it was warm and it kept us out of the drizzle that had begun. After walking up and down the market we opted for tacos, drinks from a health shop and a delicious cookie topped with butterscotch and cashews from Amy's Bread. Yum!
This was a funny moment! Graham was trying his hand at this Intelligence Test- 6 oddly cut wooden blocks that were meant to be put together to create a rectangle. He would get a piece or two together but couldn't get the whole sum of it. Finally I asked him to scoot over and shuffled it up, I put it together the first time I attempted and he was astonished. And very ashamed. The thought of him having to sail back home because he couldn't get it grated on him something fierce.
I didn't have a hood so I had to tie my scarf around to stay warm. I felt like a Grandma.
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