Hey again,
Welcome back! I have been so excited to write this post but haven't had time to do it until tonight. Yes, this is in fact the infamous NEW YORK POST! Here.we.go
Shannon, my good friend from college decided to come and visit me here in Boston about a week ago. I was beyond excited because even though Teej and I have had a variety of amazing visitors come, this was going to be the first real girlfriend (well besides my lovely sister in law- Leah) to come to see me. Shannon got here on a Tuesday night and we weren't going to New York until Thursday so she was here visiting Boston for a few days and did a little exploring on her own while I worked. I felt terrible because I was practically not around the first two days she was here. Unfortunately, in order to go to New York for the weekend I had to work longer hours. It all ended up being fine because Shannon is a star and entertained herself for those few days! That is, until Thursday night when we began our adventure to NEW YORK CITY.
So, I worked Thursday night until about 6pm and then came straight home, ate a little dinner, and headed off to the train station with Shannon. Teej was very nice and dropped us off at the station where we took that for a few stops, got off at South Station, and headed to the Bolt Bus. The Bolt Bus was going to take us directly to New York City where our other good friend Paige would pick us up. Getting to the bus from South Station was a little bit of an adventure in itself. Good thing we gave ourselves enough time because it was no easy journey. We had to walk up and down and loop around corners before we finally made it to the terminal. The actual ride was very smooth minus the fact that they said they had wifi but really didn't. They did have a bathroom located on the bus, however, so I was a happy lady. The bus left the terminal at 8:30pm and we were to arrive in New York City at 12:45am. We made one pit stop in New Haven, Connecticut at a Burger King for about ten minutes but that was it. Now, Shannon had never been to New York before so when we finally got off the bus she was, no joke, about to hyperventilate. She even made a comment after I took a picture of her standing in the city that she was about to hyperventilate haha...
The atmosphere once we arrived there was awesome. It was 1am in the morning but it felt like 5 or 6pm at night. People were everywhere, diners were open, and taxis were flying by us. I think we finally understood what it meant when they say it is the city that never sleeps. Anyway, Paige picked us up (looking very cute and New Yorkish I might add) and we headed to Times Square to take a look at it before heading to her apartment in Queens.
We ended up getting back to Paige's cute 1 bedroom apartment in Queens at around 2:30am. Crazy, but awesome night. Shannon and I slept on the floor in the living room on this comfortable futon. Needless to say we were out like a light once we arrived at her house.
Friday was awesome. Paige doesn't work Friday's so she took us on an awesome tour of the city. It was a beautiful clear day so we figured why not start out day out with taking a walk through Central Park. I have been to New York once before (in High School) but we didn't get a chance to go to Central Park so this was a fun, new experience for me. We were so impressed with how large the park really was. It just kept going and going and going. I loved it. We met a nice couple, who took our picture from Oregon, so of course we had to chat with them for a while.
Shannon and I both really wanted to have a slice of New York pizza while we were there so Paige took us to another part of town where we got some amazing flat pizza. We then walked up and down this really cute and quaint street that Paige wanted to show us. We walked through the neighborhood for a while before heading over to the waterfront where we took pictures and enjoyed the beautiful Hudson River.
Our next stop of the day was the American Museum of Natural History. Shannon really wanted to go there because this museum was where "Night At The Museum" was filmed. So, we walked inside, took a picture with the dinosaur skeleton, and left. :) The last couple stops were Rockefeller center- where they were setting up for what we thought was a potential movie scene, this awesome high line walkway, ice cream at this POPULAR shake shack, Paige's workplace- Sports Illustrated, and this really neat bar located on the rooftop of this building where Paige and Shannon ordered a drink. I am a wimp and ordered nothing. The bartender gave me a hard time about it haha...
By this point, we were getting really tired so we decided to head to Whole Foods downtown, grab a salad and some groceries, and head back to the apartment.
The next day Shannon and I were on our own in the city because Paige had to work from 12pm-12am that day. She is a star worker. So, she gave us very detailed directions and we were on our way. Before that, however, she took us to see the Mets Stadium, where she interned at this past summer. She is such a boss. It was awesome to see the stadium as well as see where she worked. So, like I said, Shannon and I were on our own. We had both agreed that we wanted to be real tourists that day and see all the landmark things. Our list included: Ground Zero exhibit, Statue of Liberty, and taking a tour of the American Museum of Natural History. We successfully did all of those things and did not get lost one time on the Subway. We were very impressed with ourselves. :)
Ground Zero was phenominal. It was so moving and heart wrenching to see where the two buildings used to lay but are now filled in with 2 massive waterfalls. We also saw the "lone tree." It had a special name but I can't remember what it is called. This tree was the only tree that stayed standing during the fall of the towers. It was a very eye opening experience to finally see the real results of what happened on 9/11 and how it had effected the city of New York. We watched a video that interviewed people whose loved ones were in the tragedy and it made me appreciate life and be thankful for all I had.
Shannon and I also got to see (from a distance) the Statue of Liberty. Our original plan was to take the ferry over to the island and see the Statue in person but when we saw how long the line was to get on the boat we thought otherwise and just took photos from a very far off distance! It was still fun and Shannon said that she could at least say that she saw it now. :)
The museum was really cool. We had an interesting experience there however. As we arrived, we saw all these people in line to purchase tickets. Well, we wanted to explore the museum, so of course, we waited in line too. When we got to the front of the line, Shannon and I say 2 tickets please. The man sitting there says "ok, we recommend $15 per person." Shannon and I look at each other and she says "Recommends?" He says "yeah, it's donation but we recommend you pay this price." So, Shannon, being the nice person she is says "Ok, well can i give you $10?" Without hesitation, he says "Yes." Anyway, long story short, we didn't end up paying that recommended price but we were so weirded out that they let us have a choice.
After the museum, our legs were KILLING us, BUT we both really wanted a slice of New York Cheesecake. I had sent a text to one of my clients at work asking where the best place to get cheesecake was (because she used to go to school in New York City) and the place she recommended was about 20 blocks from where we were. Now, we could have taken the train but we decided to bust it out and walk the 20 blocks. We almost didn't make out of shear exhaustion it but by the time we got to the bakery (Benash is it's name) we knew it was going to be worth it. It was honestly the greatest bakery/restaurant I had ever seen, in terms of desserts that is. It has beautiful looking cheesecakes, huge cookies with chocolate chips on top, brownies with everything you can imagine on them, and much more. It was heaven for a chocolate lover like myself. Shannon and I shared a piece of oreo cheesecake. SO GOOD! Flakey, creamy, and all around delectable. We finished it so fast. Turns out that was a bad idea for me because about 5 minutes after we had finished it I felt like I was going to vomit. I think that I felt like this because a) I was hungry for dinner and b) it was really rich and I am not used to having such rich foods. So, needless to say, we had to go back home after so that I could eat some real food. The train ride back was miserable and to top it off Shannon decided to tell me all of her past throw up stories. hahaha.... They were hilarious actually.
Shannon was so sweet and made me dinner as soon as we got back to Paige's apartment while I laid like a dead fish on the couch. Paige was busy working the rest of the night so Shannon and I decided to go to this ghetto, old movie theater located right down the street from where Paige lives. We chose to see "Pitch Perfect." I LOVED the movie. Shannon had already seen it but wanted to see it again. That's when you know it's good. :) This is my shoutout. If you haven't seen it yet and love accapella music and hilarious british girls, then this is your movie.
That next day was great. Paige didn't have to work so the three of us headed back downtown to stand in line to wait for "Chicago the Musical" tickets. We only waited in line for a little over an hour and got great seats to see the afternoon matinee showing. Our tickets were given to us at noon which gave us just enough time to go grab brunch before heading back to see the show. We went to this awesome little diner (again, thanks to my clients recommendation) that had amazing breakfast food and such a fun atmosphere.
The show was awesome. I really loved the music and the cast did an awesome job performing. I guess that is why they are on broadway huh? The only weird thing that I noticed was that they didn't do any costume changes or set changes. It wasn't bad but just different considering I am used to seeing shows like Hairspray or Wicked that both have a lot going on all the time. Overall, very fun and new experience.
After the show, Paige wanted to take us to one of her favorite cupcake places. On the way there we had a little New York adventure. Earlier in the day it had been raining so the rain had left several puddles all over the streets. Well, as we were waiting to cross the street a taxi drove by and hit one of the larger puddles which ended up splashing all three of us with water. We all thought it was hilarious, even though we were soaking wet. It was a "real" New York experience. This guy waiting next to us saw what had happened and said "Wow, you must be visitors because most New Yorkers would just be cursing." We thought that was funny and continued on our way.
The cupcake place was so good. It is called "Sprinkles Cupcakes." I found out while there that it was owned and founded by one of the judges on TLC's Cupcake Wars. For those of you that watch the show, it is owned by the girl judge. I don't know her name but she has curly brown hair. haha.. I am so descriptive, I know.
Anyway, the last stop on our journey that day was F.A.O. Schwartz. It was getting dark and kind of cold so we decided it would be a good idea to get inside somewhere that is warm before heading back. It is the biggest toy store EVER. I remember going in when I was there in High School but for some reason it looked even bigger. I think that was just my disillusion but still... it's a big store.
Then we headed back to the house on the Subway, got thai food, and watched the Wonder Years. It was a great way to end the trip. Shannon and I headed back to Boston that next morning. We both LOVED being in New York and getting to spend time with our friend.
Having this trip really made me appreciate my friends and the relationships I have at home in Oregon and how much I don't want to ever lose those. :) So, this is to all you ladies in Oregon. I love you girls (you know who you are) and am so thankful to have you all in my life. Thanks for continuing to keep up with me, praying for me, and supporting me. I just hope I can do the same for all of you! I love you guys and can't wait to see you all at Christmas!
Shannon and Paige- Love you girls. Thanks for making this weekend in New York such a memorable one that I won't ever forget.
Love to all,
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13
