New York

Last Wednesday, Troy and I left for our "surprise" trip to New York City! While the location wasn't a surprise anymore, all of our activities were, so I was still pretty excited. We set out early, early Wednesday morning and got to New York a little after lunchtime. Before we left, Troy surprised me with a new camera so I wouldn't have to haul around our big fancy one.



After checking into the hotel, we decided a big piece of pizza was in order. The recommended restaurant was a bit of a walk (much like the whole vacation) but it was worth it

Here's our pizza. That weird stuff was only on Troy's half.



After pizza and a nap for me, we headed to the Empire State building.

One of the few pics of us together. Troy has the crazy hair!


Then we hit Rockefeller Center to look at the ice skaters. I really wanted to skate but the worry about falling won out.

We had an early night that first night because this mommy was TIRED!
Thursday started with breakfast in the hotel and then a rest for me since I was feeling pretty yuck. Finally we headed for Central Park. It was a long walk, with a pit stop at FAO Schwartz. We picked up 2 puppets for the boys and then continued on. We didn't make it as far as we would have liked, but hunger won out. We had ice cream at Trump Tower and then headed back for a nap.




Thursday night was our super special night out, starting with surprise ear rings from Troy! Then we were off to dinner at Le Bernadin restaurant. We've been watching Top Chef this season and the chef, Eric Ripert, was featured in one of the shows. My friend from medical school, Denise, met us for dinner. The food and atmosphere was all much fancier than we were used to, but we still had a great time and good food. After dinner, we were off to see Wicked. This was definitely a highlight of the trip! Our seats were so close, and the show was amazing! You definitely have to see this one, if not in New York then at the Majestic in June!


Friday morning we slept in until at least 8, very late for Troy! After breakfast (and some nausea), we set out on the subway for Ground Zero. Not much to look at right now since it's fenced off and they're doing construction, but it's going to be great when it's all finished.

We also walked around to look at the Statue of Liberty since we decided not to take the ferry over. Can you see it WAY WAY behind me?

Before heading back to the hotel (yes, for another nap!), we stopped by the courthouses where they're always coming out on Law and Order. No famous people there today, though.

Friday night we wandered through town on our way to see the Lion King. We ate a quick dinner at Rockefeller Center and did some shopping. The Lion King was good but couldn't steal Wicked's thunder. We saw the show at the Majestic a few years ago and were surprised at how much longer it is on Broadway! Still a great show! We walked back to the hotel after the show and grabbed a pretzel from a street vendor.

Saturday we slept until 9! I enjoyed breakfast in bed (Troy had picked some stuff up for me the day before) while Troy zipped out for some coffee. After breakfast and a shower, we planned to head up to Central Park to see the fountain, the zoo, and meet up with Denise for lunch. We made it to the fountain this time. Boy was that a walk for me!

And then wandered back to the zoo to meet Denise. After seeing how small the zoo was, we decided against going in. Turns out there aren't lions there like in Madagascar (the movie). Our alternate plan was to hike across the park to the Ugg store (I decided I needed some after seeing them all over the streets of NY!). Luckily Denise was up for the challenge! On our way to the Ugg store, we had to stop for lunch. We were headed to a recommended restaurant but decided it was just too far. So, we stopped at this random place and loved it!

Troy and Denise dined on yummy brunch food while I dove into a "Dirty Devil Dog", a deep fried hot dog. Not the healthiest meal but so good!
After the Ugg store, we said goodbye to Denise (it was sooo good to see her again!) and headed back for a nap. After I napped and Troy explored (and bought me a HUGE cupcake), we were off for our 2nd fancy dinner at Craftsteak. This restaurant is owned by Tom Colicchio from Trop Chef.
On our way, we ran into our one and only famous person, Elmo! This picture is Reef's favorite and he's discovered a new love for Elmo. He tells everyone about it!

After a crazy cab ride, we arrived at the restaurant. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was much more relaxed! Troy tried in advance to arrange a visit from Tom but was told that he was out all week after knee surgery. To make up for it, they sent out a complimentary appetizer (pate-not something for me but Troy loved it!) AND a complimentary dessert (cookies-super yummy even the day after)!! I kept looking around to see if everyone else was getting the same treatment. They weren't. I felt like we were famous or good friends with the owner! Definitely another highlight of our trip and a great way to end it!

Sunday was an early (but not as early as on the way there) trip to the airport and a very long flight to Houston. We were delayed because of weather and poor scheduling at the airport and started to worry we weren't going to make our connection. This happened last time we left the boys too! Luckily we made it and were excited to finally get home to the boys, green snotty noses and all!