New York City!

This year we've been looking forward to a vacation with Kevin's family in upstate New York. We were lucky enough to be able to take a couple of extra days before and decided to check out New York City since neither of us had ever been there before. We cashed in some of our frequent flier miles making our tickets there only $5 each! 

Our first impression of NYC was not so great. We had to wait for what seemed like forever for our shared ride van to leave the airport. We were supposed to be the second stop but one of the other passengers bribed the driver and we suddenly became the last stop. At that time we were only 1 mile from our hotel and then suddenly we were more than 2 miles away in the other direction and then ran into traffic. Finally we gave up on our driver and walked the last 0.8 miles with all of our luggage in tow. Let's just say that we did NOT give him a tip. (Lesson learned- never use a shared ride van in NYC) Both of us were tired, crabby, and overheated at that point. 

After a quick snack and a shower the city had regained it's appeal and we were ready to check things out. Our friend Scott recommended a pizza place called Lombardi's. We ordered a simple meatball pizza and it was incredible. It was finally more clear why New Yorkers are always raving about their pizza!

Kevin wondering if this pizza will live up to the hype.

Using the subway system in NY was fantastic. There are trains running all the time and it only took a little bit to figure out the map. (I highly recommend the Streetwise City Map if you are ever visiting).

After a good nights rest we were ready to check out more of the city. First stop, however, was a New York bagel. Was it as wonderful as everyone says? Yes indeed it was. Once our stomachs were full we decided to make the short walk over to Central Park.

Scenery on our walk to the park

Near the park we got to see the Unisphere from the 1964/1965 World Fair. (If you've seen the new Captain America move you might note that they had a scene from the 1940's that showed the unisphere even though it wasn't built yet. Oops!)

Unisphere

I'd always heard Central Park was incredible and it really was. It didn't take long once you entered the park for the noise to subside. If it weren't for the building you could see in the distance occasionally you might actually forget you are in New York City.

Just one of the lovely bridges in Central Park

You can probably tell from the shine on our faces that it was HOT!

A beautiful view from Central Park.

In order to escape the heat for a little bit we thought it would be a good time to stop in at a museum. We were wanting to visit the Natural History Museum anyway and since it is right next to where we were in the park it was perfect timing.

We bought tickets that allowed us to visit several of the exhibitions they had going on. There was a Journey to the Stars presentation in the planetarium, Brain: The Inside Story, and my personal favorite Frogs: A Chorus of Colors.

When you first walked into the frog exhibit there was this picture and Kevin thought it was going to be all pictures and therefore boring. He was wrong!

There were dozens of displays with all kinds of different frogs. It was incredible seeing all of them and I learned more about frogs then I ever thought I would. Fun fact: frogs can partially freeze in the winter. Their hearts actually stop beating but the high glucose in their bodies prevents damage and they thaw out in the spring.

I took so many pictures that I was forced to make another collage. [Clicking on the image enlarges it if you want to have a closer look.]

The tiny vibrant frogs are poisonous so watch out!

We could have gone to see a Dinosaur exhibit but it was getting late so we settled for the display in the lobby

We'd had an amazing lunch at a little Indian restaurant near the museum (Yelp and Kevin's iPhone were a huge help during our trip) but after a few exhibits we were ready for a snack. We walked through Central Park and grabbed a pretzel and ate on the steps of the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

In a show Moria and I watch the girls are always having lunch on the steps of the Met and I couldn't resist eating there too!

Enjoyed the curbside entertainment as well.

Our next stop was across town on the subway to check our the Statue of Liberty. The mile of water between us and the huge buildings behind us made the statue look a little small even though I know it isn't.

I would still like to take a ferry out sometime to see it (despite hearing it isn't that cool) but that will have to be on another trip.

Just goofing around.

If we didn't have to get back to our hotel we would have stopped by the World  Trade Center Memorial. I think it will be better to see it once it is completed anyway (completion date is set for this Sept 11 but we'll see) so that can be on the list for our next trip as well.

Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The show was hilarious and it was amazing how many hit songs the band had. They drew you in with each and every song including 'Sherry', 'Big Girls Don't Cry', 'Walk Like a Man', 'Oh What a Night', 'My Boyfriend's Back', and 'Can't Take My Eyes off of You'. Our first Broadway experience was fantastic.

After the show we took another friend's recommendation and went to this amazing Cuban restaurant called Cafe Habana. We both ate the best Cuban sandwich ever. I loved the style, the lighting, the food...everything. We overheard another patron saying that people wait 2 hours for lunch sometimes. If you like Cuban food it is definitely worth checking out if you are in NYC, Brooklyn, or Miami.

I had so many pictures from our two days in the city that I'm splitting it into two posts. I have the pictures loaded for the second so hopefully I can finish it soon!