The obligatory start of the
vacation photo
We opted to take the subway everywhere
if we were traveling longer distances.
It's very safe and actually very easy to navigate.
It's also much more affordable. We bought 22
subway passes (11 per person) for the same price as
one cab ride - we like to travel smart :)
Walking from the subway to our hotel
we passed the site of the Colbert Show!
On our way up to our room!
Gorgeous room.
It was TINY!
The photo above you can see a construction area on
upper left of the photo - that bar area would be finished
by the time we were ready to go home from our vacation.
We took off at 5am and landed about 10am eastern time.
We opted for a nap since we'd been up so early.
As we woke up Brent said "I really hope that this is a nice,
relaxing vacation." Little did he know....
Stopped for a bite to eat in Columbus Circle
at Bouchon Bakery
I ordered Tuna Tartine - it was delicious!
Now on to Central Park!
This guy was walking his cat through Central Park
Strawberry Fields
Turtles swimmin' in Central Park!
This is part of the underground Apple store!
We walked about 8 miles through Central Park.
That was the first hint that this "vacation" wasn't
going to be relaxing, however, it was the
experience of a life time.
We went to Ariana's for dinner. It's a
little Afghan place and it was incredible.
We shared an order of Sambosas. Brent ordered
Kabuli Palaow with Chicken Kebab and I ordered the
Kebob Combo 1 which had a steak kebab, lamb
kofta and a chicken kebab.
End of Day One.
The Beginning of Day Two!
Broadway plays!
Here's our train!
We came to The Donut Plant for breakfast.
Brent got the Boston Black Out donut,
the Creme Brûlée donut and I got the
Pineapple Rosemary and the square
Coconut Creme donut. They pride themselves on
having the first square donut with a hole in
the middle and filling. (Filling in Every Bite!)
Now off to the One World Trade Center
The city of New York is anchored to this huge rock base.
It allows the earth to handle all of those huge buildings.
Here we go to the top!!
Brent got some really great panoramic shots.
The WTC had free WiFi so I FaceTimed
my parents from the observation deck :)
There's as big screen you can stand on that kind of
gives you perspective of how high up you are!
On the way out!
This red balloon animal flower sculpture is
a memorial for all of the survivors of 9-11.
Harlem Globe Trotters
We stopped at Stage Door Pizza for lunch.
Yum!
Since we were in the area we decided we were
going to venture across the Brooklyn Bridge
Hey, Verizon - what's up?
The architecture of some of the more
modern buildings is crazy. This one was
made so it looked wavy.
It's very weird - there are no alley ways in
NYC so any restaurants and businesses
in the area need to pile their trash on the
sidewalk outside of their business at night for it to
get picked up. The odd thing is that most
restaurants have outdoor sitting areas in
front of their store fronts...
10 feet away from stinky garbage.
I saw this cool old church in the middle
of the city and talked Brent into going
through it and the cemetery with me!
It's Trinity Church in the Wall Street area of Manhattan
Many of the graves here are that of revolutionary
soldiers, younger people and the poor.
There are crypts in most old churches in the city.
Alexander Hamilton is buried in this cemetery.
The church and graveyard is part of the historic registry.
Sculpture outside of the church.
Destroying documents
All of the different forms of Currency
on the windows of the building
If I had a dollar for every bake shop and
cupcake place I saw in New York I'd be a rich lady!
But I'd probably spend all of those dollars
on delicious foods! :D
Statues at the National Museum of the American Indian
Yikes!
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Ellis Island
Universal Soldier Memorial
NYPD had their motorcycles lined up along the street one night
We went for another walk that night.
So, so much walking.
Times Square!
Eye mosaic in the subway
We're not sure how these cars get down if there's another one below it...
We went to the Shake Shack for dinner. Had a burger and fries. Was pretty tasty!
Today was a big day full of Big Bus Tours!
We started off the day right by grabbing breakfast
at the Times Square Diner.
He's a little hard to see, but there's New York's
famous Naked Cowboy up above.
This is wear the ball drops in Times
Square on New Year's Eve.
Happy Little Tourists
There's the ball :)
I took a TON of photos on this bus tour.
There's the Empire State Building!
SNL!
There it is! The Empire State Building!
The buildings here are gorgeous.
Here's the "cheese wedge" building you
always see in movies featuring New York.
This is where Project Runway takes place much of the time
This is where Lady Gaga went to school :)
This old fire house in the middle of the two huge
buildings is now an apartment building
We went past the Stock Exchange again on our bus tour.
Passed the WTC on our bus tour
Here's a trapeze school.
This is the port the Titanic was to dock at
The buildings above and below were built
across from the port that the Titanic was to dock.
It was designed to look like an iceberg, however,
obviously many people found that in poor taste.
They started saying it was modeled after sails
on a ship.
Here we are in Tribeca.
Psh.. Chump change.
This old building was a hospital and has been
converted into condos/apartments. It's
supposedly haunted.
Like Cake Boss Carlo!!
Here we are in Rockefeller Center
with the NBC Studios above
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Pope John Paul II visited the
cathedral twice, once in 1979 and
once in 1995. Recently Pope
Francis had visited.
Underneath here is a crypt housing
the bodies of archbishops.
Pieta
Cardinal's Galero
Explanation of the Galero and how it was worn
ON TO THE MoMA!
Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
Girl Before a Mirror
Pablo Picasso
The Persistence of Memory
Salvador Dali
Fulang-Chang and I
Frida Kahlo
Woman Plaiting Her Hair
Pablo Picasso
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Pablo Picasso
Girl with a Mandolin
Pablo Picasso
The Architect's Table
Pablo Picasso
States of Mind I: The Farewells
Umberto Boccioni
States of Mind III: Those Who Stay
Umberto Boccioni
Dynamism of a Soccer Player
Umberto Boccioni
There was an area of the MoMA that
held media - music, posters from bands.
Yoko Ono had an exhibit there.
For dinner we went to OBAO and I got a drink called "The Smoke Signal".
I also got the OBAO chicken which was oven roasted chicken leg, yellow curry rice,
cucumber relish and beef broth soup. Brent got the Pad Kee Mao.
We then went on a nighttime bus tour.
It was spectacular.
Here they were showing a movie in the park.
Welcome to Chinatown
Taking pictures at night on a moving bus isn't
as easy as I thought it would be.
The world's largest Macy's Store -
no longer the world's largest department store, however.
Macy's was founded by Rowland Hussey Macy.
From the very beginning Macy's logo has included a star
in one form or another which comes from a tattoo that
Macy got as a teenager when he worked on a Nantucket whaling ship,
the Emily Morgan.
Picture of Marilyn was at the Steak 'n Shake
Another day another bus tour :D
Good Morning America
So cool :)
Many of these old buildings were at once
point clothing sweat shops.
This bakery was made famous by Sex in the City
These fountains in Rockerfeller Plaza run year round
There's seriously statues and art everywhere here
Central Park
Trump Tower
Trump Tower
Trump Tower
Christopher Columbus Monument
Columbus Circle NYC
Here's the Dakota where John Lennon lived
and was later shot and killed outside. The outside
of the building is going under some renovation -
Yoko Ono still lives here.
Here, again, is the hospital that has been
renovated into apartment buildings.
The Cathedral Church of
St. John the Devine
This building was the home of Marilyn Monroe
and her playwright husband, Arthur Miller.
Grant's Tomb
Jersey!
This is the public housing of Harlem
Street signs in Harlem
The Apollo! Jimi Hendrix first got his start here.
Hotel Theresa in Harlem - was frequented by
Muhammad Ali and Jimi Hendrix, among others.
The death of Eric Garner by the NYPD was still very
fresh in the minds of residents at the time of our visit
Lenox Ave was renamed Malcolm X Blvd - they keep
both signs up because many of the older generations
still know the street as Lenox
Malcolm X gave several sermons at this mosque
Duke Ellington helped spur the Harlem Renaissance in
the 20's making Jazz very popular in New York
Street Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"The Met"
There was filming for a movie taking place here
There were horses everywhere in Central Park
New York City's Finest :)
Do NOT judge a book by its cover.
This seedy little place as clean and had incredible food!
$5 allows you to BYOB which is actually quite common
for many places in NYC. Brent ordered the Guacamole Al Ponche.
Our server asked if we wanted to try some of their house hot sauce -
the mild had this incredible smokey flavor and the hot was equally tasty.
It had a slow heat that would sneak up on you.
Brent then got the enchilada suizas and I got 3 tacos; El Ponche (pulled pork)
Al Pastor (Guajillo-marinated pork), and Pescado (fish).
Seriously some of the best food we'd eaten on our trip.
This place was near our hotel - I thought it
was a breakfast joint. Turns out it's a gym.
I like my idea better.
We needed a snackeral!
We hit up Schmackery's!
My dad's a cookie monster - he would have
loved this place!
Brent got the chocolate cookie with chocolate chip
cookie dough icing and the funfetti cookie!
I got the cookies and cream cookie and the chunky
monkey which was banana, chocolate and walnuts.
Weirdos.
Last day in NYC - we stopped at
Donna Bell's for breffiss. They had so many
options for food!!
I had a poached egg, sausage and
and cheese on one of their fresh biscuits.
That's a biiiiiiig plane!
Old retired part of the airport - they are saying they
are going to renovate it into a hotel.
Sad to be home! We had a great trip!
In all we walked over 40 miles from August 21st
through August 25th while we were there.
We left several things that we'd love to do so we are able to go to NYC again.
