Soooo....I haven't posted in MONTHS. Not sure I remember how to do this. You haven't missed much, unless you're dying to hear where the Easter bunny hid Sean's basket.
Buckle up, today's post is long.
Last week I was lucky enough to visit one of my favorite places: NEW YORK CITY! And also lucky enough to go with my mom and sister. This trip has been almost a year in the making. We wanted to go last April for my sister's 30th birthday. Her little baby Elle was too little to leave at home so we postponed a year. Sean had a week of finals so I thought I would support him best from far away!
My mom and I flew out of SLC at midnight. Maybe I'm getting older but I struggled to hit the ground running. We wasted no time though. Kari landed at about the same time. I've been to NYC a few times and feel pretty confident with the subway system. So we took the subway from JFK into Manhattan. It's not the easiest mode of travel with luggage, but I only had carry on. It would have been easier if we didn't have to run straight to 30 Rock to stand in line for Jimmy Fallon stand-by tickets. (Multiple lines and hours later we found out a few of the stand by ticket holders got in...but not us.) On to Harlem!
You should see the looks on people's faces when we told them we were staying in Harlem. I've stayed with friends in Harlem in the past and didn't mind it. I had heard about Aloft Hotels and wanted to try it. I recommend the hotel to anyone. They are a fun hotel appealing to a younger crowd. Kari and I meant to hit up the pool table and party lounge but we hardly spent any time there.
Where we did spend some quality time? On the subway! Hand me my unlimited ticket and I can get anywhere.
Day 1 started on the double decker tour bus. This was my 3rd bus tour around NYC. And the 3rd time I sported the yellow poncho :) I still enjoy the bus ride and learn new things. No shame in being a tourist!
First stop off the bus is ALWAYS Shake Shack in Madison Square Park-- my favorite location. Eating an amazing burger (I rarely eat burgers) in a historic park in front of the Flatiron Bldg just makes me happy. (Top picture was my last stop of the trip: Shake Shake on the upper west side.)
We wasted no time getting our shopping on. We Scotts love China Town. It is personally a treat for me because the smells and scenery remind me of my mission in Taiwan. No, my chinese doesn't help us negotiate prices at all. We still managed. I think we all averaged about 5 new purses. I love my new Louie hand bag and wallet, plus three Tory Burch purses. Gracious (top left) risked his life (or just jail) selling me the Louie V purse. Hit me up if you're looking for safe, name brand purse hunting locations around Canal Street.
We walked a few blocks to Little Italy for Lombardi's. (Another NYC eatery I recommend.) We met up with Lyle Schofield (family friend from Granite Bay) and his cute little family for lunch. Bummed we forgot to take pictures!
Next stop, Wall Street! We Occupied Wall street for a few minutes. Mainly we were there to hit up 14 Wall St: a sweet TJ Maxx in the basement.
Next up, a little Times Square fun. I don't particually love Times Square, but it's a necessary stop. Ok, ok, Morgan Freeman was a wax figure-- but we look good together, right?
Kari and I started an early morning jogging through Central Park. Truthfully it was exhausting!
We toured 30 Rock NBC studio's. Sadly we couldn't take any pictures. It was great to see the Jimmy Fallon and SNL studios. No, I didn't get discovered yet :( We went to "Top of the Rock" for some amazing views.
The trip wasn't all fun. My mom and sister were very patient as work followed me to NYC. I'm grateful to have a job that is incredibly flexible and allows me to take off quite a bit. It was sure tough to have business calls on noisy New York streets but my boss was amazing and got my work done.
We had tickets to the new 9/11 Memorial site. The new waterfall memorial was unbelievable. The 9/11 Preview Memorial across the street is still one of my favorite spots to visit in the city.
MMMMM Serendipity! Call it a routine but I go to Serendipity every visit. It just so happens Kanye and Kim K ate there a few days before we did. Yes, we did order real food but the dessert is what they are famous for.
We tried our luck in another stand by line for Wicked. Wicked has a lottery system for tickets a few hours before every show. There was a bit of drama not getting our names into the first lottery so we went back for a second lottery drawing. My name was called first!!!! I won 2 FRONT ROW tickets! I was bummed I didn't win enough for all of us. My mom had no problem bowing out and heading back early. Kari and I really enjoyed it. Super impressive. We're not huge musical fans but Wicked deserves all the hype. (Confession, I think I saw Wizard of Oz once when I was little...Kari had to whisper tons of explanations...)
The good luck didn't end at Wicked. We were in the back ground of the Today show earlier in the week. For one finale hurrah, Kari and I got up REALLY early on our last day and stood in line for Live with Kelly. Somehow we managed to sit on the front row and got our selves on TV. They are a very camera friendly studio. Yes, Kelly is as gorgeous and tiny in person as you can imagine.
A final shot of the upper west side. I already miss my mom, sister & New York. I covet any time I get to spend with them. Mom sure knows how to spoil me. (Thanks again for EVERYTHING Mommy!) It was good to get back to Sean John though. Can't wait for my next vaca - hopefully with Sean!
