The Big Apple

This weekends adventures took me to the Big Apple. That's right New York City here I come! I remember my first time ever coming to NYC. I was so scared. No, I was terrified. I had never been in a big city before in my life. I remember thinking I was going to get lost, or mugged, or raped, or kidnapped, or run over by a crazy cab driver. My mind could not handle so many people and not being able to see the sky. Even Central Park felt like a confining jail.

Well, I am happy to report that I can now walk the streets of New York City wtih confidence. I have even learned how to navigate the ever crazy subway system. I know how to read the street maps and the general areas of where key landmarks are. So now when I go to visit I have a much more relaxing and enjoyable time.

My favorite thing about NYC is broadway. I think I have an addiction. I love going to broadway shows. So when I go to NYC thats what I want to do. So when a couple of friends invited to go with them for the weekend I couldn't say no. We took the bus up to NYC Friday after work and stayed at a really nice Hilton hotel right behind the 34th street Macy's. How convenient it was to be staying so close to Time Square.

The first thing we did the next morning was stand in line for rush tickets. We purchased tickets for Spiderman Turn Off the Dark and then headed out to see the Museum of Modern Art. I was really excited to visit this museum as it is the current home of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night painting. I get lost in the scene when I look at this painting. I believe I'm sitting on a high mountain top looking over a sleeping city with the moon and stars playing in the heavens. Such a magical place it takes me to. I also really loved Claude Monet's water lily paintings on display. I sat in front of these four massive paintings that spanned an entire wall for quite a while. It's because of Claude Monet that I love bridges and water so much.

When we were done at the MOMA we headed to our matinee showing of Spiderman which I have to say was pretty impressive. Its one of the most expensive set productions to date and I have to say it was pretty worth it. The props and costumes are made to look like the comic books. A lot of the show is done with impressive acrobatic skills in the air. Our seats were in the front row of the balcony right where the landing pad is. So whenever Spiderman came flaying out over the audience he would right in front of us (one time he almost landed on us). It was really impressive. The music was good, nothing to shout out loud about but a good show none the less.

We went to dinner at one of my friends favorite Indian restaurants where the curry was really good. Love taking waiters reccommendations on food. You know it will be good when you do.

That night I went to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Will Swenson from the Singles Ward (though he doesn't say that now as he has left the church) was one of the leads. The show is about a couple of drag queens who make their way across the Australian desert. The music involves classic hit songs like Material Girl, It's Raining Men, True Colors and many more. It was a laughing good time with a few emotional points as well. Absolutely great show.

The next day we made our way over to purchase more rush tickets. This time my show was front row seats to Mamma Mia. We then stopped into this retro place for some Sunday morning brunch. I had these chocolate pancakes with a maple bacon syrup over them that was amazing. Whoever came up with the idea of Sunday brunch is a genius.

We then made our way down to the World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial. We first stopped at the church across the street that was used as a refuge for clean up workers and firemen after the towers fell. They still have many displays up to show what happened on that day. It's very touching to see how people reached out to help each other.

We had to wait for a long time to get into the memorial itself but once inside it was really nice to walk around. The memorial consists of two square waterfalls that flow down and in the center is this dark hole that all the water goes down in. You can't see the bottom of the falls. Around the sides are the names of all the victims of those who died in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the airlines. It was really touching. I remember that day well watching it all happen on tv.

We made our way over to the Little Italy for some amazing italian food. I have never had better gnocci than what I had for dinner that night. So good. It melted in my mouth with just the right amount of seasoning and sauce. Heaven! For desert we all ordered canoli's that were just pure delight to your senses.

Time for the show. I have always wanted to sit front row to a broadway show and that dream became a reality as I was transported to an island in Greece with the music of Abba. It was fun to be able to see the expressions on the performers faces and really feel like you are apart of the story. The voices were amazing. I just wanted to get up and dance. Dancing Queen!

The next morning, we packed up our bags and left them in the hotel lobby. We found a wonderful little bagle shop that had the most amazing bagel I have ever had. The tomato and basil cream cheese was heavenly. I also found next door the cutest little dresses for my niece.

We made our way down for a stroll along the Brooklyn bridge. It was such a lovely day and a great view of the city walking along the bridge.

After walking the bridge we went for some shopping in China Town. I love shopping here as bartering is one of my favorite things to do. I get a rush from it. But don't worry. I didn't buy anything, this time. ;) We went for dinner again to a restaurant in Little Italy. The food here is what I picture food will be like in heaven. Fulfilling all of your senses. We did some more shopping around and then made our way back up to Time Square where we sat drinking hot chocolate and enjoying the lights and people in the square. Such a relaxing evening.

It was a nice getaway and I saw some amazing shows. I can't wait until the next time I get to come back to the big apple. I'm completely hooked now.