NYC

I’m going to start of the year by backtracking a bit to 2015…

This trip happened a while back but I have taken quite a long break from blogging.  Our trip to NYC happened a couple months ago, and we actually flew out October 23.  We had a 5:00 flight that Friday so that we could enjoy a full weekend, then flew home at 6:00 AM Monday morning.  This insured we had two full days to enjoy NYC.  Both my brother and sister live in NY and Joe’s grandparents live in South Amboy which isn’t far from the city, so we knew this trip would be filled with family time.  My sister had her second baby, Jasper, right before our trip to Bali so we were incredibly excited to meet Mr. J for the first time!  We arrived in NYC around 7 and my brother in law was picking us up since they live in Jersey City and we flew into Newark.  Once we found him, he let us know he was having some issues with the car!  Nothing like adding some excitement to the trip, especially since he had Jasper in the back seat.  After trying to turn the car on, and then weighing our options, we knew the car needed to be towed and we didn’t need to risk driving it back to Jersey City.  Joe called AAA while my sister booked a rental that I went to pick up.  The tow truck was supposed to arrive in 45 minutes, but after I got the car and swung back around to pick them up, Joe had received a call that they are backed up and it will take 2-3 hours before the tow truck came.  Since it had already been an hour and a half and Jasper was awake and hungry, I took the car and Jasper and drove to Jersey City to drop him off with mommy!  I headed back to the airport, and shortly after arriving back the tow truck finally came.  After getting the car hooked up we were off to drop the car off at a mechanic.  We were not aware that in New Jersey all the lots are closed at night.  So, we finally agreed to go to Pet Boys which the tow truck driver knew had an open lot.  After making it to the location and calling the tow truck to see where he was at he informed us we were at the wrong location!  So, off we go to another location about 15 minutes away.  FINALLY we get the tow truck taken care of and make it to the house about 4 hours after landing!

Sunset as we landed in NYC

My sister and brother in law live in a beautiful high-rise with windows overlooking the city.  We had some dinner and gave Rose some hugs before heading to bed after a long day.  In the morning we were woken up by Rose ready to play!  We enjoyed breakfast at my sister’s house before heading to the park to play.  Joe loved chasing Rose around the park and going down the “big slide” with her!  After some time in the park Joe and I hit the road to South Amboy.  It was a quick 40 minute drive and we arrived at his grandparent’s house.  We enjoyed some snacks and wine and loved catching up with them.  It had been well over 5 years since Joe had visited (I had been multiple times due to work) so it was nice for him to be back.  We enjoyed some time with them before heading back to my sister’s place where they made tacos for dinner.  After dinner it was time for Rose to get showered and go to bed and Joe and I watched GT beat FSU in what was one of the most exciting games in the history of Tech Football!!!  After the game we headed to bed.

morning views

 

Early in the morning we got up and got dressed the Joe and I headed into the city to explore a bit and then meet up with my brother.  We started at the 911 memorial and wondered around  there since Joe had never seen it.  From there we went to the water front, walked along there, explored Wall Street, and walked under Brooklyn Bridge!  It was a lot of walking but the weather was nice so we loved exploring and just wondering around the city.  After that we walked to Chinatown where we met up with my brother and went to Red Egg for lunch.  This was  a recommendation by my sister’s brother in law and it was amazing!  We ordered form the ala cart menu and my favorite was the soup dumplings!  We had spring rolls, dumplings, potstickers, and so much food!   After lunch we wondered around with my brother.  We walked into some of the boutiques where Bosco (http://www.thebosco.com/) has photo booths set up.  We took some photos, of course, and I drooled over the clothes that I could not afford!  We then wondered the streets west village and a couple of the other villages around.  Once we reached the High Line we said goodbye to my brother, walked the high line for a mile or so, and then headed back to Jersey City on the train.

 

 Once we got back to Jersey City it was time to take a walk.  We walked to the water front and enjoyed the sunset as Rose threw rocks into the river.  On the walk back we went to the rooftop where we finished watching the sunset and saw the Statue of Liberty from afar. Then Rose showed us her playroom in the building before heading back to the apartment.  After dinner it was time to make cookies!  I had promised Rose I would make cookies with her and she loves baking, so we tackled cookie making before she had to head to bed.  Everyone helped out making the cookies so it was such a fun bonding time.  After the cookies were done we all headed to bed since Joe and I had a 6 AM flight to catch.  We woke up early in the morning, and before we knew it, the weekend was over and we were back to work!  It was such a lovely weekend spent with our family and we cannot wait to go back and visit and explore more of NYC.

 

 

 

New York City!!!!

I know it has been quite some time since I have taken the time to sit down and write, but life has gotten super busy!  I have been traveling a lot for work, and spending time with my wonderful husband.  We have been working on small projects around the house to get art work up, cut the bar for downstairs, hosting plenty of dinners at our house, and so much more.  One of the main trips that I took was a trip to New York.  After spending some time in Boston, I drove down to New York to visit my sister and brother who both live there, and cousin who was nannying for a month for baby Rose.

My cousin Jana and I were on babysitting duty for a portion of the weekend since my sister was studying for her bar exam the following week, but we also got to spend a lot of time exploring the beautiful city.  I'll try to remember all the fun we had, but the best times were spent with little Rose in the park seeing how much she had grown in the past year!  She is now pulling herself up and standing, babbling away, and eating real food while making a mess.  She is so cute and is growing up so quick.

BEAUTIFUL CENTRAL PARK

Rose with Aunt Jana

One of the best experiences we had was a boat tour.  We had not booked anything in advance, so when we got to the peer, all of them were booked but the 45 minute Beast tour.  Since we had committed to taking a boat ride to see the city from the water, we went for it, and had a blast!  It is a speed boat so you are going super fast, and you definitely get wet, but we accomplished what we wanted.  We saw the Statue of Liberty from up close, took a ride around the city on water, and saw a beautiful view!  That day we were in charge for dinner so we cooked dinner at home, then headed out to the Empire State Building to see the beautiful city at night.

We met up with Amber at the Empire State Building after exploring Grand Central Station and stood in line for quite some time before getting to take the elevator up.  The wait was totally worth it and we saw the most magnificent view!  It was a bit cold and windy but the views are breathtaking.  Jana had been in NY long enough to know what a lot of the buildings were even at night, so we loved looking out onto the city.

We also took some time to explore time square and bought some chocolate at the M&M store for my cousins.  Time Square has a crazy exhibit where they have cut ours in the body shape that we enjoyed taking pictures in.  We also took some time and walked a good portion of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It actually wasn't nearly as crowded as we thought it would be so we enjoyed walking across the bridge!  We also stopped by the 911 memorial and which was breathtaking, and really reminds you how lucky we are each and every day to be surrounded by loved ones.

Z

911 Memorial

On Saturday we got to spend some time with my older brother.  He lives in Brooklyn so we ventured over to visit him for brunch and then walked around the flee market, farmers market, and the neighborhood to see what a cute little town he lives in!  I absolutely love Brooklyn and it has so much to offer.  He lives in a beautiful apartment with some friends and we loved seeing it all.  We also went to a church on Sunday that has a Slovenian priest.  We also explored Little Italy and bargained at China Town for some killer deals. It was so cool meeting the Slovenians in NY and socialize with them for a bit before grabbing some ice cream after church in the west village.  Before I knew it, it was time to head home to Atlanta, but it was so amazing seeing my older brother and sister as well as my cousin who spent so much time with me!  I can't wait to see them again, hopefully soon!