Monday, May 6, 2013

Celebrating 30 in the Big Apple

I have to thank my sister for turning 30 because this milestone birthday is the reason we got to spend a fabulous girls weekend celebrating in New York City. An even bigger thank you goes out to my Mom who not only came up with the idea to take this cool trip but who also made it possible!

A girls trip is always fun because it means lots of shopping, lots of fun conversation, and lots of eating. But when you get to spend quality time with your Mom and sister in one of the coolest cities in the world on a perfect Spring weekend- it's an experience you will never forget.

Our trip started out with a pound of corned beef and the world's best cheesecake from Carnegie Deli- fuel for a fun afternoon of shopping. 


We explored the Plaza, FAO Schwartz, Henri Bendel and all the other neat stores along 5th Avenue and then decided it was time for a cocktail.


I was quite pleased when my champagne arrived, and it was as large as the Chysler building.


We braved the subway en route to our dinner in Greenwich Village Friday night. It was this fabulous Mexican restaurant with loud music and low lighting. I don't know if I was more impressed by the cool atmosphere, my first churro, or our first celebrity sighting of the weekend. Sitting across from us was Jim Courier (the former pro tennis player).

Have you ever been to the top of the Empire State building at 11:30 p.m. at night? We have and wouldn't recommend it! We were trying to be adventurous and ended up in a tourist trap. We left tired, cold and with throbbing feet, but we did get a pretty good view from the 86th floor...



Saturday morning we shopped, ate lunch at this cute Italian place in Hell's Kitchen, and then headed toward the theater for our matinee showing of "Phantom of the Opera". The theatre was gorgeous, the music gave us chills, and the special effects were incredible- we were disappointed when the fun had to come to an end. A very special treat!



After we left the theater, we had two more celebrity sightings- Joan Rivers and Elmo.


The Mimi/Elmo combo is about more than Collins can handle. She looks at this picture often! We headed down to SoHo Saturday night for a fancy dinner at Gotham Bar and Grill and had a memorable (i.e. terrifying) cab ride home. Upon exiting, Alli's comment to the cab driver was "What is wrong with you?!?" and mine was "That was great fun!". It's all part of the NYC experience, right?
 
Sunday morning we took a walk in beautiful Central Park.
 


 
We ended our trip in SoHo with brunch, shopping and our final celebrity sighting (Padma Lakshmi- "Top Chef" host). We had an incredible weekend and it was the perfect way to celebrate Al's birthday.



When we got home, I don't know if Collins was more excited to see me or her prize from New York City (a snake from FAO Schwartz- much like the one she always covets at gymnastics). Thanks Mom and Alli for a wonderful trip!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment