Empire State of Mind

Bonjour my fab lifers! Did you miss me? I haven't forgotten about you! I have just been in withdrawals (from my trip) and am just now getting over it...

So...I'm back from my trip to the BEST city on earth: New York! And as expected, it was absolutely FABULOUS and more! We had a great time and I have SO much to tell you all! I may have to make it a series of posts because there is just too much fun to tell you about! We packed a lot in our short week there so I will give you some highlights of the stuff we saw, did and ate! A totally fab 10, if you will...so without further adieu...on to my top 10 fave things about this trip to New York:

1) Our hotel - The Eventi Hotel was AMAZING. It was new and modern and the people were so nice! Our room was awesome: the bed and pillows were SO comfortable (no bed bugs!) and the bathroom had a "rain shower" head! So luxurious! Every day at 5:00-6:00pm, there was a wine reception in the lobby which we took advantage of when we happened to be at the hotel. The location was also pretty awesome, a couple of blocks away from 2 major subway lines and just a few blocks from Herald Square. I'm so glad I strong-armed Jeff & Trace into staying there. hee hee.

2) The Subway - this is hands-down, THE best way to get around New York. We bought an unlimited ride metrocard when we got there ($27) and it lasted us the whole week! We went everywhere on the subway and we never had to wait long for one. It was fast and always entertaining. We had some singers (good and bad) and some musicians, and the occasional crazy person...but hey, it wouldn't be NY if we didn't right? The only thing I won't miss? The walk up the stairs after getting off the subway. Killer!! (I guess that's why everyone is so slim there! lol)

waiting for the next train...

3) The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island - New York is full of history and the Statue and Ellis Island are no exception. Just knowing that what you're looking at is the same thing immigrants in the past saw when they first came to America is absolutely amazing. I would say the best view is when you are actually on the ferry on your way there! Ellis Island is also pretty cool. Remember that movie "Hitch"? Will Smith's character was trying to woo Eva Mendes' character by showing her a piece of her family's history...unfortunately it didn't turn out the way he wanted it to...well, my husband and I kind of "re-enacted" that scene. Too funny! I may post that video...we'll see! haha! But it was definitely cool to see the "logs" of people that came in. We also remembered the scene in the Godfather II, when Vito Corleone came in as a young boy, and sang to himself in one of the dorms. So sad. But it was cool to be there. We took some nice "artistic shots" there too. And it was nice and sunny too, so all in all, it was a perfect day for a trip through history.

4) Shopping - OBVI. We went to the best outlet mall EVER - Woodbury Common. They had everything you could want and more! Before we went, my cousin (who lives there) asked us if we were going to bring our luggage with us. We were like "What? Why?" She said that people went there with huge luggages to cart their purchases around in. We thought she was joking. She wasn't. When we got there, we saw that not only was it true, but it was actually quite a smart idea! We got some crazy deals here! (more on this later)...

Then back in the city there was 5th Avenue (Saks! Louis Vuitton! Tiffany & Co!), the 3 B's: Bergdorfs, Barneys and Bendels, oh my!, SOHO, Herald Square - everywhere you looked, there was something to buy. Even the street vendors were pretty awesome! (I wish I bought more!). And, Century 21 (which is supposed to be NY's "best kept secret") is not really a secret anymore - it was like a mix of Boxing Day and Black Friday there - people were going crazy!! My husband got 3 pairs of William Rast jeans, for a ridiculous $80.00 each. (Unfortunately, Trace and I spent the whole hour on a mad search for flip-flops! Our feet were KILLING us!) It's so hard to not be so overwhelmed with everything...next time though, I'm bringing my luggage.

5) Croque-Madame at Pastis -  I've been on a search for the perfect Croque Monsieur or Madame ever since the french restaurant close to my work, Mirlycourtois closed down. Well on our last night in New York, my search came to an end. I had the most delicious, delectable, exquisite Croque Madame I've ever had. Oh, I'm sure someone will tell me they've had something better, but I'm telling you - like that show on Food Network - this is THE BEST THING I EVER ATE. Omg. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. It was so good. I think I'm in love.

6) Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - This was a really fun experience! There was a lot of energy in the crowd and we also had amazing seats (we were in the 3rd row!). The guests were Johnny Knoxville from Jack-Ass, Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock and the musical guest was Everest. Jimmy Fallon came around after the show to shake hands with the crowd and my husband was able to high five him! Cool! Also, he's pretty cute in real life. hee hee!!! Also if you had a chance to watch that night - we were TOTALLY on TV!!! Famous!!!!



my husband's wrist (not mine! in case you were wondering about the hair...lol)

 7) Celebrity Sightings - On our very first night, as we stepped out of our hotel room, who should we see? Chef Ming Tsai of Food Network fame! He was staying in our hotel, on our floor! We rode the elevator down with him and my husband got a pic with him. A few days later, we saw Danny DeVito. He walked right past us and I seriously wouldn't have seen him if it wasn't for my husband. I'm a total zoner when I walk so luckily my husband is a little more observant than me. I bet I could've seen SJP, if I wasn't such a zoner. Oh well, maybe next time!

ming tsai totally looks like my high school friend, souradet

8) Wicked - I know I keep saying everything was the best of this and the best of that, but this Broadway show was definitely the BEST highlight (out of all the highlights!) on this trip. I was seriously so emotional after watching this show - it was SO good, it literally brought me to tears (you know how I cry, when I hear really good music!) The singing, the acting, the story - the whole combination was perfect. If you ever have a chance to watch one show in your life, make it this one.

 

9) The views from the Top of the Rock and Empire State Building - We went to Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Centre) during the day. The best thing about this view is that you actually get to see the Empire State Building! New York is a total concrete jungle. It's amazing to see all the buildings...but then you go on the other side and you see...Central Park. A huge green space in the middle of the big city. It's amazing.

But then, we went to the Empire State Building in the evening - and it was even better! New York at night is just gorgeous! What a memorable experience.

10) Central Park - this vast green space, extremely well maintained and so tranquil in the middle of all the chaos of the city is really beautiful. We walked down the "mall" which is that major walkway you always see on shows or movies. I loved it. We had a personal photo tour in the park and our tour guide/photographer Marc took some really great pictures there.

I have to add one more thing to my list - a little shout-out to my travelling companions - Team Wabaki : My husband, my cousin Jeff and his fiance Trace - without who I would not have the wonderful experiences I had. We had an AWESOME time together and we can't wait to do it again!

And my cousin from New York: Lerms, her husband John, and her 2 daughters Jem and Jen - it was sooo great to see them and we are so thankful for their generosity and hospitality.

I have so much more to tell you all but I will have to continue it in other posts...hope you don't mind...I'll be gushing about New York for a while : )