Instead of my normal weekend roundup/Instagram photos of the week, today I figured I’d post a wrap up of our fun Memorial Day weekend in New York City. Trent and his business partner were amazing enough to treat us to this trip to celebrate the five year anniversary of the start of their company. I was so happy to be included and to be really appreciated. As many spouses of entrepreneurs probably know, the time and money required to start and cultivate a successful business it can be very stressful on a family and marriage, so the point of this trip was to take some time out to celebrate everything the four of us have done to make this adventure work.
On to the fun! The basis of this trip for me was relaxation. This was the first time I had left the kids (save my girls trip in 2010, but I was pregnant, so I’m not counting it) and the first time Trent and I had been away together alone since New Years Eve of 2005. That is quite a long time. Ahem. Although NYC can be crazy, we knew we wanted to keep the trip fun and easy, so we really didn’t make too many plans. Since we have family in the area, we have been to the city several times over the last few years, which meant we didn’t feel any pressure to do anything touristy or “fit it all in” to our four day trip. Here is our day by day schedule of incredible-ness! Hopefully you will try out some of the same things on your next trip to NYC!
Day 1
We flew in to Newark and had a bit of a delay, so we ended up having dinner around Grand Central Station at a place called Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria. It was perfect and just what we needed after a long day of travel. We then took a pedicab to Times Square, where we kissed and pretended it was New Years Eve because we are awesome. We ended up heading to the multi-story AMC Theater and seeing The Avengers in 3D, and then walked back to our hotel at 2 a.m. high on Twizzlers and life.
Day 2
On Saturday, I got this crazy idea to walk from our hotel at 38th and Park Avenue to Brooklyn. Yes, walk. I know. I’m a crazy person. But it was one of the best ideas ever. I strolled around the city with no time table or agenda, slowly making my way to my best friend and her family, who were waiting for me on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. I saw so many amazing parts of the city. I haven’t really spent time alone with my own thoughts in years, so this four and a half hour walk felt more like meditation to me. It was one of the most memorable parts of the trip.
{Numbered Items Above: 1. Walking along the East River and past the Williamsburg Bridge // 2. STOP // 3. People watching at Stuyvesant Square // 4. Chinatown // 5. Columbus Park // 6. Skater at Columbus Park // 7. Me on the riverwalk // 8. New York City Courthouse // 9. Street vendor faire}
I met Theresa and her family at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where I finally was able to snuggle her new baby, Miss Lena Mae! It was so lovely to see them, and after lunch we played in the park before a rain storm soaked us. Even that was fun though, as it provided for some fantastic photo ops (nerd alert!). I love this family so much, and it was incredible to see them as parents. Hooray for Jonathon and Theresa!
After I took the subway back to Manhattan, I met up with Trent and we headed out to meet Mikayla and Heath for dinner (Trent and Heath spent the day at the Chelsea Piers driving range, while Mikayla relaxed at her hotel’s incredible pool). We had dinner at Tribeca Churrascaria, a Brazillian place where we got to hear Mikayla speak some Portugese and the boys stuffed themselves silly with all sorts of delicious meats.
Day 3
On Sunday we slept in until 11. Don’t judge, it was amazing. Then we headed out to see my first Broadway play (life list, ahoy!), Newsies, which is based on one of Mikayla and I’s favorite movies. While waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive, Trent and I somehow found ourselves in a comic book store where we bought so much ridiculous stuff, including a plush Tardis. Yes, a PLUSH TARDIS! And it gets all “timey wimey” when you press the button on top. You can laugh, but when we stepped into a bar before the play to grab a quick drink, another Doctor Who fan who also happened to be a waiter came over and we had quite the convo about the Who-verse. He also informed me that there is a Doctor Who bar in Brooklyn. So if any of you are in Brooklyn, go there!
The play was amazing, full of cute boys spinning in newsboy caps. The plot was changed a bit from the movie, so that was a fun surprise, and Mikayla and I had a hard time not singing along to every word.
After the play we headed (on our earlier bartender’s recommendation) to 230 Fifth, a rooftop bar that is situated right between the Chrystler Building and the Empire State Building, with amazing views. While there, we presented the boys with some congratulatory gifts and hilarious cards of thanks from their business associates. Then we headed out to the fanciest dinner ever at Del Friscos near Rockefeller Plaza. The food was incredible, the wine was delicious, and our waiter was an actor who was on 30 Rock last year. Oh, New York, I love you.
We said goodbye to our friends and walked home in the rain, which I highly recommend. Nothing like long walks with the twinkly city lights to make you remember why you married someone in the first place.
Note: You married them because they make you laugh.
Day 4
Our last day in the city was fairly laid back. After sleeping in for what might be the last time for the next six years, we headed to the Metropolitan Museum to spend the afternoon. I had never been, so I was pretty enthralled with all the exhibits, but I especially loved the sculptures and Greek art. Trent was a huge fan of the Medieval displays.
After that, Trent headed back to the hotel to rest for a bit and I walked down to Bryant Park, where I read and sipped wine at the Bryant Park Cafe. Trent met me for dinner and ice cream, then we stopped at a few souvenir shops to pick up some gifts for friends and family.
That is pretty much it! I have to say, it was a wonderful trip all around, and I came home rested and so, so happy. Hooray for NYC!
(Sidenote: Our hotel was the Kimpton at 70 Park Avenue and I couldn’t recommend it more! It was reasonably priced for the city and close to everything. We could get to most of the NYC hotspots on foot within 20 minutes. It’s a bit small [H & M stayed at the Dream Hotel in the Meatpacking District which is HUGE and amazing!], but the Kimpton had everything we needed for our little stay.)
