NYC 2013 Part 2

On day two in New York City, we got up early to find some place to have breakfast. We ate at Sweet Life Cafe in Greenwich Village. The perfect little spot to start the day with coffee, eggs and french toast. 

While walking, we wandered through a small park in the middle of the street with a waterfall, gardens and benches. It's unusual and refreshing to see little havens of greenery surrounded by buildings and concrete. 

After checking out of our hotel, we headed to Prospect Park in Brooklyn for the second half of our day, and visited the Prospect Park Zoo. 

Just in time to see the sea lions do tricks and have their lunch. 

It's a small zoo with quite a few animals. The most interesting were the baboons. I got to watch them up close on the other side of the glass. 

Best of all, there's a petting zoo area. My trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without it! My favorite were the babydoll lambs. So. Cute. 

They had turtles, exotic birds, monkeys, reptiles, prairie dogs, even a dingo. They also had a garden with really cool iron sculptures. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. 

After that, we wandered around looking for something to eat. We circled the block and happened upon the Prospect Park Food Truck Rally - our lucky day! 

There were some really good options. Our pick was a selection of empanada's (chicken, pork, mushroom and spinach) and a raspberry lemonade ice tea slushy - it was goooood.

After a wonderful whirlwind couple of days, filled with memorable sights, we were exhausted and it was time to leave the city. We couldn't have asked for better weather or a nicer weekend. 

I still love New York.

NYC 2013 Part 1

We took a weekend trip to NYC, June 15-16, and had such a great time! Andrew and I drove to the big city, for the first time, together. We've each visited the city separately, on different occasions. I had so much fun two years ago with my gal pals. This time, we were going on an adventure together, with hopes of successfully navigating our way around the city and doing as much site seeing as we could.

We stayed at the Sheraton Tribeca, which was conveniently located on Canal Street (A.K.A. knock off purse street) and close to Little Italy. Have I ever mentioned that Sheraton's are my favorite hotel? I've always had wonderful stays there, in different cities, AND they have the MOST comfortable bedding and pillows. For real. I want to replicate it in my bedroom.

Once we arrived, and our car was safely parked, we headed to Little Italy for a late lunch. I absolutely loved it! I was on cloud nine the moment we walked under that "Little Italy" sign. I felt like I "belonged," (I'm Italian) and I could only imagine what the real Italy would be like. 

My handsome date and I dined at the Italian Food Center, a new restaurant (just 4 days old), and shared an unusual white pizza with shaved Brussels sprouts and pancetta. It was delicious. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. We were seated at a table with an old metal sewing machine base. Made me like the place even more.

I met Mr. Cannoli, advertising the "World's Best Cannoli". Poor guy. It was a hot day! He didn't have much to say. 

I found myself some hazelnut gelato to get the full Little Italy experience. 

We did a lot of walking. I mean A LOT. It allowed us to see the city first hand, appreciate the history and architecture even more. The buildings and streets really are amazing.  

Later on, we visited the site of the new One World Trade Center or Freedom Tower. No photo can do this towering skyscraper justice. The 104-story building is absolutely magnificent. We could see it from wherever we were in lower Manhattan. 

We came across the Irish Hunger Memorial, a "hidden garden" with stone walls, grass and a meandering path. Underneath, are quotes and writings about the history of the great Irish famine. An interesting and peaceful place in the middle of it all.

We walked around Battery Park and admired the view of the harbor. What a beautiful and bustling park. I've never seen so many people walking dogs in one place, bicyclists, joggers, kids, people just sitting on benches. If I lived nearby, I'm sure I would frequent it.

Look closely, can you see the Statue of Liberty? There she is. And a cool Mayflower looking ship. 

We had to take a stroll down Wall Street. 

I think my favorite part was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It's such an icon. Even though our feet were beyond exhausted, I absolutely loved the view and the grandness. It wasn't what I expected - in a good way. It was way more crowded than I expected, with people on foot and on bicycles. We weren't sure if we would make it all the way, but we went for it, embracing the "YOLO" motto!

This was the view of the Manhattan Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge, which we later crossed to exit the city. The sun was shining with blue skies. It was an absolutely beautiful day. 

The reason we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, was to arrive at the Barclay Center to see The Postal Service perform in concert. David gave us a pair of tickets to their show, which prompted our weekend trip. We were The Postal Service fans in college, so it was a lot of fun to see them perform. I was especially glad when they played "Such Great Heights," my favorite, and their most well-known song. Our seats were high above the floor and we could see the entire stadium. What an impressive venue.

When the concert was over, we took our first (and only) cab ride (which I successfully hailed - I was quite proud of myself), back to the hotel. Which means, we walked the entire distance, throughout the day, from our hotel, all over lower Manhattan, through Battery Park, over the Brooklyn Bridge, and then to the stadium. I. could. barely. walk. seriously. But it was worth it. Maybe I'll wear sneakers next time.

Takeaways:

The city isn't that scary to walk around, and I love that so much is within walking distance.

Wear comfortable shoes, even if they look ridiculous with your outfit. Your feet will thank you.

You have to have a hot dog on the street. It's non-negotiable. 

My iphone 4S takes amazing photos. 

When you're with the one you love, everything you see and experience is that much better. 

We took a lot of photos and there's more to come, so stayed tuned for part 2.