Back to the Big Apple We Went.

We planned for last Saturday to be our second and final trip to NYC while we're up here in Connecticut and decided that there could be nothing better to fill our day with than the Manhattan LDS Temple and a show on Broadway. We originally planned to just do a day trip, requiring us to wake up at three in the morning---but dang it, we were just plain tired of waking up early! So spur of the moment, we booked a hotel in the city and left friday night so we could sleep in and recharge for a fun day. Once again we took the train in from New Haven, but not without stopping by Shake Shack for dinner first!

Joey was very excited to go to the Manhattan Temple---but first, we caught a glimpse of the insane and  infamous cronut line at Dominique Ansel's Bakery. And we said "ain't nobody got time for that!" But anyways....The Washington DC and Columbia SC temples are the only ones he's been to (or at least I'm pretty sure...), and this one is quite a unique experience. If you're not really looking for it (or looking up) you can completely walk past it! Also, because of its double wall construction, once you're inside you can't hear a single truck or taxi cab drive by. Its certainly a sanctuary amidst the bustling city. And we both decided the gorgeous interior is definitely our favorite so far.

We managed to avoid the heavier rain showers, but the fog Saturday morning was fascinating to watch engulf New York's towering sky scrapers. 

After the temple we had a very short window to grab lunch and make it to our matinee. Lucky for us, when we got off the metro we stumbled upon some kind of street fair near Times Square and were able to snag some too-tasty gyros (with seriously the best lamb I've ever had) and lemonade with an ice cream cone to finish. Yay for random fairs!

We saw Once, you guys!

We knew we'd kick ourselves if we went back to Charleston without seeing a Broadway show, so we bit the bullet and splurged on the tickets. Luckily we got them through the military and scored second row seats (!!!) for a fraction of the cost. We also decided to see something different from the classics and went with the relatively new, based-on-a-movie, (not quite a) love story that is Once. And oh, was it worth it. I won't give anything away, but friends, I was crying like a baby through half the show. It was so beautiful and touched me in so many different ways, and when I noticed it was starting to end I would've paid even more for the actors to keep on singing. Now, I will say that this was our first time seeing a contemporary show that isn't really geared towards family, so I didn't even think about language being a problem. And they did end up having a.... fondness, for a particular profanity. So judge me if you want, but I just tuned it out and enjoyed all of the amazing music, talent, and emotion that the show had to give.

 I can't thank this guy enough for taking me to New York for such an incredible experience!

While we were at Once, we noticed the couple that was sitting next to us had a yellow bag from the giant M&M store in Times Square. So of course we had to go get some M&Ms for ourselves. I mean we can't just sit there and watch someone else enjoy all of that chocolate candy goodness and not have any of our own. And now that he had M&Ms on the brain, there was no way Joey was going to leave without them. That boy loves his peanut M&Ms. So we closed our economical eyes, filled a couple bags, and paid the million percent markup for our treat before heading to Grand Central and catching a train back to New Haven. 

And OK. Yes, we did have Shake Shack again for dinner. But we're not going to be anywhere close to one when we get back to Charleston so we might as well live it up now. We can't get enough of those shack burgers and peanut butter shakes!

So long, NYC. You're totally crazy and far too overpriced, but we can't help but like ya!

New York, New York --- Day Two.

After a pretty packed Saturday in Manhattan, we decided to make our second day in the city a little more relaxed, so a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a yummy lunch were all we needed before taking the train back home.

Boy, there's nothing quite as stale and stuffy as a subway stop in the summer!

Always a fan of the Egyptian displays---and you know what else I'm a fan of? FREE admission to the Met for military and their dependents too (sure, the admission price is a recommended donation, but they give you the stink eye if you don't pay the full amount)! So we saved $100 in admission over our weekend in NYC!

Selfie in thousands of years old Egyptian mirrors!

Temple of Dendur

We were lucky to be at the Met during a special exhibit of The Boxer. Absolutely amazing.

That sweet husband of mine, he took turns with me carrying my purse---and the camera in it---so my shoulders could have a break. And he was rockin' it.

Preemptive blister wrapping. But I think I survived! And before you say "why don't you just wear tennis shoes or something?"--no. I will not. my feet get too dang hot, and I just won't do it!

For lunch we decided to go to the increasingly popular Shake Shack---ya know, we read all these reviews about how average it was and its just a hot spot for tourists and real New Yorkers wouldn't actually eat there. But hey, there's nothing wrong with being a tourist! Sure, we may not go to Times Square or Rockefeller Center or Tiffany's every time we visit NYC, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to see those things once in your life. So we walked in to Shake Shack, heads held high and camera in hand, and we enjoyed every last bite of our Shack Burger and peanut butter milkshake.

Holy Moly, just looking at this makes me want another one all over again---and lucky for me, there's a Shake Shack 50 minutes away from us in New Haven! The menu is simple, but they know what they're doing at Shake Shack.

After a busy weekend and another train ride back to Groton, we were more than happy to crawl into bed, share an iconic Black & White Cookie with a cold glass of milk, and sleep like there's no tomorrow! 

Our next adventure: Fourth of July in Boston!

New York, New York --- Day One.

Well I made it about 2.5 weeks until I got my customary "new environment sickness". Happens every time I go somewhere new for an extended amount of time--sometimes its a cold, sometimes bronchitis. This go around its a major sore throat--Yay me! But hey, its the perfect reason to stay in bed and edit far too many photos from our weekend in the big apple!

 Getting to NYC is a breeze from here. We drive about 50 minutes to New Haven, then take the train in to Grand Central Station. The train ride is about 1.5 hours, but it goes pretty fast, especially when you're with your best friend (yeah I'm a cheese-ball). Plus, most of the conductors let military ride for free, so we only had to pay for one ticket for me instead of two for the both of us.

 Who cares if it was only 9:30 in the morning--We had been up since 4:30, so it was plenty late enough in the day to indulge in chocolate chip cookies and lemon squares from Magnolias--wouldn't you agree?

 I was quite upset when we turned the corner to see the facade of St. Patrick' s completely covered in tarps and scaffolding, and only more of it inside. Apparently they're doing some serious cleaning and renovation over the next couple years. I was sad Joey didn't get to see it the way it normally looks. We still managed to get some gorgeous glimpses of the beautiful church though.

 A neat special exhibit outside Rockefeller Center

 You know what I'm smiling about? FREE tickets to the Museum of Modern Art for Active Duty Military and their dependents---that means we already saved 50 bucks on our weekend! Boo-yah!

 It was Joey's first time at the MoMA and he loved it. He couldn't believe how different Starry Night looks in person compared to all of the reproductions we're bombarded with on a regular basis.

 The Kate Spade flagship store!

 That sweet husband of mine treated me to some grown up jewelry from Kate Spade--I love my new gold bangles!

LOVE him.

 All of the performers in Central Park are too fun. I tried to get Joey to whip out that yo-yo but he wouldn't go for it.

 This handsome guy was showing off for everyone at the zoo--these may be the only photos I took with the telephoto lens, but it was totally worth lugging that heavy lens around all day!

 Talk about a dangerous situation.

 Beautiful pony, Mallory!

 Hooray for iPhones and being able to get directions for spur of the moment decisions!

 I haven't been to Times square in 2.5 years. And let me tell ya what---I think I've had my fill for at least another 2.5 years! Its cool and all, but its not really our thing. Though, I think Joey did like that he was able to go to the Fossil store in Times Square and shop for a new automatic watch at 11:30 at night.

 Last time I was in NYC I had some of the best penne vodka near Times Square, so we decided to go there for dinner---boy do I love some good penne vodka! And of course we had to get calamari. We also got cheesecake at Juniors, but I decided not to share those photos because its beyond obvious that were are at least three hours past our bedtime. We're totally going to be those people that eat dinner at 4:30pm when we're old. 

After a very packed day we went home to our hotel, nursed our sore feet, and geared up for day two in Mighty Manhattan!