Well, I'm 40 and that is a hard thing to swallow. Actually, it is not that bad....except my kids remind me several times a week that I am 40 now. Mark planned an amazing weekend get away to New York City to celebrate my 40th birthday as I did not want a party or anything. My birthday is on Valentine's Day, so I never really get much of a celebration on my actual birthday, so this birthday was extra special in so many ways!
There were record setting COLD temperatures in the Northeast that weekend and it was cold. But, we survived just fine. We had to change a few plans, but it all worked out perfect.
Mark and I traveled to NYC back in the fall of 2002 with his Mom and Dad. I have been one other time as well and we both love this city! There is so much to see, so much to take in, and such a different lifestyle than the Midwest. This is a view from Central Park looking at the Upper West side of the city.
But first lets back up to Friday when we arrived. We got the girls off to school, then we headed up to the airport. We had a direct flight, so 3 hours later we were there. Traffic was awful to it took almost as long to get off the plane, grab a shuttle, and finally get to our hotel. I am not even kidding. But, dinner Friday night was fabulous. We went to Ellen's Stardust Diner.
All of the staff sing Broadway hits the entire night. These guys were amazing and all of them are trying to make it on Broadway. The move around the entire restaurant singing and dancing. We were jam packed in our seats (at every dinner this weekend we were right next to our neighbors) but it was so much fun.
I ordered a strawberry daiquiri and enjoyed the night.
After dinner we were ready to explore the town. We stayed in the heart of Times Square, which we loved. You either love NYC and Times Square or you hate it. For us as tourist, it was perfect. Always something to see and do. Always full of actions, even in bitterly cold weather.
We walked up to Rockefeller center and saw a proposal at the ice skating ink! It was so sweet! Then we finally found a huge H & M location and did some shopping for a while and warmed up at the same time.
Saturday morning we got up and headed to the subway. We rode the subway all weekend to get all over NYC. We bought a pass for a weeks worth of unlimited rides and got around town just fine. We had breakfast on the Upper West Side at a wonderful hole in the wall restaurant called Good Enough to Eat. A friend of mine recommended it and and it was amazing. It was just a few blocks from the subway station and a perfect way to start the day.
Then we walked all the way across Central Park. I can only imagine how beautiful the park is when the trees are full of leaves, or in the fall with the array of colors. The park was full of runners and we could not even believe it. It was freezing!
We decided to spend the morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET.) It would not have been my first choice of activities, but it was incredible and I am glad we went. It was a great way to spend the morning since it was so cold outside.
We walked back across Central Park and had lunch at Gray's Papaya. A hotdog place one of Mark's coworkers said we had to go to. It was OK. It was packed, cheap, had no where to sit. But, it was fast and right next to the subway station. So, we hopped back no the subway and headed back down to Times Square.
We had an early dinner Saturday night at Lillie's Victorian in the Theater District. The decor in the restaurant was fun and the place was jam packed. There were people there who had already seen a Broadway show that afternoon, and many others ready for a Broadway show that night.
We saw Wicked on Broadway and it was amazing! I know of the story line, but had no idea how much I would enjoy the show.
Dinner in the Theater District and a Broadway show in NYC is a great way to celebrate turning 40. Mark planned an amazing weekend!
Did I mention it was freezing? Walking home from Wicked the wind chill was -11 degrees.
We hit Starbucks a lot. They are on every corner in NYC and the coffee tasted amazing and warmed us up.
I woke up Sunday morning to some awesome text messages from the girls. I love that they are able to text from their i-pads and i-pods. We stood in a very long line at Starbucks. Grabbed some coffee and breakfast and headed down to the 9/11 Museum...on the wrong subway. Luckily I figured it out and we hoped off, switched subways, and were on our way again!
One World Trade Center. It was such an incredible sight.
It was very quite and very moving looking at this. I wish we could have spent more time outside, but it was just too bitterly cold.
This is an original wall from the North tower. The builders of the World Trade Center towers were worried about the water from the Hudson river, so they built very secure walls. They are still standing today and are a part of the memorial museum. There were also some original stairs that many people ran down that awful day of September 11th.
There are several pictures of Ladder 3 in you look back at the events of 9/11. This is the original firetruck from that day. Incredible.
We spent over 4 hours at the 9/11 museum and could have probably spent a few more hours there. There was so much to see, and read, and learn. I was hungry and thirsty and it was almost 2:00 at that point. Mark said he could have stayed longer, but agreed to go since I was hungry!
Lunch was a quick walk to Shake Shack. A must have hamburger place if you are ever in NYC. They are everywhere.
Then we hopped on the subway and headed to Chelsea Market. We wandered around there for a few hours and just enjoyed the setting. We skipped walking the high line...I am sure you can guess why!
A quick snack from this donut shop was also a must have!
Mark had an amazing night planned for my 40th birthday and Valentine's day. Dinner at this Italian restaurant was fantastic. Every restaurant in NYC was packed this weekend. The proximity of the tables were quite close and the waiters could hardly get through the restaurant...but hey, that's NYC
Times Square on a Sunday night in the freezing cold and it is still hopping. Of course, I had to stop one last time before heading home the next day.
We took the subway up to Central Park and walked through the Plaza Hotel. We didn't get too far, but it was pretty spectacular. Then we walked down to Rockefeller center and saw the St. Patrick's Cathedral along the way.
Then we saw this. The view of New York City from the Top of the Rock on Valentines's night and my 40th birthday. The view from all directions was incredible, but this one was definitely the best one. The Empire State Building and One World Trade Center are there in the distance.
Thank you Mark for an amazing, incredible, very memorable 40th birthday celebration. I absolutely loved it and I loved sharing it with you.
