New York, and My Luck Has Changed!

It was our anniversary. I was all done with teaching Let's Play Music for the year. I had a free babysitter. And Court had to go to New York for business.....HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME! This trip was spent a little differently becuz Court did in fact have to work, and had some pretty big presentations---which meant he wasn't very much fun for a couple of the days. Our flight left Monday morning, and we actually dropped the kids off at Scott and Shelby's on Sunday night. Our trip in October was all about tourist attractions, so this trip it was way laid back and more about the FOOD! I hate the plane trip back East becuz you literally lose a day, but we landed in NYC at 5:00 p.m. local time. We took a car from JFK to our hotel---the Sheraton Times Square, and had barely unpacked when we headed to Lombardi's in SOHO for PIZZA! Afterwards we WALKED until we found a little cupcake place called Sweet Revenge that I had seen on Martha Stewart----these are the cupcakes made with a ton of real Mexican Vanilla and cooked in parchment paper. I got the 'pure' and Court got the 'dirty'. We hated to waste the evening so then we actually headed to the AMC theater on 42nd Street for a late showing of X-Men Origins---luv u HUGH! This theater was crazy. The lobby was a tiny little entrance with just two escalators heading up. FIVE escalators later we made it up to our theater. These weren't just short little escalator rides either. One even ran along the window that faced 42nd Street and it was actually scary to see how high up you were. And we were rudely awakened to the ticket price of $12.50 a seat---YIKES!

Court was busy most of Wednesday and Thursday, so Tuesday was our big day to do stuff together---and we did GOOD! We set our alarms for 5:00 a.m. (2:00 a.m. Arizona time) and headed over to the Regis and Kelly Show. We did not have tickets so we were hoping and praying that we would get tickets in the stand-by line. It was FREEZING, and Court had neglected to put on his coat that morning. I was giving him a hard time and trying to warm him up with my VERY warm coat, when a gentleman standing next to us in the TICKET line asked if we didn't have tickets , cuz he had two extra! You should have seen the ugly looks that the people in front and in back of us in line gave us, but bow howdy we jumped lines and ended up being the only people from the standby line to actually make it into the show. It was sooo much fun. They totally interact with the audience. Court felt a little girly sittin in on the regis and kelly show, but they had the winners from Amazing Race---which he LOVES, and as much as I hate to say it, Tom Hanks was a great guest.

On the set of Regis and Kelly

Outside the taping of the show!

After the show we took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge Exit, and hiked out if Manhattan over into Brooklyn. At precisely 11:00 a.m. we needed to call the Dave Letterman show to put our names on the standby list. Courts cell phone is company paid so we had him do the dialing. He just kept telling me it was busy, so I figured I should try my hand at it as well. Wouldn't you know it, it was ringing for me. The lady picks up and asks me a trivia question (which was what instrument does Paul Schaffer play, btw) and then tells me we are #2 and #3 on the standby list----NICE!


This is as we were walking toward Brooklyn....

and this is the Manhattan skyline in the background.

Of course Court didn't do anything on this trip unless there was pizza at the end of it. Located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge is a little pizza place called Grimaldi's. It was a hole in the wall with a pool of two seater tables in a 3x4 grid. We were unlucky enough to get stuck smack dab in the middle of the pool and were literally pinned in on all sides, but it was delish. While waiting outside to get into Grimaldi's I ended up chatting with these two cute girls standing behind me in line. Turns out they were lds---and even knew people here in Arizona. They actually first asked if I was LDS becuz they said I looked so wholesome---mwa ha ha! I asked them where I should be eating and they gave me a LIST that I attempted to hit for the rest of my trip. THANK YOU!

We had a little bit of time before we needed to go check on our stand by tickets for Letterman, so we took the subway all the way in from Brooklyn and headed uptown to 110th St. to find the infamous diner from Seinfeld. Court HAD to get a picture in front of it.

We then headed back downtown to the Letterman show at 53rd St. and waited outside the cbs store until standby tickets were called----ONLY #1-#4 from standby made it into the show, and our seats were both right on the aisle a row behind each other. Alec Baldwin was the main guest, but the Letterman show stank compared to Regis and Kelly. You could hardly even see Dave or his guests over the cameras. and during the commercial breaks they COMPLETELY ignored the audience.

Tuesday night we had planned to see a show together, but Court felt like he needed to prepare for his presentation a little more. So I headed over to see Shrek by myself. Becuz I was a single I got 5th row center. Such a cute show. I love the cartoon and this was just as good except now it had way fun costumes and cute new songs. After the show I had the munchies, so I found a little deli with every flavor of cheesecake. I was actually on my cell phone talking to my friend Stephen that lives in Manhattan and the guy behind the counter just kept smiling at me. When I finally got off the phone I asked him which cheesecake was his favorite and he responded with, "you are." Uhhhh... I just smiled and asked for a slice of Snickers cheesecake. Then as he rang me up he told me I was the most bootiful girl and where was I from---he was Indian. I just smiled and said Arizona and just walked away. Man am I classy! Ü

Unfortunately pictures get a little sad from here on out. I pretty much did the rest of my week on my own, so I had no one with me to take pictures of anything---STINKERS!

Wednesday Court was busy with work, so I headed uptown to one of the little places my LDS/NY girls told me about--Alice's Teacup. Such a cute little shop with scones that are to die for. I got a pumpkin scone--which they recommended, and then walked over to Central Park and just sat on a park bench and enjoyed my scone. I then headed over to Radio City Music Hall to take a tour---my friend Stephen recommended it. It was pretty neat--especially since I love the Tony Awards and this is where they are filmed. I was by far the youngest person on the tour---as most of the group had to take the elevators. Throughout the tour there were mannequins dressed in the various costumes that the Rockettes have worn over the years. At each mannequin, this older Asian gentleman made me take his picture with each and every one of them----PERV! At the end of the tour one of the current Rockettes came out to take questions and pose for pictures. I used to have self esteem until I saw the results of this picture.....man alive I look tubby!

I then headed over to meet my friend Stephen for lunch. He took me to a little diner called Vinyl--Rock'n'Roll themed everything. Then we headed uptown so he could show me a pizza place that he had taken myself and a friend to when we visited back in 2001. That way I would know where I was going and be able to take Court there for dinner. This is Stephen's hand, and that is one single slice of pizza!

We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking from 110th back to midtown (51st). But that night Court decided he wanted to go back to Lombardi's instead of the Uptown gigantic slice diner. I agreed if he promised to let me try a chocolate restaurant in Union Square known as Max Brenner's. Holy cow, this place has milk chocolate pumping thru the pipes and syringes of white, milk,or dark chocolate. Court was freakin out about his presentation the next day, so he wasn't the best company, but we tried the Mexican Hot Chocolate (the egg shaped mug was an experience in itself)and a plate of yummy chocolate cake with caramel oozing EVERYWHERE!

Thursday morning we set out to find Magnolia Bakery, but it ended up being a cupcake and sweets type bakery, and we were looking for breakfast. Alice's Tea Cups was around the corner, so I talked Court into trying a scone(he got berry and I went for the pumpkin again). It was actually drizzling that morning, and as we walked past a Starbuck's I tugged Court's arm and exclaimed that Kelly Ripa's husband (Mark Consuelos)was sitting there. We both took a closer look and realized that sitting next to him was none other than Jerry Seinfeld! Unfortunately we wimped out and didn't take their picture---not like we would ever see them again! Just like my prior morning we headed into Central Park to eat our 'scones with cream and jam' (say it with your best British accent)! Ü

When we were in NY in October, the one thing we never did find was an authentic NYC bagel. Court headed back to the hotel to start packing up all his stuff for a presentation down in SOHO and I headed to Murray's Bagels in Greenwich Village. I got a little mixed up on which Subway line to take, and I ended up walking way out of the way. I barely made it back in time for Court to have a bagel for lunch, but they indeed were the real deal!

Once Court left I headed back uptown to the Museum of Natural History--as in the movie 'A Night at the Museum'. Glad I did that one by myself. It was interesting, but I am glad that we didn't waste our money on two tickets! Right across the street is a place called the Shake Shack where I stopped for ice cream. It reminded me very much of Nielsen's frozen custard, except the lines were like an in'n'out! I was actually given a buzzer to let me know when my concrete was done! While I was waiting , a guy dressed as a security guard came and sat down right next to me. He says something like he is glad to be able to sit down after standing on the marble floors of the museum all day. "I just came from there," I said. He then asks how I enjoyed it, and if I knew that on Friday nights they actually turn it into a night club. I asked if that was always or if since THe NIght of the Museum? He said since before the movie was filmed there. He then asks me if I have seen Star Trek, and I said no actually, but I was thinking about finding a matinee, did he know of a movie theater near by. His eyes got huge and he asked if I wasn't from around here. I explained that my husband was working and I was just finding things to do in New York City. He then asked how big my husband was---as in was he taller then 6 feet 8 inches. I said no, and then he said it takes a very confident man to let someone as beautiful as me wander around by myslef. He invited me to join him and his friends for lunch---which I of course declined. Our buzzers went off at the same time and as I picked up my ice cream he comments that there is no way that is all fitting inside [that] skinny body, and then called out goodbye beautiful as I left with my concrete. WHAT is with the men in New York????? In his defense I must say that I was wearing my NEW cute Buckle jeans, and the poor man did not know what he was getting into. BUT, If it wasn't for my picture with the Rockette, I might start thinking I am hot stuff or something!!!!!

I actually headed back to the hotel to take a nap, cuz I was exhausted! Court called about 5:30 to tell me that his presentation went great and that he and his colleagues were heading to none other than Lombardis---AGAIN! I actually headed out to dinner with Stephen to a place in Hell's Kitchen called Chelsea Grill---it literally was in an old garage, and had a yummy, yummy green apple salad that I highly recommend. After dinner we went to another brand new Broadway musical called Next to Normal---it was amazing. The subject matter was pretty heavy, but it was a small enemble cast (only 6 people) and they were magnificent. Out of the 6 cast members, 3 are up for tony awards, and the show itself is up for best new musical. After the show we stopped by Junior's for cheesecake and a complete review of the show. So much fun to just sit and talk musical theater with someone who actually lives in it and makes their living in the industry. Thank goodness Stephen was willing to hang out with me while Court had to work.

We woke up early Friday morning and took a cab back to JFK in time for our 9:50 a.m. flight. By 1:00 p.m. we were picking up Waverly from Shelby's house. No matter how much fun I have, I am always glad to be back in my own bed. I missed it! Thank you so much to Scott and Shelby for watching my kiddies and keeping them well fed all week! Can't wait for the pay back!