Tuesday, November 13, 2012

NYC Girls' Weekend

I'm not sure when or how my love affair with New York City began. I have to sheepishly admit that Stacey McGill of The Baby-sitters Club may have had something to do with it. But from the first time I visited Manhattan, on a summer vacation with my family in 1995, I was officially hooked.

Since then, I've been back for family vacations, choir trips, and even college visits (I was this close to attending NYU before choosing Indiana Wesleyan instead...talk about polar opposites!). I love the city more every time I go. I can't even explain what happens when I step off a train or out of a cab and onto a busy New York sidewalk. It's like it's just in my blood. AAAHHHH, I'm giddy just thinking about it.

But with my brother-in-law no longer living near the city, and my husband hating it (gasp! for shame!), I sadly had no prospects of returning anytime soon. That is, until my mom and I had an email exchange back in March that went like this...

Me:
Here's a thought to consider.
Favorite daughter turns 30 = girls' weekend in NYC?
Obviously I'm not talking about the actual birthday weekend, since that's a mere two weeks away :) But what do you think, could we make that happen later this year? Like, Steve's present to me could be a plane ticket, and your present could be the hotel room?
Mom:
I LOVE your idea!!!! I only wish I would have thought of it! Your dad even said I could go. :)
...Let's do it!!
I then decided I wanted to invite my beloved aunt, my mom's older sister:
So I'll just cut right to the chase :)
Mom and I are planning a girls' weekend in NYC to celebrate (belatedly) my 30th birthday. Are you in?
Aunt Judy:
Oh my goodness, I am so-ooo in!!
...Now I won't be able to sleep thinking about how much fun this could be.
:) Thus began the planning for an epic adventure that my uncle would later refer to as "New York City boot camp"--ha! We converged on the city in early September and spent four glorious days packing in as much of the city as possible. All of us had been there more than once and had done a lot of the typical touristy things (Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, etc.), so I had a blast scouring the internet for ideas and recommendations for different things to see and do. I've been wanting to do a big travelogue series ever since. Stay tuned for a play-by-play with photos...this prelude has already gotten long and naptime is running short!

Day 1: 9/11 memorial, Thai food and a Broadway show
Day 2: Upper West Side church and brunch, library, Union Square tour
Day 3: Grand Central, Brooklyn Bridge, Gramercy Park, The High Line
Day 4: NoLita brunch, the Met, Old Manhattan tour and dumplings in Chinatown


Previously in New York:
"I Want to Wake Up in a City That Never Sleeps"
I Heart NY

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