New York, New York

In early December we were invited to a party in Jordan's industry.  We had never been able to make this trip happen in past years, so were extremely excited to be going this year.  It only sweetened the deal that it was during the Christmas season in NYC; and that it was actually going to be cold there.  I was ready to bundle up and get into the spirit of the holidays, or at least that's what I thought...  After about 30 minutes of being outside upon our arrival, I was FREEZING!  I mean teeth chattering cold.  After awhile my thin Texas blood started to adapt and I made it through - I guess it didn't hurt that it warmed up over our visit by about 15 degrees.  

Everything about the trip was perfect; we had a wonderful time as the highly detested New York tourists, venturing from our Tribeca Hotel to the World Trade Center site, Wall Street, Chelsea Market and Piers, Chinatown, Rockefeller Center, Broadway and of course Times Square.  By the end of the trip our feet were sore, our bellies were full and our wallets a little bit lighter due to the Texas/New York price conversion.  

It was a great trip that Jordan and I were able to just enjoy being together and for that I am extremely grateful.  Once again, we could not have done it without the best Nana - Thank you Mary Ann for holding down the fort while we were gone - we are always SO thankful and amazed by your help with the kids.  

Jordan's grandfather was headed back to Indiana the same morning that we left for NY, so we carpooled to the airport.

The first night we met up with some guys that Jordan works with at this downtown rooftop bar.  It was cold, but I quickly found a spot next to a heater and didn't leave.  The view made the cold more manageable.

After drinks we went with Jordan's friend Chase to Wild Edibles Seafood Market.  I have been CRAVING mussels for the longest time so this was PERFECT.

The dinner did not disappoint.  These were easily the best mussels I've ever had.  They were served in a spicy curry broth with french fries.  Even though we went to a five star restaurant later on in the trip, it's hard to say which meal was better...

After dinner and a run in with a very large New York rat, we made our last stop of the night at another bar.

It was a great first night and we are thankful to Chase for being our tour guide.

The next morning started off at a greasy spoon next to the Tribeca Grand.  It was here that Jordan swears he spotted Marky Mark Whalberg as we enjoyed our hangover food.  I remain unconvinced. 

Today was devoted to walking around the city and sight seeing.  Our first stop was the World Trade Center site and the Freedom Tower.  While we didn't go to the memorial, the wreckage site itself was somber and moving.

Our next stop was Chelsea Market.  It was unfortunate that we were both still stuffed from breakfast, because this place smelled AMAZING.  It was an amazing market with a little bit of everything.  I definitely thought that this was one of the coolest places we saw on the trip.

We walked back to our hotel along the Chelsea Pier, and rested a bit before going back out.

View of our trendy Tribeca neighborhood from our hotel bed.

New York City Christmas Trees.  These were all over the place but here's a Christmas Tree Shop right by our Hotel.

Next up was Chinatown and Little Italy.  The bags were cheap and the cannolis were yummy.  So yeah, these places delivered as advertised...

That night was Jordan's work party at A'voce so we walked back towards the hotel - we watched the SEC championship at a sports bar across the street and then I went back to get ready.  The food at A'voce was fabulous and the party was a ton of fun.  After the party we went to a bar called the Brandy Library.  It was a really cool spot and was made only better by the fact that our old friend Adam met up with us to catch up there.

It was a late night and we were both woke up a bit groggy to put it mildly.  We ate breakfast at the diner, but this time came home to rest a little.  After that we put on our grown-up shoes and headed out to Rockefeller Center and Times Square.

Interestingly enough, none of our sight-seeing spots were planned (which is very unusual for me), and without a strong knowledge of NY's geography we were lucky that we just stumbled upon certain areas.  For example, we headed to Rockefeller Center, and just realized that we were right next to Times Square.  Little did we know that we could walk from Chelsea back to Tribeca.  I definitely think that finding this out and traveling in the spur of the moment made the trip more relaxed and spontaneous.

We ended the day at Wall Street and Battery Park, and headed back to the hotel to get ready for our night on Broadway.

We went to see Rock of Ages - IT WAS SO GOOD.  Even Jordan loved it, not just liked it, but LOVED it.  After the show we ate dinner like true New Yorkers at 10pm...  After dinner we called it a night as we were catching our flight the next morning, and were truly just exhausted after all that New York had to offer us.

We had such a good time and hope to make it back next year!