Flash Flood of Memories

Hey guys! Did you like my mom's post? Isn't she cool and witty? I get all my coolness from my mom and my dad for sure!

Anyway... as you're aware Hurricane Sandy is hitting the East Coast hard. Several places have been evacuated -- including my sister's old stomping grounds.. if I remember correctly.. Battery Park City.  You probably don't remember, actually I'm almost guaranteeing you don't remember, but during the summer of 2010 my mom and I flew out to NYC (my first plane ride ever!) and spent a week in the life of my sister.  As I've been thinking about New York with the recent storms, I pulled up my pictures from the trip and I realized that I felt like sharing some of the greatness of that trip with you -- how lucky you are!

My sister Dawn knows how to plan a weekend, so we did lots of fun things.  Because we are women (according to my dad), we love to eat the good foods in life... so we also ate a lot of good things.  Below are pictures, stories, and a video as I recollect them!

What New York Doesn't Look Like Right Now...

 Let me begin by saying that probably one of the biggest reasons why a person would decide to never show pictures of their trip to New York is that you look down-right nasty on the trip.  You may not believe here at the beginning of the post, but as I continue you'll see.. Maybe just maybe New York should rip off Las Vegas's motto and make it their own because seriously.... humidity kills a good photo!

Super Fun Event One: 

Top of the Rock! This was one pretty fun! We didn't do the traditional Empire State building, but we did get just as high with a great view still!  It was actually super fun to look through the binoculars and wave to the people on the Empire State building -- what a great sense of community I felt!

Dawn and Mom -- Top of the Rock and looking hot!

Dawn, Alfalfa Kelli, Mom!

Crazy about Binoculars!

Dawn's enthused!

So much to see!

Good Eats Number One:

Max Brenner.. I can't remember what about this place made it so high-class, but it was a little too high classy for us! So we opted for the most amazingly cute and delicious desserts ever. Seriously.. give this place a try!

Super Fun Event Two:

   Wicked!!! I had heard the sound track a lot so I was so excited for the real thing.  Turns out the cast changed and with it so did the voices.  We also had the understudy Elphaba.  While it was a little different.... It was so amazing! I do not know how Elphaba could have been better than she was, so that star must be off the wall!

This picture is blurry because we were so excited about just seeing Wicked!

Super Fun Event Number Three:

Time Square. This picture was taken post Wicked really late at night with no flash!! It's so bright there it's crazy! You can't see it, but we had just finished eating McDonalds on the Red Stairs(Steps?) -- my treat! I was so generous! ;)

Good Eat Number Two:
   Dawn, an experienced New Yorker -- really new what was up.  She took us to this great little place called S'MAC.  The only thing they serve there is different varieties of insane Macaroni and Cheese! I was still a picky eater in those days, so I kept it tame with an pretty plain thing, but it was amazing!

S'MAC your face with greatness!

Super Fun Event Number Four:

On Sunday we did some things that didn't cost money, like walking the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a long walk and it was sort of raining and of course it was humid.  So the walk was fun, but I look sort of on the gross side.

NEW YORK!

Loving the Walk.. Can't you tell?

Super CRAZY THING:
Dawn and Bryan worked in the tallest building in the background -- that part is New Jersey.   This morning I saw a lady reporting from this exact spot -- so I guess the Esplanade is still in tact!

Aren't they sweet?

 Super Great Food Number Three:
We also got pie at Rocco's! So delicious.  BUT SO RICH! We couldn't even finish it all, so we took it to go in these cute little white boxes.  To let our dessert settle, we walked to Washington Square Park, and with our cute little white boxes clutched in our hands.  We walk into the park and right near the entrance (it was late at night too) these men call out: "They say good things come in small packages." -- IN SUPER CREEPY WAY. Not in like a I'm from Wyoming and not used to this situation creepy, but more in that was weird and gross sort of way.  Needless to say we walked quickly into a different direction.

Super Fun Event Number Five:

Central Park Is HUGE! It's so massive, but so pretty and awesome.  But when you're tired from a long walk, the beauty starts to dissipate a little. So we were walking down another huge path and then we see this dog in the distance. I say to my friends (mom and Dawn) -- if that's a Balto statue I'm going to freak out. It was and I did.

Balto and me!

Super Good Eats Number Four:

   Some cute brunch place in Manhattan. I don't remember much about it, except that Dawn lost her camera and then found it there.  And that doing brunch is very New York and very fun! 

Super Fun Event Number Six:

  The picture below could speak for itself.. BUT I have to make a comment.  We were going along .. not any rain in sight.. yet.. I was getting so wet -- not from the wild waves.. instead it was from the nasty humidity.  I said it then and I'll say it again... It seriously felt like we were taking a shower a little at a time.

The Statue of Liberty.

 Super Good Eats Number Five:
Authentic Italian in Little Italy. It's totes amazo. Be jealous.

THE LAST DAY:

   Here's my picture of eating a big apple in the Big Apple.  I think it's pretty symbolic: I came, I saw, I conquered. And I want to go back.

My sweet hostess sister: She's great!! 

IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR YOU GET A BONUS VIDEO. Three words: Dirty Water Dogs. Jealous?

So there's the recap.  I hope that New York is able to recover quickly from Frankenstorm so that it can continue to be the wonderful metropolis that I enjoyed two years ago!