A summary of my trip to New York (just a few things I wanted to share). Warning: very long.
Virgin America. Probably the best commercial flight I've flown on minus the racist flight attendant we encountered on our way to New York. She spoke condescendingly to the Asian people sitting in front of me. It makes me so angry that there are still people like her around, uneducated and unsophisticated.
Super Shuttle. Instead of taking the subway to our hotel, a shuttle picked us up from the airport. It was expensive, but totally worth it. Didn't want to deal with transferring trains, walking to our hotel from the subway with our luggage, etc. Stress-free travel is the best!
TRYP by Wyndham. Our hotel was amazing! The room was spacious and beautiful. Our bed was super comfortable and extremely clean. The staff was friendly and the hotel was located really close to the subway, so we didn't have to walk very much to start our day. The one con was not having a refrigerator. We managed without one, but it would have been nice to store our leftover food somewhere. Having a TV in our room was really nice, especially after a long day in the city.
The weather. It was sunny most days. Weather was my biggest prayer request. It's known to rain a lot in March, so walking around without an umbrella was great. I only used my umbrella on the last day (for a few minutes). It was too hot to wear my coat most of the time.
The food. The food will not be forgotten. So many good meals~ Pictures with captions provided below (didn't take pictures of every meal - sorry):
Marguerite pizza with meatballs @ Lombardi's Pizzeria.
Traditional rice pudding @ Rice to Riches.
Shackburger @ Shake Shack.
Eggs benedict @ Clinton St. Baking Company.
Clinton St. omelette @ Clinton St. Baking Company.
Chocolate pizza @ Max Brenner.
Breakfast @ Zabar's.
Blueberry jamboree @ Magnolia Bakery.
Dessert @ Serendipity.
Jersey Boys. Didn't know what to expect, but I knew it was supposed to be amazing (via reviews). We didn't even stand in line for that long to buy our tickets. The theaters are much smaller in New York (probably because there are SO many of them scattered throughout Times Square), so no matter where you sit in a New York theater - you can see the actors' expressions, costume details, etc. "Jersey Boys" was wicked good. I actually bought an overpriced mug to take a little part of it with me. I would watch the musical again and again...and again. Yes, it was that good.
Knicks vs. Trailblazers. The Knicks tickets I bought were REALLY expensive, so you can imagine my disappointment when I found out ticket prices had dropped to the low $60's (after six straight losses). Sad face. But, they won!! I will never forget the energy at Madison Square Garden. I bought a t-shirt sporting Jeremy Lin's name and number. Yeah...I sort of had to. Heh.
9/11 Memorial. Our plan was just to tour the financial district (Federal Reserve Bank, Wall Street, etc.), but we walked by the 9/11 Memorial and spent a couple hours there. Photos of people who went missing that tragic morning covered the walls. So many people died that day when the twin towers came crumbling down. Tears came rolling down and it felt like just yesterday when so many lives were lost because of such deep hate.
American Museum of Natural History. One of the best ways to spend our morning in New York City. Dinosaurs and whales. Need I go on? The museum is extremely large, so there's absolutely no way you can visit and appreciate everything in one morning. That was the unfortunate part. Felt like a little kid again though. It was nice.
In conclusion, it was a great trip. Loved every minute of it.
But, I still love California more.
But, I still love California more.
A few bonus pictures:
Enjoyin' some sun at Battery Park.
XOXO Grace
**Most photos taken on Grace's iPhone.
