This summer we took a trip to NYC. Brandon had to go there for work stuff so I tagged along. Most of the days there he had work stuff so I did some things by myself. This was a little scary at first but I was eventually able to find my way around and navigate the ferry, bus, and subway! We had tons of fun and saw some great sights. We actually stayed in New Jersey just on the other side of the Hudson River. Our hotel and view was great. The data center, which Brandon was doing work in, was just a block from the hotel so it worked out well. Our Journey getting there was not easy and I'll explain why!
We left SLC on Thursday after our flight had been delayed a couple of hours. When we reached Detroit, our flight was delayed again and eventually cancelled due to severe weather. Luckily, there was a hotel attached to the Detroit Airport that we were able to get a room for the night. After grabbing a few essentials at one of the airport stores (our baggage was already checked) we decided to buy a couple of t-shirts to sleep in. Naturally I got a large to wear as a night shirt and Brandon got an x-l. When we got to the hotel we had to contact the rental car place and the hotel in Jersey to let them know we would be coming a day late. This was difficult because our room was in a black hole and getting a signal was not easily. Then once we did get a signal we were put on hold and several minutes later the call was dropped. Finally, when all was said and done we got ready for bed. We had nothing but our carry-ons so the hotel gave us a small toothbrush and toothpaste and we bought some deodorant at the airport store. I opened my shirt up and put it on. Great fit. Next Brandon opened his up, laid it on the bed, and just stared at it. I looked at it too and did a double take.
It was a youth x-l! We just about died with laughter! In the end I wore the youth x-l and Brandon wore the adult large. After we had so much bad luck that day, the shirt disaster was the cherry on top!
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| This is the youth x-l. |
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| This is the adult large that I so kindly gave Brandon! |
Our new flight was supposed to leave Friday afternoon. After being delayed a couple of times we FINALLY made it out and arrived in the Newark Airport. We got our car and headed to the hotel. One of the dining highlights of the trip was a delicious and very expensive dinner at the famous Ruth Chris Steakhouse. Brandon had eaten there a couple of times on business trips and had always raved about their incredible steaks. The restaurant was top notch and we had a great table overlooking NYC from the river. For an appetizer we shared seared ahi-tuna with mustard sauce and a cesar salad. The main course consisted of the best fillet I've ever tasted and we shared two sides- asparagus with hollandaise sauce and sweet potatoes with caramelized pecans. We both agreed we could of had the sweet potato dish for dessert it was that yummy! The meat is so hot when it comes out that it is still sizzling and the plate is like 400* they warn you several times not to touch it. For dessert we decided to be daring and shared the banana cream pie with caramelized bananas- very scrumptious!
NYC has so much to offer for the bargain shopper so one day when Brandon was working I headed down to the well known Canal Street to scope out some merchandise. I'm the queen of getting a good deal and the key to getting a good deal is to be willing to walk away at any point! Canal street is sort of down in the ghetto, close to China Town. To say I felt a little uncomfortable walking down the street by myself in broad daylight is no overstatement. It's a little sketchy. But, I put my tough face on and set out. I found some of my favorite perfume- Hannae Morae, a couple of cute scarfs, a white watch, a couple of cute headbands, a purse, etc. My brother, Mark, who was helping to take care of the house had asked me to look for a fake Rolex watch. So I put my skills to use. When I was buying my cheapo white watch I asked the man if he had any Rolex watches to which he replied in a strong Indian accent, "No, but I know a guy," he then proceeded to pick up his phone and call someone. Okay, I thought, this is going to be interesting. Literally about ten seconds later this guy shows up in from of the shop and motions for me to follow him down the street. Well, I thought, maybe he has a shop just a little ways down and is taking me there- so I followed. We walk a block, cross the street, and all of a sudden he decks into a phone booth- motioning for me to come over. I'm thinking to myself, this is just like how a drug deal would go down. He whips out 3 Rolex watches from his pocket and asks me in his strong Indian accent which one I like? I tell him I like two of them and he starts showing me some of their features. When I ask him the price he says "80 dollar." What!?! There is no way I'm paying that much! I had it in my mind that I wasn't going higher than $20. I tell him thanks but I'm not interested. He drops it to 50 and talks about how nice they are and what a good deal it is. Still not interested. He asks what I will pay for the watch. I tell him $20 and he gets all upset. "I pay $30 for these watches, who is trying to sell it to you for $20?" I thank him for his time and start to walk away. "Fine, 20 dollar for you." "Okay," I say! Kristen - 1: Street Vendor - 0 :)
Probably my favorite part of NYC was down at Rockefeller Center. The grounds are gorgeous, and they have great shops and cafes. I found a cute top at J. Crew, got some hot silver sandals at Nine West that were 40% off, and visited the Magnolia Bakery where I tried their famous banana pudding. There is also the Today Show, NBC Studios where you can take tours, Radio City, and lots more. I really enjoyed just sitting down by one of the fountains overlooking the plaza and eating breakfast after I watched the Today Show. Instead of the usual various flags from different countries, they had all American flags flying for Memorial Day and it was just beautiful! I also really enjoyed going up to the top of The Rock than night. All in all it was a fun trip with lots of good memories!
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| The view from our room |
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| The Empire State Building |
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| The view at night. The Emire State Building is lit up in red, white, and blue for Memorial Day! |
We are happy to announce we will be adding a new member to our family- finally! Our little one will arrive around February 19th 2012! Brandon and I are really excited and a little nervous. We have been trying to start a family for awhile and are thankful for modern medicine! This is a picture of the onsie we gave to each of our families as a way to annouce our good news. I think my Mom thought she was never going to be a Grandma or "Lo Lo" as she wants to be called! I think the words on this onsie sum up what we feel and what we have felt. Some things in life just take time and happen on the Lord's clock. The Plan we think we know or have figured out is not always His plan. But all the tears, waves of emotion, and hard work is worth it in the end. Thank you for all your love and support. 
