Wednesday, April 7, 2010

No Place in the World that can Compare


Hubby's 29
th Birthday (Tuesday)

Spending the hubby's 29th b-day in NY was fantastic!
What a great way to start his last year of the 20s.

For breakfast on Tuesday I had yogurt with fruit and granola (you can make your own parfait at a deli across from our hotel):



We spent the morning Uptown in Harlem, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side. We were blown away by the beauty of the architecture - the old Brownstowns , the ornate cathedrals, the buildings of Columbia university. Everything is so beautiful. The history in NY fascinates me.



We also saw the Dakota, where John Lennon was killed, and many celebrities currently live.

The hubby wanted a NY deli lunch, so that is what we had. I ordered the veggie wrap, and had a about 3 chips, 1/2 a cheese string, and a couple bites of the hubby's brownie:



One of my favourite buildings in Manhattan is the Flatiron Building (My picture does not show how cool the building is ... Google it, if you don't know it!!):



It was featured in Spiderman, and is seriously SO cool!

Later on in the afternoon we had a little snack (shishkebab):



And then ... WE WERE IN THE AUDIENCE OF DAVID LETTERMAN!!!!!!!! It was so cool!! We were shocked by how small the studio was, and how short Letterman's desk was. I always thought it was much bigger. The layout of the stage was also very different from what I thought it looked like. The guests on the show included STEVE CARELL and Didi from American Idol.

The hubby and I both love Steve Carell, and were SO happy to find out he was going to be on the show. We only found out once we were already in the audience! What a great way to spend the hubby's b-day.

The filming ended at 5:30, so we wandered around the city in the evening. We had a Mexican dinner at Burrito Loco in Greenwich Village. I drank a Coconut Margarita:



We had chips with salsa and guacamole to start:





And I had a vegetarian burrito as my entree.



Hubby had a meat burrito:



After dinner we walked from Greenwich Village to Times Square (quite the hike). We love wandering in Manhattan. For the hubby's "Birthday Cake" we shared a piece of the famous Junior's NY Cheesecake (Junior's purports to have the world's best cheesecake - yep, I believe it):



A Thoughtful and Romantic Day in the City (Wednesday)

We rode the Subway like crazy today! We started our morning by sharing a NY bagel in Times Square (Just to hold us over until our late breakfast reservations):



The hubby is HOOKED on NY bagels - He insists that we get them again tomorrow from the place that is supposed to have the BEST bagels.

We headed over to the Meatpacking District (So cool BTW) where we explored and then had a late brunch at Pastis. I had the eggs Benedict:


This was the best eggs Benedict I have ever had. The egg was cooked to perfection.

They bring you your own mini little jar of jam to go with your toast (hubby had toast with his breakfast):



Pastis is a major NY hot spot - Even Carrie and the Russian visited Pastis in an episode of Sex and the City.

After brunch we wandered around Chelsea, and went to Chelsea Market (Foodie Heaven):



Then we headed over to the Financial District to see Ground Zero. It was a very powerful experience. The memorial is currently being built and will be done in a year.


(Former site of the Twin Towers)

In the later afternoon we went shopping in the Financial District and then to the Upper West Side where we visited another Foodie Heaven called Zabar's. My-Mind-Was-Blown. The cheese section itself was overwhelmingly amazing. The hubby and I had a little cheese and cracker picnic for lunch. We bought 2 kinds of French cheese, some crackers, and a couple San Pellegrino lemonades and sat in the park in front of the museum to enjoy.







After our picnic and some more shopping, we took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. We saw both Brooklyn and Manhattan all lit up, and of course we saw Lady Liberty:



We ended our evening with a very late dinner in Little Italy. It was the most beautiful night, and we got a quaint little table outside on the deck.





I enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs with some red wine of course:





What a fabulous day!!

Tomorrow is our last full day in NY, and we can't wait!

We are having the time of our lives.

If you could be in the audience of any TV show, which would you pick?
Have you ever been in a TV audience?


26 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's an action packed birthday! Such a great Lettermen when you had no idea ahead of time.

I'd pick Let's Make a Deal or The Price is Right or something like that so I could make some money :-)

Jill said...

What a great day! I was at Letterman on my first trip to NYC. I got to see Meryl Streep. Such a fun City to explore. Zabar's is the bomb!

Losing in the City said...

looks like your having an amazing NYC time.. i love the chelsea market...not sure if you noticed but the food network is also there... i would love to experience an Oprah show...

Simply Life said...

Gosh, looks like such an unforgettable time in NY!

Unknown said...

Wow, what a foodie's dream vacation! Very Nice and Happy Birthday Hubby!

So awesome about being in the audience! Congrats! Have fun!

xoxo

Katie @ Health for the Whole Self said...

Sounds like you're having an awesome time! :)

I've never been in a TV audience, but I wouldn't mind being in the live audience for The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live!

Anonymous said...

Good question! I think Dr. Phil would be fun!

Anonymous said...

I was in the Letterman show too! Our guest was Ricky Gervais!! I love him and Steve Carrell!! I'm so happy you are having a great FOODIE time! :) Enjoy your last days and although you may feel like you are eating tons...look at all that walking! Tell the hubs happpy belated bday!

Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday said...

I'd love to go to Chelsea Market. Seems like you guys are having a lot of great foodie experiences in NY.

I would totally want to be on Oprah's favourite things show, obviously.

Morgan said...

I work in the TV business, so being in the audience is no biggie to me. I live it every day!!!

Glad you are having a good time...the last time I was in NYC was back in high school and I'd love to go back someday.

Kat said...

Wow, look at all those beautiful sites you are seeing! I really do love the history of ny, but I doubt I would ever go myself (I dont like crowds...lol). I would like to be on Ellen! She's so funny!

Christine @ Grub, Sweat and Cheers said...

That looks like it was the ultimate perfect day! I've been wondering where to go with the hubby for his upcoming 40th and you are making me think NY would be great...

Kyle and Darci said...

Wow, it looks like you are really taking in all NY has to offer, Letterman, Lady Liberty, all the food, how fun!!

I would have to say Oprah or Regis & Kelly!! Letterman would pri be #3!! :)

Kara @ Kara's Marathon said...

I LOVE your pictures -- seems like you really made the most of your trip to NYC! And happy birthday to your hubby!

Also, thanks for reminding me how much there is to do and see in the city; when we have visitors I never know what to do with them! It seems incredibly silly to say "there's nothing to do" when I live in one of the biggest cities in the world :)

Amber from Girl with the Red Hair said...

OMG! What a cool way to spend his birthday!! And all that food is making me drooool! Looks so delish! Haha

Jocelyn said...

oh my goodness!! It looks like you are having an amazing time!! :D Gets me pumped for one day visiting NYC!

I wanna be in the view's audience. I love that show :) But David letterman is also really cool!

Unknown said...

really glad you had a great time in my city.....most everyone who comes here loves it.

Sarah said...

That sounds like a great birthday your husband had! I think I'd like to be in Oprah's audience, if only because she gives out good give-aways. ;)

Kacy said...

Steve Carrel is an awesome guest. Cool. I'm dying to be in the audience at the Ellen Show. LOOOVE her. She's in LA though.

Alaina said...

Happy belated Birthday Chris!!! We'll have to go out and celebrate when you guys get back. Your eats have been so amazing. I am really starting to crave bagels. So awesome that you got to see Steve Carrel - he's so funny!

Anonymous said...

Oh man I get more and more excited to get back to NYC with every post - I am going to be hitting up some of these spots for sure. And the fact that you reference SATC is awesome in my book.

I would love to be in Ellen's audience, she is hilarious and the games they play crack me up.

Yelena said...

I LOVE your recap- you guys are doing it right!

I would love to be in Regis and Kelly's audience. It would rock my world!

Gosh- NY bagels are a whole different art form!

Jessica @ The Process of Healing said...

Wow I don't even know where to start!!
First, it's amazing how NYC changes in the blink of an eye! The Ground Zero site looked SO different when I was last there. I want to see the memorial when it was done! I'm also sad that I didn't go to Chelsea Market when I was there last... but I wasn't as food crazy as I am now. It's on my list of to-do's next time!!
All of your meals look awesome!!! And NYC DOES have the best bagels and cheesecake, for sure!
And that's so cool you were in Dave Letterman's audience!! I would love to see the Rachael Ray show myself!

Anonymous said...

You make me want to be in NYC right now. I am in LOVE! It looks like you both are having such a great time!

Michelle @ HER said...

The wrap looks amazing!!!

Anais said...

So, SO cool that you got to be in the audience!!!!

I think if I had to pick one it would be Oprah (even if I don`t watch it) because people always get such cool stuff!