Take me out to the ball game....

Carl and I took a last minute trip to NY to watch Game 1 of the World Series a couple of weeks back... I know, odd, right? We were only therefor 24 hours and I have to say it may have been one of my favorite vacations of all time!

I jotted down notes in the car ride to the airport on the way home in hopes of remembering all of the fabulous things I wanted to include in this post. I wish I had a writer I could employ to narrate this post, as I KNOW I will not do it justice.

To start, I want to give a big shout out to Nana and Da, as they kept the monkey basically for 3 days straight. Thank you so much for letting us take advantage of this opportunity and some much needed Mama and Daddy time!

We started early Wednesday morning, leaving the house with a shared bag and coats in hand, we were traveling light but prepared. The airplane had wi-fi!!! YES!!! Not sure why that excites me so much, but it does. Carl had bought us one of those cameras with the views on both sides, so we practiced using it for self portraits on the plane. It is a really cool camera for trips.

When we landed, we followed the masses to the ground transportation and hopped in the car. I heard Carl tell one of his brokers "I will never again complain about Dallas traffic", I adopted that view as I was praying for our safety. Literally cars would swipe each other within inches. And although we were crawling at a snails pace, I think I held my breath the entire time.

The views coming into the city were less than spectacular due to the clouds and rainy weather, but luckily cleared up later that night. The hotel was awesome, we stayed at "The London" which is where Gordon Ramsey is the head chef. We only packed jeans as we were not going to have time for dinner, but next time! It was very swanky and modern; we were on the 43rd floor, so we had a great view.

One of Carl's friends loaned us a 'walking tour' book of NYC. BEST thing that could have happened to us, this was a lifesaver and I will always get one of these going forward. We had, of course, scoured that thing front to back on the plane ride trying to figure out what all we wanted to do in our short time.

No time to waste, we freshened up and headed down for some lunch. We were determined to try all the authentic foods we could (or at least the ones we see on the Food Network). As luck would have it, there was a restaurant right across the street that had been featured in one of the Food TV shows. The restaurant was called "The Stage". NY has HUGE proportions, and a price to go along with it. After eating less than half our sandwiches, we HAD to get a slice of NY cheesecake. Good stuff.

Our hotel was on 54th street between 6th and 7th, we only had a little time before we needed to hit the subway for the game, so we walked to the famous shopping on 5th avenue. It was raining so we had to stop at one of the many corner stores and buy umbrellas. Having an umbrella opened up a whole new dimension to a city that walks everywhere.... Carl is pretty sure I poked several eyes out on our walk, but I was just tying to flow with the crowd. I actually liked having the umbrellas as it gave me a sense of personal space! The only shopping we did was at F.A.O. Schwartz for a Mickey Mouse and a Polar Bear for John (two big hits in our house right now). And I had to stop at a news stand, because I felt like that was what I should do. I bought Mentos. Carl thought this was really weird.

After realizing I had forgotten my license (shout out to Lindsey Marino!), we ran up to the hotel and then to the subway. The subway was JUST like the movies; EVERYTHING was just like the movies, everywhere we went I could see a scene in a movie, I discovered I am more star struck than I would like to admit.

Sorry for the side note... on to the subway story.... Of all the things I was looking forward to, riding on the subway was high on my list! Everyone on the subway was either sleeping, reading, listening to headphones or eating (nasty!). I am SURE we stood out like sore thumb to the locals, I could not quit smiling, and I don't know why!

We got to Yankee stadium SUPER early due to the fear of the unknown and public transportation, etc. This is the first world series played in the new stadium, so it was cool to be at this game. First thing we did was buy a hot dog and a beer, yep, cliche, I know. It was not very good and we had high expectations.

The atmosphere at the game was incredible, I don't know if it was the people, the ballpark, the energy, or what, I can't quite describe why or how, it just was amazing. I of course choked back the tears during the National Anthem. It was cold, but not unbearable. A very heavy mist stated during the game, but luckily we were under the overhang, so we stayed dry.

It was really cool to me to be in the same company as A-Rod (we are tight like that), Kate Hudson, Mathew McConeghy, The First and Second Ladies, Yogi Berra, Derek Jeter and many more I am sure. Our seats were great, 2nd section above the Phillies batters box. Unfortunately the Yankees lost that game, but went on to win the 2009 World Series.

During the game we tried another hot dog and some fries, everything was disappointing expect for the beer. :)

We left the game and headed for the subway, which was a MUCH different experience this time. It was shoulder to shoulder, literally. We followed the masses and shoved our way into a subway car. Only to discover we really did not know what stop we wanted. As people started to get off at all the stops, I started to get a little nervous. Luckily we asked this lady JUST in time and got off at the right stop.

It was late, but we were determined to see the city that never sleeps. We went to Times Square (still hoping at 2:00 in the morning). We stopped and got some "street meat" from a sidewalk vendor - BEST hot dog, finally! Walking around the city at night was again, just like the movies, with the weirdo people, the steam coming from the man hole covers, the subway rattling underneath you, the lights, etc. We jumped in a horse drawn carriage and went for a ride around the area. One thing that I was surprised by was the amount of trash bags in the street. The trash must come every day and at very odd hours. The sheer volume was incredible. I tried to take pictures, but I was not familiar with the flash on the camera so they did not turn out well. The horse took us right to our hotel.

We set the alarm for 7am (WHAT?!?!?). There was still so much to see. Quick shower and off to the subway again - we had no idea and no masses to follow this time. We asked a couple of people, but decided to basically guess, so we did, and without getting into details, I am pretty sure we were lost and on the wrong trains, but in the end we made it to the Financial District.

We saw the Statue of Liberty from a far (no time for the fairy) and then walked down Wall Street, this was super cool to me. Street vendor coffee and donuts (again, we wanted the full experience!) got us through the morning. We walked and walked and walked. We saw the site of the World Trade Centers, which right now just looks like a big construction site. As we were taking pictures, the wall that Carl was leaning against started to open - it was a fire station and the truck was coming back. The side of the truck and the names of the firefighters lost on 09/11, there were a lot and it was very surreal knowing that some of those very men that we saw could have experienced the tragedy first hand. We also saw a Best Buy commercial being filmed in City Hall Park. Another thing that stood out to me was the grave yards that are smack dab in the center of the concrete jungle. It makes you remember how old this place really is!

On to the next "big city" experience - we hailed a cab (hee hee) and went back down to Rockefeller Center. I wanted to be on The Today Show!!! Unfortunately we had missed the main news time, so they were not outside anymore, but I think we were on TV through the windows. We walked back up 6th street, saw the NY Invesco office, grabbed some lunch, and then back to the hotel and then the airport.

Other things I learned and/or loved about New York

- In a city where walking is one of the main forms of transportation, they should have rules of pedestrianism posted somewhere (if they don't exist, they should!). You must have a death wish if you try crossing the street at the wrong time, walking against the crowd or walking too close the subway tracks - talk about SCARY!

- Rain boots can be very stylish and come in a variety of colors and designs.

- Tights with long shirts, short dresses or skirts and boots are in this season.

- The "GP" (general public) in New York is very different than the midwest. People are not mean, but they are not nice either. Also very international.

- I would be in GREAT shape if I lived in NY, my body hurt from all the walking.

- There is SO much to do in NY and I can not wait to go back!