A New York State of Mind

Christmas in NYC - Rockefeller Center

View of NYC from Top of the Rock

Em stuck in the sleet/ice storm!

Gray's Papaya

Bryant Park

Snowy Central Park

A New York state of mind is exactly what Em had when he was planning our one-year wedding anniversary. In true Emmett fashion - he had planned the perfect weekend for our anniversary. Armed with two free airline tickets and an appetite for NYC - M & Em headed out to NYC as excited as ever. The plane ride was quite uneventful - considering we were 2 out of the 10 people on board. Once we landed, we waited for our shuttle to arrive to take us to the airport. Unfortunately, one end of that conversation never got through - we ended up waiting in vain and after Em kindly (read sarcastically) told the customer service agent that we were waiting for our shuttle for an "important business meeting" - we ended up hailing a taxi and heading to our hotel the true New York way.

As soon as we got to the hotel, we checked in and layered our clothing. It was freezing and looked like it might just flurry. Boy - were we wrong. Within minutes of heading out and catching some breakfast, the wind picked up and the snow came falling down. That didn't stop us. We headed straight to Canal St. for some famous knock-off shopping. Within minutes, Meg was armed with her fake Jimmy Choo, a new scarf, a new hat and a new t-shirt. After a satisfying shopping experience, we headed back to the hotel to dry off, re-layer and got ready for round two. This time, we walked our way up to Bryant Park to check out the shops and were hoping to ice skate. Unfortunately, the rink was closed but the snowy park was beautiful and so enjoyable. The wind really started to pick up and the snow started to fall - a perfect opportunity to head to Central Park for a horse-drawn carriage ride. That was a no-go either. The weather took a turn for the worse and we were stuck in a sleet storm - our umbrella flying and our faces getting pelted with sleet and ice. That didn't stop Meg from wanting to check out the Central Park shops. We shopped til we nearly dropped (literally). After shopping left us quite hungry, we trekked to Gray's Papaya for some amazing hot dogs. They give Nathan's a run for their money! Best hot dogs ever!! However, that was quite enough for us. We headed back for wardrobe change #3 and off to dinner we went to Ellen's Stardust Diner to check out the entertainment by the wait staff who so desperately wanted to be Broadway Stars. Afterwards, we went to the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall to check out the Rockettes. After watching the Rockette show, Meg wanted so desperately to be a Rockette - they are so cool! Friday was a very fun and very snowy day.

Early on Saturday we headed back towards Central Park. After walking around a bit we were off to the famous Carnegie Deli for some sandwiches. Unfortunately we weren't the only tourists with the same idea. The line was long and are feet and hands were FROZEN! We went to Names & Faces right down the road for a nice warm, comfortable meal. We enjoyed our food and each other's company for quite awhile. Eventually we noted the time and headed to SoHo to see Stomp off-Broadway. What a fun show! We even were lucky enough to have our own commentary behind us. After every move we heard "That was awesome!" or "Awwww" for every time the "little guy" got picked on. Meg and Em had little patience for this but before we knew it the show was over and the two girls behind us were gone - thankfully! We headed back uptown afterwards for our tour at Top of the Rock and to view the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. At Top of the Rock, Meg tried to get involved in an engagement. After seeing the guy get down on one knee, Meg immediately wanted in on the action and begged Em to let her take pictures. The rational one of the couple (Em) realized it may not be a good idea and dragged Meg away before getting any pics of the couple's magical moment. Once down by the tree at Rockefeller Center, Meg got a picture of her own. She posed with an Asian Santa Clause - NYC is so diverse!! Once done with the pictures, we headed down towards the hotel for a yummy, hot steak dinner.

Sunday morning M & Em rose early to head back to DC. It was one of the best trips to NYC to date - thanks to Em and all his hard work planning such a romantic weekend!