New York, New York

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I have mentioned it a few times on twitter and maybe even on some recent blog posts, but I wanted to share about my upcoming trip to NYC! It all started 3 weeks ago when I was out with my friend Emily and we were talking about how she has never been to New York City! We started talking about how much fun it would be to go over my birthday weekend but both never really thought the trip would actually come to fruition. We kept discussing the possibility and after a few days decided that we really wanted to try and make the trip happen! We are both young and single and decided that this is one of the only times in our lives when we can just pick up and fly to NYC for a weekend. We mentioned the trip to some of our coworkers and now there are 2 other girls that are flying up for the weekend too! So much fun! Out of the 4 of us, 2 have been to the city but 2 have not, so I have been trying to come up with a list of must do things. I thought I would share about my favorite NYC spots and even about some that I will be checking out for the first time on this trip.

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Hands down, my favorite sweet treat in New York is the frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity III. Oh my word it is sooooo good. Whenever someone asks me where I like to go in New York, this is always on my list. I will say that I have eaten lunch here a few times and have never really been too impressed by the food, but the dessert is always heavenly. I have a feeling this is going to be a great cool down treat one afternoon.

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When I was little my family went to New York and I remember taking the ferry over to Ellis Island. However, I don't really remember actually going to the island that the Statue of Liberty sits on. One of the girls that has never been to NYC mentioned that she would really like to take the ferry over and see the statue. I think it will be a really neat experience. On top of that, I have heard the view of the city from the ferry is so pretty, and at $12 it is a great bargain (relative to other NYC attractions).

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Of course if I am going to be in NYC I have to see a show! We are going on this trip on a major budget, so we plan on getting our show tickets at the TKTS booth in times square. Are you familiar with the booth? The box offices bring over any leftover tickets and then the sell them on the day of the performance at the TKTS booth. They are often discounted up to 50%! The catch is that you don't know what shows they are going to have until you get to the booth window. You can however look at their website and it gives you a list of shows that have been at the booth over the past few weeks. So if a show is consistently there, you can pretty much bet you will be able to get discounted tickets. The only show that they never really have is Wicked, which comes as no surprise because it is so popular and always sells out. I have been researching the shows and think Promises, Promises looks really cute! It is a musical comedy and has 2 HUGE names in it, Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes. I have my fingers crossed that we will be able to get some inexpensive seats!

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Another great sweet stop is the Magnolia Bakery! I first learned about the bakery on an episode of Sex and the City where 2 of the girls got a cupcake and sat outside the bakery to eat it. I swear that it is the best cupcake you will ever put in your mouth! My mouth is watering just looking at the picture. I also really like to stop by Crumbs bakery and grab a cupcake there too!

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THIS is probably what I am most excited about! If you know me well, you know that I love to dance and I love 80's music. I swear if you don't like to dance to some good 80's music then something is seriously wrong with you. I kid, I kid, but I really do love it! So it is the perfect spot to spend the actual day of my birthday. The Awesome 80's Prom is an interactive off broadway show that you get dressed up in full 80's gear for! I actually have a prom dress from the 80's that I borrowed from one of my high school teachers to wear. I am also equipped with turquoise eye shadow, hot pink lipstick, huge earrings and of course jelly bracelets. You go to the show to dance and interact with the cast. The cast is complete with the captain of the football team, principal, math teacher, foreign exchange student, etc... I will be sure to take plenty of pictures, I have a sneaking suspicion they will be entertaining :)

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Times Square is always a spot that I look forward to taking a first time NYC visitor. It is one of those things that you always see on tv, so it is crazy to see it in person! I think it is hard to understand how it is set up and how big it is when you just see it on tv. This picture is actually outdated because they have now blocked it off to all car traffic and made it primarily pedestrian. It gives it a really neat feeling with everyone walking around. This is also where the TKTS booth is located, so we will be spending lots of time there!

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And a blog post about NYC would not be complete without mentioning Central Park. It is almost a surreal feeling when you get to the park because you have spent your whole day surrounded by skyscrapers and traffic. Getting to the park is a welcomed quiet time. You almost forget you and in the center of bustling city.

So that is my list of hotspots! Of course we will be eating some great food and visiting of the unique little neighborhoods. I would love to be able to blog about this trip the same way I did for the Savannah trip, but it all depends on how much time I have. Rest assured though, I will take plenty of pictures and will blog about it when I get home.