"The City"... Newman Style!

Watching "The City" is one of my guilty pleasures! I know it is silly, with the fake reality and all, but I LOVE seeing their clothes, the socialite parties, and the trendy places they go in NYC! I have been to New York a couple times, but mainly to sightsee. When BJ surprised me with this trip for my birthday - I was ecstatic! Nothing sounded better to me - just my husband and me living the high life for a few days! ;) We got to live out our own little version of "The City"! Ha! I was sad about having to say goodbye to our sweet little Elle, but she always does great when we are away (and we are glad!) I think mini-vacations are good for us all! BJ and I are able to come back rested, and we want Elle to be able to trust others and be functional even when her parents are away!

So, BJ ended up telling me about the trip on Monday before we left on Wednesday! I think he was torn on when to tell me - he wanted me to be totally surprised (which I was!), but also give me time to get everything together. We had promised each other that we weren't going to get each other anything for our birthdays, and that we would do something special later to celebrate. Obviously, BJ didn't hold up his end of the deal! It sooo isn't fair that his birthday always comes before mine! I am always outdone!

Here are the highlights of our trip!
I really wish we had been able to get more pictures together - but it is difficult when you travel alone!

Day 1:
We arrrived at our hotel, Crown Plaza Times Square that afternoon. I would totally recommend this hotel! It is nice, and is centrally located in Manhattan - very convenient! Even better, it is beside the Hershey's store! Couldn't get any better for a girl who loves sweets! We definitely made several stops to get our sugar fix!

That evening, we went to the Gershwin to see "Wicked." Finally! I have been wanting to see this for months! It was wonderful! After the show, we went across the street to The Palm Restaurant to catch a very late dinner. We were pleasantly surprised at how excellent the food was. We are definitely going to have to try out the one in Nashville soon!

Times Square outside our hotel!

Day 2:
Three words: sleeping, shopping and U2 - it doesn't get any better this!
We slept in that morning, and it was wonderful! We have been up a lot through the night with Elle lately, so we have pretty much been walking zombies. It was so nice to get caught up on sleep! We decided to spend the day shopping on 5th Ave. We walked over to Le Parker Meridian hotel for lunch. This is an upscale hotel that has a hidden burger joint behind the check-in desk (you literally have to walk behind the curtain - crazy!) Anyone will tell you, you MUST try it! It was the best hamburger we have ever had!

Of course, a stop at FAO for Elle!

Next stop: Tiffany's!

I had been wanting to get a silver rattle for Elle since she was born. It's more fun when you get to buy it in the actual store - so glad I waited!

BJ had bought tickets several months ago for us to see U2 at Giants Stadium! I was completely floored that he had thought to do this! U2 is my absolute favorite band of all-time. Going to the concert brought back a lot of wonderful memories - the first time I saw U2 was with BJ in St. Louis just before we were engaged. Good times!

U2 - 360 Tour

It was really moving to hear U2 sing "Walk On" live in NY. I remember hearing this song so much after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and it brought back so many feelings.

Day 3:
This was our sightseeing day! We started off by taking the train to the SoHo district. This is a really neat area - lots of boutiques and restaurants! I could have spent the entire day here just looking at clothes and shoes!

We walked over to Little Italy for lunch.



BJ and me eating at LuNella in Little Italy - it was wonderful!
Can you tell yet that we love to eat - all I do is talk about food!

Busy streets of Chinatown!

We then headed down to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty.

It was a gorgeous day!

We took the train back uptown to see the World Trade Center site. You can see all of the construction for the new One World Trade Center building.
This is the view from St. Paul's Chapel across the street.


Later that night, we went over to the trendy Meatpacking District for dinner. This became one of our favorite areas to hang out in! We had a fun night at Spice Market (no celebrity sightings, but now I see why they all go here!) The atmosphere was really neat and the food was the best we had in New York.

Day 4:

Whew! We were exhausted by this point! I guess I am getting old! We decided to take it easy this day. We went to Pastis in the Meatpacking District for brunch, then headed to Macy's to shop. That evening, we ate and had another great night at Buddakan. Later, we took a taxi to the Empire State Building- too bad it rained! Oh well, it was still beautiful!

Here is the ".....the City of Blinding Lights..." that U2 sings about!

Atop the Empire State Building!

Day 5:

We had the hotel hold our bags because our flight didn't leave until later that afternoon. (I had the camera packed, so no pics - I totally regret this!) We headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then walked around Central Park until it was time to head back to the airport.

We were definitely anxious to get home to our baby girl that evening! We missed her so much! It was so fun to come home and watch her open the gifts we had gotten her in NY.

I think she and Emily are going to become good friends - they really hit it off! :)

Opening up her Tiffany's box!




Thank you BJ for the awesome trip! I can't wait to do it again! I am such a lucky girl to have a husband as thoughtful, loving, and fun as you! You are amazing! Love you!