Sorry for such a delay everyone… time and internet access has been limited. But alas! Here you go!
Finally, we arrive in New York City! Immediately, we were greeted with taxis honking, too many people, cigarette smoke, and jack hammers attacking concrete. Our temporary home was at Steven’s (Veronica’s high school friend) place on 39th/5th. It was adjacent to the Empire State Building.
Day One
Having flown from Seattle, the first night we were both pretty zonked and disoriented. But despite our exhaustion, we decided we were going to have REAL pizza for a late dinner. Originally we were going to eat at this one place, but a cooky crack head warned us of the cockroaches, and rats in the restaurant. So, we kept walking. We ended up at this little shop not too far away, and ordered a gigantic pie of cheesy goodness. We spent the rest of the night on the rooftop of Steven’s apartment hanging out, eating pizza, and just talking about the places we’ve been on this journey, and how lucky we are to have gotten to experience as much as we have already.
Day 2
The next began with pizza. A perfect way to start the day, if you ask me! Then we hit the streets, going into all kinds of fun stores, one of them being Saks Fifth Avenue, on 5th Avenue. Veronica and I explored all NINE floors of the latest high end fashions. I saw a ton of leggings, with long shirts, with even longer vests on top of them, and then complimented with heels. Lots of darker colors especially the colors black, and slate (translation for boys reading this… slate=dark grey).
Then we kept walking and made it to one of my childhood favorites… FAO Schwartz. The store was filled with stuffed animals, larger than life Lego characters, dolls, games, and one bad to the bone candy store. My dentist will be getting an incredible raise in his salary because Veronica and I left with over forty dollars worth of candy! Yes, we ate it all.
Happiness
After eating our body weight in gummy bears, we walked all around Central Park. I remember my parents taking my siblings and I as kids. It was fun to see that NYC has done such a nice job keeping that park in beautiful condition, and that so many people were still enjoying the park.
A few miles later we ended up at The American Museum of Natural History. The last time I had been there, my dad had taken me when I was about 10 years old. My dad and I went to see the (at the time) main attraction: the dinosaur exhibit. When Veronica and I made it to that part of AMNH, it was even better than I remembered it. I couldn’t take enough pictures. The Brontosaurus was gigantic! We meandered around several other parts of the museum, and looked at artwork, artifacts, etc. It is impossible to leave a place like that without your brain going a million miles per hour.
Bronto
As we walked back towards Steven’s apt we went into the Apple store. Holy cow. It was like being at Macy’s at 6am on Black Friday. Tons of people were packed in this geeky-chic store to play with all of the Apple paraphernalia you could dream of.
We continued walking down 5th, and a little something caught our eye. A sparkle. We proceeded to walk through the large doors of Tiffany’s. I found a potential engagement ring; it was a modest $71,000. Considering Veronica fell in love with one that was $115,000, I thought I did pretty good. Mom would have been proud!
The paparazzi was out that day taking pictures outside of Tommy Hilfiger… some famous blonde chick was surrounded by what looked like the linebackers from the Packers. I got a picture of the back of her head. Cool?
Blonde Celeb
We made it back to Steven’s and decided to take a cat nap before we went back out. Well, we totally lost that battle, and we didn’t wake up until the next day! Don’t worry… we more than made up for it.
Day 3
Figuring that we needed proper nourishment for our plans that day, we kicked off the day with pizza. Then we headed out in our sneakers, “I <3 NY” tees, and our infamous neon sunglasses… we wore our tourist outfits with pride. We made it to Staten Island with every intention of climbing to the crown of the Statue of Liberty… our plans were abruptly changed when we were told that they were booked until January. FAIL.
Our next destination was chilling. We went to Ground Zero. The construction workers were out still working on the foundation of what will be a bigger, and better structure than before. I still can’t believe 9/11 was 8 years ago. There were countless American flags waving through the air in that area. Being right there brought out a such a strong sense of pride I have for America, and what this country stands for.
Ground Zero
The walking around we had done revved up our appetites so we pop into a bagel shop. Oh lord, do I love a good bagel. It was delicious. The north has much better bagels.
Once we were refueled, we headed over to Seaport. It was a really fun area with shops, exhibits, and music. We grabbed some discounted tickets for a Broadway show at TKTS, and then made our way through China Town to get to Little Italy.
After getting lost in China, we finally made it to Italy! And by golly, they were having a huge festival because Veronica and I were in town! Ok. Maybe not. But there was a festival! It was the San Gennaro Festival. Great food lined Mulberry Street which was completely blocked off. I texted my dad immediately and asked him if he could recommend a place for Veronica and I to eat… he said to find the restaurant with cars with tinted windows in the front, to ensure that we would be served by the mafia. So we did. We ate at Amici II… it was amazing. Because Veronica and I are ladies, we got to eat inside of the restaurant in the air conditioning. My meal consisted of prosciutto and melon, and gnocchi al pesto. Our server, Gino was a charismatic flirt, calling us “bellas,” and blowing us kisses. After lunch we grabbed some gelato from another vender… YUM. It’s a funny thing to fall in love with a country you’ve never been to.
Delish!
After stuffing ourselves silly (noticing the trend, eh?), we went to Broadway and saw Phantom of the Opera. What a performance! The singing ability was outrageously great. Having the live music made the show feel like a concert at some parts- heck yea! The set was mind blowing… it was so complex, and every inch of the stage was used appropriately. I loved it!
On our way to see Phantom!
Later that night we went out with Steven started off at the Village Tavern, a crammed bar with hockey games on TVs larger than refrigerators. After that we went to Naked Lunch. It was a trendy setting, the DJ played current hits that people could dance to (if they could find room to that is). A couple of really friendly Italian looking guys started talking to me. I noticed they were dressed in sharp looking suits, and that there were TONS of them scattered about, inside and outside the bar. It was the mafia (other events occurred that proved this, but it wasn’t appropriate enough to post online, sorry!). They fell in love with me, and bought me drinks the entire night. Thanks Mikey, Larry, and Eric!
I also met another one of Veronica’s friends, Simba. He was such a blast, a life-of-the-party personality. Good times, great people.
On our way home we decided to get some McDonald’s. I ordered about 10 burgers. Oh the logic we lack after having cocktails!
Day 4
Due to the long night of partying we did before, we had a little bit of a late start. But we met one of Veronica’s friends, Charles, at this Mexican place called Dos Cominos, for some good ol’ hangover grub! After our Mexican feast, we walked around getting quite the tour from Charles.
Leading the way, Charles to us to Rockefeller. We rode the elevator to the very top to be treated to a spectacular view of the city. Unlike being on the streets of the city, it was so peaceful up there. I overhead one guy talk about how he often goes up “the rock,” when he is in need of some quiet time.
On top of THE ROCK!
We strolled into St. Patrick’s Catherdral. It was the most magnificent church I have ever been in. Wow!
St. Patrick's
After getting our scenic fill we went to The Museum of Modern Art (aka MOMA). The main exhibit was Monet’s “Water Lilies.” The museum was enormous, and was filled with incredible art. There were paintings, sculptures, sound clips, etc. I left feeling more excited than ever to pick up my brushes again, once I get home.
Love it!
Back to the apartment we went to do some primping, and then out to The Grey Dog. There we ate phenomenal sandwiches (mine was brie, turkey, lettuce, tomato, raspberry mustard), and cookies the size of plates. Funky coffee music filled our ears. It was very “Dana.”
HUGE cookies!
From Grey Dogs, we went to the “Athens Bar,” Firefly. For those of you who don’t know… Veronica went to the University of Georgia, and she follows their football team religiously. This bar is where every fan of UGA turns up to watch the game. I loved being a “dawg,” for the night! The school spirit was fantastic. I still don’t “get” football, but I had fun screaming when everyone else did!
Hope you bet the dawgs would win- b/c they did! Whoo Hoo!
We intended on getting back to the apartment after the game… but we were easily persuaded to stay out. So we (Me, Veronica, Charles, and Simba) went to this dance club. Every freak of nature in the city had showed up! There was a flamboyant guy there who danced EVERY step to Beyonce’s “Single Lady.” He also spun on his head for 10 minutes. He could break it down! There was a girl who was at least 5’11 with a MASCOT HEAD (of a dog) on her head. On top of that… she was dancing with a really short guy. When she tried to make out with the guy with the mascot head on, we decided to leave.
Head Spinner and I
I wasn't making it up.
Charles then took us to this quirky, underground bar, Home Sweet Home. The entire night the DJ played fun, old music like “Wully Bully, I Would Walk 500 Miles, Shake that Booty, etc.” The four of us danced our tails off until the bar closed at 4am. It was one of the best nights of my life. It was so fun to be nutty and let loose on the dance floor. We got back to the apartment, and then took a half hour power nap, and then we were off for our early flight to Buffalo!
Day 5- BUFFALO
We were picked up from the airport by Mr. and Mrs. Rosner, Veronica’s “younger sister’s” grandparents from the Miss America Organization. They are proud Buffalo residents, and one of the cutest couples I’ve ever met. They were waiting for us with a welcome sign, and these crafty roses (state flower!). On top of that, Mr. Rosner is an avid photographer, and documented every adventure we went on in B-Lo!
The first Buffalo experience we were treated to was a hot dog from Ted’s! Hot dogs are one of my favorite foods, so needless to say, I was pumped! I had a 100% Beef hot dog with mustard, relish, and pickles… it was so yummy! For desert, we went next door to Anderson’s… I had fresh vanilla custard with rainbow sprinkles. Mmm!
Yummmmm
We hop back in the minivan and we head over to Niagara. As we drive towards the waterfalls, we see smoke leaking into the sky. The “smoke,” was actually “spray” from the waterfalls! We got to Niagara, and Veronica and I practically sprint out of the van because we were so excited to see the waterfalls. We stopped dead in our tracks, and our jaws hit the ground when we saw them. It was one of the most breathtaking sites I’ve ever seen. The falls were so wide, loud, and powerful! It was easy to see why Niagara is one of the seven wonders of the world.
After taking 1234789247892357283947923 pictures of the waterfalls, we decided to go on the Maid of the Mist. This was a boat that took you very close to the waterfalls, giving you an up close and personal view from the bottom. As we got closer and closer, the “mist,” turned into more of a torrential downpour… the so called “mist” was coming down so hard and fast you couldn’t even see! Although we had ponchos, we were soaked by the time the 20 minute boat ride was done! But the water felt great on the 75 degree-not a cloud in the sky-day!
After we cooled off in the mist, we decided to experience the Cave of the Winds. We were given a poncho, goofy light-weight sandals, and plastic bags to keep our sneakers/purses dry. We put on our gear, and walked the path that brought us up the side of the waterfall. The waterfall splashed all over the path, soaking us! Then it got really crazy when water flew over the “hurricane deck.”
To take a break from the water, we walked over to Canada and walked through Clifton Hill. (PS-It was the first time I got to really use my passport- YAY!) It was like walking through a really awesome carnival: candy shops, fun restaurants, putt-putt, a celebrity wax museum, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, etc.
On our way out we took a stop to look at the waterfalls from the Canadian point of view… there you could “face” the waterfalls.
All of that walking worked up our appetites, so we went out for BUFFALO wings for dinner number one. We went where it all started, Frank and Teresa’s Anchor Bar. We ordered mild wings with a side of hot sauce. I am not a huge fan of spicy food (Arby’s BBQ sauce makes my eyes water)… but I decided to be brave and to try the hot sauce, and so I carefully dipped a small amount of hot sauce on a wing. I couldn’t taste it. I tried again, this time with more hot sauce… again, I STILL couldn’t taste it. I finally ended up basically marinating my wings in the hot sauce, and I LOVED them. It was a monumental event for me… the first spicy food I have ever enjoyed. Yes! My taste buds are finally evolving!
Evidence
Giving our stomachs a chance to digest, we went over to this park that overlooked the Eerie Canal Basin. The sunset was picture perfect, and the silhouettes of the boats, and the lighthouse made the sky look even brighter. The park itself had flowers,gardens, places to picnic and hang out. One of the cool things there were the giant sculptures, each made out of a tree over 100 years old! Before we left that area, we climbed up a tower-like-structure for an even better view.
Gorgeous
Just driving down through downtown Buffalo was a really cool experience because of all of the stunning architecture that decorated the city.
Mr. and Mrs. Rosner then announced it was time for dinner number two… “beef on wecks.” We drive to a pub to try this signature Buffalo sandwich. It consisted of roast beef, on a rye roll with LOTS of thick pieces of salt on top of it. People usually put horse radish or au jour on it… I opted to go with the horse radish (which I think had some mustard mixed in with it). Having already eaten dinner, I was only able to muscle down half of the sandwich. Boy, our stomachs were certainly getting quite the work out!
Beef on Weck
Before we head back to the Rosner’s to go to bed, we went to a little convenience store so I could buy a lottery ticket (at the request of my mom… she thinks I’m lucky… and she is right!). There we met a really nutty Buffalonian who we chatted with. She ended up wanting to take a picture with Veronica when she found out Veronica was a beauty queen…and of course Veronica obliged. It was pretty silly.
The hospitality that the Rosner’s gave us was remarkable. I felt like they took us in as though we were their own. They drove us everywhere, gave us a place to stay, and fed us EVERYTHING… they even got up extra early to make us fresh waffles for breakfast before we left for the airport. As we were departing, we told the Rosner’s that they should come to Richmond, so we could return the favor. I really hope they do!
……
Veronica and I felt and still feel so grateful for the Rosner’s, and everyone else who has helped us with this journey. We are so lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives.
