Love, Friends and Everything Else New York

Love, love was in the air in New York City as Tom and I celebrated fifteen years of marriage; the highs and the lows, the ups and the downs and all the adventures in between; needless to say the good times far outweigh the bad times and I feel lucky to call him my husband.

So how did we celebrate, well in true New York fashion of course! Tom surprised me with tickets to Wicked at Gershwin Theatre, not knowing where we were going until coming up upon the theatre, I was just told how to dress, and eager to see what he had planned and ecstatic once I knew; the show was phenomenal and the music spectacular! Then finishing off our anniversary at the most romantic place in New York City, The Boathouse in Central Park for dinner, it was a dream and I truly felt like a queen in a fairy-tale and I can't wait to see what the next fifty years holds for us! 

So what else makes New York great? Friends, we have a bunch of friends in and around the city that truly made our trip here phenomenal! Honestly, Heather and her adventures were a dream and I am seriously missing them now that we are in Philly, I have contemplated driving back to Brooklyn and kidnapping her for a day or two. I am going through her friendship withdrawals! But we also, got to catch up with so many others that we haven’t seen in ages the Dolan’s, our college friends Jed and Clark and brunch with Tom's boss, Whynde. 

The Adorable Herky

The Dolan’s I mentioned in prior post, they were kind enough to save us from the parking game and let us utilize their driveway for the month of May and then on top of that, Aaron and Anne had us out to New Jersey for a BBQ over Memorial Day weekend. We had such a great time catching up with them, reminiscing about life before they left Salt Lake and all that has had happened since, not to mention their kids have grown like weeds; I wouldn't have recognized them if they weren't spitting images of their parents! Plus Ethel got to meet their dog, Herky, and while they both just ignored each other, Ethel was beyond joy with the idea of being off a leash and having a yard to roam; seriously after being held captive by a leash and concrete, freedom to roam and grass on her belly where just what the pup needed to give her back a little bit of normalcy!

Tom and Aaron

Our college friend Jed and his husband Ben, hosted us for a delicious dinner one night and even invited Miss Ethel to come along. It was a perfect evening; great food, wonderful company and the best part, just catching up on all the important life events that have happened over the years; from the good ol’ Cedar City days to current day life; the success and the happiness of where we all are now. Plus we finally got to meet Ben, who is a perfect match to the charismatic Jed! It was such a great night and we were overjoyed that we got to hang out with them both, seriously, a New York trip wouldn't have been complete without seeing them!

The Guggenheim

Now I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Clark, life kept getting in the way as it sometimes does; however Tom did make it out to Brooklyn for a “man” night and was able to meet up with Clark for a bit before catching up with Willy for concoction of booze and good times. The booze I am only aware of because I saw the state of Tom when he came home, and from the looks of him, they had a fabulous time! So thank you Willy and Clark for showing Tom a great time and giving him a much needed guy’s night out!

China Town

Friends and meeting up with those from our past were the most important part of our trip this time around and although we did do some touristy things, for the most part we avoided the regular places we've seen numerous time. Times Square, Rockefeller Center, The Empire State Building and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral weren't really on the list this time; we really just wanted to see a more local aspect of the city, which I feel was accomplished. Although I still got to throw in some touristy fun by visiting the Morgan Library and New York City Public Library, you know if books are involved, I will be somewhere near the premises. Plus the Guggenheim, even though it tends to give me a bit of vertigo once at the top and looking down, is still worth the price of admission, especially when while you’re there and an exceptionally kind gentleman lets you know that in his opinion you are out shining the art; he might have been my most favorite New Yorker! Plus one must take a stroll through China Town, Little Italy and then be introduced to Knish by the best city guide ever, Heather! So thank you to all of our friends who made our trip to New York a success and kept me sane through all the craziness of adapting to full on city life!

The Guggenheim

City life was amazing and having access to fruit stands, fresh flowers and wine stores at every corner while awesome, was a bit overwhelming at times. Ethel hated it! She had to learn that concrete was an appropriate place to use the restroom, the copious amounts of people she wasn't really a fan of and not to mention all the sounds took quite a bit of adjusting for her; needless to say, Ethel is not a city dog! For me, the smells and the garbage were a bit rough, in fact I think NOLA was cleaner than the streets of New York, which is saying a lot; I never once saw a rat in New Orleans, but saw way more than I ever wish I’d seen in New York. Living in an apartment in the city was an entirely new side of New York than staying in a hotel in Time’s Square and while I agree there is no place like New York, it didn't quite win me over like I thought it would; I was prepared to visit this city and be all “This Is The Place” for us, but I was left wanting, now maybe if they can remedy the trash solution, I'll change my tune!

Little Italy

It wasn't all negative though, there are definitely some things that New York provides that a girl could really become accustomed to. Take Seamless for instance, we could literally have food, any type of food, delivered to our apartment; you want a sandwich from the deli, they can deliver that, you want scrambled eggs for breakfast, that can be arranged too. I would literally never have to cook again if we lived in New York! All in all New York gets a bad wrap, but in all honesty, I actually felt safer walking the streets of New York at all hours of the night than I ever would in Utah, people are up and around 24/7 in this city and I never once was concerned for safety, even when I would take Ethel out for her four o' clock in the morning restroom break; sorry Utah, but New York wins for making a girl feel safe, hands down!

The Morgan Library

Thank you New York for letting us see a  new side to you, for all the friends that we were able to catch up with, for the amazing memories and for celebrating life and love! You will be missed, especially the banana pudding from Magnolia's!