The City that never sleeps

First the pictures....then the stories. This is the view from the rooftop garden of the Surrey Hotel....76th & Madison. Loved our stay there.

This is a picture (of a picture) of Adam Richman from Man Vs. Food. Love the show! We found this at Katz's Deli in the lower east side

Playing tambourine for the Harlem Gospel Choir

The Clinton St. Bakery

Best pancakes in the free world: Clinton St. Bakery

Times Square: Like no other place on earth

Sardi's Restaurant

Where do I even begin?

The plan: Mom and dad come babysit, Todd and Sae get a weekend away for an anniversary trip. We do it big time: Big hotel (rated #3 in NY and I got buy 2 nights, get one free...all with amex points)...first class flight (points!:) Shows, and adventure. All days and nights were planned, printed, and paid for and I even felt like I got away with a little something with the deals we got.

My mom and dad arrived on Thursday night and got the run down on the Bean and Biscuit's schedules, etc. I typed it all out, and we had a "briefing" which included a signed "addendum" that stated: "If anything should happen to us (me and Todd) our kids will be raised right there in Texas with their cousins....with help from Grands, aunts, & uncles". After all, we were both getting on a plane-just making sure everyone knew the drill.

Friday, we got up at the crank and headed to the airport. Upon arriving, after trying to check in, we learned our reservation was for...THURSDAY. Today was Friday, so this would just not do. With pressure RADIATING from my husband, I made a quick call to American Express Travel, and we were on another plane within 30 minutes. Y'all would be so proud...I didn't loose my cool, just handled it and went about my merry way. Needless to say, there will be some fighting to do with Amex Travel, but fiddle dee dee....I'll deal with that tomorrow.

We arrived in NY, hopped in a car, and headed for the big city. After checking in to the Surrey, a beautifully redone hotel, we met our door man, "Big Chris". He was awesome, and led us to Del Pappa's Pizza to get a real live NY Slice. The kind you have to fold to eat. It was DELICIOUS.

We hurried home to shower and get ready because our show, La Cage Au Folles, started at 8 which meant our reservations at Sardi's were at 6.

I am happy to announce I wore my rehearsal dinner dress...something I haven't been able to fit my pregnant booty into in 3 years. Let the magic ensue.

We got to Sardi's and it was so fun to see all the caricatures I'd heard about since I was a little girl. I'd always wanted to see them all, and here they were. Whoopi, Michael Douglass, Goldie Hawn, and countless, thousands of others.

In our little corner, we learned we were seated next to 2 more sets of Texans. One, an old oil man, and the other, a trainer for Estee Lauder. I asked her if she knew my friend from Saks, Alyssa, and she DID! HOW RANDOM?!!! As it turns out, Alyssa is 6 months pregnant with her first baby, a boy names Hudson. Love it. I texted her to confirm this girl wasn't nuts. Turns out, she was nuts, but she was dead on about the baby boy. Yay!!

We treated ourselves to sweets, then ran to the Longacre Theatre for La Cage, starring none other than Kelsey Grammer. We had no clue what the show was about and were in for a real treat.

It takes place in San Tropez (a place we went on our honeymoon) and is about a cabaret, two old homosexuals, and their straight son, who is getting engaged. Riotous scenes play out, as they have to meet the fiance's parents, very conservative and against cabarets. It was HYSTERICAL and while the subject matter was....off kilter, let's say....Todd admitted it was one of the best acted/danced/sung shows he's seen.

After the show, we walked around Times Square because let's face it... you HAVE TO. It's like being Alice in Wonderland. The lights, the horns, the people...it's magical and simply must be experienced. There is no place like it in the entire world.

We hopped in a cab, and headed to Chelsea where we had one drink and went home to crash.

Saturday, we got up, threw on our work out clothes, and headed off to find adventure, and the world's best pancakes. Clinton St. Bakery, on the lower east side was our destination. While I was pregnant with Carolina, we watched Throwdown with Bobby Flay one night and I was literally DYING to have these blueberry pancakes. I wanted them so badly that Giz even tried to have them mailed to me....to no adieu.

We arrived and the wait for a table was an hour and a half. No problem for adventurers. I marched up to the counter and said "two large coffees and two stacks of blueberry pancakes to go, please". 10 minutes later we were eating our cakes on a bench outside and across the street....watching all the other peeps wait in line.

To say these were the best pancakes on earth is to understate it completely. The syrup wasn't even syrup. It wasn't even sticky...it was like butterscotch. The pancakes, lighter than air. Mmmm....unbeatable and well worth the wait.

To walk off this fattening feast, we headed down Houston St. where we accidentally ran into the original Katz's Deli. Adam from Man Vs. Food had been there, so naturally, I had to go in. We saw his picture, along with the most delicious looking sammies you've ever seen. Mad that we were full, we headed on to find China town.

We went on to walk through China town, NOLITA, Little Italy, and SOHO. Soho was amazingly cute and hip, and world cup soccer was all the rage in the open air pubs. After working up a thirst from trying on clothes at Kate Spade (just for fun) we had ourselves a brew with the world cup crowd. England was playing the US and everyone there had an opinion....

After a call to check on the babies, we decided to keep walking....all the way to the World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty, and the NYSE.

Whew...the trade center site was really something. Moving. Heart breaking. Amazing. I will suffice it to say that the American spirit cannot be broken, and leave it at that.

4 trips to NY and I finally got to see Lady Liberty. We grabbed a real NY hot dog to commemorate the event....and decided the water taxi was not for us. We could see plenty of her from ashore.

On to the Financial District. The NYSE was awesome, though it was a Saturday and there wasn't much buzz. We walked into Tiffany's (because we had to) and on to Rockefeller Center to the Brassiere where we ate lunch last time we were there. I'm telling you....that is the best hamburger in NYC. Swear it.

Now we were exhausted. We decided to walk off the burger and walk all the way to our hotel, which we did, and took a nice nap to reward ourselves.

After a shower and fresh clothes, we headed out for our night on the town. The Meatpacking district, known for it's hip clubs, stores, and crowd was our destination. I had (upon the suggestion of Unt V) made reservations at Pastis and I am so glad I did. The scallops were the best I've ever eaten in my life. The place was super charming and the people watching was superb.

After dinner and several drinks, we walked and accidentally found Hogs and Heifers. This legend simply had to be visited. There were at least 4,000 bras hanging above the bar, and the bartenders (think Coyote Ugly) called out every fool inside. And you thought NY cab drivers had mouths....whoa. It was a hoot to say the least.

After that, we headed to find the Jane hotel bar, only to find it had been rented for a private party. So, on to the Standard. The DJ was playing old school tunes and the drinks were flowing. This is where we ended our night, a happy happy fun time.

Apparently I was far more "over served" than I'd thought. NYC will do that to ya. Thank goodness for hubby....he reigned me in.

Sunday, off to St. Patrick's cathedral for church. Todd was asked to take collection and he did, the star of the show, my little angel. How special! After church we headed to the Waldorf for a cup of coffee. There we saw a guy on the piano (just jumped on there and started playing!)....come to find out, he was proposing to his girlfriend! Everyone was clapping and cheering and (me) crying. What a wonderful thing to see.

Off we went to BB King's Blues Grill...right on the corner of Cheesy and Tourist trap streets. Todd was not amused, but let's face it...I wasn't there to see the place or the people. I was there to see the Harlem Gospel Choir. We told them it was our anniversary and got to sit in a private booth off to the side. The brunch was buffet style and after eating, the show began. It was great!!!

After a while, they asked "any birthdays in the house?". Naturally, I raised my hand high, looked at Todd with a "what are you gonna do?" look and made my way to the stage. "Get on up there, don't be shy" said one of the singers. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not shy...matter of fact, do you mind if I hold your tambourine?" And hold it I did. And shook it, along with my derriere, right along side the World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir. Can I get an AMEN?

After the show, we headed back to NOLITA to the Tory Burch store, where hubby treated me to a dress. We were caught in the rain, and ran to Little Italy for some shelter, a glass of wine, and calamari. Now I know why people don't wear white pants in NYC.

We walked and walked and walked some more, taking in NYU, and other places yet to be seen. Exhausted, we headed back to the Surrey for Todd's very first "fat girl's paradise".

The Tonys were taking place right where we were....and it was fun to watch them in our PJ's, order room service, and avoid the crowd in Times Square. To top it off, La Cage won 2 Tonys, putting the icing on our NY cake.

We flew home Monday morning, with a slight delay when I lost my I.D. only to find it in my pocket (ahem) and here we are back in Galveston!

What a wonderful trip......I will never forget it and will always be pulled to that city for some reason. Maybe it's the walking city thing...maybe it's the time alone with hubby...maybe it's the possibility of opportunity...who knows.

For now, I'll just hum a song....

"I want to wake up, in the City that never sleeps.........I want to be a part of it...NY, NY!"