New York, New York

To say we had a nice time is a total understatement. We had a WONDERFUL time!



Our trip started early. Amiee picked me up at 345am. Our flight left at 0610 but got us into NYC by 0745. We called Tom and Niki when we arrived and I am sure we woke them up. Tom and Niki were very generous and sent a nice car to pick us up at the airport. We had a great driver who was happy to fill us in on all the sights as we headed to Tom and Niki's.



Tommy and Niki live in Greenwich Village. We arrived and shortly after started walking their neighborhood and went to breakfast. The weather was perfect and it was great to just relax and visit while taking in the beautiful sites.





Niki and Tommy after breakfast.




Tommy, Amiee and I.




Amiee, Tom and I. Again, after breakfast.



After breakfast we did some window shopping and found some wonderful children shops to check out. They were not open yet so, we decided to head back to Tom and Niki's to check out the roof top and see the city.



Amazing view! This shot is from Tom and Niki's rooftop. You can see the Empire State Building on one side and the Hudson on another. You can also see the Statue of Liberty as well. This view would have sold me too!



The rooftop has really nice chairs to relax on. We decided to take a nap!

Napping. I eventually moved back down to their apartment as the wood chairs were not good for my back. You can see my growing belly here too! Hello Little Girl!

After our nap we checked out the kids shops and headed to the city for our bus tour. I got a darling little pink outfit for the baby girl.

The flatiron building. Very cool building. I loved the bus tour as it was so relaxing to sit in the sun and have a nice tour of the city.

Empire State Building. Almost makes me dizzy at this angle.

Ground Zero tribute. Very moving and a bit surreal. To be where it all occurred is so very sad.

Construction of the new World Trade Center buildings.

We decided to take a break for some lunch. We went to a little restaurant and ordered lightly because we were planning on eating out that night. Funny story - we got two Cesar salads and two orders of chicken fingers - the bill was $100.00. Even Tommy was blown away. It was the most expensive meal of our trip.

You know who this is! Just beautiful!

Can you see the beautiful lady in the background?

We headed back to Tommy and Nikis after this. We were all exhausted. Keep in mind, I had been up (except for a very short nap) since 3 am. We were suppose to go out to dinner but we were all too tired. We ordered in and also rented Bride Wars. Tommy loved it ;) I thought it was perfect. We laughed and told stories. Max was happy too as he got to have us home for the night!

Tommy and Amiee are huge Seinfield fans. So, we had to go here for breakfast/lunch on Sunday. The food was really good.

Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

One view from Central Park. Lovely!

This is a building you can see from Central Park. I can't remember the name of it but it is where the movie Ghost Busters was filmed.

Central Park. We found a park bench and just enjoyed the beauty of it all. I loved Central Park!

Another amazing view in Central Park.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Heading to Times Square!

We got back to Tommy and Niki's around 5. Again, we all passed out and had a nice nap for a few hours. About 9pm we headed to Little Italy for dinner.

This pic is for my mom. La Nonna!

Dinner in Little Italy. We ate outside and people watched. It was just beautiful. They had the street blocked off and everyone was eating outside and walking around. It was also fleet week and we got to see so many of our country's service men and woman.

The food was amazing. We had a great dinner and then walked around Little Italy. Once we walked off some of our dinner we found an adorable little place and had desert. It was perfect. The best part was reminiscing, telling family stories and just visiting with Tommy and Niki.

Tommy doing an impersonation of my dad. They look so much alike at times it is scary.

So, as you can see, we had a great time. We were really only in NY for 48 hours. I think we saw a ton for such a short time. I can't wait to go back and see it all again. I have to say my favorite part was Central Park. I did not realize how beautiful it was. I could spend a whole day there next time.

Some of my other favorite memories were -

• Riding the subway for the first time. I could not believe they were pretty clean. They also made me very nervous of how fast they come and go.
• Max. He loves company and will try to get your underwear if you let him.
• The two older men in Central Park. There were tons of people in the park but there were two older men wearing head phones and wearing in line skates. They were doing dances to the music only we could not hear the music. It was truly an experience to witness.
• The other man in Central Park that was wearing no shirt but a rain jacket with a belt and glove. His talent was bouncing a ball. Truly hilarious.
• Really, I loved NYC because of the tolerance there. Nobody cares or is phased by anything. I really liked that. The men in the park are free to do their thing and not be ridiculed for it. It was really beautiful to see everyone so free to choose their own lifestyle and be accepted.
• I was very surprised at how friendly everyone was. Really, I did not meet one rude person at all.
• I loved the waitress at Tom's Restaurant whose accent was so thick we did not understand what kind of salad dressings they offered but did not question it. We all just said "okay!".
• Stories about Simon - I will leave it at that.
• Amiee and I enjoying some time away. I think we almost enjoyed it so much we might have discouraged Tommy and Niki from having kids.
• Reading magazines on the plane. HEAVEN!
• The best - calling home and knowing I was missed. It was great to get away but I missed my guys!

How the boys did - GREAT! The first morning Jay went in to get Fin and he asked for me (remember - he does not like Jay very much). Jay told him that I went to see Uncle Tommy. Fin said - let's go find her. After that Fin was find and did not cry for me once. I am happy to say that he and Jay got along great and really got closer since I was away. Jay was thrilled that when he laid him down for bed each night, Fin said - I love you and that he was his best friend.

Carson on the other hand cried each time I talked to him. While talking to him and his crying, he would remind me that he also cried the last time I spoke to him as well. He did this until I came home. It is strange, I did not think he would be like that. It is good to know that although he is older and more independent that Fin, he still needs me and wants me home.

Thank you Tommy and Niki for a great trip. I miss you already and can't wait to see you again soon. I love you both very much!