Vacation Days: NYC, October 2015

Thursday, November 12, 2015
In a shocking twist of events, I only visited NYC once this year, which is a stark contrast to the three times I went (this time, this time, and this time) in 2014. So I had to really make it count!

nyc travel mets world series 01

The main reason for this particular visit was to cheer my rockstar mother on in the NYC marathon. We also had some other major events going on, and I was excited to bring Jon along so that I could, a) introduce him to my NYC friends, and b) show him my version of New York!

We arrived at the Houston airport, where - thanks to our friend Vicky - we cashed in on some United Club passes. We drank some stiff drinks, ate some fancy food, and then had a serious discussion about the color of Jon's shirt.

nyc travel food breakfast 03

We will get to the NYC stuff momentarily, but can you please tell me what you think the color of the shirt on the right is? I know what Iiii think, but I don't want to sway anyone's answers. The above photo is completely untouched. This should probably go viral? But probably not, because to me the answer is completely black and white...err green and blue... err.....

So NYC. We stayed with my dear friend LJ and his husband Sean at their charming apartment in Astoria. Our first full day started off with breakfast at Lite Bites with my main squeeze Courtney, picking up a few things for the World Series game that night, and playing in Chelsea Market and on the High Line with my friend Sherz.

nyc travel chelsea market 04
nyc travel chelsea market wine 05
nyc travel high line 06
nyc travel high line 07
nyc travel chelsea marathon 08

Then I took Jon to my favorite pizza place for THE BEST PIZZA EVER at John's in the Village (where, fun fact, we exchanged pleasantries with Edward Burns and by "exchanged pleasantries with," I mean gaped awkwardly at").

nyc travel food pizza 09
nyc travel subway 10

Then we were off to the World Series! Not only did we attend the World Series, but we attended the only game of the World Series in which the Mets won, at Citi Field! It was super awesome.

nyc travel mets world series 11
nyc travel mets world series 12

Recognize this guy? We had to take a selfie with him OF COURSE.

nyc travel mets world series 13
nyc travel mets world series 14
nyc travel mets world series 15
nyc travel mets world series food hot dog 16

^ That's a veggie dog. I was beyond excited that they sold them there! But the thing is, I don't really eat a whole lot of processed fake meat, so I got super sick from it and paid a major price afterwards. Let's not talk about that. The game was such an incredible experience though!

The next morning, Jon and I met up with my friend Sydney, her incredible son Ozzy (who is my favorite kiddo in the entire universe), and her adorable, sassy daughter Anya in Central Park. Afterwards we had brunch at Fred's on the Upper West Side with my college friends Cat, Nikki, and Mike.

nyc travel central park 18
nyc travel food brunch 19

Then we went back to Queens to get ready for my friend Mary Ann's Halloween-themed wedding on Staten Island. Yes, it was as fun and crazy and awesome as you would think, while also completely heartfelt and beautiful. Everyone was in costume, and the wedding party surprised the bride with a flash mob dance of "Thriller." So cool!

nyc travel halloween wedding 20
nyc travel halloween wedding 21

Marathon day started with brunch in Queens at Butcher Bar, follwed by cheering my mom on at mile 14.5 and mile 21.5.

nyc travel food brunch 22
nyc travel food brunch 23
nyc travel marathon 24

^ Look how excited she is! Have you ever seen anything cuter???? This was my mom's third marathon, she achieved her best time ever, and she raised over $12,000 for Fred's Team (because she's a super under-achiever). What an inspiration!

After that, we ventured down to the East Village for some beer and pizza at Crocodile Lounge with our friends Lenny and Christy. Then we caught up with the family (Mom, Dad, and cousins Karen and Freddie) and more friends (Alice Ann, Mike, Kristen, LJ, Sean, and Karen) at my parents' hotel in Times Square, followed by another bar nearby with Courtney. 

nyc travel food pizza 25
nyc travel food drinks 26

(It was not until reviewing these photos that I realized Jon ate macaroni and cheese twice that day, because he's an adult and can do what he wants.)

Before we headed out of town the next day, we of course had to grab some phenomenal NYC bagels, which we picked up from Bagels & Brew in Astoria!

nyc travel food breakfast bagels 27
nyc travel food breakfast bagels 28

Much like all of my other visits to NYC, it was a whirlwind of a weekend! I am so lucky to have lived in such an exciting city (don't worry Houston, I'm not going anywhere!), and even luckier to be able to return regularly to see some of my favorite faces and places. The marathon, the World Series, the wedding, and having Jon along for the ride made this visit all the more special!

nyc travel chelsea 29

AND PLEASE TELL ME WHAT COLOR JON'S SHIRT IS.

None of the links in this post are sponsored by anyone. I only cited places that I love!

0 comments:

Post a Comment

> Back to Top