New York City In A Flash! (Part 1)

Yesterday I had what one could call a "New York Hang-Over".  Oh, not alcohol induced but activity induced, instead.  Caitlin, my sister and a friend of Caitlin's spent 4 fun-filled days in NYC and I finally hit a wall on my flight home and found all I could do was sleep...and sleep...and sleep some more!

Several months ago, Robby announced that he had three hunting trips lined up for the fall.  While he was on the first one to Colorado, I hopped on a plane and spent the week with Caitlin in Cleveland.  The second one, to Newfoundland, was scheduled for October and that's when I decided that I should also plan a trip...a "Girls' Trip".  And what better place to go than NYC?!

Robby and I have been to New York many times but Caitlin had not been since she was a little girl and my sister had never been.  I also decided to invite Tabitha( who had also never been to NYC...), Caitlin's childhood friend, former college room-mate and maid of honor at her wedding.  Everyone was excited and counting the days until we would all meet up in New York and then it hit me...I had never been the one in charge of a trip like this!  Could I really pull it off and show these girls a good time?  Well, I'll let the pictures speak or themselves...

                     The first thing we did was to take a carriage ride through Central Park.

                                   Next, we walked across the street to The Plaza Hotel...

                                                                Where Eloise lives!

                                        She has an entire gift shop devoted totally to her!

             Then, we walked a little further down the street to F.A.O. Schwartz Toy Store!

We stayed at the Belvedere Hotel, which is in the Time Square area...

So, naturally, we had to wait until it was dark to get the full effect of Time Square!  And we ate dinner down there that first evening at Ellen's Stardust Diner.  This diner is a 50's type of diner, where the wait staff not only brings you food but also song!  They perform the entire time you are eating.

At the end of Day 1, we were worn out and headed back to our hotel to get ready for the rest of this busy Girls' Trip to New York City.

Day 2 found it rainy in the city, but we did not let that deter us; we had a lot to do and see!  We hopped in a cab and headed straight to Grand Central Station...

                                        Grand Central Station is still a functioning train station.

               Just outside the station, a pumpkin carving demonstration was taking place...

                          Yes!  He is carving a person out of a pumpkin...How cool is that?!

    And this is a REAL pumpkin!  It is so huge that they had to climb inside of it to carve it out.

          We headed over to The Boathouse Restaurant, found in Central Park, next.

As soon as we finished lunch, we rushed back to Time Square to stand in line for theater tickets.  We got tickets to "Annie" and saw that show late that evening, followed by an even later dinner.  Day 2 was done.  We retired for the night...worn out again.

Day 3 found the rain gone and it was time for us to navigate the city like "real" New Yorkers...on the subway!

                                                     Tabitha purchasing her Metro Card.

And OH, the places we would go with that Metro Card in one hand and a subway map in the other.  Come back and visit me tomorrow to see more of our "New York City Adventures"!