I went all the way to New York City

And one of the only pictures I took was of Nadine and Al Roker. On tv. In the ghetto motel we stayed in.



We had made ambitious plans to make it to the Rockefeller tree lighting ceremony, but of course dragged our asses while trying to get there. But this picture is just like being there, right?

Last week, I headed down to the city that never sleeps to take in some work and play. And while I am still waiting for Nadine to post her pictures and thoughts (ummm...can't you please do it first?), I'll leave you with a list of some of my more memorable moments while there.

1) Getting an excel spreadsheet from Nad hours before we left, complete with phone numbers for possible restaurants and alternate activities if our planned ones didn't work out. Gotta love a fellow OCD'er.
2) Taking my anxiety meds TWICE by mistake before getting on the plane. Maybe that was why I felt so relaxed while there?
3) The weather. It did rain one day and was fairly humid, but for the most part it was warm -really really warm. Like 15 degrees celsius = perfect for walking around.
4) The ghetto motel. There's something amazing about a motel (because it was waaaay more a motel than a hotel) minutes from Times Square and the rest of the Hiltons that surround it. At least I felt that way - not sure about my travel partner.
5) The moment we saw the Rockefeller tree all lit up. So very very magical. And all the New York people out to see their city reflect back on itself. What a strange thing it must be sometimes to live in a city that is constantly referencing itself in pop culture.
6) Avenue Q - sweet baby jesus. We saw this show after a recommendation from one of my colleagues and wow oh wow was it amazing. Puppets on stage, having sex!
7) Watching my sister and Nadine bond. My little sis lives in Hoboken, and I miss her terribly. She's the one in our family with the devil-may-care attitude and I'm the one brooding in the corner. But surpisingly, we get along very well.
8) Seeing Au Revoir Simone at the Bowary. Somehow, I convinced Nadine that it would be better to see a band then go to a club. It was so worth it to see this band, and they were quite a find for us. Kind of like a mix of Postal Service and the Isabelle chick from Belle and Sebastian.
9) Simply walking the manhattan streets. Night or day, the city hums with electricity. I think I fell most in love with the lower east side -it's one of those neighbourhoods that you can see changing quickly. Cute bars and restaurants lining the streets. And still fairly neighbourhoody.
10) Feeling fulfilled on the plane going home. Although I did a lot of work while there, and it seemed too short a trip on the way home, I felt enough of getting my own thing on before returning to being a mommy. And seeing Alice's face when she ran towards me at the airport? My number one favourite thing about going to New York.