New York Vacation - Day One

Finally I'm sharing our vacation! I've been so anxious to share our trip with y'all, but I'm in my last week of classes for the semester and finals are next week, so I haven't found much time to type. New York was SO much fun! We saw, did, and ate a lot of exciting things! I'm going to do a quick run through of each of the five days we were there, so let's get started:

As you already know, we planned this trip with (and mostly thanks to) Matt & Heidi (aka - it was their original plan and they invited us along). We flew from Atlanta to LaGuardia airport in Queens and drove into Manhattan to find our lodging. Matt had found an apartment to rent for the week, which gave us a glimpse into city life there instead of being in a hotel room. (Plus we got two bathrooms, which was handy for four people getting ready early each morning!)  We dropped off our luggage, then took our hungry tummies out to find lunch.  What's a trip to New York without New York pizza, right? So John's Pizzeria was our first stop. (Note: there are pizza places on every single corner. You can't miss having pizza while you're there.)

We walked around a little and happened on Times Square.

Unfortunately the weather that day was rainy, so we only walked around a little bit after lunch before we realized we needed to return "home" and re-equip our outfits for the weather. We all got Subway passes and headed back out, this time to Grand Central Station Terminal. The architecture was grand and beautiful with massive staircases and the four-faced clock in the center.

(this is when the locals really know you're tourists, when you start taking photos on the Subway)

Next, we went in search of the first of many sweet treats. This stop was Dylan's Candy Bar - known for their delicious chocolate bars.  Don't let the name fool you, this shop was three floors full of candy! Heidi and I picked out several chocolate bars, which we all taste-tested immediately after walking out their door. Flavors include: Dark Chocolate Raspberry,  S'mores, Espresso, Cookies and Cream, and Bacon, among many others.

We passed by the Plaza Hotel, known in the film Home Alone. So we popped into the lobby area and observed it's grand style of chandeliers and bright red exterior carpet.

Then we popped into FAO Schwarz Toy Store, just to see what was inside. We learned everything is on a much larger scale in NYC - from stores to food. Again, three floors of toys and candy!

(this one's for you, Brother!)

By this time it was night and we walked through Times Square again. (We had passed by earlier in our walk.)  It was much more impressive after dark when all the lights and signs really pop.

It was also time to eat again, so we chose Ellen's Stardust Diner.  It's a popular place for tourists, and quite the attraction itself. All the waiters and waitresses are Broadway-hopefuls, and they take turns performing as you eat. They jump up on the stage in the center of the restaurant to sing and dance, and even come out and interact with the customers at times - a great atmosphere!

We weren't sold on their desserts, so we went to the Time Warner Center to Bouchon Bakery for their well-known macarons!  Heidi and I were very excited about this specific sweet, but we got there not too long before closing and they had been picked over down to one small platter of assorted desserts (only one flavor of macaron). We chose a few since we had come all the way there, but it didn't satisfy the two of us girls. We were coming back for more another day!

We took the Subway home to rest up for another day ahead.
Other sightings on Day 1:  The Late Show front, New Year's ball in Times Square, lots of very talented street performers, and a glass Apple Store which you took an elevator or staircase down into to shop.

It sounds like we didn't do all that much on this day, but we didn't have a truly full day because of travel, and there is lots of walking in between each thing you do.  We determined that must be why everyone there was fairly skinny. :)

Follow the rest of our trip: Day Two //  Day Three  //  Day Four  //  Day Five