Great to see you again, NYC!

I'm sure everyone knows this by now, but BK and I don't really need an excuse or reason to travel. But...my birthday sure does give us a good reason. We've done Costa Rica, Paris, the Burgundy region of France, Lake Como (to be fair, that was for Easter) and now NYC- all in the past 5ish years.

So this past Thursday we headed out to NYC again to enjoy the city for a long weekend. It wasn't quite as cold as the last time, but it also wasn't spring in Texas. We headed up Thursday afternoon and came back on Sunday afternoon. Our trip didn't start out quite as smooth as I would have liked- we got in the car and I realized I couldn't find my driver's license. BK said, "Just run back in and get your passport". Umm...somehow I let that expire, so that was a no go too. I mean, you would think that I never traveled or something. Luckily I had my Global Entry ID, which works to get you through security.

Our trip really all started with a screenshot. Back in October, O.A.R. posted that they would be playing at Beacon Theater in NYC on March 23. I sent it to BK with the question: NYC for my bday?!? Obviously the answer was yes, and we went from there.

I figured I would cover where we stayed and what we did in this post, then cover food and drink in another one, as they really deserve their own post. This time around we stayed in Midtown at the London NYC. The hotel was in a good location and was really nice. Our hotel room was surprisingly big for the city, the staff was helpful and the bar was nice. Although, BK and I did discuss that there's really not a perfect place to stay in the City, as there is always something to explore in a different part of the City.

We arrived Thursday night and went for dinner fairly quickly. Friday we slept late- which was amazing- then walked all over the City. We didn't have anything specific to do, so we essentially just explored all day, did some shopping and walked a ton. We started in Midtown, walking all the way down Madison and then back up Park. 

From Midtown, down to Union Square, then back up again. I say we walked a ton because we walked about 10 miles each day. We even found a new painting for our collection. We've been to New York numerous times, but have never found painting we really liked. Check that one off the list!

Friday night was the reason we initially went to NYC- the Concert for Dreams. This was awesome. O.A.R was kind of the host and the main act, but there were also all these other artists that made guest appearances- Run DMC, Gavin DeGraw, Johnny Resnick and Adam Duritz. It was a really unique experience and Beacon Theater was a great venue.

Saturday morning also presented a really cool opportunity. BK and I did a tour called EmptyMet Tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and was totally worth getting up before 8. With this tour, you get to go in an hour-and-a-half early, before the museum opens- so you're essentially in there with about 20 other people total. It was awesome and so cool to see the museum empty. You also have a tour guide who leads you around, which is totally up my ally, as I love to ask questions. If the Met is somewhere you like to visit when you visit NYC, I would highly recommend this tour!

From there we walked through Central Park and revisited Cherry Hill, where BK proposed. We also happened to run into the NYC March for their Lives. I haven't seen estimates on how many people were there, but it stretched blocks and blocks. I will say, regardless of what your opinion on this topic, or any other topic people march for is, one thing that hit me hard here is that I appreciate that we live in a country where you can express your opinion- good, bad, ugly, indifferent- whatever it is, you can express it in a peaceful manner.

To all the parents reading this, please appreciate this for what it is...after our early morning on Saturday, that afternoon we headed back for some down time and took a nap!! What?!?! I know, right? We were totally adulting on this trip and I loved it. We didn't stay out super late, didn't lose the days because of said staying out, and got to sleep when we wanted. Judge if you must, but I came back surprisingly rested!

Saturday night we went on a Craft Cocktail Tour. We explored a new part of the City for us- the East Village and learned lots about how Prohibition shaped the City, neighborhood and craft cocktails. More on the places we went and things we learned later. If you're into craft cocktails and finding fun spots to drink, this tour would be good for you. We ended the night with dinner at a great local restaurant and called it a night.

Sunday we headed home. Nothing too exciting- just an easy morning before heading to the airport. Sunday did greet us with a notification from Cookie that K Bear had another stomach bug and had been sick all night. Thankfully, no one else has gotten sick at this point and she seems to have recovered to her normal, spunky self. 

Of course, thanks to all the family who kept the littles, floating them from place to place throughout the weekend so we could get away. More on all the great food and drink we had coming soon!