So....here's the story of my blissful weekend

This is not the plane we arrived on.

Do you remembering hearing about the bomb threat at LaGuardia airport last week? Guess who started their NYC adventure sitting on the tarmac for two hours waiting for the bomb squad to clear our gate as it was a crime scene.? Welcome to my weekend.While sitting, we had the perfect view of the cottoncandyhaired ones own transportation. Probably a bit more leg room than we had.

It was a whirlwind of fun and I was completely exhausted. We ran on practically no sleep, beginning with the night before I left, because I was so afraid I would oversleep and miss our 6 AM flight. (Yes, I am the crazy one that chose that time—to maximize the time away--thankfully we are only about 25 minutes from the airport).

Our first stop was the hotel where we were told we would be sharing ONE queen bed. My friend and I looked at each other and both of us were thinking that might not be the most comfortable way to spend a weekend. I was prepared to camp in the lobby if necessary. Later that day, they switched us to a suite….MUCH better.

Since we were running a little late I was worried that things wouldn’t align for us to meet up with one of the sweetest people around. We “met” through blogs and she offered to show us some hidden parts of the city. We found some excellent bargains and it was wonderful. My friend was a little concerned that I didn’t really “know” this person, but I am an excellent judge of character and I knew that Patty (http://preppyplayer.blogspot.com) was a keeper and I wasn’t the least bit concerned about her being a psychotic killer :)

When we parted ways with Patty, we checked into our new bigger room, rested for 30 seconds and off we went again. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we started our million mile march through Manhattan. For your viewing pleasure, I took about 100 photos, but in an effort to not make you nuts, I will only share some and will try to describe what and where they are.

This cemetary is the biggest one I have ever seen. It is featured in many movies shot in NYC including "The Godfather". Sorry, we were speeding by and the driver couldn't remember the name. On the way into the city Destination...Manhattan There is a long story that goes with this photo, but the short version is as follows. It was getting late and we didn't want to take the subway. We hopped a cab in Chinatown and headed to midtown. The driver took a "shortcut" on the FDR so we wouldn't hit traffic. OOPS. There was construction. We were on the FDR for over an hour-this is one of the photos taken from the back seat- (for a 10 minute trip) and the driver was an adorable kid (24) from West Africa. He stopped the meter at 8 bucks and we started talking. He is single, desperately wants to become a teacher but being a noncitizen, he has to work as a cab driver to make money for his family back in West Africa. By the time we arrived at our destination, we knew as much about his family as he did. I felt like Opr@h. We gave him some ideas and he thanked us profusely as we exited his car. It was the least expensive ride we had all weekend. Of course, shopping was a huge portion of my weekend. I bought so many things, yet barely spent any money. These photographs are for S1. He loves old photographs and these were a big hit. They were 5 bucks. Score. I mentioned the lovely Patty. We went on an adventure with her and this is just part of my haul. Some of the stuff I bought is already in my jewerly box and I was too lazy to drag it all out so this is a sampling. (As an FYI, the coral colored earrings, I saw on an actress yesterday when I was watching a rerun of the show Royal P@ins on USA..she was the mother of a character, and I spotted them right away and was floored). The prices were UNBELIEVABLE! score. These are the two pashmina's I bought. They are much prettier than my cheapo camera shows. Our upgrade. Believe me when I tell you that most hotel rooms in NYC are barely big enough to turn around. Ours had two rooms, a kitchen and huge bathroom. Did you remember that it didn't cost us a dime? Score. Times Square during the day with barely any people. At night it is a whole different story. Lets just say don't store anything in your back pocket and hold onto your purse...it is wall to wall people literally a cattle chute for humans. Chinatown. There are so many sights, sounds and SMELLS along the way. Once you get off the tourist path and wander a bit into the neighborhood, you see where the residents do THEIR shopping. It was a fascinating experience. YES, these were LIVE. Dried varieties of fish, shrimp, etc. GOLD...very shiny gold. One random example of architecture in Chinatown. Public park in Chinatown....kids playing soccer, tae kwon do, relaxing on a Sunday. Little Italy. Fun, festive, good food and right next door to Chinatown. One of the fire departments that lost members in the WTC attacks. There were plaques on both sides of the building commemorating the firefighters that were lost that day. Hmmm...need a gun? You need to somehow enlarge this one. We watched this woman sit wtih this hydrant up her butt while we enjoyed our raspberry sorbet's. Pollo ala Nico at Da Nico's in Little Italy. The presentation was beautiful but to be truthful, it was a little dry and a little bland. Our sorbets while watching the fire hydrant enema. Main street through Little Italy. Note the elder in the upstairs window. He is the reason I took this photo. He was yelling out at his cronies. It was such an honest feel for living in this area. More L.I. Ok...so on Sunday morning it POURED rain. We had a backup plan in case that happened so we headed off to MOMA...(the Museum of Modern Art). It was near our hotel and the friend I went with was an art and design major in college so she was literally my personal guide. She knew about all the artists on display, even small details about their personal lives and what made them create their works at certain periods of their lives. The artist below......well we can only imagine what was going on in his mind at the time of this creation. Pollock. I think my kids have replicated this exact creation in 3rd grade. This one made me hungry. Sorry some of these are sideways, for some reason they wouldn't flip around for me. We were shocked to see a portrait of the two of us hanging in one of the galleries. Picasso. Never did like his stuff. Andrew Wyeth. I never knew the true story behind this piece. My friend cleared all that up for me. I would love to see inside one of these round apartments. I would also like to know how much the rent is. Times square at night...note the 2009 "ball" at the tip. On new years eve this is what you see. Rockefeller Center at night. These are just a sampling of the tiles that are hung in the Village. If you want more info, please visit the blog written by http://ournameisblog.blogspot.com..Lorrie Veasey. Little shops in the Village. We had wonderful conversations with many of the shop owners. Breakfast at the Waverly in the Village. It was fresh, hot and delicious. (Spinach and feta cheese omelet...yum). I could put dozens more photos here but you get the drift. It was a fantastic trip. I even bought furniture fabric in the Village that here locally would run about 45-50 a yard...I snagged an end of a bolt for 5 bucks a yard. When I get my little chair covered, I will show you. I was so tired when we got back that it honestly took me three full days to feel oriented again. Getting older sucks. I could have done this trip a few years ago without feeling like I was mowed down by a semi. Then again....if anyone wants to go tomorrow, give me a call :)