New York City! Part 1.

When I got off the plane in Los Angeles after being in New York for five days, something felt off.  There's only a couple places I call home.  Obviously Plymouth, Wisconsin, where I grew up for 18 years and Winona, Minnesota, where I went to college because the second I stepped onto campus, I knew it was the right fit.  So when I landed in LA, after being in NY, I felt like I just left my home, the same way I do when I leave Wisconsin.  I can't explain it.  I've only been to New York twice in my life; once when I was 17 and then this past April, but I just fit in the moment I got off the plane at JFK airport.  It was raining, I was excited, each part of the city we passed as we made our way into Manhattan, was another second closer to feeling like this is where I should be.  And where my heart has felt incomplete since.  Yes, I'll get over it; could I really do long cold winters for at least four months out of the year?  Where would Rutherford go to the bathroom?  Do I want to start all over in a new place as an Actress?  But for now, and the purpose of this blog, I'm going to share my New York trip and a city that has a piece of my heart forever.

Our view of the Empire State Building
from our Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

I've never taken a Spring Break or a Girl's Trip.  I always wanted to but the closest I would come is Florida for Cheerleading in College or family vacations to Mexico.  I don't count going to Las Vegas, only because it's a few hours from Los Angeles; it would be totally different if I was going there from Wisconsin.  So for the first time in 33 years, I was taking a Spring Break, and it was an adult one at that.  Rachel, Sam and I were heading to New York City, Manhattan specifically, and Giana was already there, as she had moved just a couple weeks prior.  She was feeling homesick so we were excited to spend some time with her and bring a little LA to her!  Our sleeping arrangements fell through on Saturday and we scrambled to find something by our arrival in New York on Tuesday.  Thankfully, I found a great Hotel in Midtown, that was centrally located to everything, for a great rate and it included Breakfast every morning.  My Mom would have been proud :)

We flew Delta on our way to New York (I got us a great flight to and from NY for an awesome price by watching flights) and we were all very excited for our little five day getaway.  Gary Sinise kicked off the trip when I grabbed a Bagel at Coffee Bean; all the employee's knew him well.  Little did we know that breakfast was included on the flight, and I was wide awake so I ended up watching 'Collateral Beauty' (which if you haven't seen, was absolutely amazing - I shed plenty of tears) and then 'The Unknowns' about the Guards that watch the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and of course, we had to get a quick glimpse of the 'Sex & The City' movie since the Core Four would all be together in NY.  We checked into our Hotel, a La Quinta Inn & Suites and decided to head straight to the Roof-Top Bar since it was Happy Hour.  To make the Hotel even better, we were directly next to the Empire State Building and we had the best view of it!

Giana & I at Beauty & Essex...first night in New York :)

Giana met us at the Hotel and we all got ready for our first night in New York!  We had reservations at Beauty & Essex that night, got all gussied up, and rode the Subway to the East Village.  Emerald Gimlets, complimentary Beet Appetizers, Tuna Tacos, and our entrees which included Salmon, Lobster Mac & Cheese, Pesto, and my Scallops (which were the best I've ever had) were all a part of our lovely dinner.  I had checked out all of our restaurants on Instagram and found that at Beauty & Essex, in their downstairs bathroom/powder room, they offered complimentary Champagne.  The Ladies and I enjoyed a couple glasses, tipping our Champagne gal for our Bubbly and all the photos she took and it really made the evening a total package.  We wanted to hit up a club after so I took over, pulling out my phone to GPS to us to our next location, but let me tell you, it was raining (I gave up on my hair after the second day of this strange atmosphere) and I walked us eight blocks in the wrong direction.  We all did this at some point on the trip, and I'm not sure what kind of signal our phones were getting, but it happened to all of us.  Of course, as soon as Rachel explained the grid, and I did some exploring on my own, it was quite easy to figure out.  But I could see how easy it was to get turned around, especially at night, definitely after cocktails, multiple glasses of champagne, and our Happy Hour drinks!  We stopped at The Box, which was a new hot club that had "shows" starting at 1:30 am but we wanted to move on so we actually headed back towards our Hotel and when Giana and Sam went home, Rachel and I walked a few blocks to get another cocktail.  We came upon Jack Dempsey's, which would be where Giana's FOMO kicked in after we regaled her with our tales from the previous evening.  Rachel and I met Bob, the Bartender, and instantly felt like we were regulars.  We stayed till nearly three in the morning but didn't head home yet.  We were in New York!  It was time for a slice of the finest NY Pizza; and it hit the spot!  And no pizza in New York is complete without Garlic Knots...lots and lots of Garlic Knots.

Dinner & Champagne at Beauty & Essex with the Ladies!

That's how our trip began...and I knew I was in for the time of my life, with some of my favorite people, in a city, that felt "just right."