New York state of mind

My best friend Roselle visited from Australia last week together with her hubby and her cute toddler Liam, who's three. We had fun showing them around (hitting the famous landmarks and sampling out kabobs and Peruvian chicken) and then last Friday, we drove them to NY. We had a great time in the Big Apple! It was all fun, fun, fun. And when I got home last Saturday night, I felt a little sad because being on a short holiday with a childhood friend is incomparable. We haven't seen each other since the last reunion in 2003, (and we weren't even there on each other's weddings in 2004), so naturally, meeting each other here and taking a trip with our hubbies was truly exciting.

Our hotel was right smack in Times Square, so we couldn't complain about the location. We walked, walked and walked until our legs ached, hehehe. And we had NY style pizza for lunch on our first day there. And like bona fide tourists, Roselle and I had our pictures taken with the Naked Cowboy! (Our husbands took the pictures, and laughed at us for being so 'brassy'). We went to the Rockefeller Plaza, visited the St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the highlight of the day- the Empire State Building.

David and I missed the Empire State Building on our NY trip last year, so we were so excited to be there. We endured the long lines and security checks, and once we were up there, it was all worth the wait. It was a perfect Friday afternoon- sunny, airy and clear skies. And we had the perfect view of the city. We stayed there until 8pm and watched the sunset. It was spectacular! I love it! We absolutely love our Empire State experience.

Then we had an Italian dinner buffet, which was yummy, and then we took tons of pictures of Times Square at night, with all the splendor of the lights displays and swarm of people having a good time. It was a wonderful first day. :)

On Saturday morning, we started early. We wanted to be the first ones in line for the ferry going to the Statue of Liberty. We took the first ferry to the Liberty island (at (9:30 am). Again, it was a perfect, sunny, unclouded day- just perfect for cruising. We had a good time taking pictures, and going up the statue and enjoying the fantastic views of the NY harbor. Liam, the ever fireball toddler, imitated his dad and David taking pictures and insisted we 'pose' for him and say, wooow...! when he shows us his "shots" with the folded tripod. How adorable is that?!

We decided to skip the next stop which is Ellis Island because after climbing the Statue of Liberty, we couldn't get our minds off Chinese food (esp. noodles). And so we hopped into a cab and found ourselves in Chinatown! We tumbled upon a small corner restaurant and we had a wonderful (cheap) meal! We were busog-happy atfer that.

Our last stop for the day was Central Park. By that time, we got our car back from the garage and we drove to the park. I think it's the only relaxing place in NY City, and it's a fantastic spot to be to cap the day. While looking for (free) parking, we took a spin through 5th Ave, Park Ave and Madison Ave- admiring the expensive apartments, posh designer stores and hoped to catch a glimpse of celebrities sashaying down the streets. But we didn't have any luck ;) The closest thing thing we had to a celebrity sighting was seeing Helena Christensen in Rockefeller Plaza. Roselle and I were hoping to see Sarah Jessica Parker or Jake Gyllenhaal, hehehe.

David and I only stayed in NY overnight. We don't know when are we gonna see each other again. Maybe in a few years, when Liam is bigger and older and he would not remember me and 'Uncle David'. But I was happy to see Roselle again and meeting her hubby and her son, and them meeting David. Maybe we can visit them soon in Australia. Who knows? The possibilities of future rendezvous make it more exciting. The perfect time will come for us to meet again. For the meantime, we will always cherish the wonderful weekend we spent in New York City.......