Day #5 Monday

Independence Day started out with a delicious brunch at Cafe Cosmopolitan:
Chocolate croissant


Mushroom and chicken crepe


Scrambled egg and turkey croissant





Afterwards it was on to exploring the city on foot:
TriBeCa


Mark Forgione (the newest Iron Chef) restaurant:


Random city shot:


World Trade Center site. This is the new Freedom Building that is still under construction:





Completed future look (on left):



Next, shopping at Century 21..aka the 9th level of Hell. But, the prices are good enough that it's worth a couple hours of crowded torture.




Chaos!!!!





After the Century 21 beat down, we needed a little break. We went to this Dutch restaurant called Vandaag. We each had a fancy cocktail


And also a fabulous snack of Bitterballen, which is an oxtail croquette:






Yum o!
Afterwards, we went to the Cupboard to change for the nights activities.
We had dinner at Keste, which is a pizza place in the village. We got the Margherita pizza:



Action shots:







Mmm!
Next we walked over to view the firework show, which is the largest one in the nation!

After the show we decided to go have a glass of wine. We went to a wine bar in the village called Entwine. We met a very nice married couple there (also insurance brokers, coincidentally!) and had a nice time visiting and making new friends.
After wine, we went to Cielo, which is a place we've been to that plays electronic music. We stayed there for about an hour, then decided we were hungry again. We went to Cafeteria, our favorite late, late night spot. Scott had short rib tacos, and I had chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. We left there full and happy and went straight to bed!

July 4th

While the rest of the nation remembers our Independence Day, July 4th now holds a different memory for me and my family. It was July 4th, 2009 that my beloved aunt Sharon was tragically killed in an accident. Scott and I were in NYC, and every detail of that day is categorized in my mind as "before" and "after" the call from my mom with the horrible news.

So today, I think of Sharon's family who is left behind. My uncle Gary, my cousins Missy and Alison, and Alison's family, Dan, Katelyn, and new baby Brayden. I think of my grandmother, who lived longer than her daughter. I think of my dad, who lost his only sister, and is now an only child.

Yet even in this sad time, I find comfort in knowing that Sharon was a Christian, and that her short 60 years on this earth are not the end for her. The Bible says that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved;" (Romans 10:9)

I know Sharon believed this, so I can find peace in knowing that I will be able to be with her again in heaven. This is why Jesus is called the Prince of Peace- knowing Him gives us believers the ultimate sense of peace, because we know that this life is not the end for us. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

How awesome, how amazing, that we can live and enjoy this life, but our life in heaven after this one will be one that "no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." Wow.

So in that, I say, thank you, Lord, for giving us hope, for giving us peace, and for comforting us in our time of grief. I love this life, but I am also looking forward to the one beyond!

Day #5 Sunday

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll skip a bunch of words and go straight to the pictures :)
Went to brunch at David Burke Kitchen.






Started off the brunch with this fancy cocktail! This is a vodka tea mint lemonade, and it was delicious!


Pastrami salmon "pops" on cheese straws- yum o!


Chicken and Cheese Waffle!


Mmmm... Waffles should always be made with cheddar cheese!


Cinnamon raisin brioche French toast stuffed with Marscapone cheese and maple syrup:


Made in house chicken sausage:



This meal was seriously phenomenal!
We decided to walk 60 blocks after that to try to walk some of that feast off!



In front of Washington Square Arch, which is where Sally drops Harry off for college in my favorite movie of all time, When Harry met Sally


We made it about 40 blocks, and then the drizzly rain got to us so we decided to get in for cover for a bit. As we were right next to Eataly, we decided to go here again. I didn't take many pictures from the first trip, so here are a few:















Eataly was insanely crowded, so we decided being in the rain was better than being constantly bumped around inside. So we just walked around and looked at things, which is usually what we do when we don't have any specific plans.



Art Instillation at Madison Sq park



Walked 35 blocks or so to Elsa's, which is a prohibition era style cocktail bar. It was so cute inside- check out this old sewing machine that was used on the bar as a resting place for measuring cups (jiggers)



Look at these fancy drinks! I had a "Vino Verano"which was mint lemonade topped with a sweet Spanish red wine. Scott had "The Black Book", which was bourbon with honey, lemon, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom.


Very refreshing!
Here is Scott looking annoyed at my constant picture taking of him:



Lol! :)

After this, we went to a free comedy show at a place called Pianos



There were 7 or 8 comedians that performed, but only 5 of them were really funny. However, for a free show, it was great!

We've decided to make each night a progressive dinner, and get appetizers only at one place, and go somewhere else for dinner. We want to try so many places, this is the only way we'll be able to see half of what we want. After Pianos, we went for appetizers at Daniel Boulud's new restaurant, called DBGB Kitchen and Bar. We split the crispy lamb ribs:



OMG they were amazing!
Next we walked to a new noodle restaurant called Hung Ry, where the chef made hand pulled organic noodles.
Here is a short video of a shot I took of him making the noodles:

We each had delicious noodle bowls and walked back to the Cupboard. Another great night in NYC!

Day 4

Saturday:
In case I wore anyone out with my lengthy 2 part blog post on Friday, today's blog post will be a picture procession of Saturday's events:
Farmers Market


Coffee shop


Apartment from last summer


Shake Shack- our favorite!


Shack Burger (aka Crack Burger)


Action Shot


Line wasn't too bad for once!

Next stop: Shopping!
H&M


Shoe Shopping


New Shoes! I love the little spider!


The Guggenheim


One room was covered wall to
wall with $1 bills! There were 100,000 dollar bills in here! So cool!





Fancy cocktails at Bar Plaides in the Upper East Side


One solid hand carved brick of ice through the glass- very fancy!



Appetizer at The John Dorey called Kedgeree, which is a rice dish with smoked haddock and way too much cilantro for me! Scott liked it.


The John Dorey is the newest restaurant in the trendy Ace Hotel. We came here last year with Amy and went to the other restaurant in the hotel, The Breslin. Very hip place to be! There was a photo booth in the hotel lobby so we got our pictures made- so funny! Took me back to high school movie days :)



Couldn't get our timing quite right!


Too funny!

Dinner at Artichoke Basille's:
Pizza with Spinach, artichoke, Alfredo, Parmesan- super creamy, garlicky and delicious!



Margherita Pizza- salty, basil goodness! Mmm!


Home to bed! Such a fun day!