NYC

Andrew had a meeting this past Friday, in NYC, and I joined him for the trip!!

We flew out Thursday afternoon and stayed at a hotel in the financial district that night. My sister came to meet us on Friday morning and we walked Andrew down to his company's NY office . Bren and I took the subway back to her neighborhood. We dropped off our luggage at the apartment and hung out for a bit, having lunch and then heading out to shop and see what we could see.

I got to see just what it was like to be in the city during a thunderstorm ( puddles everywhere!). It poured and poured for an hour or two. We had umbrellas, but I didn't have handy-dandy rain boots like the locals, so I got a little wet. But it was fun anyways. We made our way between the subway and shops,stopping for a snack at City Bakery. I can now say I have had a City Bakery hot chocolate. Wow! It was a doozie- my sister had told me it was like a melted chocolate bar and she wasn't kidding. It just about knocked me out.

We walked some more, ran into some of her friends and then met up with Andrew outside the Time Life building. We stopped to see the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center and then headed back to Bren's apt via the subway during the rush hour so Andrew could get out of his suit and get casual.Then it was off to SoHo for dinner at Lucky Strike ( their fries are GREAT!) and window shopping.

Andrew waits for us to meet him

On Saturday, Andrew joined Brennan for her run in Central Park, around the reservoir. I tagged along and sat in the park reading and people/dog watching. It's very entertaining. We went back and made breakfast. Andrew grabbed a power nap - he was beat from keeping up with Brennan and the cold weather didn't help either.

Later, we made our way downtown again to Ground Zero and watched the heavy machinery push and pull things around. The whole area is a construction site. It is still an eerie and emotional feeling being there, but they are moving on with plans for the future.

This picture is taken below ground level, through the fences, of the construction site at the former WTC location.

We took a break in City Park and then headed across the Brooklyn Bridge ( to the middle and back). Bren took us to the new KS store on 5th Avenue( they now have 2 in the city). This was Andrew's first time to see one in person. We then headed to Kenneth Cole, to see an old friend from Texas, who helped Andrew add some needed shoes and a cool reversible belt to his wardrobe. Then we took a break from the cold and wind by catching a movie ( The Bucket List). It was a great afternoon.

Amy and Brennan in City Park

On the Brooklyn Bridge

On the Brooklyn Bridge, with Manhattan Bridge behind us

Dinner was back in Brennan's neighborhood at one of those fun little places everyone gets to eat at when they visit her. It's one of my favorite parts of the trip!! Nina's is an Argentinian Pizza joint. And like most little restaurants in the city, has about 2 tables ( well- really it has about 7 or 8, I think, depending on your party size.) We had to wait for a bit outside, but it was worth it.

My sister's friend, Michael, joined us. We had a great time catching up and learning more about the economics behind the high-end retail fashion world. We enjoyed some fabulous pizza, pasta and their delicious marinated eggplant!!!

Michael and Brennan at Nina's

Sunday was a quiet,relaxing day hanging out, then getting a cab to the airport and getting on our separate planes.I came back to Dallas and Andrew went on to Chicago. Thanks a million to our family and friends who entertained the kids while we were gone.They had a great wknd and the girls are still talking about the fun things they did like going to the park, making pancakes and eating lots of pizza.