The Big Apple

Who doesn't love a three day weekend? 

Add a trip to the Big Apple, a beautiful wedding, and three days with just Nate and I, and you have a combination for an incredible weekend. 

We started our weekend on Friday morning after dropping off the kids with Uncle Neil. 

He definitely gets major bonus points for watching all four kids for us to get away.  

 This was my first time in the Big Apple and the hubby's second time. 

He does not remember much about his class trip to NYC though, so I hardly think that counts.

The hotel we stayed at was in Jersey City just across the Hudson from Manhattan.  

The views of the city were stunning.  

{navigating the subway system}

 One of the things on his "to do in NYC" list was visit the 9/11 memorial.  

The memorial and museum are both amazingly done. 

Freedom Tower standing majestically beside the memorial is a beauty as well. 

At one point in the museum, there was a room off to the side and there was an employee holding a box of tissues.  My heart told me not to walk in that room, but my feet weren't listening and I just followed the hubby blindly into the room where they played the tape of communication from on board United Airlines Flight 93 before it went down in Shanksville, PA.

Let's just say I was a mess and needed a few tissues before I walked out.  

As dark (literally the exhibits are kept dim and help in solemnity of the space) and intense as the museum is, it was uplifting to ride the escalator up out of the museum to see the rebuilding going on outside and then stand under Freedom Tower.  There was happy and uplifting music playing as we made our way up to ground level.  It was a site I was glad to see.  A reminder of what happened on that day, especially so close to its 13th year anniversary.  

 Always the planner, I had a mental list of the things that it would be fun to see in NYC while we were there.  My list for things to do around the city, was just about as long as my list of things to see inside Central Park alone.  Yes, I am a parkspace/plant/tree/flower nut and this to me was iconic of Landscape Architecture.

I actually spent some of time in college actually studying Central Park. 

  Most of my family was not as excited as I was to go to a "park", let's face it I was almost giddy, so 

hubby and I ventured off to Central Park sometime before the end of the Ohio State game on Saturday.  

I KNOW!  He left before the game was over.  It was actually just starting the 4th quarter. 

He really loves me! 

 I actually remembered many of the iconic spaces within Central Park that I studied. 

Bow Bridge -- which movie goers would recognize from You've Got Mail

 Cherry Hill Fountain

 Views of the Upper East Side

 Bethesda Fountain - I will spare you the picture of the guy wading in this fountain trying to find money

 The rolling grass areas, the large mall of majestic elm trees, the many bridges, 

make up hundreds of spaces in Central Park to explore. 

It was beautiful and for all the millions of people who visit NYC's Central Park every year, 

it didn't seem that crowded.  

That night we went out to dinner with my sister and her husband at a seafood restaurant Gina recommended.  It was fantastic.  Lure in Soho, was like stepping into a yacht as you entered the restaurant.  

The boys stuck with american beef, and us girls enjoyed seafood.  

Nothing like fresh oysters!

On Sunday we were all dressed up for the big day.  

I felt very privileged to be doing a reading out of our Grandmother Aggie's bible during the wedding. 

This book that she had marked up with her special notations and filled with lots of supplemental material made her feel very close to us even though she is no longer with us. 

A New York City wedding is so removed from what we are used to. 

The whole day was an experience.  Every location was beautiful and had completely different views of the city. The ceremony was in Jersey with a backdrop of Manhattan and a view of the Statue of Liberty to the south. 

 The wedding was so romantic. 

 We were whisked off on a ferry after the ceremony to a restaurant in the City.  

{the bride and her mother}

 I can't talk about the wedding without talking about the drinks. 

Yes, the yummy drinks.  

There were signature cocktails at every location, and they were all so yummy and how 

cute were the name tags at our table.  Engraved Bulleit whiskey bottles. 

 Then after the lunch, drinks, social hour, we were whisked off again in double decker buses to Times Square.  The views from the bar in Citizen M were fantastic, especially since Times Square wasn't a place we had seen yet.  Gina and Josh took care of every little detail and the wedding was perfect! 

It was a little sad to leave in the morning for the airport because of all the fun we had but I 

was glad to see my babies.  Before you think I am all fancy and classy,

all the drinks the previous day, made for a really horrible hangover.  Throwing up in an 

airport is not what I call fun.  Just keeping it real.  LOL

This stay at home mom from Iowa had way too much fun in the Big Apple!