I have always wanted to go to New York. So when an opportunity presented itself for me to go to a conference on the East Cost we decided to go.
Our first stop in the Big Apple was at the 9/11 Memorial. This is a must-see for anyone that visits New York. The memorial does a fantastic job of honoring those who died on 9/11/01, all while paying tribute to the American spirit.
The next morning, we were in the studio at Good Morning America. (See my previous post). After that, we went on Scott's Pizza Tour. Not Scott Irlbeck's pizza tour...just some New Yorker named Scott. Those that know me know that pizza is my favorite food. I could eat it every day. So an entire tour dedicated to pizza? Heck yes we're in!
I thought I loved pizza more than anyone else in the world. I am wrong. Scott the pizza tour guide is a freak about pizza, and he really does eat it every single day. He was talking about how he and his roommates were going to make pizza on the grill when he got home. He knew the history of pizza, and even knew all the background information on pizza ovens, flour types, tomato types, and so on. It was crazy how much the guy knew about pizza. My pizza passion was put to shame. We got to try a slice of Neapolitan pizza, which is the original type of pizza out of Italy, New York style, and Sicilian style, which is what we're eating in the picture below.
That night, we saw Nice Work if you Can Get It at the Imperial Theater on Broadway. The show starred Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara. I picked the show because (1) I didn't want to see anything that I could see in Vegas, and (2) I wanted to see someone really famous, and I consider Matthew to be an A-list actor. And let's not forget the off chance that Sarah Jessica Parker could have been in the audience. I didn't see her. I also wanted to see this because Kelli is from Oklahoma and she's cousins with my friend Traci. I even saw Kelli sing in Traci's wedding, so I felt like I knew her. The show was great. It was a fun little story with great music by the Gershwins. After the show we ate at Carmines. It was wonderful, but I wouldn't recommend it for just two people. Everything is served family style, so the two of us had a platter that would have fed six people. We put a nice dent in it, but there was plenty left over. Yummy!
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| Chicken picatta at Carmines. |
We walked along Fifth Avenue to get back to our hotel. I'm not much of a shopper, but I wanted to see FAO Schwartz and Tiffany's. Didn't buy anything, but at least I got the experience of being in there. We simply walked by the rest of the stores and looked in the windows, including the very famous Harry Winston (below right).
That afternoon, we met up with my old buddy from my KXII-TV days, Adam Darsky. He's a big time executive producer at WABC in New York. I'm so proud to say that I worked with someone that made it to the big leagues. We ate at 5 Napkin Burger in Hell's Kitchen. I don't think I would recommend it; however, there was something about the tater tots that they serve there...they make Sonic's tater tots look like school lunchroom food.
We did a harbor tour that evening and got to see the space shuttle Enterprise aboard the Intrepid Museum. Pretty cool to see! Our tour took us past downtown, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Then we went up the East River, under the Brooklyn Bridge, past the United Nations Building, and then turned around. It was so cool to see the lights coming on as it got dark. I'm kind of a sucker for a boat ride, and I really like history stuff, so this tour was one of my favorite activities.
After that, we went to Eataly. Oh my goodness, where has this place been all my life? Think of Whole Foods or Central Market, and then make them 200 times more fabulous. It was a grocery store, liquor store, beer garden, cooking school, and several restaurants, all rolled up into one giant building of goodness. We got there right after the boat ride and that wasn't nearly early enough time. We had one of the best panna cottas that I have ever tasted and drank a glass of wine. This place had a wonderful meat counter, great produce, homemade pasta bar...oh my! I was in heaven.
The last thing on my NYC bucket list was to see the Statue of Liberty. I have wanted to see her up close since I was in grade school. Sadly, she is being restored, so you can't go up, but you can walk around the grounds. Plus, the SOL tour is paired with Ellis Island, which I also really wanted to do, so I was super excited about going there on Saturday morning. Weeeellllllll, thanks to the NYC subway system being a giant mess, we didn't make it. For some reason, the train we needed to be on had switched tracks or something, and we ended up in Brooklyn. Not what I wanted to see. The only thing we saw on Saturday morning was the inside of a subway train.
We had to catch a bus down to Baltimore that was leaving at noon, so after the subway debacle, we only had time to grab a deli sandwich, pack our stuff and go. I made one last restroom stop in our hotel room, and then I couldn't get out of the bathroom. Something had broken on the knob and it wouldn't turn. I was in there for at least 30 minutes, and maintenance had to get me out. As I'm stuck in there, the genius asked me if I tried turning the knob from the inside. Ummmmm, yes. How do you think I know I'm stuck in the first place?
We made our bus in time. We rode the Bolt Bus, which has free wi-fi and is pretty nice. That night we went to the Orioles game with old friends Tim and Allison Tunison, then I was off to my conference in Annapolis.
Great trip, great food, great shows. NYC is checked off the bucket list and I hope to return soon...even if it's just to Eataly.
To read my review of Scott's Pizza Tour, click here.
To read my review of 5 Napkin Burger, click here.
To read my review of Eataly, click here.
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