New York: What We Saw

 

Happy Friday!

After spending 6 days in New York City, there were definitely a lot of things that we saw, experienced, and ate. In the course of our time in the city, I’m quite sure that Justin and I managed to see almost all ends of the island. It was definitely a great first time to the Big Apple for us both!

So, this is what we saw:

Thursday

As soon as we arrived in New York and checked in at the hotel, it was time to walk around the city a bit! We walked up Broadway to the Upper West Side and saw a few sights around Central Park. Oh so many buildings!!!!

Black Swan, anyone?

After dinner on Thursday night, we grabbed a drink with friends at the bar that (apparently) inspired McClaren’s in the show How I Met Your Mother. I guess I could kind of see the resemblance!

Justin and I then strolled over to Times Square…just to see it lit up. After spending about 10 minutes in the main square and meeting the Naked Cowboy, I was more than ready to get going. I quickly checked that location off of my list of things to see and made a mental note to not venture back unless absolutely necessary!

By the way, I don’t know why I was smiling…he was pretty sweaty. Yeesh.

 

Friday and Saturday:

Friday marked the start of the BlogHer 12 conference: so exciting! I’d been trying to get to a BlogHer conference for a few years now, and 2012 was finally my year. Of course, I hemmed and hawed over what to wear for the first day: ruffles and pleats seemed appropriate.

I had such a great time at the conference: from the great programming, where I learned a lot of new tips and tricks to apply to my blogging, to meeting blog friends in real life, to the inspiring keynote lunches (Martha Stewart and Katie Couric – seriously!), I took away so much! The expo halls were also enormous, and there were plenty of awesome companies to interact with!

I even posed for a caricature at one booth…but I’m not convinced the image resembled me at all in the end – what do you think?

One of the really amazing experiences that BlogHer 12 offered were some sponsor suites. A few companies set up shop in hotel suites on the 42nd floor of the conference hotel, and they completely transformed the rooms for an amazing experience! My favorite by far was the “Camp Bondfire” suite set up by Walmart and Hershey’s. Check it out:

They covered the floor of the room with grass, added trees, set up a tent, and had comfortable furniture set up throughout the suite. And…best of all? They had S’MORES!!! My friend Megan and I took a seat at a table and roasted some marshmallows over the open flames. So fun, and SO delicious! Great job, Walmart and Hershey’s! And…by the way…today is National S’mores Day, so you really should find an excuse to make one at some point!

As Saturday came to a close, it was time to part ways with the folks at the BlogHer conference: some of the ladies got together at The London and toasted the end of the conference with a glass of champagne: it seemed appropriate!

Sunday

I know Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, but it definitely was a busy one for us! We started off in the morning with a walk to Rockefeller Center:

Then, it was off to brunch with some friends! It was so nice to catch up with L and C…even though years have passed since we attended Elon, it’s nice to know we can still get together! We hit up Chelsea Market for brunch, then took a walk on the High Line:

Our next stop was for a drink on The Frying Pan. I have to say, this was one of my favorite locations that we visited in New York City! A floating bar – how fun!

That evening, Justin and I headed over to Radio City Music Hall to see Cirque Du Soleil’s Zarkana!

We had such a fun time at the show…and there were a number of death-defying acts that literally had me gasping out loud. I love Cirque Du Soleil! Plus, the clowns are always a highlight, and I love how they interact with the audience before the show starts…

Monday

Monday was a day filled with food…and walking. We began our day with a visit to Eataly. Oh boy – I wish I was able to go shopping there for groceries every once in a while! So many Italian goodies…

We also visited the Union Square Greenmarket, where I also coveted all of the amazing produce for sale. Why can’t there be something like this near me?

Tuesday

On our last day in New York City, Justin and I headed down to China Town and strolled back through SoHo before packing up for our trip home to Florida. My feet were exhausted, my stomach was full with so many delicious New York treats, and I was ready to get back to a home cooked meal (crazy, I know).

So thank you, New York, for an amazing 6 days of fun. Who knows when I will return, but I’d say that my first experience with the Big Apple was a great success!

What is your favorite part of New York City, or what would you want to see/do if you traveled there?