New York!

So i am taking a weekend here to just regroup and get everything in order. Just had my taxes done, i've been doing some business review, and now i am making a plan for 2012.  But there is something i still have to do. Blog about New York! haha.

It's been about 3 weeks now, and a crazy 3 at that.  Starting form the beginning!I left Chico at 5 am to get to the sacramento airport. There was a lot of loud music and the hopes of Starbucks that kept me going haha.

My plane left from the new B terminal at SMF.

That red thing is a giant bunny haha.  The terminal had all the latest stuff in it. Hurray for first full body scan! Needless to say that early in the AM there was nobody at the airport, security was a breeze.

There was no Starbucks so i settled for Peet's..not so great.  Tim gave me a lego Chewie to take with me.  This was his first photo op.  

Short flight from SMF to Long Beach. I didn't

know that the terminals at Long Beach were outside...so that was a bit of a shock haha. Boarded my connecting flight and was off to the city!

Sunset on the plane. Fling into the night.

When i got to New York it was later so i got to

see the city all lit up at night.  Amazing sight to see.  I stayed with Johanna and her two amazing roommates Jade, and Bri.  I always get nervous meeting new people but on the ride to their place i was texting Jade to let them know i was on my way.  When i told her i was on my way from JFK she said "good that gives us time to hide the bodies" i knew we would all get along just dandy haha.  After greetings, and a short recount of my trip, we had a glass of wine and talked about what was ahead on the trip.

The next day was a bit drizzly out, but still amazing.  We all went and had a great breakfast and then headed to the MET for a meet up Jo, Jade, and Bri had with old classmates and teachers from the Aegean Center.  I didn't get to tour the MET cause i had to leave for my city tour before they started, but the entrance was amazing!  Someplace i will have to go back to in the future.

My tour through the city was amazing. We started outside the theater were Mamma Mia! plays and headed over to the waterfront to get a water taxi down to the financial district. The ship is the U.S.S. Intrepid.

A small part of my water taxi ride. The building

in the center is World Trade 1.

just getting off the water taxi at Battery Park

Light posts and benches.

From Battery Park we were walking to the World Trade Center site.  At the end of the park was this Glob recovered from ground zero after the attacks, now set up as a permeant memorial.

Wall St.! But no protesters.  They did have the bull baracaded and an officer there so that they wouldn't occupy this site however.  It was unfortunate though cause they only allowed one person at a time in for a photo...thanks Occupy people..you kinda ruin my life. haha.

World Trade 1 from across the street.  The security at the site was fairly intense, more so then the airports.  Basically you felt more then safe while you were inside the memorial.  They wouldn't allow any photos of current construction of the ground floor construction of the new building, but you were free to take photos once inside.  It was a very moving moment to be there.  Almost unimaginable to think of the scale of everything that happened that day.  Our tour guide described how the planes came in and what was happening around that area.  I have video of the site i will post later.

This image is a bit confusing. What you are

looking at is World Trade 3 i think, and the reflection of the building opposite it.  The whole building besides the bottom is glass. 

A small portion of the falls at the memorial.

The names of everyone lost that day.

From the memorial we walked to Trinity Church

I love old churches they are just so awe inspiring. 

some more of the inside.

The main alter.  It was huge.

And the Trinity Church from Wall Street. 

This was an awesome view.  All these huge buildings and then at the top this old church.

Street sign!

 Before we got back on the water taxi we

stopped for lunch next to the Brooklyn Bridge. 

From there the water taxi took us out to the 

Staue of Liberty for a photo op.

When we got back to land we headed to a few

stops. I have those images on my  camera.  This was St. Patricks Cathedral. From here we went to 30 Rock.

From the tour i headed down the street to go see Wicked! My first Broadway show.  It was even more amazing then i thought i would be.  Funny, sad, and the musical numbers were phenomenal. The end of act 1 ends with Defying Gravity...i got chills. So intense seeing it performed live, with amazing performers. 

The stage was equally as amazing as the play.

Outside the Gershwin Theater after the performance going to catch a cab.

In fact after i took this photo i got that cab that's stopped and a couple got out of it haha. Good timing. My second glimpse of Times Square also.

The next day i slept in, had a lazy sort of day and geared up for How to Succeed that night.  Jade and i made plans to go eat and walk around Times Square before the show.  We ate at a super cool, super good resturaunt in Hells Kitchen called Vynl.  The food was so good, the atmosphere was chill, and the bathrooms were themed haha.

From Vynl we walked to Times Square. Most of

my photos from here are also on my other camera I'll have them all at the end.  Times Square was just...amazing. Unlike anything i have ever been in, in my entire life.  We walked up the stairs to overlook everything and i got a glimpse of these awesome signs for some Broadway shows :).

The view when i turned around was even better! I loved this place, could have just sat there and looked around for hours.

We made a quick stop in the Times Square

Museum before we headed to the theater. They had a display from some iconic Broadway shows.

So after i had a dyslectic moment we finally

made it to the right street for the theater.  This was the crowd outside...not the line...just the crowd.  I had to walk down the street then around the block to get to the end of the line haha.

The line as we came around the corner.

And the deciding factor for me going to New

York in January lol. Seeing Darren Criss live and performing, however, was totally worth everything.  The play was amazing, funny, and witty.  The whole cast was excellent!

With both Wicked and How to Succeed i was blown away by the stage and set designs. Everything took on such dimension and flowed from one scene to the next.  More then i could have even imagined. Unfortunately i didn't get his autograph. The ones that did would leave the theater early. I find that disrespectful, and you miss half of Brotherhood of Man and the end of the play...it wasn't worth it to leave. I do however have video from across the street...and unless you were in the first two rows outside the next best place to see him was were i was.  The best part i think is what Darren did after the show.  The guy is genuinely all about the fans and truly cares for them.  So there were like 4 or 5 very small kids waiting outside with their parents, no where near the front, just standing on the side hoping to get a glimpse.  Well Darren's body guard took the kids right outside the stage door on the steps, so when Darren came out they would be the first thing he saw.  They gave them some posters and had them wait. When Darren did come out he went straight to the kids and started talking to them, signing there stuff, dancing, and just had a good time.  The little girl was freaking out they were all so excited, and it was so amazing to see that he took the time to focus on these few small fans of his to give them an amazing memory. Just amazing to see.

The next day Jo and Jade took me around the city.  Our first stop was the Flat Iron District for some good eats at and Italian market called Eataly.

We had a long wait before we could be sat, so we started with desert.  Some amazing Gelato.  Hazelnut and Chocolate made a really good Nutella.

When we did get sat, we had the most

delicious pasta ever.  All freshly made right there, amazing sauce, and another great atmosphere.

Outside i got a photo of the Empire State Building with out clouds round it!

We walked back to The Al Hirschfeld for some

photo ops, and maybe just a chance of seeing one of the cast members.

Got my sexy on with Darren and Beau.

Jo found a new lover.

And the sign was already lit up.

Next stop was Times Square during the day and

some photos with me in them! haha. Who's the looser in the photos?

Same view but in the day time. The lines on the

side are for rush tickets to shows...they were huge lines haha.

Chillin on the stairs.  Haha nerdy Glee moment...

Radio City!

NBC Studios and the Rockefeller Center complex.

Outside in the center of the complex.

Inside. This was a chandelier...from under it haha. It was really cold this day and windy so we didn't do the Top of the Rock. Something for my next visit.

The Today show Studios! It was way smaller

inside then what i thought it would be, still really cool.

Back of the bus.

My last night there we went out.  Towards the end of the night we decided we needed a little dance in our life and went to the Beauty Bar and danced till the place closed.  Amazing DJ's, amazing dancing and an overall amazing great time.

This post has literally taken me all day so the rest of the videos and photos will have to wait til tomorrow...sorry.

All in all this tip was a huge highlight of my life. I cannot thank Jo, Jade, and Brianna enough for letting me stay with them, taking me around the city, and showing me an amazing time!  The small things where the best, hailing a cab, going to a broadway show, eating at amazing places, even doing laundry with Jo.  I loved the city and will be going back if not only to visit then to live one day. It was so alive.  I'll have the videos up soon!