Six in the City

 

A couple of months ago Bryn, Logan, Landon & Mady invited us to tag along on a trip they were planning in the fall to NYC. They had snagged some killer flights so we decided to join in and quickly formed the group message called Six in the City. Sam and Ken were also invited but since Sam is in med school they weren't able to join in. Next time for sure! 

Our trip was seriously so much fun. Everyone except for Jaden & Mady had been before so we weren't super pressured to see everything but at the same time we packed a lot into a few short days. We left on a redeye flight Thursday night and arrived in NYC at about 5:30 a.m. After a chaotic uber ride into the city, with stop and go traffic that had all of our stomachs churning we made it to our hotel. We couldn't check in for a few hours so we dropped our bags. Did a quick wardrobe change in a tiny employee bathroom and braved the rain outside in search for a bagel shop. 

My friend Annie and her husband Ricky live in the city and were an invaluable resource with plenty of food and excursion recommendations that made our trip pretty stress free. It was a lot less regimented than I had anticipated and yet we still did and saw so much. First stop was the bagel shop. Tons of bagel choices and schmears we all were starving and though our bagels were a little bit tough they hit the spot. 

From there we walked into Time Square and snapped some pics and investigated potential Broadway showtimes for that night. Before we left we were debating between Wicked and Sweeney Todd but ended up deciding once there that we'd go see Aladdin. After getting word our room was ready as we were waiting in line at Magnolia Bakery for their famous banana pudding (a fav) we decided to head back and take a quick cat nap. 

We took our first subway ride on the way back and lost Landon which is definitely the biggest fear of subway transportation. He made it back to us eventually and it became a joke of the trip. I swear those doors shut so fast Mady got bruises on her shoulders from the doors slamming on her as she exited. 

Our catnaps ended up being a few hours but was so needed. We all felt decidedly better as we freshened up and went to find lunch. We took the subway again and all made it out this time, found Joe's pizza which was delicious. NY style pizza > Chicago style pizza in my humble opinion. I'm a sucker for a thin crust! 

We hit grand central station and since it was raining decided to go to the MET for a couple of hours. Thank goodness for the guys selling $5 umbrellas on every street corner because half of us bought them as the rain got worse. The MET was cool my personal favorite part was watching Jaden enter the room where the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware was housed. Too pure of a reaction! 

After exploring and getting lost trying to find the exit we decided to take a detour on the way back to the hotel through Central Park. As we did so the heavens opened up in earnest and we were nearly soaked to the bone in an absolute downpour. Like I'm talking standing water on the sidewalk rain. It was funny and thankfully not too cold in fact most of us were kind of warm in our sweaters and rain jackets and all were kicking ourselves for packing for what we anticipated would be really cold weather. 

Finally we made it back to the hotel where we dried off and got ready for dinner and a show. I need to pause and write about our hotel. First of all we all shared one room with two queen beds and a set of bunk beds and one bathroom. Which when Jaden told people that at work they were absolutely appalled but we honestly had a ton of fun and made it work. It was an adventure and quite honestly we were all so wiped out from travel and walking that we could have slept anywhere. 

We set out for dinner at a Taco place Bryn had been to and loved and it was a cool vibe with yummy soft tacos and guac. I'm on a big guacamole kick lately. Can't get enough of it. After dinner we headed over to see Aladdin. I am the first to admit I am not a showtunes girlie so I left the show decision up to the rest of the group who would enjoy it the most. I tried to keep an open mind and reign in my secondhand embarrassment and cringey responses and I was honestly very distracted and impressed by the set, costuming and talent of the cast and crew. I did not realize but it was the first play (other than high school productions) that Jaden had ever seen live. The bar was set very high, very spoiled to have a Broadway play be your first musical. 

After the show was over we headed out to find dessert. Jaden and I had seen a Netflix special where we were intrigued by a dessert shop called Milk and wanted to try it while we were there. Unfortunately and maybe this is a hot take but we were all very disappointed by what we ordered except for Jaden and his pie. Landon's facial expression after trying the ice cream summed it up best! We decided to cleanse our palate and went to a gelato shop that was a couple blocks over that Annie recommended and it was much better. 

After dessert we decided we were all ready to call it a day even as we passed huge groups of people lining up outside of rooftop bars and clubs just getting ready to start their Friday night. As we walked back to the hotel some ladies drove by bumping a song Landon knew and he started dancing and they went nuts screaming and laughing at him. He is the life of the party and kept us laughing the entire trip. He also complimented a guys' necklace and suddenly the boys were asked to take a picture with "the next big rapper" they never said what his actual name was but if we ever see him get famous we'll know we were there in the beginning. 

After we all showered and got ready for bed I honestly think we were all asleep within 15 minutes of hitting the pillow. 

The next morning we were scheduled to go to the Ground Zero 9/11 memorial museum but missed not one, not two but three alarms (we were that tired) so we were running late to make our time slot. We were worried they wouldn't let us in but thankfully we basically got a fast pass and skipped to the front of the line. So I would actually advise people to be late for their time slot when they buy tickets online because we got in so fast. 

It's hard to describe the 9/11 museum. It's so overwhelming and a lot to take in and yet at the same time I think you can leave there with a hope and determination to do better, be better and serve your neighbor. I think one of the most impactful parts for me was in one of the final rooms there was a news broadcast on repeat of a reporter saying that any fool can cause destruction but the result of people binding together and coming out stronger is the real way to show that they did not win. I think that is so true. There are so many evil and horrific things going on in the world today but like my mom always says "light overpowers darkness" and "out of something bad comes something good." I think that is so comforting to know that even amidst tragedy good can and will still spring forth. 

We took time to continue to process our emotions as we travelled from the memorial over to Brooklyn. We decided to take the subway rather than walk across the bridge since Bryn said it takes a long time and we had logged 10 miles the day before and would probably duplicate it that day. We showed up to a pizza place on Annie's list and it was absolutely to die for good. We ordered one white pizza with a few variety of cheeses, pancetta and scallions. It was incredible. The second pizza was a margherita with pepperoni which was also delicious. That meal skyrocketed to first place for everyone. The ambiance was great too. We all really enjoyed Brooklyn especially the revitalized hipster area of Dumbo. We walked down to the water and took a group picture and took in the vastness of the cityscape. Mady said it really makes you realize how small Salt Lake is as a city which is so true. NYC is just so vast. 

Thankfully the weather shaped up for us and the sun was actually shining but not enough to be hot. It was chilly in the morning but was perfect in the afternoon. We decided to spend a few hours shopping in SoHo and NoHo (which I learned is the abbreviation for being either north or south of Houston street, fun fact). We got a famous chocolate chip cookie from Levains bakery and Jaden and I both got Yankees hats. We passed NYU and took some pictures at the park with the Washington Square Arch which was really pretty. I hopped on the phone with Annie to plan a time to meet up and she recommended that instead of going to the top of the Rock we should go to a new city outlook that recently opened up called Vanderbilt Summit One. She was able to get us a discount as a NYC resident which was nice. Our dinner reservation was late at night so we decided to head back to the hotel for a nap and then do dinner and see the city at night as our final trip checklist item.

 

We made our way back and fell into bed exhausted. Jade and I ended up leaving early and took a subway across the city to see Annie and Ricky. They had rented out the "screening room" in their apartment complex and were having a bunch of Utah friends over to watch the Utah USC game. When I tell you Jaden and I ran the last few blocks to make it there before kickoff I'm not lying. We made it just in time and it was so fun to see Annie and her apartment. We also saw a girl that I went to school with at the U which was a lot of fun. 

We could only stay for the first quarter before it was time to get to our dinner reservation so I was our navigator as Jaden closely watched the game on his phone. We made it to dinner at the famous Maison Pickle and it was delicious. Bryn and I split a french dip and Jaden and Logan split a lobster Mac and Cheese and the chicken and waffles. Everything was so so good. We seriously ate like kings on this trip and it was so fun. Our waitress was great and the whole aesthetic of the restaurant was so classy. Loved it.

To wrap up the night and the trip we headed over to Vanderbilt ONE which is a total experience not just a lookout. They have three progressive rooms with mirrors, reflective balloons, 3D selfies, and a glass floor lookout. It was a lot of fun and the city views were gorgeous. Jaden was able to have just enough service to see Utah kick a field goal and win the game and went nuts while we waited in line. I have a great video of him freaking out. 

All in all it was such a fun whirlwind trip and we made so many good memories we'll talk about forever. I say it all the time but we are so grateful to be back with our friends and family and able to be part of the experiences and memories again. We decided the next trip would be a beach vacay because NYC is go-go-go and not a lot of relaxing so the next one will need to be just camping out on a beach chair and laying in the sun. 

Peaches

• Took family pictures for my mom's birthday gift. Usually only take pictures every 10 years but this time it was only 8 years since our last pics. Jaden finally gets to be in the family officially ;) our photographer was great (highly recommend Abi from Kylee Ann Photography) and the turnaround time was literally 24 hours which was amazing! 
• NYC with the crew
• Yummy food
• Watching Jaden experience NYC for the first time
• Laughing our guts out
• Getting closer to Bryn and Mady and just feeling so blessed to have such good friends

• NYC pizza
• Jaden seeing George Washington
• Randomly came across the Peloton studio where my classes are recorded. I would have LOVED to do a class live but it didn't make sense in our itinerary and let's be honest I was so tired I don't know if I could have mustered the strength to do a live ride

• Being pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Aladdin. It is one of my all time fav Disney movies 
• Cutest buildings and apartments 
• New hats
• Seeing Annie
• Cute shop windows
• Warm chocolate chip cookies
• Umbrella guys with $5 umbrellas

Pits

• Flying with a stuffy nose... just the worst!
• Carsick Uber ride
• Losing Landon on the subway. It's funny now but was kind of scary in the moment. I would have been a wreck if it was me that got stuck
• Milk was such a letdown
• The pouring rain that first day and worrying the weather would be bad the whole trip
• Sore feet. You know that DisneyLand feet feeling when you're walking so much the next day when you're feet hit the floor they just ache? NYC is the exact same way if not worse!

Inside Jokes to Remember

• "Bourbon barbecue WAAAAANGS!" Buffalo Wild Wings commercial Jaden sings constantly and everyone dies laughing every time 
• Tractor on the freeway

• Landon getting lost
• Standing on a wet mop changing after getting to the hotel
• How tiny the hotel elevator was "she's small but mighty"
• Guy swatting flies in the subway
• My compact water bottle that fit in my bag but looks like a flask
• Jaden's MET commentary

• Nasty Milk ice cream
• Jaden's constant singing and whistling (I get so used to it but it's funny to watch other people get entertained and at times annoyed by it)
• Landon dancing next to a car of ladies bumping music
• "Next Big Rapper"
• The armpit ads by Dove
• Sleeping through all of our alarms
• Logan and Jaden's reactions to their food at Maison Pickle

• Taking the 3D selfies before Vanderbilt ONE
• Jaden jumping up and down in line watching the Utah Game
• Sharing a bathroom with 3 boys