NYC Day 1

Alright, I realize this is a long post, but remember that I tried to pack in as much as possible, and I just want to share it all :)

First day in NYC was St Patrick's Day. Don't know if you're familiar with the saying everyone's a little Irish on St Patrick's Day, but I can assure you that everyone in NYC was indeed Irish for the day! Our first stop was Times Square, in an effort to get a lay of the land. One word: People. Everywhere I turned there were people. A. plethora. of. people. Once the initial shock was over, we joined the crowds of revelers and (map in hand) headed for a few of our don't want to miss locations.

The young un spotted Toys R Us right away, though he refused to have anything to do with the Ferris wheel. This place was huge and the Mr even found a sports memorabilia section he could browse through.

After the toy store, I made a beeline for the Ed Sullivan Theater, home to the Late Show with David Letterman. I had one objective, find Craig Fergison, his guest on that day's show. Alas, I did not get any quality time with Craigers, but we did snap a couple of pics with the sign. Leaving Letterman we mosey-ed on over to the M&M store, which I must tell you smelled scrumptious! I'm talking mouth watering. The young un found plenty of things to spend his vacation money on, and I fell in love with all the colors. What are the chances I could get a wall like this in my house?But, I managed to leave the store without buying any chocolate. I was saving up for something bigger :) A trip to Magnolia Bakery. I had a yummy banana nut cupcake frosted with pineapple icing and sprinkled with caramel and walnuts. The young un went for a regular chocolate vanilla combo and the Mr settled on white chocolate cheesecake. The smell was divine, the taste was average, the t-shirts super cute.

Walking off the cupcakes led us to Central Park, which is mind blowing when viewed from the top of a skyscraper. The young un found some rocks to climb (Epic!) and we people watched for a little bit.

Leaving Central Park we stumbled into the midst of the St Patrick's Day Parade, which began over 5 hours earlier. The Mr had a couple of friends involved in the parade, so we waited to meet up with them. The plan was to hit an Irish pub for some dinner. The problem: Irish Pub on St Patrick's Day = Police. There was no way I would even think about taking the young un inside.

No joke, as we arrived at the pub two NYPD cars came screeching up. A quick change of plans and we found ourselves at Hard Rock Cafe with good friend and fellow Texan, C. Yes, rather than drive a couple of hours to hangout, we met for dinner in New York. We swapped city stories and enjoyed a few adult beverages (after all, I had survived my first day in the city; clearly a toast was in order!) while the pulsating beat of Adam Ant filled the room. (Side note- Twisted Mac & Cheese with Chicken was delish!) After dinner we headed back out to Times Square for a few more photo worthy moments.

Now I should take a moment to explain that the Mr, being super prepared and cautious, decided to wear the video camera bag under his jacket that day. I told him at the hotel it looked like he was packing heat. Well, the NYPD agreed with me and he was approached by a female officer as we crossed a street. Not thinking, he goes to swing the bag around, so she instinctively reaches for her gun. Oh. yes. We nearly had a take down in Times Square folks. C & I are both in a bit of shock for a moment then quickly try to explain his reasoning for wearing it under his coat. The officer's reply, "People scare me around here". Um hello? When the cop tells you that, it does not bode well.

So with that exchange, we head back to the hotel and plan out our second day in the big apple.