New York City - Part One of Our Trip

Thanks to our wonderful moms, Blake and I were able to take a long weekend and visit yet another part of the country that we wanted to explore. After a long day of travel on September 11th, trying to make my way to New York City, I was put on hold by a long delay in Baltimore, Maryland. Although I was only a few short hours away form Blake, the airline wouldn't release my checked bag in order to rent a car or catch a train. That was until my step-father happened to be traveling that day through Baltimore at the exact same time and said and did who knows what, to immediately get my bag and did everything in his power including sprinting down a moving bus to get me to the train station in time. It all worked out perfectly and my one night in New York City proceeded without a hitch. Blake picked me up in Penn Station at 6:30PM.

I asked Blake to choose the Broadway Show and he got us tickets to the musical "Rock of Ages" with American Idol's Constantine Maroulis. We could not have asked for a more fun night out! The small intimate off Broadway theater was so different than the other stuffy formal shows we have been to in New York, San Antonio, Paris and Chicago. It was perfect... the top 40 1980's songs along with the most fantastic costumes that brought back so many memories. This show was silly and hysterical and just a fantastic night out together. It made me want to pull out my "be dazzler", crimper and all my old albums of New Kids On The Block memorabilia! Any one born in the 1970's or 60's would love the show and be dancing in the aisle by the end! As a plus... they served "beer" to you in your seat, so Blake was really in heaven.

That night, just before the show started, I surprised Blake with finding the best pizza place in New York City, it was this HOLE IN THE WALL place, called Patzeria Pizza Perfect, that lived up to the hype.... amazing! Blake and I love to try out the best pizza places in the cities we visit. This place probably ranked #1 of anywhere I have eaten pizza.

Since this was Blake's first time to NYC, I was thrilled when he had the opportunity to go to the US OPEN and see Rafefal Nadal play Fernando Gonzalez, which he said was an amazing experience. (Pictures to come later of Blake at thte Open)

We were also in New York, September 11, the night Derek Jeter broke the all time "hits" record for the Yankees... so the city was buzzing about that.
The next morning, while Blake worked a conference for a couple of hours, I explored NYC. I have to honestly say that I am kinda over it. This being my 4th or 5th trip, I think I have done the Times Square, 5th Ave, Broadway Shows, Rockefeller Center, TODAY Show, Statue of Liberty thing and was thrilled to get out of the crazy, loud, kinda smelly city and head to a place I had never been...

more to come...