Hakuna Matata in New York

New York City in the fall, or at Christmas, or really any time, has been on my list of places to visit for a looooong time. When our good friend, Robert, moved up there recently for his residency, I knew the time was coming when we would finally make a trip out there! And then, lo and behold, ALL of our best friends could actually meet in this fantastic city at the same time?!?! I was over the moon. But then, Hurricane Sandy swept through the northeast causing trouble. She actually hit the weekend before we were scheduled to all fly into the city. So of course, the next week we were all on pins and needles waiting to see who wouldn't make it. Thankfully, none of our flights from across the country were canceled.

There was still a lot of damage in the city when we arrived. We had no idea about the serious gasoline shortage until our taxi driver told us about his long wait in line to fill his tank and of all of the road closures from flooding and damage. Parts of the subway were also closed, and a few of the restaurants and cafes we visited had damage. Thankfully, Robert's apartment, where half of the group was staying, was unaffected and had power. Our hotel was a different story. After many attempts to find a different hotel, four of us actually checked into a hotel that had no power, no running water up to the rooms, and no heat! Also, the hotel, in true New York fashion, was decked out with bright red and neon paint with crazy paintings that looked terribly creepy in the dark with a flashlight. The place was also a little on the older side and was mostly empty due to the conditions. It felt very much like The Shining. Thankfully, the power was actually restored late that evening, so by the time we came back to our room, everything was a-okay!

Though things started out a little stressful, the rest of the weekend was awesome! Even though we were only in town for a few days, we were able to see most of the major tourist attractions. Times Square was completely overwhelming and awesome at the same time. You'd never know that a major disaster had just affected the city by the number of tourists around!

We also checked out Rockefeller Plaza, and I was disappointed that we didn't see Tina Fay heading to work :( We did see the awesome set up where the election coverage would take place just a week later.

On Saturday, we strolled around town and visited Union Station, Wall Street, the New York Public Library, and I even caught a far off glimpse of Lady Liberty.

We ended the chilly afternoon by getting hot dogs from a street vendor and taking a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park. The fall leaves were gorgeous, and our driver filled us in on tons of fun facts about the park and surrounding area. 

Our pretty horse's name was Thor- I think he liked me :)

That evening, we had a delicious meal at a little Italian restaurant down the street from Robert's apartment. I think our group of 11 took up 1/3 of the restaurant. I loved having all of my wonderful friends eating all together and sharing food and wine. It seems like forever since we have all been able to spend time together.

After dinner, we went to the Minskoff Theater to see The Lion King. IT WAS A-MAZ-ING!!! I think I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time. The costumes, music, singers and dancers...everything was wonderful. Ever since I was a little girl and watched the TV recording of Cats on broadway, I've wanted to attend a show in person. My wish finally came true! Although, it wasn't quite the same cats...

After the show and walking back through Times Square, Sam and I made our first celebrity spotting! We saw a group of people standing around someone outside a building. As we crept closer, we spotted Snoop Dogg! Pretty cool. We then hit up a local dive bar where we stayed way too late, sang way too loudly to songs on the juke box, and ate way too much pizza. It was a wonderful night :)

The next day, we finished off our trip by heading to Katz's Delicatessen, known for that infamous scene in When Harry Met Sally, for one of their famous pastrami sandwiches. Trust me, it did not disappoint!

For someone who has waited so long to explore New York City, I have to say, I think it was everything I hoped it would be and more! But, the best part was spending almost 72 hours with some of my favorite people in the whole wide world. Love you guys.