Concrete Jungle

That morning we woke up eyes wide open and all we could see in the future was the BIG APPLE! New York City! We couldn't wait to walk the busy streets. It was only a couple hours away. We got to our hotel and checked in that morning. We stayed in Jersey just across the river from Manhattan. This was the second time I had ever visited NYC and we only had a few days to see everything! So we quickly unloaded all of our stuff and headed to the train station.

Hahaha That was sight, as Andrea and I tried to navigate our way through the city Erika and Tiegs followed behind laughing as our two dominating personalities collided. But hey I can at least say it was pretty funny. Andrea was on a mission... "Operation Find Benji" I can't say that I blame her. LOL when we finally made it to SoHo and found Benji, it was time to eat and shop!

First place we went was a little eatery to grab some lunch before we hit Broadway and Canal St. Once we finished up eating, Andrea left to visit with her man and we hit the shops! It was so much fun just walking to overly crowed streets and window shopping. Just spending silly time with the girls was a very much deserved reward from the previous week in Pittsburgh. I absolutely LOVE New york City. The culturally diverse city has something for all walks of life. As you walk by the massive concrete structure buildings or hop on the subways you feel this sense of ambition, like you can achieve your wildest dreams here. 

After walking the streets of Pittsburgh last week and now making our way through the city, our poor feet we need of some attention. So we decided to go get a manicure and pedicure before we left to head back to our hotel for the evening. It felt so good to sit back and just relax while getting pampered. I picked up a few cute things that day and so did the other girls. SoHo is one of my favorite neighborhoods to visit in NYC. Well after being so exhausted from our adventurous day we hopped on the train back to Jersey. Andrea went to watch Benji play that night in the City, but we were all too tired to join her, so we stayed in.

The next morning we got up bright and early, went to a little coffee shop and grabbed a latte and pastry (New York style) and made our way into the city to sight see. We headed up to 5th Ave. and Central park, where we dropped off Tiegs so she could visit with family over brunch, and met up with Andrea for lunch. When we finally all reunited, we set out on a tour of the city by foot. We saw Rockefeller center, Empire State Building, Times Square, South Street Seaport, Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park, and the Statue of Liberty from across the Hudson Bay. 

The city was amazing and just as beautiful as I remembered. South Street was so much fun, we shopped at the mall there, and had famous New York Style Hotdogs on the pier. Then made our way back uptown to SoHo to get ready to go out that night in the City. We got ready at Benji's friends loft, which was so chic...I LOVED IT! The decor, the floor plan, the little cubby hole beds in the walls for guests, it was really really cool.

After we finished getting dolled up we headed to the rooftop to snap a few photos. The weather couldnt have been more perfect for this evening. Our plans were to have dinner in Little Italy at Pomodoro Resturant and Pizzeria on Mulberry St. It was so yummy after eating we walked Mulberry Street where they had a small carnival that night. The festivities brought great vibes and character to the neighborhood that evening.

After we left went spent the next few hours partying in NYC for Memorial Day. It was a great way to end our trip! The next morning we got up after only a few hours of sleep and made at our long 14 hour journey back to Tennessee. We did a lot of bonding on this trip, passed through a lot of states, and lost alot of sleep, but I can say this, IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH EVERY LOST HOUR OF SLEEP!!! I sure do miss these girls!   

xoxo .:TMarie:.