Hello Friends and Hello Weekend! I am so excited to share today’s post with you!

Last year, I made a decision that I was going to get intentional about planning some really fun excursions! I had never done a getaway weekend with the girls, and I wanted to test those waters. Let me just tell you, those are very, very good waters! I cannot recommend it highly enough! If you read my post on October 27, it was about my first ever girls getaway weekend in Chicago, and oh my goodness I am so glad that is part of my life story! Well, last weekend, I went on another girl’s getaway, this time to New York City, my first time ever to the Big Apple!

My travel companion was my sister-in-law, Hannah Kennedy, she too had never been to New York City. Hannah is quite a traveler, and she graciously offered to research the flights and hotel info, and I researched shows. We decided on the date, which was the first weekend of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular for 2017, and that was the show we picked to see! Neither of us had ever seen that show and it seemed perfect to kick off the holidays with our first trip to NYC! Plans were in place, phone calls, texts, questions like “What are you wearing to shop? What kind of shoes are you wearing?” etc. And the day came. So to fly out there, I thought, “Be comfortable”

Yep, that is what I wore on the plane. I am not sure plaid flannel shirts are the norm in New York City, I didn’t see any others, and a few folks asked me where I was from, so I switched it up to a little more sleek for our first full day of touring!

Driving to the hotel that night I saw so many lights! New York City is simply dazzling!

Below, Macy’s Herald Square, The World’s Largest Department Store- about 1/4 mile from our hotel. This greeted us as we arrived. The same Macy’s of Thanksgiving Parade Fame! Ten stories and a whole block of shopping!

Above, the view from our room on the 29th floor of the Hilton Garden Inn, West 35th St, NYC. This hotel was such a great location, and excellent service and hospitality! The view was stunning, with all of the lights, and going back to the hotel was simply a wonderful treat with that view! Those two spires on top of the skyscrapers actually change colors. I’ve read there is an app with which you can get in a queue to change the colors of the spires, with a range of 18 colors!

We were hungry when we got there, and we asked the concierge for a close and casual recommendation for dinner, and he suggested Brendan’s which was right across the street. It was fantastic, Hannah had pasta, and I ordered a cheeseburger and it was divine! (I hadn’t had any food that day and it was 6pm!)

Once we arrived at the hotel, we chose to walk everywhere rather than take a cab. And we had plenty to see in walking distance! That triangular building below is “The Flatiron Building”, a 22 story steel framed landmarked building considered a groundbreaking skyscraper.

Above, “Citibike”, a bike share system.

Stores were decorating for Christmas! You could feel the excitement in the air!

You don’t have to go hungry! Food carts are all over the place!

The store fronts and architecture were simply phenomenal! Above are two separate stores. The one on the right is Loft, the one on the left I think is a Nike store.

Tory Sport… we went in, lovely things! I loved the tennis ball head manicans in the window!

We stopped at Sephora, and I asked this lady to help me select a perfume. She suggested “Chloe”, she told me she loves the smell of Chloe so much it makes her feel like she is somewhere simply beautiful! She said she loves it so much she named her daughter after it! It did smell fantastic, and yes, I bought the Chloe!

My first time in Zara!

Free People 5th Ave

More 5th Avenue shoppers…

That is Hannah in front of the Kate Spade store on 5th Ave!

Simply a lovely store! One couple was in there, I believe from another country, and the lady had lined up an appointment with a stylist who was spending an hour with her helping her select things. Simply fascinating!

Hannah selected a lovely black evening bag!

That is the Empire State Building in the distance… we were making our way there!

This was one of our favorite stores we stopped in, The White Company of London. It was like escaping to another world inside, so peaceful and lovely!

We both fell in love with the candles!

Hannah thought this candle looked somewhat like a cheese wheel! Truly, the store smelled so lovely like pine trees! We both walked out with a few purchases!

Madison Square Park, right there on 5th Ave.

The Textile Building

We made it to the Empire State Building and bought our tickets to ride up!

A kind person took our picture! Shopping bags and sight seeing!

And oh the sights! Check out this view!

Above, the view scope just like in “Sleepless in Seattle” (it was about 25 degrees and windy at this point, we didn’t stay outside long!

The New York City Public Library

Stop for a quick break at the hotel, and headed out again to be at the Radio City Music Hall for our show in plenty of time! Checking out the windows decorated for Christmas!

Lord and Taylor’s Windows were spectacular, and had incredible music piped out on the street.

We stepped inside…

We were getting hungry, and one of our stops we asked for a good restaurant to eat at before our 8pm show. They suggested Pasta Lovers. It was fantastic! I ate almost an entire small pizza (we were really hungry!)

The Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center, we had no energy or time left to skate but it was fun to watch!

Walked past these very cool store windows for Anthropologie… on our way to Radio City Music Hall

(my husband collects antique radios so I knew he would appreciate these pics!) And then…

There it was! A long line, so we jumped in…

The lobby… a beehive of activity!

And it was showtime! Oh how they entertained us!

I had tears in my eyes I felt so blessed and special to see such a magnificent show!

It was bigger and better than I ever dreamed it could be!

And it ended and our hearts were full and time for the walk home!

Beauty everywhere!

Walked past St Patrick’s Cathedral at night… simply beautiful! Tired but happy we drank a Gatorade and crashed!

Ready to roll the next day… refreshed and refueled!

Our first stop, St. Patrick’s Cathedral to see the inside… breathtaking! A peaceful hush in the sanctuary.

And then out for more sights and shopping.

We had to take this pic at Tiffany & Co!

This pink scarf came in very handy keeping me warm! I picked it up at that Anthropologie store, and very glad I had it!

There was the Veterans Day Parade, and the NYPD and worked long and hard and had excellent plans to allow people to enjoy the parade safely.

We saw maybe 20-30 of these busses. And we wondered if they helped carry people in the parade from point A to point B.

We stopped at Saks.

A makeup specialist was treating Hannah to a quick makeover.

Hannah is quite a fan of Kate Middleton, and she was telling me about some of the fashion Kate has followed, including by designer Alexander McQueen.

A little souvenir shopping for my family back home.

Makeup artist getting a model ready… nice boots!

The tree arrives to Rockefeller Center… such a hubbub of activity! Such Fun!

Union Square Holiday Market… simply adorable Christmas pop up shop! Fun! Fun! Fun!

But we were running out of steam… girls that needed to sleep in the city that never sleeps!

We headed back to our hotel…

Looked at our treasures… and drifted off to sleep, ready to get up at 4:30am to catch our shuttle to the airport!

Just had to share this… a vending machine at the airport where you can purchase a winter jacket! Right next to a vending machine for all of your cell phone needs!

And we headed home exhausted but filled with a million fun memories! We both agreed we couldn’t wait to get home and just crash on the sofa for a day or two!

It really was a fun trip, and if you like to shop, and if you don’t mind a bit of walking, there is nothing… nothing like New York City!

I found the people to be so friendly, like family! I loved every minute of this trip and would do it again in a heartbeat!

But my encouragement to you today is to treat yourself to the luxury of planning a getaway… something that will fuel dreams and excitement! Something to look forward to! An adventure! And find someone to share it with! Whether its a beach, a mountain, a shopping mall, or any other destination, begin to plan your escape! You find so much joy, and you get back to who you really are when you can simply go explore something new!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! I’ll be back next Tuesday for another Tasty Tuesday!

Love Always,

Amy

“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” ~Tom Wolfe