Thursday, May 3

NYC Day 1 | Cutting it Close!

Since my sister graduated last June from college, her gift from her friends and family was to send her on a trip of her choosing.  Instead of going it along, she picked me!  I was thrilled to be able to go, as this was a much needed sister's trip.  We actually had never done anything like this, unless you count driving to San Antonio and back in one day while we were both at ACU together.

We decided that we wanted to spend our time in The Big Apple and we definitely were not disappointed!

The first day started out pretty rough...  I can't believe this happened, but I forgot my wallet which contained my credit/debit card and my ID!  Of course, this meant that I would potentially miss our flight!  Dustin was my savior and sped out of the airport to pick it up.  We had arrived at the airport with a little over an hour to spare before our flight took off, but even then I was gnawing my nails in the slow security line hoping that Dustin would make it back in time for me to go though.  Kimberly and I decided that IF I didn't make it, that she would go on through and board, and I would take the next flight out of DFW which was two hours later.  She offered to wait for me there at the Newark airport, which was REALLY nice.  I felt horrible about this whole thing and was in disbelief that this happened.  I still can't believe it!  I had Brennan in line with me and had to let a few people in front of me, but just in the nick of time, Dustin arrived with my wallet - whew!  He literally thew my wallet in my hands, grabbed Brennan away from me (in his stroller), gave me a 'good bye" peck and I was next in line to show my ID and boarding pass.

I didn't even put my shoes back on after security, and even took off my socks (I know - ewwww) so I could run to my terminal!  Not fast walking...running!  And this girl doesn't run, ha!  The airline attendants stopped me before I ran down the terminal hall because I HAD to put my shoes back on.  As I was flustered and barreling into the plane, the pilot stopped to ask if I was "Ellen Powell."  Since apparently I was the last person to board and Kimberly had explained my situation to the stewardesses, who relayed the info to the pilot.  While I was definitely embarrassed, I was impressed by how nice the pilot and stewardesses were to me during my stupidity.  Go American Airlines!  After I jammed my carry on into the only slot available on the plane (we're talking almost a Meet the Parents moment here) and sat down, I still had 3 minutes to spare before take-off according to my watch.

Kimberly and I had a good laugh and replayed what went on, on each other's end.  Dustin was on the phone with Kimberly while she was waiting for me on the plane, checking to see if I made it.  And the attendants and pilots kept checking in with Kimberly on my status.  Man... WHAT at day!  I'm SO grateful I made it to the plane safely, securely and "on time" (if you can call it that!).

The flight was perfect and we spent our time talking about our fun trip ahead.  We landed in Newark, NJ around 4:15pm and took the NJ Transit Rail to New York Penn Station from the Newark airport.  This was kind of fun, since we hadn't ridden on many trains before.  30 minutes later, we arrived at NYC and appeared above ground at Madison Square Garden.  We originally thought we could take the subway to our hotel, which was about 20 blocks north on 7th Avenue, but we decided to "hoof" it, luggage and all during NYC 5pm rush hour.  This was an exciting experience and we did really well!  Of course it was about 25 minutes later and we were sweaty and our hair was frizzy from the mist, but we were happy to have made it and check into our hotel.  Ahhhh - The Ameritania at Times Square.

This hotel was great for the money ($200 a night + taxes).  We did have an issue with them replacing our towels, but, over all it was clean, pleasant, in a great location (West Side, North of Times Square in the CBS Dave Letterman Show building) and perfect for getting ready and sleeping, which is all we did at the hotel anyway.  I would definitely stay there again.







Since it was about 6:30 when we finally arrived, we decided to get ready for dinner and go somewhere low key for dinner.  Sushi sounded good, so we headed to Fuji Sushi, which was close to our hotel, quiet and had quality sushi rolls for really cheap!  I would say this is a hidden gem and would eat there again, since I LOVE sushi.  We were in and out of there for $25 a piece, which included champagne cocktails, edamame, 4 full sized rolls, tax and tip - NO LIE!
After dinner, we retired back to the hotel and decided to call it a night around 10:15pm.  We had ambitions of waking up early to appear on The Today Show outside Rockefeller Center, but decided against it, since we were so exhausted.  We had a crazy first day!  

6 comments:

Angela Orr said...

LOVE these images! So glad you caught your flight! Anticipating more photos! <3

Rachel said...

Great, photos! What a day! I caught wind of the wallet issue on FB that day and was relieved when you guys started posting photos...I knew you had made it! Sushi looks great and so does the hotel! Can't wait to see more!

Kimberly said...

...is it crazy that I am eager to read more...and I was THERE! :) I loved this and made me tear up...had such a great time and loved getting that 1:1 time with Stina, that I RARELY get! Best trip ever!

Mommy said...

Glad you all had a great time!

Unknown said...

I cant wait to hear more about your trip! And see more pics! So glad you and your sis got to take such a fun trip together

Lindsay said...

So fun!! Sorry for the stress at the beginning, but it will make a great story for a long time. :). Looking forward to more info and pics of your trip. So special!!!