Celebrating One Year of Marriage in NYC

I can't stop smiling as I start to type this post...I just spent an amazing weekend with my husband of one year in New York City. This was my first time ever in the city and I absolutely loved it! It really wasn't what I expected and it was very surreal. 

When I came home from work on Friday, Jake surprised me with a cute dress and coordinating jewelry to wear on Saturday night! I was soo excited and thought this was the sweetest thing ever!!

We left for the city on Saturday morning. We debated and debated about how we should get there...take the bus or drive? We live only an hour and a half away from NYC, but parking can be expensive/difficult, not to mention the traffic. We decided to drive because we could save a little money by parking at the hotel on Saturday ($45/day!) and then parking on the street for free on Sunday. A round trip bus ticket per person is about $40, so we did save some money by driving.

We stayed at the historic and luxurious Warwick Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The hotel was built in the 1920's as a residential retreat for Hollywood stars. Some prominent guests that have frequented the hotel are Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, and James Dean. The Warwick is situated within four blocks of New York City's Broadway, Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Fifth Avenue and the Rockefeller Center, so it was a perfect location!

After we checked in to the hotel, we strolled through Central Park and worked up an appetite for some hot dogs and limeade from a street vendor. We walked down 5th Avenue and toured the Rockefeller Center. We explored all 6 floors of Forever 21, took a break in the Trump Tower, and saw some of NBC studios. We went into American Girl Place just so I could see it...I would have absolutely loved that 12 years ago! There were people everywhere, and a ton of shopping! We weren't really shopping for anything...just trying to take it all in! The weather was absolutely gorgeous!!

Saturday evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Bistro Milano. The food was incredible and the atmosphere on the outdoor patio was perfect.

During dinner we laughed about some favorite memories and had a great conversation about things we have learned about ourselves and each other through our first year of marriage. We are both even more in love with each other now than we were a year ago...this makes me excited for the many years we have to come!



After dinner, we walked a few blocks to Times Square and watched "The Perfect Crime" - a funny, suspenseful whodunit play. It's the longest running play in NYC and the best part is that the tickets were two for one that night! Times Square at night with all the lights lit up was quite a sight!

I'm a typical tourist...Jake was laughing at me because I was on the lookout for a celebrity. I kept saying, "What if we see J-Lo?!"

On Sunday morning we enjoyed another amazing meal - we had brunch at Rue 57 on the corner of 57th St and Avenue of the Americas. Jake had the "Hangover Breakfast" - pancakes, sausage, bacon, potatoes, eggs, toast, and french ham. He ate every bit of it! I had the Brioche French Toast with strawberries and vanilla marscarpone. It was great!

After brunch we went back to Times Square to get tickets for Mary Poppins on Broadway at the discounted ticket booth. We waited for about 45 minutes to get tickets 50% off. Totally worth it! As soon as we got the tickets, we went straight to the theater for the matinee show. I absolutely loved it...the music, the acting, it was great!! 

The theater was gorgeous!

Our souvenir of the weekend...

After the show we grabbed a slice of New York style pizza and then headed home! I can't wait to go back to NYC. We didn't try to do everything in one weekend...we just stayed in the midtown Manhattan area, so next time I think it would be fun to go for a day trip and see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.