Dogs and Terrorists and Wicked, Oh My!

This past weekend ended up being quite an adventure. Two vet buddies came to town with intentions of exploring parks with our dogs and seeing Wicked on Broadway - we got a lot more.

Amy, Connie and Ike arrived Saturday and the first order of business was to explore Central Park with Nissa and Ike after a quick lunch of burgers at the Riverwalk. Due to a misjudgment on my part, we ended up walking along a cross-park road with no entry to the park all the way to the west side (but plenty of taxis). There we finally entered the park and frolicked with dogs and people alike around the lake.

We made a quick dash to my apartment to settle the pups in and get ready for our Wicked night. We arrived in time and wow, what a great show. The set and costumes were fantastic, the songs memorable and the singing amazing. Well worth the wait and I would recommend you see it if it comes to town.

We had reservations at The View for dinner afterwards and so headed into the heart of Times Square only to be thwarted by barricades, police, reporters and smoke and where directed west to 8th Ave. As we walked along it became clear there was no way to get to The View and the mounted police were extending the barricades north of Times Square so we made a quick dash into Tasti-D for sustenance and ran east so we didn't get stuck cutting through Central Park at night. Once home we turned on the news only to learn we had been less then 1/2 a block from a suspected terrorist bombing attack. Geez, I feel safe. Even better it was the street vendors that noticed the smoking car, not the police - I suddenly feel like buying some fake Louis Vuitton to support them! Luckily I had some leftover pizza to reheat and Sherlock Holmes for us to enjoy while we came to terms with our adventure.

No weekend would be complete without a trip to Le Grainne Cafe and a walk on the Highline to walk off the best french toast ever. New this time was the construction site of a water feature in the park; can't wait for it to be completed. Next we headed back to the east side to meet Amy's friend at Serendipity for frozen hot chocolates, not a bad way to finish a weekend. I am hoping this weekend is a little less exciting though.

Quote of the Post:
I don't cause commotions, I am one.
- Elphaba Thropp, Wicked

New York, New York

This weekend included a visit from my sister. For Christmas she got me tickets to a Broadway show and we finally both had free time. We enjoyed Spanish tapas on Friday, shopped on Saturday and then took a quick ride to Patsy's for yummy pizza before the show. We saw La Cage Aux Folles and it was fabulous! I couldn't believe how funny it was; laughed the whole time and we munched on Godiva chocolate covered pretzels. Doesn't get better then that.

Afterwords we headed to The View, a revolving restaurant in times square. A bit pricey but amazing views in 360 of the night lights of NY and NJ. We also managed to fit in a makeover. Go figure. Gotta love the city that never sleeps. It wore us out eventually so then we headed home.


The next morning we were up to get my favorite french toast and to meet up with Connie. Connie was taking "Stanley" around to see NY, a character her young nephew sent her in a way to explore the world with his class at school. Here is Stanley enjoying Central Park. Both Sara and Connie left me via train to return to upstate. More adventures next weekend.

Quote of the Post:
I want to wake up in the city, that never sleeps ...
If I can make it there, I can make it just about anywhere
New York, New York
- Frank Sinatra