Christmas Time in the City

Every year, Sal and I make our way to NYC to see the tree and to wander the streets of NY to enjoy the cold winter night. It's sort of like a tradition that we've started since before we started going out. This year my brother joined us, with his soon-to-be girlfriend, since he was home from college for the holidays. Sharing these special moments with my brother really means a lot to me. We made plans to go on a Sunday night, a rainy Sunday night I might add, and drove into the city. Once we found parking we began walking to the tree, and I swear, every year when I see it - it changes, and yet it stays the same. I know it's not the same tree, but it looks the same every year. I guess that's kind of like people ... as the days pass by you don't notice any change, but when you look back on pictures from year to year, you can see drastic changes.

We always try and take pictures by the tree each year, a couple on our own camera and then professional shots, which sometimes we order, and sometimes we don't. This year we took professional pictures twice and guess what? They both came out horrible. The first time because our jackets made us look rather large, and the pictures came out dark and blurry the second time. When we got home later that night to look at them, I was so upset that I might've cried... okay I did cry! We went all that way for nothing... until I realized the memories made were more important than the pictures we had taken.

Afterwards, we walked to Bryant Park, one of my favorite spots in NYC during the holidays. We took a few pictures in front of the tree, walked around the ice skating rink, and into and out of the little shops that were set up, even though some of them were closing.

We were going to grab dinner in the city as well, but decided to head back home and stop at a diner to warm up and fill up! I tried to go with healthier dish, and one of my favorites at the diner - chicken caesar wrap with a side of chips and salsa. I don't know how they do it, but it's one of the best I've ever had. Then we headed to grab some hot chocolate to warm up even more! You won't believe how cold the city can be in the winter when it's raining!

Trip to Central Park

I live roughly 20 minutes away from NYC. I can take a train, bus, or car, and be there in no time. Yet, I've never been to Central Park, even though I've always wanted to go. Imagine, a picnic basket, a blanket laid out, and a homemade lunch with your love? Yup, that's definitely on my bucket list, but it can only be done in the spring or summer.

So when my friend asked me to go to Central Park with her one day, I was a little hesitant because it was pretty cold out, dark, and rainy. However, I said yes, because I knew without a doubt that we could make it fun. A few weeks ago, we hopped on a bus and headed to NY. We shared way too many laughs, and probably annoyed a lot of people on the way there. When we arrived we walked 20 or so blocks to Columbus Circle, and noticed that there were little shops set up for the holidays. We walked around, peeking in at all the shops. The feeling in the air was joyous and calm, as the holidays were fast approaching. Even though we didn't buy anything, we definitely felt just as much joy as the customers.

Afterwards, we started our walk into Central Park, but little did we know how big it actually was. We took a picture of the map, and several other beautiful scenic spots, and even had other ladies take a picture of us! We trekked through Central Park while the rain came down, not minding a bit that we were slowly getting soaked. However, little did we know that we were slowly going in a circle, and an hour later we were back in the same place that we started in! We didn't see half of Central Park, but by that point we were hungry, so we decided to head back towards the bus station to grab something to eat. We promised that we'd come back on a warmer, less rainy day to see the rest of Central Park, or at least another section!

Leave it to the most indecisive people to take another hour to decide where to eat, but finally we settled on a place that had a little bit of everything so that it wasn't so hard to choose what to eat! We discussed plans for my birthday and our new bucket list of all the things we want to do before she leaves to live across the country!

We eventually grabbed Jamba Juice and coffee and headed back to NJ. I can't wait to make more memories before she leaves.

Go to Central Park √

Into the City Take 2

The night of our anniversary we decided that we were going to try to go into the city during the week, right after Sal got out of work because we weren't going to skip our yearly tradition. It made me happy that he was willing to go no matter what, just to see me smile. It's amazing what our loved one's will do for us. So we picked a night and we were off. Thankfully there was barely any traffic getting into the city. We found a place to park that was close enough to the tree, and although parking was EXTREMELY expensive, we dealt with it and began walking.

and walking...

and a little bit farther...

We were almost there, but not quite, but I mean who wouldn't want to walk past all of these gorgeous displays in NYC?!

When we finally made it to the tree, we couldn't believe how many people were there. We knew there were going to be a lot of people, but it was insane. Instead of getting a picture in front of the tree, we had our usual pictures taken there by professionals. What was awesome about it, that we didn't know prior, was that you could go into the Top of the Rock building and purchase them right there, instead of waiting and buying them online. Sal bought the one picture I absolutely adored, and decided to wait to give it to me for Christmas, in a frame that he picked out. More about that in a later post though.

We were starting to get hungry, so I decided to buy dinner - SANDWICHES! - on me, for having had such a wonderful night thus far. 

Having seen the tree years prior, we got bored rather quickly, and decided to walk to Bryant Park. I had never been there before, and neither has he. If you haven't either, I highly suggested going there. It's so beautiful, especially during the winter when it's open. There is a smaller tree, right next to a skating rink, and shops surround the whole park. The smells are wonderful, from kettle corn to hot chocolate, and the shops are filled with handmade items.

See what I'm saying? Beautiful. This is definitely a night that I will look back on and smile.