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The Big Apple-NYC day 3 & 4
So day 3 and 4 in NYC were a whirldwind of activity. We hit Times Square in the morning and picked up a few souvenirs. We needed to get to the meeting place for our Brooklyn tour and were on our way but quickly distracted by a delicious-smelling bakery. We didn't really have the time but couldn't resist picking up some brownies, cookies, and a piece of cake. It was from ROXYs--a great bakery famous for their cheesecake. We were the last to arrive to the bus stop for our "Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour" but it was okay. Tony, our guide, was waiting for us with his black hoodie and raybans. When I said oh--thanks for waiting for us, all he could say was "fughetaboudit". I knew we were in for a treat. My sister Em had seen a highlight on the Today show featuring a Brooklynite doing a tour around the city with an emphasis on pizza. Marilyn just loves pizza so we decided to surprise her with this tour. We jumped on a brand new charter 
bus that was great. It just so happened that the last row had 5 seats across the back which was perfect for us. Tony took us all around Brooklyn telling these great stories and showing movie clips highlighting Brooklyn. We also stopped at two of the greatest pizza places--one with the Neapolitan style thin crust: Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge. Everyone must know about the joint because there was a line 25 deep before the doors even opened. And one with the Sicilian style deep crust: L&B Spumoni Gardens. Tony grew up eating at both places and they were delicious. We saw the fancy houses in Brooklyn as well as Coney Island, the very first Nathan's hot dog stand, the site where the Battle of Brooklyn started (the start of the American Revolution) as well as fun stories about the real mobs and history of Brooklyn--it was fascinating. Our guide Tony was born and bred in the heart of Brooklyn and his brothers are Vinnie & Joey. "You can't 
make this stuff up" he joked. Anyway, I couldn't reccommend this tour more. Excluding my sisters, I was the only one uner the age of 60 but it was still a great time. We made our way home to relax a little and get ready for dinner. We jumped in a cab and headed off to the District for dinner. Everything was so good. It was one of the places where everything is served on a giant plate with your food right in the middle and some sort of colored smear on the side for effect. We were even served a little appetizer, compliments of the chef. I had no idea what it was but I ate it up and it was good. We then walked over to the theater for Little Mermaid. It was a very fun show. I personally prefer shows like Wicked and Les Mis that have AMAZING music but I still enjoyed it. The effects/costumes were very cool. All the underwater characters were on heelies (the kids shoes with wheels in the heels) to give the effect of swimming. I thought that was so clever. Before the show started, we were in line in the bathroom when a cute little girl with big curls and a poofy dress was walking out-she went up to the bathroom attendant and said "Excuse me, but I think I am going to love this show". It was really cute. Anyway, we jumped in a cab to get home and Amy and I got an extreme case of the giggles. It's best not to look forward in an NYC cab. It's an all out race to the next red light and all safety precautions and traffic 
warnings are, as Amy says, "merely suggestions". I will say, though, that I've never been in or seen an accident yet with the cabbies. Again, the night doorman failed to recognize us. Hello, we're the 5 white girls with purses strapped across our chests--we all travel together--we've got a prego and a grey-hair and we all look alike and we've had verbal exchanges with you the last two nights. You'd think he'd remember us. Anyway, we polished off Mom's birthday cake on the roof and took in some more of the amazing city skyline views at night. The next morning we woke up, put Mom in a cab back to the airport and the rest of us headed off to Central Park. After a few mishaps with the subway (apparently there is a difference between local vs. express--we ended up in Harlem) we made it to Central Park. We wandered for a while and then made our way to the Time Warner Center at Columbus Cirlce. we ate lunch and shopped a little and then put Amy in a cab. She was the second to leave. Em, Les and I wandered down 5th avenue seeing all the fancy stores and I picked up a hat from a street vendor. And then we had our final little adventure. We jumped in a cab to head all the way downtown to the Magnolia Bakery. This was my third time to NYC and this bakery has been on the list since trip #1 and I finally made it! Their cupcakes get rave reviews and just had to try them. I almost bought their t-shirt that says "Cupcakes make people happy". I couldn't agree more. We raced back to the apartment to get Emily's bag and put her in cab to her bus stop. Les and I had about an hour to relax and then it was our turn to head to the airport. I remember about 4 minutes of the entire cab ride--I was out like a light. The flight was okay save the obnoxious mom and daughter directly in front of us. She was loud, annoying, never stopped talking, her gameboy made obnoxious noises and she continuously sprayed this strong-smelling detangler in her hair the entire flight. Hello, a little courtesy please. But, this couldn't ruin the amazing trip we had together in New York. It was quick but we packed in a lot and we won't soon forget our time together. Happy Birthday Mom-we love you. To see all my pics go here and click slideshow. 
bus that was great. It just so happened that the last row had 5 seats across the back which was perfect for us. Tony took us all around Brooklyn telling these great stories and showing movie clips highlighting Brooklyn. We also stopped at two of the greatest pizza places--one with the Neapolitan style thin crust: Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge. Everyone must know about the joint because there was a line 25 deep before the doors even opened. And one with the Sicilian style deep crust: L&B Spumoni Gardens. Tony grew up eating at both places and they were delicious. We saw the fancy houses in Brooklyn as well as Coney Island, the very first Nathan's hot dog stand, the site where the Battle of Brooklyn started (the start of the American Revolution) as well as fun stories about the real mobs and history of Brooklyn--it was fascinating. Our guide Tony was born and bred in the heart of Brooklyn and his brothers are Vinnie & Joey. "You can't 
make this stuff up" he joked. Anyway, I couldn't reccommend this tour more. Excluding my sisters, I was the only one uner the age of 60 but it was still a great time. We made our way home to relax a little and get ready for dinner. We jumped in a cab and headed off to the District for dinner. Everything was so good. It was one of the places where everything is served on a giant plate with your food right in the middle and some sort of colored smear on the side for effect. We were even served a little appetizer, compliments of the chef. I had no idea what it was but I ate it up and it was good. We then walked over to the theater for Little Mermaid. It was a very fun show. I personally prefer shows like Wicked and Les Mis that have AMAZING music but I still enjoyed it. The effects/costumes were very cool. All the underwater characters were on heelies (the kids shoes with wheels in the heels) to give the effect of swimming. I thought that was so clever. Before the show started, we were in line in the bathroom when a cute little girl with big curls and a poofy dress was walking out-she went up to the bathroom attendant and said "Excuse me, but I think I am going to love this show". It was really cute. Anyway, we jumped in a cab to get home and Amy and I got an extreme case of the giggles. It's best not to look forward in an NYC cab. It's an all out race to the next red light and all safety precautions and traffic 
warnings are, as Amy says, "merely suggestions". I will say, though, that I've never been in or seen an accident yet with the cabbies. Again, the night doorman failed to recognize us. Hello, we're the 5 white girls with purses strapped across our chests--we all travel together--we've got a prego and a grey-hair and we all look alike and we've had verbal exchanges with you the last two nights. You'd think he'd remember us. Anyway, we polished off Mom's birthday cake on the roof and took in some more of the amazing city skyline views at night. The next morning we woke up, put Mom in a cab back to the airport and the rest of us headed off to Central Park. After a few mishaps with the subway (apparently there is a difference between local vs. express--we ended up in Harlem) we made it to Central Park. We wandered for a while and then made our way to the Time Warner Center at Columbus Cirlce. we ate lunch and shopped a little and then put Amy in a cab. She was the second to leave. Em, Les and I wandered down 5th avenue seeing all the fancy stores and I picked up a hat from a street vendor. And then we had our final little adventure. We jumped in a cab to head all the way downtown to the Magnolia Bakery. This was my third time to NYC and this bakery has been on the list since trip #1 and I finally made it! Their cupcakes get rave reviews and just had to try them. I almost bought their t-shirt that says "Cupcakes make people happy". I couldn't agree more. We raced back to the apartment to get Emily's bag and put her in cab to her bus stop. Les and I had about an hour to relax and then it was our turn to head to the airport. I remember about 4 minutes of the entire cab ride--I was out like a light. The flight was okay save the obnoxious mom and daughter directly in front of us. She was loud, annoying, never stopped talking, her gameboy made obnoxious noises and she continuously sprayed this strong-smelling detangler in her hair the entire flight. Hello, a little courtesy please. But, this couldn't ruin the amazing trip we had together in New York. It was quick but we packed in a lot and we won't soon forget our time together. Happy Birthday Mom-we love you. To see all my pics go here and click slideshow. 
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