NYC- Day 7

Our second-t0-last day. We left our beloved hotel, which meant millions more stairs with luggage. However, we knew where we were going this time, and were blessed to stay with Syd and Amy (and darling Lyla and Nigel.) Had an early lunch at La Esquina with our friend Parker--keep your eye out for him! He and his lady are going to make a big splash in the fashion industry with their line Furio. We had free tickets to Liberty & Ellis islands. I love water, so I was mostly just excited for the boat ride! Later, we enjoyed the best tiramissu ever at Village Tart. And even later we went to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. And really late, our amigo Keith drove into town to visit us with his friends. He took that last picture--probably my favorite picture in the world.

NYC - Day 6, aka Lotso Pics Day, aka Macaron Day

On day six, Jake attended a national conference about volunteering and community development while I played with our cutie friend Jess, who was previously spotted in Times Square.

But first I wandered alone around Columbus Circle.

Then, on his lunch break ... first we took Jake to the walk-in clinic because he caught an eye infection! Then we had lunch at a nifty place called Switch, somewhere just outside of the West Village. I developed a certain adoration for their lime-sauced soy beans.

While walking with Jess, I was obsessed with fire escape ladders. I'll spare you the other 20 pictures and just share this one. Jess took me to the rockin Highline! She also treated me to gelato because she spoils me.

Jess and I went to the Chelsea Market. I loved it! Books and fine foodie treats. I bought macarons from one of the bakeries in the market, thinking I'd treat Jess back and have my first taste of the popular dessert in one fell swoop. The cookies weren't bad ... but Jess kindly insisted we seek out a slightly finer macaron from a bakery in the Time Warner building.

Upon tasting a Bouchon macarron, I realized Jess was just being nice and mild earlier. She really should have called me a sluggard for settling for any cookie so far below the Bouchon experience. Jake joined us for the relishing of the real macarons. We three perched on a cracked rock in Central Park and ate ourselves into sugary oblivion.

Shortly after, Jess had to leave us. Jake and I spent the rest of the evening in the West Village and layer getting lost between Washington Square park and NYU. It was a very peaceful, 3 hour walk. We had our last meal at a cafe called Recess and it was delish.

NYC - Day 5

NYC - Day 4

We attended mass at the Cathedral of St. Patrick on 5th. The cathedral and the traveling Irish choir were breathtaking. We were hoping to meet my friend Janet again here, but there were just so many people! After mass she waited outside for us and we waited inside for her ... oops.

After church, we decided a Sunday brunch would be the best time to try New Leaf Cafe, which came highly recommended. So we made the trek up to Washington Heights, and speaking of heights, we particularly loved all of the hills in this neighborhood. I wish Chicago had hills!

A friend told Jake that he must try Mr. Softee, and only Mr. Softee, for a mobile ice cream cone experience. He had been on the lookout nonstop for a Mr. Softee, we saw plenty of impostors. Finally, from the top of a hill, there he dawned, Mr. Softee. Even though we were on our way to brunch, Jake had a cone right there. I had one on our way out, it did not disappoint.

Brunch was delicious! After eating, we spent a long while walking around Fort Tryon park, in which the cafe was nestled. Do you know how much I love trees? Because this park was like magic!

Since we were in the hood anyway, we visited the George Washington Bridge, one "Key to the City" scavenger hunt site.

Then we went all the way back down to Broadway and 23rd to visit an Argo Tea. It was rather trippy to see something so Chicago in New York. The cafe even had the same furniture. Argo's owner just so happened to stop by during our visit. He asked, "Didn't you move to Mexico?" Then he tried to convince Jake and I to move to New York and become baristas.

It was a leisurely morning/afternoon, followed by a trip to Greenpoint Brooklyn (so hipster but with a vacant look, it reminded me of Logan Square in Chicago.) Jake's cousin Syd played a show at a fest in Brooklyn. This is a picture of Jake and his cousin Amy who I admire so much! Not to brag, but she is kind of famous ... and the rest are pictures from the show. It was a lot of fun to visit a music scene across the country. The kids looks a lot like the kids we see in Chicago. And the band was awesome!

NYC - Day 3

A fabulous day it was! Something about this vacation made time move through us so quickly, and yet so fully! I could say this for nearly every day, so I'll only say it once; we did so much, saw so much and ate so much on this day!

The morning began early with a trip to a Brooklyn farmers market near our hotel. Sorry, no pictures. But we continued on to this crafty Lower East Side Manhattan market.

After spending some time browsing, we crossed the street to Jake's cousins' apartment for brunch. I had never met his cousins before but they were so welcoming and lively, I felt instantly at home. Here's a picture of Jake with his aunt, who I did already know ... and following is a picture of our lovely little Lyla, the smartest, most graceful and most dramatic three-year-old you've ever met. I was smitten!

After brunch, Jake and I made our way to Times Square to sign up for a city-wide art project/scavenger hunt called "Key to the City." We didn't directly pursue the project sites, but we thought about it each time we were in a neighborhood near one.

We spent the afternoon galavanting across Brooklyn and landed at a restaurant near (in?) Dumbo, called Superfine. ... Our experience was a little closer to Supermediocre. The food wasn't so bad, but the service was. I'm hoping our waiter was just having a rough night. The place was ornamented well, though, and the bus boy did an excellent job. It was here that Jake and I began what will most assuredly be a very long and prayerful conversation about the future.

I was quite keen on this little nook of Brooklyn, with its hip industrial architecture. Some streets strongly reminded me of San Francisco. We wandered for a while, slowly winding down our evening. I recall that it already felt like we had been in the city for years and home felt so far away. The breathing room was immeasurably good!