Last week, Jason and I celebrated our fifteenth anniversary. To honor the occasion, we stole away to NYC for a quick couple of days. This marked Jason’s first time to the Big Apple, and I hadn’t been in twenty years. We had two days to make the most of this giant of a city, and we packed it in.
We arrived to blue skies and sunshine. The arrival into LaGuardia was beautiful, and we could see for miles. Energized, we grabbed a Lyft and … sat. In traffic. For a long time. To go only a few miles. Ha! Oh right, this is what’s it’s like! Fortunately, our driver was delightful and chatted us up about all things New York, so by the time we finally reached our midtown hotel, we were armed with tidbits and local expertise. We dropped our bags, tied our tennis shoes, and headed out to explore.
We headed west and cruised by Radio City Music Hall before spending a few minutes at Rockefeller Center. No ice skating there now, of course, but instead there was rollerskating. Cute! We took a picture with Prometheus, of course, to honor my Grandpa.
From there, we made our way to Fifth Avenue to take in the shops. We spent some time at the Lego Store building personalized mini figures for the kids and imagining which kits will be on their Christmas lists.
We stepped into St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was absolutely stunning this time of year. The entrance was shrouded with autumn-hued flowers. It was inviting and majestic. Jason lit a candle for his dad, and we took a breath to appreciate this treasure in the midst of Manhattan.
We continued north until we reached the Plaza and Central Park. Here, we paused for to-go salads and sat to watch the world go by. After this little respite, we walked down the east side to Pier 83 where we had tickets for a boat ride downtown to peek Lady Liberty. It was a beautiful afternoon, crisp and breezy. We had a wonderful view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It gave me chills to imagine all the people who came here hoping for a new life. I heard that the average visit to Ellis Island lasted only six hours, after which your future was decided. Would you be turned right back to where you came from or invited in?
Our first day wrapped up with The Book of Mormon on Broadway. Good gravy, it was so completely inappropriately hilarious. And so good. And we loved it. There really are no words. Maybe just see it if you haven’t.
We fell into bed happy and tired from a big first day.
The sun and blue skies stuck around the next day, as well. We ate a delicious breakfast, avocado toast and salmon benedict, at Sarabeth’s Central Park to start our anniversary day. Afterward, we took a carriage ride through Central Park, compliments of a sweet horse named Phinneus.
By then, Jason had a proper introduction to the city and its sights. So, I felt I could indulge the foodie side of myself for a little bit. We headed down to Chelsea Market and had a great time exploring. Jason was a happy man when he found some authentic jerk chicken to snack on. We also walked along the High Line, which is beautifully done- an old railroad track turned into a sort of elevated green space with fauna and food! The Chelsea neighborhood is sweet; we enjoyed its brownstones and fire escapes and little boutique shops and bakeries. Years ago, I fell in love with Milk Bar’s oatmeal cookies, so we found a shop because, cookies. Someday I want to try their naked birthday cake.
Eventually we grabbed the subway to head to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The subway exits right into the new One World Trade Center, which is a bit … strange feeling. It’s pure white, like the scene in Harry Potter where Dumbledore visits Harry in his dream. The architecture is beautiful, but there is so much heaviness, despite the gleaming white walls. I’m not sure what I think of it. I was happy to step back out into the sunshine.
The 9/11 Memorial is so well done. The plaza is beautiful and tree-lined. The sound of the water is peaceful and just right. I felt honored to be there and am happy to have seen it. We also spent a couple of hours in the museum, which was also beautifully designed and well done, yet quite somber. The lighting is dark, and the lines are stark. The visit was very much like reliving those days again. I will say, however, that I walked away with the feeling that people are amazing. People are good. That was the message, through the darkness.
Appropriately, we wrapped up this day with another visit to Broadway, this time to see Come From Away, the story of the planes that were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11. What an amazing story. My favorite part of this one was the music – a small group with a fiddle, guitar, piccolo, and drums. We were gifted with Irish tunes and what felt like an extra concert as a finale. Broadway is truly what it is cracked up to be.
We woke early on the day of our departure to act like a local and go for a run in Central Park. It was a great way to say goodbye. I couldn’t believe how many people there were! It was like running in a race, but it was just a typical day in the park.
Jason and I will remember our anniversary trip fondly. We smiled about the last fifteen years and daydreamed about what we will do in the next fifteen. Who knows?
We did make one decision, though, about our next major anniversary celebration – that we will go somewhere where laying down is the primary activity of the day. Maybe a beach. Or a spa.
Because, we are tired. 🙂 And also, we are quiet people.
NYC, you are one of a kind. Cheers!
