Impromptu Trip

Central Park

July has been filled with gifts large and small and one of those gifts was an invitation to New York for a few days to visit a friend and attend a performance of Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall.  It had been years since I had been to New York (we are talking late 1990's) so I really did not know what to expect.  Other than a slight delay from the origin airport, there were no issues what so ever getting to La Guardia and getting a taxi to Upper West Side.  Of course I had copious notes from my friend on how to get there and which cross streets to mention along with a picture of the building. 

During my 3 day visit we:

* Walked through Central Park (#50 on my Wish List).
* Had cocktails at the Oceana Restaurant (They have the most beautiful blue agate stone mosaic columns that I could not capture by photograph).
* Attended an AMAZING performance of Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall.
* Discovered my love of Corona Beans and Shrimp at Cafe Fiorello.
* Shared a pot of coffee and talked for hours in our PJ's.
* Bought a gently used (and signed) book of Poetry at a neat thrift store called Housing Works.
* Darted in and out of lovely boutiques to beat the heat and to shop with my eyes.
* Ate lunch at Frida's (yummy).
* Went to the Museum of Natural History and studied the stuffed animals.
* Had cocktails and giggles at the Ocean Grill.  I loved the dark wood and molted mirrored walls with white coral sconces.
* Ordered take-out pizza and talked and giggled some more.
* Shopped West Elm and Pottery Barn for inspiration and discovered Gracious Home.

This invitation was one of those moments when my head said NO (No you just got back from the beach, no you don't have a job, no you can't have fun when Alan is stuck at home working, no you still have another long distance invitation to fulfill, no you need to look for homes...) and my heart said YES (yes you need this, yes this is a gift you have been given take it, yes today is all you have)...so glad that I listened to my heart. 

New York Trip in Pictures