Hello Monday and Hello NYC and a Movie Premiere!

 

Hi Friends and Happy Monday!  We are coming off a whirlwind of a long weekend for us!  We enjoyed every minute but looking forward to down time, structure and routine this week for sure!

 

Here is the excitement that we shared over the last few days.....

 

 

Thursday

 

Our alarms went off at 3am and we got ready to head to NYC- we left the house by 3:30 and arrived at the shuttle bus in Woburn a little before 4am.  We hopped on the shuttle and into Logan Airport in Boston. We grabbed coffee and breakfast there and were ready to board our 7am flight...here is our obligatory family selfie which we dubbed "Lights...Camera...Action"

 

We landed in La Guardia Airport in NYC around 7:45am- such a quick flight!  Then we took a cab to our hotel.  We stayed at the Conrad by Hilton in downtown NYC on North End Ave.  We would highly recommend this hotel- it was just beautiful and modern and smelled luxurious everywhere!    Anyway, I digress.  Our room was not ready since we were so early so they held our bags for us and we went out to explore.  

 

I had bought us tickets for an 11am entry to the 911 Museum and Memorial.  Diana and I had gone in November and when we came home and shared the incredible experience, Rob and Eva wanted to see it too.  We were so surprised and happy to see how close our hotel was so we walked the two blocks over.  Since we were early, we looked at the outdoor memorials first- the two fountains were built at the footprint of the two towers and every name of every victim is carved into the stone.  On their birthdays, a white rose is placed at their name.  It truly is a beautiful tribute to these people.

 

We then had more time to kill so we walked to the Oculus building which was a new building built when the museum was.  It is a very cool and modern building and houses many shops and restaurants.  We were able to find our restaurant where we had lunch reservations and walked around a bit.

 

Then a little before 11, we got in line to head into the museum. It was just as moving as the first time.  Just as impactful.  It was also cool to see it through the eyes of Rob and Eva.  I think this museum is a must see for every American.  Yes it brings back the horror but it is an excellent history lesson and a beautiful tribute to all those impacted.

 

 

Before the attack...

and after...

We could not take pics in the majority of the museum, out of respect for the victims but I will tell you that the room with news coverage is extremely powerful and brings you right back to that day.  The phones are working again too.  They were off limits during COVID.  Now you can pick up different phone receivers and hear the air tower calls and 911 calls- definitely gives you chills.  There were artifacts everywhere and then a room dedicated to the victims where every single picture of every victim is displayed in a beautiful way.  You can hear voices telling you who they lost and what their relationship was too-very very powerful.

After this powerful experience, we walked back over to the Oculus and World Trade Center and found our lunch spot- "La Pizza and La Pasta" which is part of Eately.  We thoroughly enjoyed our Italian lunch with beautiful views.

  

 Yummy Panzanella Salad- delish!

 

Funny story.  Rob is really not a wine person but I always encourage him to try different ones as I continue to learn from my wine group.  We wanted red with our pizza and there were no California wines to fall back on so we went out on a limb and ordered a Montepulciano and we loved it!  I usually don't like Italian wines but I was a fan AND even better, Rob was too!  We couldn't wait to tell Laurel when we got back :)

The pasta AND pizza were superb!

 

After lunch, we walked back to our hotel to check in and get comfy and then headed out again for more exploring and found some great shops.

 

Then we hit our rooftop bar in our hotel called the Loopy Doopy- we were told you could see the Statue of Liberty from there and we did!  It was so cool and we enjoyed cocktails while the girls enjoyed mocktails.  Our cocktails were made with different sparkling wines and Popsicles that actually had alcohol in them- so fun!

 

The girls got to sit at the bar and truly felt like rock stars with their mocktails ;)

Lady Liberty!

 

We then hit some shops and I am going to tell you how different my girls are.  You will get a chuckle.  Diana wanted a "cute outfit" so we hit some shops and she found one that is adorable.  Pidge?  She snagged a President George Washington Bobble Head...gotta love it!  Ha!  After a bit more walking around, we headed back to our room to change for our big night.

 

 

At 6:15, we hailed a taxi to the Angelika Film Center in Soho to attend the premiere of "The Clown Affair"- the independent film that Diana was a part of.  

 

 

It was such an exciting experience- we got to see our friend Wes, the Director and meet the other actors.  Then we enjoyed the film- it is short- about 40 minutes.

 

After the film, they had a Q&A with the production team which was cool and they called Diana up at the end which was fun.

 

After the movie, we had to snag a shot near the Broadway sign in the Tribecca neighborhood :)

The cast was having an after party at a Mexican restaurant down the street but we skipped out and headed back to our hotel for a quick dinner at the Greek restaurant called Anassa Taverna- delish!

and then to bed since we had to be up early again.  (Eva actually ate her pasta and fell asleep in our booth- she was tuckered out!)

 

We packed a lot of fun into this one day and were so happy to be part of this exciting time for Diana.  It was an amazing experience for all of us!

 

 

Friday

 

We were up at 6 and got dressed and ready and headed downstairs to the bagel shop- Pick A Bagel. Nothing like NY bagels so you can't leave the city without having one- I know I have said it before.  

 

 

After that, we headed back to the airport.  We got to see and drive over the Brooklyn Bridge!

 

Our flight was at 10am and we landed in Boston before 11.   

 

 

When we got back, we did some errands so we wouldn't have to be running around all weekend. 

 

 

That night, I headed over to BA's for wine group and Diana was able to join me.  It was a 90's theme so we were both very excited because that is our favorite decade.  I ended up winning one of the trivia prizes and we enjoyed wine and foods that became popular in the 90's!  So so fun with my besties :)

 

Cosmos- the welcome cocktail which became popular in the 90's thanks to Sex And The City :)

 

90's fare- Chinese Chicken Salad, Sushi, Tortellini and Focaccia Bread

 

 Candy of the 90's- Dove Squares, Butterfinger Bites and War Heads

Fave Summertime Scent of the 90's- Yankee Candle's Honeydew Melon- pure bliss!

Saturday

So the rest of the weekend was all about dividing and conquering. I did the grocery shopping first thing.  Then, Rob was on softball duty for Pidge's last tournament and Diana and I visited with family and friends.  Saturday was my Great Uncle and Great Aunt's surprise birthday party and Pidge's state tournament up in Barrington NH

Thank God for technology- I got to follow Pidge's games on this cool app

When Diana and I got home, we hit the pool stat...and then had takeout and when Daddy and Pidge got home, we all crashed hard.

Sunday

I headed to mass first thing.  Rob and Pidge were off to more softball games then Diana and I took a drive to Troy's for some amazing breakfast bowls- Top Down and Troy's were on tap!

 

 

 

 

 

Then we headed to the McLain's for Caden's bday cookout and swim day.  Always one of our fave days every year...so relaxing and it was so hot that being in the pool most of the day is just what the doctor ordered.  Rob and Pidge got to join us later on after her last games and team cookout too.  We squeezed a lot in over our long weekend for sure!

So friends, I have told you this before but anytime I make the Rolo Ritz Bars, they are gone!  Everyone LOVED them...we were laughing because Suzy doesn't even care for sugar and she couldn't get enough!  Just shared the recipe again last week, definitely give them a shot!

You can guess what we did last night too right?  We crashed hard!

Ready for a calm week....structure..routine...relaxing at night...but grateful that we got to enjoy these experiences!

 

If you blogged today, please grab our graphic above and link back up with us below!  Sarah and I are so glad you stopped by!

 

If you are around on Thursday, Patty and I hope you will join us for Monthly Musings!  We are talking all things Summer Travel.  Check out the questions below!

 

 

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