NYC!

I still can't believe that last weekend I spent four days in New York City. I mean, seriously, what a crazy surprise!

Last Friday night Mike and I spent a night in Denver with a long-awaited dinner at Ruth's Chris (the best ever steakhouse!). He told me he had a surprise for me the rest of the weekend to celebrate my birthday. So I knew we were doing something, but honestly thought we'd just hang out in Denver, or up in the mountains, for a couple days. He had helped me pack a suitcase, dressing for colder weather. But when we checked out of our hotel Saturday morning and got on the highway, I knew something else was up :) Leave it to my Hubs! He's the best. So as we cruise onto I-70 east (i.e. away from the mountains), I asked, "now where the heck are we going?" And he tells me to close my eyes and hold out my hands, and when I open them, I'm holding Frommer's guide to New York City. I think I just started giggling. I had no idea. Like I said before, he really is the best. So off we head to the airport, jump on a plane, and land in a city new to both of us - which in our relationship, is unusual. Mike is particularly well traveled, which made going to NYC even better - we got to discover it together for the first time.

As we're in the taxi heading to Times Square, where he's booked us at my all time favorite hotel, The Westin, he listens to his voicemail and tells me there's been a problem with our check in. The hotel was overbooked, or something along those lines. We get to the hotel, and he says for me to sit in the lobby while he straightens it out with the front desk. He comes back over to me eventually and says they'll be able to get us in our room, but not til later in the evening so I'll need to change clothes for dinner in the lobby restroom and then they'll hold our bags for us while we head out into the city. So I'm digging through my suitcase in the middle of the lobby at this nice hotel, and all of a sudden behind me I hear a voice say, "What the heck?" And I turn around and my friend Amanda and her husband Brian are standing there, looking just as surprise as I'm feeling. My first comment to Mike was, "did you know they were here?" OF COURSE he did, because it was his and Brian's idea to surprise both of us girls with not only a trip to New York, but with with each other being there! We laughed and hugged and laughed and talked about it and finally made our way to our room (we "couldn't check in yet" because A & B had their stuff in the room already and of course I would wonder why there were already suitcases in there if we'd gone straight up!).

So we stayed in New York for a long weekend with one of my best girlfriends and her awesome husband, on the 44th story of a hotel on Times Square, and it could not have been a better birthday celebration. Did I mention they were coined "Best Husbands of the Year"?? :)

Now, finally, on to the pics! (randomly out of order thanks to Blogger)

The four of us in Central Park with the city all around us. Central Park was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It's unbelieveable, a quiet niche in the middle of a big loud city. It's awesome.

I stopped at countless stands for hot dogs during our trip. I loved that these carts were on every corner! Perfect snack :)

Mike and I overlooking the city with Central Park ice skating behind us.

Walking through "the mall" in Central Park. This part made it in my "best three moments in NYC" conversation on the way home.

Back at a hotdog stand. They have much more than dogs at these stands though - pretzels and kabobs and all sorts of stuff.

The Utleys all dressed up for the Broadway show we saw - "Wicked" - which was absolutely AWESOME! Look at Amanda's cute little baby bump :) She's due this summer and is so adorable with her little belly.

The Westin Times Square.

I loved this little store, Dylan's Candy Bar. This is me with the make-your-own-pixie-stick. You choose your sour sugar stuff and fill a straw with it. PERFECT!!

We ate dinner one night at Serendipity - like in the movies! Mike and I shared a frozen hot chocolate, love it.

A little view of what taxi-ing is like in NYC. CRAZY drivers everywhere, and best just to look out the side windows and not straight ahead. It was awesome though!

The Apostle-Utley crew on Wall Street.

On our last night in NYC, Mike and I went up to a bar called the Rainbow Room and sat overlooking the city (the bright building is the Empire State building). This also made it in my "best NYC moments" :) Brian & Amanda left the night before us, so it was just the two of us the last 24 hours. This place was a great find, quiet and low lighting and definitely a place we'll go back to on our next NYC trip. (yes, we already want to go back!)

Celebrating St Patty's Day Monday night with a Guinness in an Irish pub. What could be better in Mike's book??

This is a view of the re-construction of the World Trade Center complex. Very humbling to stand there on the grounds of such a massive historical event.

In the WTC museum, this is one of the artifacts recovered from the site. One of the airplane windows, found laying in the street after the buildings fell.

We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge which was awesome! The weather was clear our last day there (after being chilly and cloudy all weekend) and you could see the NYC skyline from the bridge. It was so beautiful.

Amanda and I in Times Square. Such a crazy, bright, loud part of the city. It was the perfect place to stay though, really immersed in everything.

And Mike and me in Times Square, our first night there.

Radio City Hall at night - really fun.

Us at Rockefeller Center, love the ice skating behind us!

Of course I had to get a cupcake at the cutest little bakery!

What a trip!! We loved it, and LOVED having the Utleys there with us. They've been to the city several times (got engaged there!) and they were awesome tour guides. We just loved getting to share that time with them, and were so grateful that the boys kept it a surprise from us :)

Best birthday ever.