(You’ve been warned: this is a LONG recap.)

Oh you guys, I HATE traveling. The actual act of traveling: driving to the airport, parking, taking a shuttle, checking in, security, sitting and waiting. I hate flying; feeling like we might plummet to our deaths (yes, I know that is probably not going to happen.) BUT, I do really enjoy getting away and a three day jaunt to NYC was excellent. I’m going to go day by day for you (but mostly for me so I can remember) and I will include links to most places.

Thursday was very long, leaving at about 6:15 am, getting to JFK around 2:30 but then having to deal with rush hour traffic. We walked into our hotel just as our friends were gathering in the lobby to leave for our friend, Jeff’s, bachelor party. We had just enough time to put our stuff in the room, change, and walk back out with them to catch a cab. Pretty happy that I have the kind of friends who were cool with me going along; I didn’t know his fiancee  or anyone else so it was nice to hang with guys I knew. Anyway, he had a whole night of stuff planned and our first stop was a place called Fat Cat, where we played ping pong and table shuffleboard. I think we were there for about an hour or maybe a little longer before heading to Barcade. I had already had a couple beers by this time so the guys we met up with there were easy to talk to and game with. I love video games as it is. I also tried this interesting Troegs beer, which was a cask kind and served sort of warm. It was interesting but not bad! I also had a couple slider and tots and I was feeling PRETTY full.

When we finally left there – a little later than anticipated – I was burning up; even in cities where they ought to know how to manage temperature, this place didn’t. It was in the 40s outside but blazing inside. Makes no sense; everyone has a coat! Anyway, the next stop was a little burlesque club and I will not drop the name because, truth be told, it wasn’t very good. Their drinks were awful! This place prides themselves on fancy cocktails but no one in our party was impressed.

Before heading to karaoke, we went to a wrap place called Wolfnights, which is perfect for Jeff because he and his now wife renamed themselves; they legally changed their last name to Wolf. Anyway, I just got a small order of tots and a small dessert wrap. I was feeling pretty done by then; tired, dehydrated, socialed out. I can only have so much social interaction before I want a quiet dark room.

The final stop (for Ash and I) was a karaoke bar where we met up with his fiancee and her friends. Everyone was so trashed in there and Ash and I could handle no more so we Ubered back to the hotel. I was ever so thankful for a vacation at that moment, i.e. no kids so I could sleep in. My stomach was wrecked and I though I wasn’t hungover, I was just overtired from all the activity. We got a very late start that day, getting up and finally out of our hotel by 11:45. I haven’t had that kind of lazy morning since before kids! Rolling out and searching for lunch, we decided on Mexican and found El Rio Grande, right near the hotel. And let me tell you, it was excellent. See what I ate below. (One ground beef hard shell taco, one chicken enchilada and one chicken flauta, served with rice and beans.)

Since Friday was really the only day we had to ourselves, we went towards Rockefeller Center to see the Nintendo store, which was pretty cool. We got the kids some shirts and then watched the ice skaters. We wanted to see China Town but decided to go back and rest for just a bit. We’d run into Jeff earlier and he explained how he’d wanted Ash to be in the wedding party but due to some miscommunication, that never worked out. BUT, he wanted us to be at the dinner that night. Sadly, he chose an Indian restaurant so we made plans  to Uber to 6th street to the Raj Mahal and then find other food nearby before meeting the rest. What a great choice because we stumbled upon Cacio e Vino. Remember, for a moment, if you read my blog at all, that I don’t care for Italian. However,  I sucked it up and was not disappointed. I had rigatoni with tomato sauce and eggplant and Ash just had pasta with tomato sauce. He *almost* ordered this thing that was essentially a big ass wheel of pecorino romano that they hollow out a bit, stick hot pasta in, bring it to your table, then mix it in right there before plating. Looked amazing! However, our food was also good.

We met the others around 7:30 and while we waited, I noted some of the other restaurants around; there is such an eclectic mix and just SO many places; if you lived there, you couldn’t ever eat everywhere! I was intrigued by the Japanese macrobiotic place next door. So weird! It was a nice evening with both sides of the wedding party but again, it was a late evening for us.

Next morning, wedding day, Ash and I decided to sleep in a little but then go for runs. We both left at 9:30 and my plan was to only go 2 miles but decided to go 2.5; I was so nervous about running down 3rd avenue but it wasn’t too bad because at that time of day, there aren’t as many people. I got back, showered, then walked down to a little cafe and got a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. Now, Ash’s plan was to do about 10-12 miles. We were almost 2 from Central Park so he was going to run there and then do some paths.  I did some work in the hotel room and then got dressed, all the while watching the clock. Ash should have been back around maybe 11:30-12, given he had a good chance to get turned around or slowed down due to traffic. I only began to panic when he was only ten minutes away from when we had to get a cab to Central Park and was still not there! Imagine how worried I started to get; he doesn’t carry a phone or ID or money – yeah I know that’s not bright. Anyway, he finally rolls up to the hotel and of course, I was relieved and mad. LOL. He quickly changed into his suit and we got an Uber to the Turtle Pond. We rolled in with two minutes to spare!

Jeff and Sky’s wedding was awesome; a short ceremony but with a traditional wrist binding, some vows having to do with the cardinal directions, and they even jumped a broom. They wanted a traditionally wiccan wedding and I’m assuming they got it. The weather was also good; it was freezing when we got in Thursday but by Saturday it was in the high 50s. I didn’t even need the large coat I bought.

We caught an Uber to the reception, held at The Bar Room. Such a nice place! A perfect set up for our needs. They had some little hot dishes like wings and the best grilled cheese EVER, but they also brought around little appetizer type foods. Basically everything I ate this weekend was amazing. I had one of their special drinks – the Prime Suspect – and I wish I could make it at home but it’s a little too specialized, topped off with a local beer. But oh my Lord it was tasty.

The reception ended around 5 and Ash and I went back to the room to rest a little bit before the final phase: meeting at the Shakespeare pub in the William hotel. However, we decided to eat first and though it was a bit of a walk, we tried Italian again at Notaro. My mom makes a mean carbonara but theirs was also pretty dang good. I got a cannoli to go and it was also wonderful. I ended up eating it later in the night once at the other pub. I have to say, it was nice being sober for that portion. LOL. Most people, by the end of that long day, were wasted. But not us! And I have to also admit that I had some nice conversations with a couple guys that I have tolerated for years. The kind of guys who are always so fake; everything is a performance. But they were actually sort of genuine for once.

We got in around 11 and knowing we had to be up by 5 am, immediately went to sleep. Our flights and everything back were great; no issues. Even JFK security went smoothly. So yes, I am ever so glad to be back in the South, where people are polite. LOL. I mean, I sort of got used to people never saying ‘excuse me’ and just jostling me out of the way. But that doesn’t mean I liked it. Life is slower here and I appreciate that a lot more. Not that the city wasn’t fun and exciting but it’s good for a vacation; it’s not my lifestyle.

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The theme for this week is “Music from sci-fi tv/movies.”

The first thing I thought of what the Fifth Element diva song, because that’s one of my favorite sci-fi movies!