NYC

Chad and I just got back from a weekend visiting friends and family in NYC and it was fantastic!

Aside from the crazy hurricane ripping through the city streets soaking us to the bone, the trip was almost perfect. NYC is kinda like my second home. I have a lot of family there and always a handful of friends willing to let me crash at their place.

We got in Friday night and stayed over at Michelle cozy apt in Tribeca. She conveniently lives 4 blocks from our friend's singing/karaoke bar Baby Grand. After a welcome drink we braved the winds and the rain and headed over. Mike was working that night and graciously met us with celebratory shots of whiskey. :) Many songs and drinks later, we ended the night at 4am with greasy pizza delivery and spinning rooms.

Saturday morning Chad and I woke up early to meet Emily and Mike and their new son, Miles on Long Island for lunch. I hadn't seen them since their wedding in 2005. It had been way too long but felt like no time had passed at all between us.

After lunch we returned to Manhattan to fetch our bags from Michelle's and check into the Standard Hotel where my mom had gotten us a room for the night. We had only a little time to rest before we again headed out for our engagement dinner with my parents, brother, aunt, uncle and cousins. My mom had arranged a 6 course tasting menu in the private side room at Barbuto, only 4 blocks from our hotel. It was a truly phenomenal meal. It was wonderful to have my family together in the same room, for them to meet Chad and to eat such spectacular food and drink delicious wine.

After dinner Kate and Bobby and Josh met at the hotel and we headed out for more drinks. They braved the rain and brutal winds, headed into Manhattan (from Queens and Brooklyn respectively) to come congratulate me and Chad in person. I was floating high, feeling so blessed to have such amazing and loyal friends and family surrounding me. You guys rock! Memories do start to get hazy, I feel bad and wish I could piece together more of the night.

By Sunday morning the skies cleared up and we got to enjoy the ridiculous view out the floor to ceiling windows in our room at The Standard. It was insane, and also made me feel only slightly exposed to the pedestrians on the High Line. That hotel was definitely made for exhibitionists. The floor to ceiling window of the shower was a little over the top, I do have to say.

We had enough time to meet my parents from brunch, this time just the 4 of us, before we caught the train back to the airport.

It was a really really great trip.