NYC: Day 3

Day 3 began with a walk to see another morning show!!! Brenda got tickets to the Live with Kelly Show! Free again! I'm soooo thankful my friends knew to plan ahead for these once in a lifetime type of opportunities!! On our walk there we happened upon an outdoor segment of the Good Morning America show next to the studios. Chels noticed an area with some papparazzi and a crowd gathered. We went near them, and we saw actor Taylor Kitsch exiting the studio and Grant Hill walking into the studio...we added them to the list of our celeb encounters!!

 After the stop outside GMA we headed to see Live with Kelly!! Her co-host was Michael Strayhan! After a little mishap with seating arrangements at the show we ended up with amazing seats on the side part of the studio!! We were right next to the hosts and guests!

 Michael Strayhan...he was sooo good!

 Gillman

 Kelly was amazing!! The main guest was Matthew McConaughey who was promoting his movie "Magic Mike". He gave us a glance and a "hook em horns" when we were screaming as he entered!! Can you tell I am a little star struck?!

 Another guest was a pet psychic! Kind of strange, but we got to see Kelly's dog Chewy!

 Chewy...Kelly Rippa's dog!!

 After we filmed the show Kelly did a segment for a show she will be doing in August. The co-host for that show was the GMA weather guy...can't remember his name!!

 And the guest was none other than BRADLEY COOPER!!! He gave Chels a handshake and me a wave!! :) He was a very nice guy, and he brought his very well behaved dog with him! I feel like an experience like this should've cost LOTS of $$$, but nope...all free!! We love free!

 After Live with Kelly we headed to see The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! Everything about this was perfect!

 She was amazing in person! We walked around Liberty Island, but we weren't able to go up because she is under construction until October of this year.

 Chels took some pics of me on Liberty Island with the NYC skyline!! After Liberty Island the ferry took us to Ellis Island and we toured the museum! It was neat!!

 After we got off the ferry we walked towards where they are rebuliding the World Trade Center. This structure used to be in front of the former WTC and was damaged on 9-11-01.

 This was the Stock Exchange building, and the statue below used to sit in an area right next to the WTC, it sustained no damage, and everything else around it was destroyed. I forgot what it's called, but it was so neat to discover!

 rebuilding of the WTC

 We toured St. Paul's Chapel which sits right next to the grounds of the WTC. This served as a gathering place for rescuers after the disaster.

 A very moving exhibit

 St. Pauls
After leaving St. Pauls we took a long walk to Little Italy! All the while taking in the sights of the city. We walked through China Town and arrived in Little Italy. We met Chelsi's friend Heather who lives in New Jersey. It was fun to talk to her and meet her sweet boys. We had delicious Italian food!

 We then took a taxi back to Times Square where we met them at the colossal flag ship Toys R Us. We shopped there for a little while.

 Empire State Building in Legos

 Hulk in Legos

 Toys R Us

 We got cupcakes at Crumbs, and I got some of my last glimpses of Times Square. The next morning our trip was over, and we were headed back to TX!

I had such an amazing time in NYC with my friends!! I have so many memories that I will always be grateful for!! Without their planning and knowledge of the city I wouldn't have seen half of what we saw! I'm hopeful the three of us can make this journey again very soon!!

NYC Trip: Day 2

On our second day in New York we started out early in the morning with a taxi ride to The Wendy Williams Show! Chels had completed an online request for tickets, and she was able to get three! The great thing is that the tickets are free!! I had never done anything like sit in the audience of a live talk show, so I was so excited!! I had so many first time experiences on this amazing trip!

 My ticket and number!!

 The three of us seated and getting ready for the show to start!! We all actually got on TV when they panned to the audience! It was soooo cool hearing from people who watched us LIVE!

 Here is Wendy!!!

 This pic is a smidge out of order, but after leaving the show we saw The St. Patrick's Catherdral...which is totally breathtaking!!!

But back to The Wendy Williams Show...it was soooo neat to watch her and see how the cameras, makeup artists, producers and every thing work! Her guests were a mam from In Touch magazine with lots of gossip, Jimmie Walker from a 70's tv show, and a stylist giving tips on summer shoes! The audience received Jimmie Walker's new book, and a voucher from "Naughty Monkey" for a free pair of shoes (up to a $90 value). Chels and I have already ordered ours...matching sandals! :)

 After the show we headed to Rockefeller Plaza for some shopping and lunch!

 We went into the Lego store which overlooked Rockefeller Plaza!

 We had lunch right by the fountain

Out of order again, but this was the warm up guy for the Wendy Williams Show! He basically pumps up the audience! He's really good at his job, and sooooo funny!!

While in Rockefeller Plaza, I spotted Hoda from The Today Show in front of the NBC building!! She saw us looking at her and waved at us! She was so sweet and agreed to take a picture with us!!! How cool!!! :)

After a cupcake from yummy Magnolia Bakery it was time to get in line to be in the audience of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon!!! Brenda requested those tickets and got them for us!!! Free again, and listen to all the celebs we saw....Jimmy Fallon (of course), Selma Hayek, LMFAO, the four Jackson brothers, and the writer who wrote Social Networking, and is the writer for NewsRoom on HBO. No cameras were allowed in Jimmy Fallon, so I have no pics of it! It was very neat to see!

After Jimmy Fallon we headed to The Chelsea Market which is in the Meatpacking district of NYC. The market is in an old Nabisco factory. It is very historic and fascinating! There are many bakeries, places to eat, and stores. Very very trendy!!

 We went to a bakery there to get some delicious cake balls, and i had to take pictures of these intricate cupcakes! I wanted to get one for my kiddos, but I knew I wouldn't make it back with them in one piece!

 They were sooo cool!!

 After our visit at The Chelsea Market we walked around SoHo...another very trendy and happening area of NYC!

We took a cab back to the area that our hotel was in, and we shopped at Old Navy (which was 3 stories and is a flagship store), and we ate at a neat little Irish pub. I had my first Bison Burger!! Our feet were tired, but it was for sure another great day!!

NYC Trip: Day 1

Back in February, Brenda had the wonderful idea that she, Chels, and I should take a trip to New York City! They had both been before, but I had never been. With all of her wonderful planning that trip became a reality and last Tuesday we left the TX heat for my new favorite city! 
We arrived bright and early to DFW airport for our 7:00 am flight!

It was so exciting to fly into the city that I've always wanted to see!!

Here we are hopping in a cab headed to our hotel!!

 My first glimpses of this amazing city

 After dropping our luggage off at the hotel I took my first subway ride to Central Park!! I was in awe! It looked just like it does on all the movies!

 I took this picture to show my kids this amazing park, which was just one of many!!

 This was a view of an area in Central Park that has carnival style rides! So very neat!!

 We made our way to The Central Park Zoo!

We stopped for a snack in the zoo, and I tasted my first of many NYC cupcakes!! Yummy!! I never let myself eat things like cupcakes, but this trip was different!

 We saw cool animals like this Mongoose...

 and this Snow Leopard!!
We stopped by the gift shop, and I got my girls their souvenier...a Central Park Zoo hat and t-shirt. After that we took the subway back to our hotel to get ready for my first Broadway play!!!

 I saw more of the city as we were walking fast, like New Yorkers, to The Imperial Theatre!

 My first glimpses of Times Square!

 We saw the play "Nice Work If You Can Get It" starring Matthew Broderick!!

 Our seats were great! This pic was taken before the play began, and then I was quickly told by an usher to put my camera away!

 I'm soooo glad that I was with Chels and Brenda because they knew what they were doing in NYC!! Who knew that after the play the actors and actresses came out and signed playbills?! It was soooo cool!

 This is Kelly O'Hara who was the lead actress!

 This is Judy Kaye who won a Tony for her performance

 Michael McGrath..I think he also won a Tony.

 and last but not least.....MATTHEW BRODERICK!!!!!

I was able to get his autograph, and a picture with him!! All I could think about was Ferris Bueller one of my favorite movies of all times! This was the first of our many celeb sitings during our NYC visit!! Celebs and Cupcakes...the real theme of our trip!! :)

After the amazing play and Matthew Broderick we were all on Cloud 9!! We headed to get something to eat and see Times Square in "The city that never sleeps". By this time it was after 11:00, and it seemed like noon with all of the people and lights!

 Times Square!

 CRAZINESS everywhere, but oh so fun!!

 The yummiest pizza I've ever had!!! I was living it up in the eating department!!

 Around 11:30 pm we headed into The Disney Store!! Oh my!! It's massive!! Just like every other store in NYC! Chels bought some souveniers, and then we headed back to our hotel to rest for a bright and eraly start on Wednesday morning!!

 Here is the ball that drops on NYE!! We truly made the most of every moment during our trip!!