The Reagan Report: New York City

After a wonderful night's sleep, Day 2 began with the first sunrise I've seen in a LONG time. And it was well worth the missed sleep to see it. ;) After we bundled up... and I do mean BUNDLED up.... we took the PATH train to Manhattan, and stepped out into the light in Times Square. It literally took my breath away. Within the scope and magnitude of that setting, I felt like an ant. It was surreal, to see all these things in person that we had only seen in movies. It also felt hopeful, like if I was standing here in the most amazing city in the world, then most anything can happen. And some really awesome stuff did!!!

The first thing we did in Times Square was buy souvenirs for our families... magnets, hats, t-shirts, and a special "snow globe with tall buildings in it" per Reilly's request. :) Then, it was on to Planet Hollywood to pick up our New York Passes. (Which, when purchased, allows the holder free access to museums, and top tourist attractions. Along with our favorite feature... the line-jumping!!! Which allowed us to jump to the front while pointing and laughing at all the suckers waiting in those long lines!!!) Our first, being the Top of the Rock. (The observation deck of Rockefeller Plaza.) The view was awe-inspiring. And lovely. And exhilarating. And beautiful. And majestic. My favorite place in the world I've found so far. There was hardly a breeze, thanks to the glass partitions, and so so quiet. Peaceful. Spectacular. And yes, that's how I really feel about it. ;) I fell in love with The City right then and there, as we gazed at the Empire State Building. It was like a dream. And that was just the beginning.

While at 30 Rock, we checked out the NBC Studios Tour. Which was completely cool. We started with the set of the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Then, one of the highlights of the trip, the Saturday Night Live set!! Then, on the last stop of our tour, they asked for 2 volunteers. Joey & I raised our hands- of course we did... we were on vacation!! I got to read from a teleprompter for a mock newscast, and Joey was so adorable during his stint as the weatherman. (We got a video of it, it's pretty cute.) Then, as the tour was concluding, a man walked in and asked if anyone would like to come listen to Jimmy Fallon practice his monologue to help decide which jokes would make the cut. Of course we volunteered for that too! So, they took us to his set and he was really nice and funny. They instructed us to laugh hard at the funny jokes, and give him the silent treatment for the duds. So we did, but it was Jimmy Fallon- so there were no REAL duds.

Then, of course we admired the famous Rockefeller Christmas tree. I don't suppose "tree" accurately describes it... it was more like the size of a building. Seriously huge. And sparkly. Loved it. It was a magical, childlike moment for us. Well, me mostly. There was lots of giggling. (Me, again.)

After we left NBC, we just strolled for a bit until we stumbled upon Magnolia Bakery. We spoiled our dinner thoroughly with a medley of cupcakes! Our favorite was the vanilla cupcake, and although they weren't as good as the ones I make at home, the atmosphere more than made up for that.

Then, we strolled back to Times Square and then on to Hell's Kitchen to eat dinner at 5 Napkin Burger! It was scrumptious, and aptly named. ;) It was then that I decided to do a burger tour of NYC, so I ordered a cheeseburger everywhere we dined in NYC. More on that later.

Then, we walked to the DaVinci Workshop Exhibit at the Times Square Exhibition Center, hosted by the Discovery Channel. It was so interesting, but unfortunately (like most tours) they didn't allow cameras. They actually built some of the amazing things from DaVinci's Notebooks, and his genius isn't discussed enough I'd say. Miraculous that God would endow one man with so many talents: Painting, Engineering (Bridges), Physics, Astronomy, Sculpting, Plumbing, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, (reluctantly) Weapons Design, City Planning, and the list goes on. It was so interesting!

Then, we headed to Madame Tussaud's Museum of Wax for some silliness. We laughed HARD. I'll let the pictures do the talking on that one.

Then, we took our first taxi to go for dessert, it was my most anticipated stop of the day, SERENDIPITY 3!!! If you don't know what I'm talking about, then rent the movies Serendipity and One Fine Day. I've wanted to go there for the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate since I watched those movies years ago. And, let me just say it did not disappoint! It was everything I imagined and more! We actually sat in front of the big clock, where Michelle Pfeiffer sat in One Fine Day, which was so neat. We decided we'd definitely have to come back again! It was just that great.

After that fine dining experience, we took a taxi back to Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree at night, which was quite a sight. And for some pictures of course. Here's the slideshow, but be prepared, it's a long one!