SHANNY.

From Florida I was supposed to go directly to BEAUTIFUL Buffalo NY but, my best friend happened to be in NYC…so I detoured.

Believe it or not, I had never been to NYC. Once I arrived I made sure to find the $45 flat rate cab to the city. I had heard about how crazy the cab drivers are in NYC but I was not prepared for this man’s driving. Not to mention he didn’t speak any english. I have NEVER in my life been so terrified being in a vehicle. (In the 3 days i ended up spending there, not one cab driver came close to how frightening this guy was) So, my first impression of NYC was unforgettable.

As soon as I arrived I called my oldest friend Chyna. She took us on a tour through central park and joined us for lunch at The Boat house. I’ve known her since we were a couple weeks old!!

 Ali and myself(thanks to her family) shared a beautiful room with a balcony at The Kimberly Hotel in Manhattan.   I felt like showing you our skin colors. PS. We are the same ethnicity…. i think? 😉

For our first dinner we headed to Frankie and Johnnies Steakhouse. It had been suggested to us by the front desk. Let me just tell you that if I go out, I usually order steak. This was hands down the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. Ali’s dad and I split the $95 Potterhouse cut. It was AMAZING.

For the dinner guests they provided a complimentary limo ride back to your hotel. ANOTHER FIRST… I had never been in a limo. No, I never went to high school prom.

We also ate lunch at the famous “Serendipity” Ali had their famous frozen hot chocolate while I indulged in some insane chocolate brownie with ice cream… Thank god for portion control. 

For something on a little more important note of the trip, 9/11 memorial. I remember waking up that morning when the first plane had hit. My mom was watching it on the news and I didn’t really understand the severity of what had just happened. I didn’t know enough about the World Trade Centers at that age either. By the time I got to my 6th grade class, the 2nd plane had hit. Seeing the tears through all the eyes of the adults, I started to realize these were some very serious attacks happening to our nation. To see people literally jumping out of the building to their death was one of the most horrific things I have ever seen. Nearly 3,000 people died. I made visiting the memorial my number one priority in NYC. Here is a picture of the only tree that was still standing after the attacks.

 The 2 Waterfall pools are located where the buildings were. They are the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. The names of the people who were killed are engraved surrounding the pools. The next important place we had to go was The Empire State Building. I’m usually not the one for tourist attractions, but I got this one checked off my list now! Here is a view from the top  And a group photo… what an unbelievable shot hey ? 😉  Next tourist attraction… TIMES SQUARE!! We went after dinner at 11pm on our last night. I wasn’t expecting all the stores to be open, but i was pleasantly suprised. If you’ve met me… you will know my addiction to espresso and how much I love Sephora. How perfect for me ? 

AND THAT’S A WRAP.  Well, at least as much as I want to write about NYC. Ali and I headed out the next morning for BUFFALO, NY together. Check back for that post…. If you’ve never been to Buffalo, don’t worry.. you’ll never have to go! Just read my blog instead.

SHANNY.