New York

Robert and I finally ditched the kids and made it to New York to celebrate my 40th birthday

(9 months late but we wanted to wait for fall). It was a whirlwind trip to say the least. We took the red eye and went straight to Emily's fantastic apartment in Brooklyn to catch a little sleep before heading over to the U.S. Open. It was awesome even though the first hour I think we were sort of in a half sleep daze. The weather wasn't as warm as we hoped but nothing was going to ruin our trip. We saw both women's semi finals and the men's doubles final. It is a great event and fascinating to see and I hope to go many more times in the future.

I can't described how psyched I was to find out we were going to be in town for Fashion Night Out. It was fabuloso. We went straight from tennis in Queens to Barneys on 5th Avenue so we were tired and hungry but it was worth it. I should have taken more pictures but it was super crowded and kind of overwhelming but we saw celebrities (Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosario Dawson, just to name a few) and GREAT window displays and fun fashion. All kinds of people and parties. Loved it. Wishing we could have stayed for the entire fashion week and snuck into some shows if that is even possible.

We spent one day with the Allens and were lucky enough to meet baby Lucie. Love her and her super cute big brother Jonah. We rowed boats in Central Park, ate at the Shake Shack and just enjoyed their company while we wondered around the city. That night we saw "Wicked" and it was everything it was hyped up to be. I loved it and I'm pretty sure Robert enjoyed himself after taking a small nap at the beginning of the show. He can sleep anywhere at anytime. He just has to sit down which he rarely does and it makes me want to punch him sometimes as I lay awake staring at the walls. Walking around Times Square at midnight on a Saturday is pretty fun as well. Good people watching.

Sunday was cold and rainy so I of course slept in while Robert went running in Central Park. Hard to believe I know. Emily met up with us in the lower east side and took us to a great little place for brunch and introduced us to some of her friends. I think seeing the barber shop "Tommy Guns" and chatting with the owner was one of the trip highlights for Robert. We had reservations to go on a bike tour of Manhattan and over the Brooklyn bridge which I was totally excited for but it got rained out so to make myself feel better we went to the Donut Plant and I had the best Vanilla Bean donut ever. YUM. Emily was a great tour guide and it was fun to see and catch up with her. With the bike ride cancelled we decided to go last minute and got an insane deal on tickets to "American Idiot" which Robert really wanted to see, followed by a delicious Italian dinner so the day/night worked out great anyway.

Our last day was a mad rush to shop (loving H & M) and pick up a few things for the girls and Mom, the wonderful babysitter. It is so nice to go on a vacation and not worry about your kids back home because they are with a loving, fun, fantastic grandma who doesn't mind moving into your house for 4 days and playing Mom. Thanks Lynne.

The trip was perfect and having no kids and a cool city with millions of things to see and do at your finger tips was incredible and a much needed break for us. We just barely cracked the surface with so many things we wanted to see but will be back for more soon. We are addicted and I realize how much I miss my family and wish we lived closer. Thanks Mike, Erin and Emily for a great time. If we ever live somewhere cool you are welcome to come visit and see the sights.