Brett Visit: Day 2

Ashley likes to get up before God does, so we head out early. We get some breakfast which was delicious. Ashley had banana pancakes and were the best I've tasted. I had a Mexican omelet and it was just ok.

We head off to the museum, which is a mile away. And everything to Ashley is “Just a few blocks.” But in reality it’s like a mile. And she walks like she’s being chased and my pace is normal and nonchalant, so I had to make an adjustment.  We walk by a flea market and see some cool things. Ashley is suckered into buying a fake Louis Vuitton bag. Ha she asks, “Is it fake?” Yeah Ashley they are going to say “Yep its fake but it looks real huh?” haha so she was lucky enough to return it. Then we walk to the museum. It was absolutely humongous. With a tour guide, it would be a three day event and I'm not over exaggerating. They have everything in there, it was so cool and so interesting. I love museums and I thought this place was amazing. They have everything from sea animals to the evolution of the human race. A must do if you visit New York.

After all the walking I felt we deserved some dessert. We went to Juniors for cheesecake. It was your average cheesecake, nothing special. After we ate, we headed to the Penguin store. My favorite brand of clothes. Lucky for me, everything in the store was 30% off. Having Ashley and the 30% off saved me from spending all of my money there. I walked in and was overwhelmed with all of the clothes. They had tons of button downs, sweaters, GQ honored suits, jeans, everything! I spent well over an hour in there trying on everything and doing multiple laps to make sure I didn’t miss anything. And then it was check out time. I made it rain in the Penguin store.

Then we go to Capital Grille for Ashley’s birthday dinner. It was fantastic. I had a steak in a butter sauce. And they cooked it medium rare like it’s supposed to be.  Where the middle is bright red and looks like it is still raw, it’s tough to find a place that does that. We also had lobster mac and cheese. It was so good. It combined my favorite seafood and my favorite food of all time. Tasty! But before we got our meal, Dan Marino was at the bar so I had to go walk by him. That was cool! I've been a big fan for a long time and it was so cool to see him up close. It was one of the best restaurants I've ever been too.

Now we head out for the birthday bash! Time to get Ashley Sh***y in the City. We head out to this one bar and were the only ones under 55, not kidding. We have a drink and head to the next bar. We hung out there for a while. I bought Ashley a couple birthday shots. The first was an orange or a grape bomb I can’t remember, but the second one was unforgettable. It was a skittles bomb. It tasted like a handful of skittles. We left that bar and went to the last one of the night, Rudy’s. This place was about as vintage as they come. The seats were red duct tape. And after a certain time you get free hot dogs. A friend of Ashley’s, who looks like a Disney character prince, got me a hot dog. It was delicious, he got ketchup instead of mustard but still appetizing. I had an amazing time that night, and I hope Ashley had a fun birthday.

Day 76

November 21, 2009

Saturday is an early start. We’re out to find the best breakfast in Hell’s Kitchen. I’m pretty sure we found it! Georgio’s Country Grill has amazing breakfast! Check out the picture below! It’s cheap too! Plus, unlimited coffee? Yes, please! Hype me up on some caffeine in the wee hours of the a.m.!

The whole theme of the trip. “We’re not that far away.” I always say this to Brett, forgetting that three blocks to Iowans is a quite a hike. So, when we eat breakfast on 53^rd St., and I tell him we have to walk to 78^th St., he freaks out a little. “We’re not that far away?” he says, “that’s so far!” Fun fact: 20 blocks equals one mile. Another thing, I’ve learned to walk fast—something else Brett isn’t used to. I forgot that pretty much every time I took a step while he was here.

So, we make the trek to The Museum of Natural History. It’s where they filmed “Night at the Museum.” I can’t even explain how amazing this place was. The pictures below don’t really do it justice, but it was so interesting. We saw dinosaurs, sea animals, the history of evolution, Indian artifacts, etc. You name it, they have it! We were there for four hours! It’s a place you can easily spend two days in! Brett and I were talking about how insanely awesome it would be to get a huge game of hide-and-go-seek going in that place!

   

We leave the museum and it’s time for the “best” NY style cheesecake. At the time, I was unsure, so I take us to Junior’s. We order dessert and an appetizer. They claim to be the best cheesecake in the city. Liars! It’s good, but it’s not the best! It’s right off Times Square, so tourists will believe them when they say it really is the best. I know better, now that I live here! But it looks good in the picture, huh?

Next stop, and probably the most anticipated place for Brett’s trip…the Penguin store. Brett’s all-time favorite brand of clothing! He was in heaven! He was like a kid in a candy store, or better yet…he was like a 25-year-old girl, who is broke and just moved to the city, who found a dollar on the street! He got some great stuff and the whole store was an extra 30% off everything! No better time to go!

It is now time to head home and get ready for my birthday extravaganzas! So, I work at The Capital Grille, as you know. And every Saturday, Dan Marino comes into our restaurant, so naturally I have to take my brother there to eat. My bosses are so incredible. I got my whole meal for free, except Brett’s steak! And…Brett got to see Dan Marino, up close and personal! That’s what made my night! The food…I can’t even explain how delicious it is. If you ever have a chance to go, go! It’s a tad expensive, but so worth it! I promise you!

Now, it’s time to celebrate! Being 25 is actually pretty exciting! I have met some incredible friends out here and I was so happy they all came out to celebrate with Brett and me! We went out in Hell’s Kitchen to a few really great bars. One bar, Rudy’s, gives you free hot dogs! Ha! I didn’t eat one, but you bet your sweet cheeks Brett did! My friend Morgan, and another guy Brett likes to call Prince Charming from Shrek, convinced him it would be a good idea to eat one. Check out some pictures below! We had so much fun, we didn’t get home until 4 a.m.!

   

Note to self: When you know it’s going to be an extremely late night, and you know you have to get up early the next day, set your alarm. You know when you don’t go to bed until 4:30 in the morning, your body is probably not going to wake up at 7 a.m., like you want it to. When you have a big drive and long day ahead of you, a good night’s rest is important, right? Nah! I’m only 25, Brett’s only 21, we can handle it. Yeah…right.

CONTINUE READING BACKWARDS FOR MORE BLOGS THAT ARE POSTED LATE!