3

I apologize that once again all my photos are off my IPHONE.

I am being lazy!  

Day 3 started with the usual stroll across Columbia--

this is the spot where we saw Daniel Radcliffe filming.

If you're a "pro" you can "one swipe" your metro card

through the turn style and get through--we are pro's at

"one swiping" it now! ;)  You can always tell

a tourist by how many swipes it takes....

I'm only sort of kidding.  And we certainly LOOKED

like tourists--so that's just as bad!

First stop on the agenda?

Donut Plant.

Seriously the best (did I mention THE BEST?!) donut

I've ever tasted....mostly because it was just pure sugar--

so how can you go wrong.

Before you think we ate the whole trip (which we did!)

We ONLY had breakfast and dinner every day (Josh

always needed a snack or two) BUT in my defense we

always walked EVERYWHERE (6, 8, 10? miles a 

day PLUS subway steps up and down which are as

good as any stair stepper out there!)  So hooray for

being able to eat crappy for for 5 days and not gaining

a pound.  You have to give it up for a good vacation, right?

Our choices:  Coconut cream (kyle),  Creme brule (Gray)

Chocolate (Josh) and their signature Peanut Butter & Jelly (ME).

TO DIE FOR GOOD!!! 

Did I mention they were very sugary??

and good?

Not only that but they milk the served with them?

OH MY!  Right from a dairy--whole milk with

the cream still on top--I haven't seen that

in 20 years.  Josh was in heaven with the milk!

Sugar, peanut butter, nuts, jelly and a little donut

mixed in there for good measure--oh yes!  With

one more sprinkling of sugar.

After breakfast we walked to the Flatiron building to

a little park on the street...we have been to NYC a zillion

times and never seen "Eataly" a 100% Italian Food Market.

Since both Kyle and I served missions in Italy--well it

was a must.

I loved this picture of the Jamaican "ugli fruit".

Rows of pasta and EVERYTHING Italian.

We waited until 11 when the focaccia was going to be done

to grab a piece or two for the road.  Focaccia is an 

Italian flat bread--very good.  We ate a lot on our missions.

Cheap and filling.

Where we sat for a minute.

Remember my rule about sitting in New York?

It was SO lovely and there is NOTHING better

than the people watching in NYC, nothing!

Have I also mentioned we would leave the Wilcox's

at usually 8 AM and return between 8 and 10 PM (later

a few nights).  We did some SERIOUSLY long hours

in the Big Apple this trip.  Every night we were POOPED!

Next item of business was a surprise for Gray.

She and I LOVE (love LOVE) Wicked and have

seen it a few times.  I was not going to get

ANY tickets this trip (frugal trip!)

However, I was searching online one day and came

across the "obstructed view seats" for Wicked on

Ticketmaster.  "Obstructed view" on Broadway means

that you miss some of the action or the set blocks

some of the people or scenes some of the time.

(Just like it sounds)...Anyhoo, these "obstructed

view seats were $60, let me repeat, $60--not only

were they $60, they were $60 in the $350 seats.

They were single seats on row 1 of the theater,

and row 2 of the theater.  So being in the internet

age we are I googled reviews of these seats--I know?

How big of a nerd am I ?

Well, I kept reading OVER and OVER that these

2 seats were the best kept secret on Broadway.

That "obstructed view" in this case meant you only 

missed one or two things and they were not a big

deal.  I wavered back and forth for a few days 

and finally took the plunge.

I was NOT sorry.  The seats were the best

I have EVER had  (we always sit on the back row

in the $50 seats--not bad--but this was amazing!!)

You could see the sweat on the actors faces, you literally

could have reached out and touched them when 

they were in front of us,  it was so fun!

At one point one of the ladies next to Grace was

asking her where she was from and how much tickets

costs--she was dying at her $350 tickets and was

even more shocked at what we had paid--

I love being a bargain hunter and I SWEAR! you 

can always find a good deal if you're willing to 

look or work for it.  It's my mantra in life.

I'm pretty sure that even if my husband made a

million $$'s a year (not likely in this lifetime!)  I would

STILL be the same way with our money.  

It's the thrill of the chase of the bargain that I love.

Gray--that is the stage she can touch in front of her--

she picked front row--I got the 2nd row seat.

See my purse on my chair?

I snuck a picture at the end of the show when all the actors

were at the back of stage coming forward--I know I'm

naughty.  

After Wicked we met up with Kyle and Josh who had

spent 3 1/2 hours at the "Met" (Metropolitan Museum)

Where is is always "name your own

price" to get in.  Meaning ALL museums in NYC

have a "suggested" price (usually $25 and up)--however

a nice trick Adam and Amy taught us is that it

is ONLY a suggested price.  New York powers that be 

want to ensure that that ANYONE and everyone

can get into a museum--so you can name your own

price.  I have seen a New Yorker (old lady)

proudly declare that she just paid a dime (yup

a dime) to get in.  Kyle thinks that is being a little

TOO cheap--but we have paid $5/person.

Whatever the price, the museum is huge and you

would need at least several weeks to properly

see everything and do it justice.

 We then went to Johns Pizza in Times Sqaure (an 

INSANE 2 1/2 wait for dinner-- at which point I was about

to keel over from starvation--remember I had not

eaten since 8 AM and Donut Plant).  We finally 

got food at about 8 pm and I was like the person in

that Snickers commercial who was nice again.  :)

Easter weekend in NYC is crazy busy--I was 

surprised that the usual crowds and throngs

of people had increased seemingly 10 fold.

That coupled with lots of Spring Breaks, and a

normally full city was overflowing.  This is the 

first trip where we have ever had to wait

(what I consider) unreasonable lengths of time

for food.  As I told my family--"no food 

is that great that I'm willing to wait 2 1/2 hours

for it!"  (or if something exists--I have not

yet tasted something good enough to wait 

2 1/2 hours for it.)  This trip however, waiting

for food was the norm and not the exception.

And at 10:30 PM we finally made it back to Adam

& Amy's apt and crashed.