About 9:30 Saturday morning, Andrew, Peyton, & I were just getting onto the turnpike to NYC. I had been to the Big Apple only once before which was last summer during our one-day excursion on Canal Street. But this time was different.
First, Andrew & I checked into our hotel, a Holiday Inn Express about 3 blocks away from Times Square. It was a very small hotel but the location was awesome. After putting our bags down Andrew took me thorugh Times Square to where they sell tickets to Broadway plays. It was freezing out but the excitment of being in the city warmed me up. After about half an hour in line we came to find that there were no more tickets left. A little ticked off we returned to our hotel & watched some TV.
It was about 1:30 when Andrews parents arrived and much to our surprise his dad (who has connections about all around the world) had somehow gotten us tickets to "Beauty & The Beast". So we changed into our Sunday best and headed past Times Square once again to go see my very first Broadway Play. It was amazing!!! My favorite part was "Be Our Guest". I'm still awwed by the colors & the music & the costumes & even the story which I knew by heart.
When we got back to the hotel I got to meet Andrew's cousin, Megan, who was the reason we were in NY. She & her husband just moved in from Canada & the family hadn't seen them in a while. & I have to admit, Megan's life is like a fairytale. She's been around the world & now is settling down in NYC of all places. So after a fancy dinner in some restaurant I can't even pernounce, Andrew & I walked Megan back to her hotel, the Waldorf Astoria! You know what Im talking about if you've ever seen 'Coming To America' which was my absolute favorite movie growing up so you can imagine how excited I was to get a tour of the whole gorgious hotel as well as their suite. It was really beautiful, the entire hotel, not just the suite.
After that tour, Megan took us to Rockefeller Center, where I had never been. We watched the people ice skate for a little while & then moved on. Once we got to Times Square Megan left for her hotel & Andrew & I wondered through the stores, including that huge Toys R Us with the actual Ferris wheel inside.
It was almost 10 o'clock now so it was dark but you would never know it the way Times Square is lit up. & New York doesn't light up like other cities do, everything moves or spins or shakes. I had been in heels for hours so my feet had went numb so I could walk & not feel a thing. The mica in the sidewalk made it seem as though we were walking on diamonds. I liked to pretend we were. Everything in NYC is extra, nothing is ordinary.
