My Empire State of Mind [Updated]

I'm coming back, New York!

Me, freezing in Times Square, December 2011

That Lady Liberty, December 2011

The first (and last) time I was there, J and I only had one day to do sightseeing. ONE DAY.  That's definitely not enough to see one of the cities I've always dreamed of visiting one day.  Thank you, J, for letting me tag along on your one-week business trip, so I can continue my adventure!
Here's a list I came up with just now of things I want to do while I am there.  It would be nice if I could do all of them with J, but let's face it, he brings home the bacon, and to be able to do that, he needs to work.  So I will have to get used to going places on my own.  New York is the most exciting place to practice! (And in case I chicken out, I know I have a handful of friends there who are willing to accompany me on some of these goals. :P)
- Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
- Tour the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Visit the Guggenheim Museum
- Visit the Museum of Natural History
- Check out Rockefeller Center
- Visit Chinatown
- Get on top of Empire State Building
- Spend an afternoon at Central Park
- Catch a Broadway show
- Check out the Grand Central Terminal
- Check out the Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum
- Get a cupcake (or 5) at Magnolia Bakery
- Drink a Manhattan cocktail in Manhattan
- Eat a New York Strip Steak in New York
- Ride the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island
- See the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island
- Take a walk through the New York Botanical Garden
[Updated]
- Eat an eclair from Boucon
- Have a Junior's Cheesecake
- Have breakfast at Tom's Restaurant

That's what I have so far. Anything else I may have forgotten to include that you think I should do while I am there?  I am still figuring out how to do all these as cheaply as possible, so any help is definitely welcome. :)

This time, I'll get to the top.

2012, You are my year.

Yes, you are.

The last few days have been incredibly amazing…I seriously have no idea how to begin blogging about it.

Spending a low-key Christmas with the Kotenkos is a very different and nice experience for me.  I’m so used to my holidays being jampacked with relatives from various corners of the region (and sometimes, back from other countries), endless tables of food, endless chatter, just…eventful to the nth level.  And Christmas is usually a 2-day event.  It was actually a nice change to just have a small dinner with J’s immediate family and not make too much of a big deal of the festivities.

Seeing where J grew up for the first time is also a holiday highlight for me.  I got to see the school he went to, the creeks he used to play in with his childhood friends, the horses his dad trained; I even got to hang out with his pals from high school and see a whole new side of him, through the eyes of the people who knew him in his teens.  Everyone has been so nice.  I didn’t feel like an outsider.

He made my dream of visiting New York for the first time come true, too.  We didn’t get to see a Broadway play (it would have eaten up all of our sightseeing time) or get to go on top of the Empire State Building (lines were too long), but we were able to walk around and see city and it was so much fun.  I was able to meet up with a couple of my friends from MrazWomen for the first time, too.  It was the perfect first New York visit.  I am definitely going to go back and stay longer soon.

The New Year weekend, we decided to spend in J’s college town.  We stayed in a quaint and cozy little cottage J called home during the years he spent kicking scholastic ass at the university, which his parents turned into an occasional vacation home.  I saw my first snow fall!  It was great.  I didn’t care if my hands were cold.  I got my white holiday at the perfect moment.

When I say perfect moment, I mean it. PERFECT MOMENT.  I can’t blog about it yet, but I’ve been swimming in happiness and the awesomeness of the present the last couple of days.  I am truly, truly looking forward for the year to unfold and unleash more OMG-worthy moments. :)

2012, I am ready.  Bring it.