Yes, I know. It’s about time.

About time for a blog that hasn’t happened in almost two weeks. Lame? Yes. Unavoidable? Probably. World-ending? Nah. You’ll get the fuck over it because I said so.

But, it has been a long two weeks. First I hit Indianapolis for a quick day trip for work, and then sugar-mama and I went for a long weekend in New York City.

It was the third time I’ve been there, but the first two times combined weren’t even as long as this trip. Every time I go there, I love it more and more. If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d live there in a heartbeat. As it stands, I’ll leave that move up to sugar-mama (again).

Sugar-mama, from all accounts, loved it as well. Our hotel, which I found for a cheap deal by NYC standards, was right across from the back end of Rockafeller Plazza, just blocks from Times Square. We covered all the ground around there and a lot more.

During our five days, we went all over and around Manhattan. Some of the highlights included:

  • Our first full day there was a record breaker. It was 104 degrees, the hottest temp on that date in NYC history and the fourth-hottest day the city ever recorded.
  • To battle the heat, we went to the museum where it was cool as we walked around. Luckily, I looked it up before we left and through work, I was able to bring my ID and show it at the corporate desk and we got in free to a pair of museums. The pics on the blog are from the Museum of Natural History, which was freaking cool. Definitely go if you have the chance.
  • We caught a show on Broadway. I hadn’t seen the movie or musical, so I had no idea what Chicago was about. Didn’t matter since it was Broadway and I figured it’d be pretty good. It was great. We lucked out on good seats at a discount (again, by NYC standards, not mine) and really enjoyed ourselves after a great dinner at a place sugar-mama picked out.
  • That brings us to food. Oh. My. God. Some of the best food I’ve ever had was eaten on this trip. From the Halal food truck outside the museum, to Maria Pia’s and Empanada Mama’s, it was all tremendous. While I find it hard to put anything above the Mr. Softie ice cream truck, our anniversary dinner at Capital Grille did rate the best. And by best, I mean it was probably the best meal of my life to date. From the unlimited wine ($25 special; awesome) to the lobster mac ‘n cheese to the steak and finally the dessert (which I don’t totally remember what it was, thanks to the unlimited wine), it was killer. We will be going to a Capital Grille again, and luckily (for our stomachs, not my wallet), there is one in Atlanta.
  • We took a three-hour cruise around the island, down the North River to the Statue of Liberty and then up the East River and back around. It was really cool and gave us a great, different look at the skyline and bridges.
  • Another different look came when we went up to the top of the Empire State Building, which is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. I love the views from up there and again (it was my third time up) was amazed at the awsomeness of the architecture and the sheer size of the city.
  • One of the days we took the subway down to Ground Zero. When we came up above ground, we were right there. It almost took my breath away, seeing the gaping hole in the skyline 50 feet away. It’s amazing what was there and then was gone in a blink of an eye. I can’t imagine having been there when it happened. Seeing it nearly 10 years later is no better, although seeing the new Trade Center 1 tower going up and the memorial starting to come together was nice.
  • Times Square at midnight is ridiculous. I could go there every night. The vibe was awesome with the lights, people swarming. Incredible.
  • We also spent a good deal of time walking Central Park, checking out Columbus Square, walking 5th Avenue, scoping out food joints in Hell’s Kitchen and midtown, and more.

That, in a nutshell, sums up our trip. Since we got back, I’ve been working and deciding on which pictures to put on our photo blog, which you can view here: Days 1-2 | Days 3-5.

I’ll try to get back on track again Tuesday. And I’m sure if I don’t come up with something, the Vile One or New Carlson or someone else will get on me about it.