best of New York City (Jan 2010)

Almost immediately after watching the ball drop in Times Square, I took a long weekend with a chunk of friends and headed over to New York City. We stared up at the mile-high buildings; wove through crowds of sightseers at tourist spots; found a hidden bar at the top of a hotel next to the Empire State Building; and re-connected with a group so lively it made me miss college all over again ... (though not "college things" like the after-effects of a particularly effective "all-you-can-eat/drink" deal from our friend Brendan...)



Roommates at the Ameritania Hotel, Molly, Ellen, Amy and I walked through Central Park on a particularly freezing morning. We found a little hill of stone above Wollman Skating Rink with an amazing view of the lower East side. Even though traveling through NYC in January isn't ideal if you don't like a face frozen beyond expression, it's awesome for avoiding giant groups of tourists and smells that bubble up from the underground sewer system.





A favorite day: Grimaldi's for pizza; Jacques Torres for wicked hot cocoa; and a walk back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge. Molly and Ellen hadn't been here before, and I think I noticed them click with the city during this walk.



Walking back to our hotel from the Columbus Circle area, the Christmas lights in the trees offset the light snow. Eric and Margit looked especially lovely that night.



I finally got to see the Bethesda Fountain - this is a detail of the sculpture at the top, and one of my favorite photos from the trip.



Here's my favorite little sister in front of my favorite cupcakes (Buttercup Bakery). It was an added bonus to spend some time with Anna and her professor parents, leading the St. Olaf art trip to Manhattan. Ellen and I took Anna on a particularly exhausting trek to the library to see the original Winnie the Pooh... totally worth it.



Molly and I spent some time on the Met steps with a pretzel from a cart; these little birdies scattered near us to grab crumbs and extra sun rays.





My love, my light, Ellen Roth indulged my childhood love for Matt Lauer and the Today Show by waking up at 6:30, walking a few blocks, and standing in sleet to catch a few glimpses of the crew. We were even on TV for a few milliseconds!





The friend celebration to end all celebrations (by 10PM... I think?)





The last few hours in NYC were spent at the Top of the Rock and in the surrounding area. A tiny little New Years ball... and a spectacular view of a cold, sunny city and one of its landmark structures.

Even almost a year later, I still crave more of the city. In two trips, I know I've barely found everything.