Sister Act

More like twin act! My "baby" sister is seven years younger than me, but as of late, we are constantly asked if we are twins. It was certainly no exception when we were gallivanting around together in NYC. We had a great time and certainly stayed busy! We really didn't do any "touristy" stuff, and I feel bad that she missed out on that, but she wasn't really into it anyway. Her main goal was shopping. :)

View from the Brooklyn Bridge on my way into Manhattan.

My client's office is right across from this - Widespread Panic was playing just days after I left. Bet that was a good show!

She got in on Thursday, and I picked her up at Grand Central station, so she at least got to see that. We dropped off her stuff, got ready and headed down to Chelsea to meet Lindsey at a great pizza place called Co. We thought about that pizza the rest of the trip, and I will definitely try to go back the next time I'm up there. After dinner, we walked south and ended up at the SoHo House for a drink. Lindsey is a member, so we lucked out because that's the only way you're getting in! She had to work the next day, so she left us there after a drink and Brandi and I went up to the rooftop pool area for another drink and to enjoy the view.

In the cab on the way to Chelsea (Brandi's first NYC cab ride) :)

Rooftop at SoHo House

Gansevoort Hotel

SoHo House rooftop

Loved this sign in the SoHo House, but I think that means me... hmmmm.

So, after a few drinks and some conversation, we made our way back to our hotel in Midtown. We spent Friday walking around Midtown - Times Square (which I DESPISE, but it had to be seen... plus there's a ginormous Forever 21 that Brandi had to visit), 5th Avenue, candy at FAO Schwartz, and a quick stroll through the southeastern part of Central Park. After we'd walked ourselves out, we headed to the West Village where we spent the rest of our time. That night we went to eat at a little Italian place called Piccolo Angelo and then spent the evening at the Gansevoort rooftop.

Looking northeast

Looking north

Opposite view from the night before.

We really didn't drink that much that night, but I was not feeling so hot the next day (it was really weird, because Brandi was fine). But, after sleeping a little longer, some crackers and Diet Coke, I was as good as new. So, we ventured on the subway to Canal Street to do a little illegal knockoff shopping. Brandi was successful in finding a Louis Vuitton and Tiffany earrings. She commented as we left that she felt like we were doing a drug deal. While I have no idea what that feels like and hope she doesn't either, you do feel a little dirty when leaving. :) We walked north through SoHo, shopped around a bit and then headed back to the West Village to get ready for our amazing dinner at Abe & Arthur's. It was DELICIOUS, and we ate way too much!!!! I'm something of a bread pudding connoisseur, and that was the best bread pudding I've ever had. We ended up sitting next to a football player, but missed JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and LEBRON JAMES by a night!!!! Dude, I would have fainted if I saw Justin Timberlake. Then, he would have had to give me mouth-to-mouth, and naturally, he would have fallen in love with me and forced me to leave Matt. And, of course, he'd dump that ugly chic, Jessica Beal. Duh. So, Abe & Arthur's is pretty much the hot spot, and I recommend if you can get a reservation. I'm lucky to have a hookup, so Brandi pretty much got to do some cool NYC stuff that she may not have been able to do otherwise. Jenn's sister and BF from high school are kind of a big deal in NY. So, after dinner, we were too full and too tired to go out, so we walked along the Hudson River and then went home and packed up to leave the next day.

Jersey

The next day was spent brunching and grabbing cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery and then heading to the airport. It was great to spend that time with my little sister, and I hope she enjoyed her first (and definitely not last) trip to the Big Apple!