August 30th, 2009 - DAY 1 Barney's Sample Sale, The Accomplice, and Buddakan!

Well, we started out our day with a subway ride to Les Halles. This used to be Anthony Bourdain's restaurant. He doesn't work there anymore, but was excited to try it.

This is the inside of Les Halles. It's very cute and very French.... two of my favorite things!

Yum... Eggs, good bacon and French bread... and cafe au lait! Life is good!

Nest stop - Barneys Sample Sale! This is mostly close-outs of top designers. The prices are all marked down by at least half, and then everything is an additional 40% off. You have to really look through everything, but there are some incredible deals to be had for the patient ones. It is CRAZY!!! There is no dressing room... you strip down and try things on. It's a weird experience for a couple girls from Utah :o) But... guess what? We did it. Whatever... hopefully it doesn't end up on YouTube.

I love Barneys slogan... very funny. This sign is everywhere.

SO... the next thing on the agenda today was the Accomplice New York tour. I am not going to post much about this, because it would really ruin the surprise for anyone doing this in the future. And for those that want to visit New York City, you really should do this tour/show. It is an absolute BLAST!!! Check it out here: http://www.accomplicetheshow.com/details-ny.php

You pay the money and you don't know anything about the tour. They tell you that you'll get a phone call the day before your tour with more instructions... and to follow them closely. It's all very secretive. Well... I heard about this tour... thought it sounded like a blast, and bought Cindy a ticket for her birthday. It was a surprise for her, for both of us really, since NO one knows what it's about, and those that do, aren't talking! Which leaves me in that position now. All I can say is GO!!! It is so fun. Without giving too much away, we got our cryptic phone call giving us specific information on where to meet our 'contact'. It was very specific and super funny.

Here is Cindy standing out where we needed to meet our 'contact'.

This is a super rare shot of the two of us together without one of us holding the camera. We had 8 others on our Accomplice tour and we were all working together. I was chosen to wear this super sexy blue hat so that actors around the city could spot someone on the tour. Lucky me... (Brooklyn Bridge in the background by the way... awesome sight!)

Ok... that's all I have to say about the Accomplice. They will harm my family if I tell you more.

Next up is BUDDAKAN!!! I was so super excited to surprise Cindy with this restaurant. We are both BIG huge fans of Sex and the City and this restaurant was the scene of Carrie and Big's rehearsal dinner. It was UNREAL! Everything about this place is 1st class. The food was absolutely some of the best I have ever eaten! We started out the evening with a couple of their signature cocktails. Cindy was drinking "Fate" and I was drinking "Charm". Let's just say we had too many Charms and Fates!

For anyone that has seen the movie... We were seated at THE TABLE!!! The big table in the movie. It was so super fun!!!

Here is the scene of the crime... mine are the ones with berries floating in them... Cindy's looks like a martini type drink. These were so incredibly good. TOO GOOD!

I am so bummed that this is the only food picture that I got. These are the little dumplings of goodness! The rest of the food was so good that I totally forgot to photograph it. I guess I should go back and do a "do over".

It's really hard to get a good shot of this restaurant because it is so dark inside. There are huge chandeliers in the main dining room. They have a great ambiance going on there. The service was flawless... and the food is something I will remember for a long long time.

Here is a shot from the big staircase, looking down on the big table. These photos do NOT do this place justice.

Well, that is it for us for day one. It was a full full day with TOO many drinks. It will have proved to be a bad idea in the morning... and for our day TWO bike tour that we had planned. More on that tomorrow.

August 29th, 2009 - The Big Apple!

Well, we made it! We are finally starting our girls trip. The weather is great. It's a bit humid, but it's only in the 70s, so at least its not a sauna. Our plane actually landed a bit early, so we grabbed our suitcases and headed for the New Jersey Transit to take the train into Penn station. It was very easy... we were in the city in no time.

Cindy and I stay at the Sheraton on 7th Ave. almost always. It's a great hotel in a fantastic location. The fun was about to begin.

A view into Times Square from out hotel.

Cindy and my "love" nest! hee hee... just teasing. 2 beds for us!

First night I made reservations at Simply Pasta. This is a GREAT, affordable restaurant in the Times Square area. They are short on really good restaurants in that area, so after being referred by a local, this is always a stop of ours. We both ordered the Beef Medallions with a mushroom risotto. It was DELISH!!!

August 7, 2009 - The Rusted Sun

Well... I decided to take off a night cooking and try a place that we have read about for a long time, but had not tried. All I can say is YUM! The Rusted Sun Pizzeria is just off 21st South and on State St.

There are only a few booths and it was packed when we were there. They only sell beer and Pepsi products (their only downfall as far as I was concerned).


We will be back!