I am now entering my 30's

Wow! What a trip! I am just back from the Big Apple and excited to share with you about all the adventures that we had!For my 30^th birthday I wanted to do something fun! We had not traveled on a plane anywhere since our daughter was born- and I had the itch.My first thought was somewhere hot, Caribbean, all inclusive. We had researched and planned to go to Dominican. But after sitting on that for a while, I started to get nervous thinking about leaving our daughter and getting on a plane to go so far away. (Please tell me I am not the only crazy mom out there!) So instead, I wanted to look at something more domestic and ‘close to home’. There are a couple of places in the States that we considered travelling to. We first considered Nashville! I am a huge country music fan and I have heard from everyone that I know that has travelled to Nashville that it is an incredibly fun place to travel to! The nightlife is exciting, and the live music is never ending. We also considered Chicago. Again, as we had also heard it was a beautiful city and that there was lots to see! We briefly looked at Naples, but I decided I would likely spend way too much in wine country!Then, I thought about Central Park in the fall. I adore the fall season! All the beautiful colors of the leaves, the reds, oranges and yellow. I visited New York City 3 years ago with a girlfriend of mine, and we had an amazing time! So, naturally I was pretty excited to be going back!Real Talk: I would be lying if I said that leaving Clara was not one of the hardest things that I had to do. I think that I teared up and shed some tears about 3 different times while we were waiting to fly away. It was a big struggle and I was worried I would not be able to enjoy myself while we were there. But once the plane was descending into the concrete jungle I was over the moon ready for our 4 days away from real life and responsibilities.

We didn’t see any Broadway shows, we barely did any of the touristy stuff (minus a walk-through Times Square and a visit to Grand Central), instead we just walked, all day long! We ate delicious food, and drank good wine and enjoyed each other’s undivided company. Something that we have not done since over 2 years ago!Some of the highlights!Carniege Hotel- If you are ever planning a trip to NYC and want to stay somewhere amazing this is it! This hotel is a smaller boutique hotel with only 64 rooms (compared to the close to 200 roomed other hotels). The hotel is located 2 blocks from Central Park and is away from the busyness of the Times Square District. This hotel offers a free continental breakfast, and it is very versed including fruit, yogurt, granola, cereal, pastries and breads. They also offer, and this was the highlight, complimentary happy hour! You go down to the loungey, café area and enjoy bottomless wine along with cheese, crackers, fruit and nuts. It was such a nice wind down time after being out in the city all day, to come back, and enjoy a few glasses of good wine before getting ready to head out for dinner. The beds were super comfortable and the hotel was clean! We will definitely be going back.The food- We ate at some pretty wonderful restaurants including Topaz, which was a thai noodle place across the street from our hotel, that serves the BEST Khao Soi soup I have ever had in my life!  We had delicious thin crust Italian pizza’s littered with prosciutto, and devoured great pizza while walking around from a little random pizza shop.Central Park- what a huge and incredible green space. We were there more than once sitting around and laying around to enjoy some peace from the hustle of the jungle. I was able to practice some yoga, to stretch out and rejuvenate my tight hamstrings and calves. As per hubby’s request, we visited the John Lennon memorial, Strawberry Fields.The highlight was the trip- everything about it. The undivided time with the love of my life to fill my cup. The chance to write and read without interruptions. Actually getting dolled up every night to go out, because I seriously enjoy makeup and fashion. The thrill of being somewhere new and exploring the city. Going shopping. The comfort of a complimentary bathrobe and your favorite show on tv (we watched way to much HGTV, and I loved every second)And as much I am so happy to be home with my babies who I missed SO much (child and dog 😊), tonight I will go to sleep feeling to refreshed and grateful for having been able to have the amazing 30^th birthday experience with my soulmate. NYC will always be one of my favorite places to travel!  I entered my 30's with a bang!What is your favorite place to travel?Hugs and Kisses,AndreaP.S- There is something magnificent about a rooftop view!!! Am I right?