New York City you're dynamite, you're peaches and cream.

...try your luck there kid, New York City!

(from Arthur, the best show in the whole world.)

My trip was FANTASTIC! I realize it's impossible to experience New York fully in a MONTH, let alone a weekend, but it was absolutely amazing nonetheless. I lost my wallet at one point, but our hotel found it. [phew!] So you know, this post is absolutely picture obese, so I made the pictures a little smaller.

By the way, if you ever go to New York in the winter, make SURE you have a black peacoat/trench coat. It's practically a uniform there, and you knew right away when someone was a tourist because they were in bright colors. All New Yorkers also all wear really cool scarfs. I'm making a note for next time.

Part Un: THE DRIVE

Description: It took about 6.5 hours and was very long and boring--until we got to NYC! First we saw the Newark, NJ skyline and thought it was NYC, and it was SO SMALL. We were very disappointed until we saw the real thing!!

Part Deux: THE HOTEL

Description: We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park!! It was absolutely fantastic, and, as you'll see later, the customer service is phenomenal! :]

Part Trois: UPTOWN MANHATTAN

Description: We took the subway up to Uptown Manhattan with the original intent to go to the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) since it was free-entrance night. However, when we arrived the line was the longest thing I've ever seen! It was completely wrapped around TWO NEW YORK BLOCKS! There must have been 5000 people there, probably more. It was NUTS. So we went to Rockefeller Center and went shopping, and came back to the MOMA later.

Oh, and by the way, Anthropologie has got to be the coolest store ever. I had never been in it before, and boy was it amazing! I almost got a beautiful navy coat there, but unfortunately it was one size too small. =[

Part Quatre: TIMES SQUARE

Description: This is a pretty unnecessary section, cause Times Square is basically IN Upper Manhattan. There's just one really cool picture I want to show you. I realize it's extremely blurry, but IT'S THE WALL KENLEY TOOK A PICTURE OF FOR PROJECT RUNWAY!!! It was pretty exciting to see it. Sad thing is, I don't remember at all what Kenley's outfit/dress looked like that was supposed to be based on it. =/

Part Cinq: STATUE OF LIBERTY/ELLIS ISLAND

Description: We woke up really early because the lines get SO LONG later in the day. After going through immense security, we took a ferry first to Liberty Island, and then Ellis Island. :]

Part Six: THE LUNCH OF AMAZINGNESS

Description: The Ritz gave us a completely free lunch at the Ritz Café just because it was my birthday! And this wasn't just any café. Have you guys seen Top Chef? This was exactly like Top Chef. You should've seen my cousin's crab cake--it was like a work of art! All the entrees were like $30 and we all got a free appetizer and entree! Yum. They even brought me dessert at the end! (we shared though, I didn't eat ALL of it!)

Part Sept: CHINATOWN/LITTLE ITALY

Description: Such cute shops! Some things were very strange, but everything was so interesting and different. Note: no pictures from Little Italy. Though it was quaint, nothing was aesthetically interesting enough to warrant a blog picture.

Overall, it was the best trip of my life!

See, I was starting to feel kind of guilty when people would ask me "omgzzz what are you doing for your sweet 16?!?!?!" and I would always just say "Oh, nothing. I'm not really a party person." Well, let me tell ya, this was SO MUCH BETTER.