Being I didn't know what we were doing, it was hard for me to pack for the weekend. Robbie said to bring casual wear for the days and dressy stuff for the evenings. Ok. I tried my best to pack for all kinds of climates too!
Finally my birthday rolled around and I was excited! We left for the airport shortly before 9am and I still didn't know where we were going. At the airport, my first surprise was that wherever we were going, we were going First Class! Awesome! Then, we get to the gate agent who, when she printed our boarding passes, stated we had a final destination of DCA, the airport code for Washington DC! Double awesome! Robbie then proceeded to fill me in on a bit more of the surprise. When we got in to DC, we were going to be staying at a hotel overlooking the park where we got engaged! How unbelievably thoughtful!
Our flight took off a little later than scheduled, but we made up for time in the air. Robbie said that when we landed, we were right on time! En-route, I had 2 glasses of wine, one of which our flight attendant talked me into getting! Haha! It was a great flight, with terrain I had only experienced once before! I'm so used to flying over the plains and the Rocky Mountains; I'll have to get my bearings if we continue to fly that route. I thought we flew over Pittsburgh because of the 3 rivers converging, and we definitely flew over the Appalachian Mountains. The flight was just a little over an hour long. I love that we stayed in our timezone, and that the east coast is so close to us! We could sight-see in any city in just 1 day if we wanted too! Before we knew it we were landing in DC, as evidenced by the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building that stood high in the sky! I was excited to start my birthday weekend!
Just a short ride on the metro, we were at the hotel's nearest stop, just a few blocks away! Robbie upgraded us to a suite with a partial view of the park (none of the rooms offered a full park view), and it was a beautiful room!
The first thing we did was find the exact spot that we got engaged! Neither of us had been back since, almost 10 years ago, so it was fun to relive such a great memory! The fountain that Robbie proposed in front of was off for the season, but it still looked VERY familiar. Such a sweet moment!
Then we walked across the street to the White House. There was a handful of people there, but we only spent as much time there as it took to snap a picture and say "hey" to a Secret Service guy!
As we continued on, we noticed just how big the Department of Treasury was. It's right next to the White House, and it's as big as a city block! I wonder how much money is in there?!
After a quick stop to eat, we made our way to the Old Post Office Pavilion where we were going to go up in it again, but it had just closed for the day. Bummer. It was still beautiful to see again, though!
We then found Pennsylvania Avenue and decided to check out the National Archives Museum. Neither of us knew why we didn't do this the first time we were there! The Museum was free to the public, and it housed, among other archives, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Think "National Treasure!" Cameras weren't allowed in the room with those documents, and they didn't even allow phone calls next to the documents either. Those 3 documents were a true wonder to see. To think that the Founding Fathers wrote those and they are still upheld today is just an amazing thing. And for them to have the foresight to have a "rule" in place for nearly every scenario is pretty great. We spent a lot of time in that room, just reading some of each document and thinking how sacred these are! In other rooms of the Archives Museum were tributes to women who fought for equal rights to vote, and stories of Martin Luther King. The National Archives Museum was a highlight of this trip so far!
After the Archives Museum, we made our way a few blocks to the National Mall. At this point, day was turning to night, and the sky was the most brilliant colors of pink and orange, and it was perfect with the Washington Monument in the foreground! We came out to the National Mall pretty much right between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument. I got some great pictures of both landmarks, and it was the best way to end our afternoon portion of the day!
Robbie wasn't telling me where we were going for dinner, so I got ready in the dress that he picked out. It was a dress that I bought when we lived back in Vegas, and the tags were still on it; this was my first time wearing it, and it fit like a glove, and it looked good too! Our Uber came and took us to the restaurant, Capital Grille, the same exact restaurant we went to the night Robbie proposed. How sweet! I kind of had an idea that's where we were going, but I wasn't 100% sure!
A few weeks earlier, Robbie was out to lunch for work and he ordered dessert for an appetizer. And here is his thinking, which is brilliant: usually when he and I go out for dinner, we order an appetizer, our entree, and we always have intentions on ordering a dessert, but by the time we finish our entree, we are so stuffed that even thinking about more food makes us queasy. So, we employed that strategy at the Capital Grille. I ordered a Creme Brulee Cheesecake, and Robbie ordered an Apple Tart! It was the greatest way to start our dinner! We over-indulged ourselves with the entree, but we had just enough, and we weren't missing out on dessert! It was one of the best birthday meals I have had in a very long time!
When we got back to our hotel room, the hotel staff had laid out a nice fruit tray for us, and also a gift. But it wasn't a birthday gift. When Robbie made the hotel reservation, he stated that it was in Lafayette Park (that the hotel overlooks) that he proposed, so the staff put together a really nice 10 year anniversary gift for us. They framed a map of the city and put 2 little hearts over the park, and they all signed the frame wishing us well. It was so thoughtful, and Robbie didn't even know they were going to do that for us! That map in the frame hangs right outside our bedroom door, along with a collage of pictures from the first time we were there, including the spot we got engaged! The staff really went above and beyond for us! But little did I know, that wasn't all the staff was helping with that weekend!
The next morning, Saturday, we ordered room service for breakfast. While that was being made, Robbie said he had to do one other thing as part of my birthday present, which required him to leave the room. Robbie came back up, then shortly after, room service came. After the waiter was finished taking the plates off the cart for us, he handed me an envelope, then left the room. I opened it, and there were 2 Amtrak Tickets in there with the destination of New York City!! I was absolutely blown away! I could not believe that this was turning into a multi-city birthday celebration! Our train was due to depart Union Station in DC at 11:25 am. I was stoked! I got ready for the day as fast as I could, and out the door we went!
We got to Union Station about an hour before the train was due to leave, which allowed me plenty of time to take photos of the beautiful architecture of Union Station, as well as the surrounding area! Right outside Union Station and down the street was the Capitol Building. The trees were also changing colors, which made for some great pictures!
Taking Amtrak is much less stressful than flying somewhere because we didn't have to be at the station 2 hours ahead of time, and trains are much more relaxed than flights in the way of security. Eventually we got in line, found our seats on the train, and settled in for the 2.5 hour trip further east! We went through cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, Trenton and Newark in order to reach out final destination of New York Penn Station!
Part of the Chesapeake Bay
While on the train we discussed what we wanted to do in New York City. We only had about 16 hours there, and we wanted to make the best of it. We talked about going on a tour of NBC Studios, but that was sold out for the day, but we found that we could get tickets to tour all of Rockefeller Plaza, so we booked that. The only things I really wanted to do was take a horse and carriage ride through Central Park and go to the Top of the Rock (the observation deck at Rockefeller Center). Other than that, we left our itinerary pretty much open. I didn't know where we were staying yet, so it was best if we didn't have any other plans!
We finally arrived at New York Penn Station, and I was excited to hit the pavement! We walked out of the train station right onto Harold Square and the first thing we saw was Macy's Department Store! Not only that, but they were getting it ready for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, so the giant turkey was on the facade with the word "Believe" above it! I felt like I was IN the parade! It was a cool experience because Thanksgiving was just 5 days away and I was trying to imagine what the streets would look like then!
Penn Station
We made it to the nearest subway station a few blocks down, and Robbie had to ask a local where the closest stop was to the hotel we were staying at, still unbeknownst to me. We got off at a stop close to Central Park, and at that moment I kinda knew what hotel he had reserved, but I didn't want to be presumptuous. Sure enough, when we got out of the subway station, we were headed right for it. We were staying at the Plaza Hotel! Are you freaking kidding me?! I felt like I didn't deserve to stay at the Plaza! As we were checking in, Robbie upgraded us to a suite too! He is literally pulling out all the stops! Also as we were checking in, he explained that this was a thank you for getting puppies (it was hard the first month trying to potty train them). I was so overcome with emotion that I had to fight back the tears! It was such a sweet gesture!
The Plaza and our room was just extravagant! We walked into our room and into the plush living room, but just to the right of the door was the first of 2 bathrooms. Just off the living room was the bedroom with the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in! And just off the bedroom was the second of the 2 bathrooms. Everything was white and flanked with gold finishings and accents. It was just so beautiful that I wanted to stay there the whole night, but we knew NYC was waiting for us!
The view out our window
The first thing we did was walk down to Times Square! This place will never get old for me! The energy around Times Square is always so much fun. Plus they were just starting to put out the city's Christmas decorations, so that was pretty to look at. The first time we went to NYC together was in September a few years back, but Christmas in New York is just a more magical time! We got to Times Square and kind of just took it all in! We noticed also that the New Year's Eve ball was all set to go for ringing in 2019! After checking out the sights, we settled in for a couple hot dogs from a vendor, in true New York City style!
After Times Square, we made our way back to Rockefeller Plaza for our tour! The area to get to where you need to be is super confusing. You walk into 30 Rock, go down these escalators, and down numerous hallways. We finally got to where we needed to be, and waited for the tour.
The set of The Today Show!
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree being prepared for its reveal!
The tour guide gave us each a pair of headphones so he could talk to the group without yelling above the hustle and bustle of the passer-by's. Smart thinking!
I really didn't know what to expect from the tour, but we got it all, from the history of the Rockefeller family to when and how they built the plaza buildings (I didn't even know there was more than one Rockefeller building!), to what they are used for, to what the architecture and art means on each one! It was a really cool tour and we learned a lot, and I took many pictures along the way!
All the stone carvings, seen here, told a story. I believe this was telling the story of the evolution of TV!
The concrete part of this building where there aren't any windows, this is where all the Late Night TV shows are taped!
Our tour group, and my favorite Late Night show!
This is a picture looking up towards the ceiling. Along the wall are thousands of gold panels, reflecting light to the ceiling. If you look at the shadows on the ceiling, it looks a lot like New York City. It blew my mind!
After the tour wrapped up, we stayed at 30 Rock and go to the top! Last time we were in NYC, we went to the top of the Empire State Building, but this time we wanted to see the Empire State Building from the top, so this was the perfect way to do it! We also opted to go to the top of 30 Rock at night because we saw New York from the top during the day atop the Empire State Building, so we wanted a different perspective.
Again, I didn't know what to expect when we got to the top, but the views were breathtaking! Everyone was at the plexi-glass trying to get photos, but I just waited patiently for my turn. I wanted to just stand there forever and take as many pictures as my camera could hold. The lights on top of the ESB were changing color, and we could see Times Square from where we were standing! It was awesome!
Then we found out there were 3 levels of Top of the Rock, so we went up to the top level, and there it was, 365 degrees of unobstructed views of New York City! It was stunning, and totally worth the chill and wind! I felt so far up from everything! The 3rd level wasn't crowded at all, so we could be close to the edge (but not too close because both of us were a little scared because the fence was so low). I made sure to soak in all the city that I could. It is a can't-miss attraction in New York City!
After our awesome Top of the Rock experience, we ultimately decided to get off our feet for an hour or so, head back to our hotel room, and order room service for dinner. Rockefeller Center was a ways from the Plaza Hotel, so we were trying to get an Uber, but as you can imagine, they were pretty busy. So, we flagged down a pedicab driver who took us back to the hotel! It was a great way to get around the city. The biker would just weave in and out of traffic, and we deduced that the pedicab got us to the hotel faster than an Uber would have due to all the traffic. What a fun ride!
It was nice to get in our room for a while and have time to enjoy it. Both mine and Robbie's food was delicious, but then it was back out for our nightcap, the horse and carriage ride through Central Park!
Luckily we just had to cross the street to get our carriage, as the Plaza Hotel is right across from Central Park. We picked one of the first horses in line, and hopped right on! They had a series of rides we could take, and we took the longest one, of course!
Our carriage "driver" was really nice, and very knowledgeable about the city. As we were riding through the park, he would point out different landmarks and tell us "that's where a scene from Home Alone 2 was shot", etc, etc. Our driver had just moved to NYC a few months before from Turkey! The sights were absolutely beautiful throughout the park, and I'm really glad we opted for the longer ride! The park was really peaceful and empty being it was around 8:30 at night. We didn't want the ride to end, but it was so fun and relaxing!
The part of the Park that houses Wollman Ice Rick
The Money Shot!! So beautiful!
Tavern on the Green
Looking down the Avenue of the Americas!
In Home Alone 2, this is the door of the Plaza Hotel that Kevin exits and gets into the limo where an extra large cheese pizza is waiting for him!
After our carriage ride, we got to feed carrots to the horse!
I wasn't ready to call it a night yet, but it was late, and we had to be at the airport by 7am the next morning. We relaxed and I got a GREAT night's sleep in our hotel bed that night!
The next morning we called an Uber to take us to the airport; we were flying out of Newark. Being it was so early on a Sunday, we got our own personal tour of Manhattan on our way through the city. We started heading south on 5th Avenue, passing by shops like Tiffany's, Gucci, and Prada. Then we turned to the west and drove right past Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building, then through The Village. Then all the sudden, there was the Holland Tunnel! And just like that we were in New Jersey!
Right outside the Plaza Hotel, one of my top 3 favorite pictures of the weekend!
Tiffany & Co.
Gucci
The Met
Madison Square Garden
The Village
It was pretty cool turning to look at the New York City skyline shrink as we drove further and further away. Then as we were turning into the airport, we caught some great glimpses of the skyline too!
We were lucky enough that where our gate was, we had unobstructed views of the city, and planes taking off in front of it! It was a travel agent's dream!
If this isn't an ad for Newark airport being a United hub, then I don't know what is!
Bye NYC!! You've been great!
Heading back to Cincinnati was bittersweet. We had a quick connection at Chicago O'Hare, giving us just enough time to eat, and think of Home Alone yet again, where they were running through that airport!
Lake Michigan on our descent into ORD!
Run, Run Rudolph!
The Chicago skyline as we were taking off!
Back home in Cincinnati!
After the dust settled, we realized that we woke up in 3 different cities in 3 days! That was pretty sweet! It felt like the weekend was a blur; we did so much in 2 short days! But the memories we made while in these 2 cities will last a lifetime. It was a GREAT birthday and one I won't forget! Robbie explained to me that it's not about "outdoing" himself each year. It's about finding something fun to do that we've never done before and something that will bring a smile to my face. Cheers to 34!
"Take only memories, leave only footprints." -Chief Seattle
