Let's hear it for New York

For our wedding, one of the presents I gave to my new groom were tickets to see the Mets (his team) play the Phillies (my team) in New York.  Citi Field is a few years old, but he'd never been to a game there yet.

Because our friend Jessie lives in NYC, and because our friend Amy lives not far from NYC, they (and Jessie's boyfriend Art) graced us with their presence for brunch and hanging out before the game.

First stop: Brunch at Westville in the West Village.

 

What to do when you can't decide between two meals?  Get both and share!

{Breakfast burrito and challah french toast - I had no idea what challah was or that it's not pronounced chah-lah but actually hah-lah, but it was delicious nonetheless.  Holla!  (Or should I say challah?)}

I watched the window like a hawk through our entire meal (you can see Jessie there just in the doorway), waiting for people to vacate the chairs.  As soon as they were empty, pow!  Out the door.

Steamy hot dogs.

I've always been fascinated by record stores, but even more so now that we have a record player.  I've been bugging my mom to see if her old records are still at my pop's house.  I wonder if maybe someday when I have kids, they'll be bugging me to find my old Hanson CDs from the '90s.  Or maybe not.

If there's one thing you have to understand about me, it's that I used to be (and still kind of am) in love with the show Friends.  Amy and I roomed together our freshman year in college and watched it constantly.  To this day we still quote lines from the show (that we both watch often on DVD).  So visiting the apartment building which was used for exterior shots of Monica's apartment throughout the show's 10 seasons was like a pilgrimage, of sorts.

 Coincidentally (or not), there is a coffee shop on the ground floor.  {For the record, this building is on the corner of Bedford and Grove}

And since we were in the area... our next stop was the Magnolia Bakery.  Look, I'm going to be honest - apparently this place was featured in Sex and the City, and although I had a brief affair with the show in college, I really couldn't remember it.  But I would never turn down a trip to a bakery, no siree.

But do you know what I just realized?

"Let's hit up Magnolia and mack on some cupcakes!"

"I love those cupcakes like McAdams love Gosling."

"Two, no six, no twelve, Baker's dozen!  I told you that I'm crazy for these cupcakes, cousin!"

Yup.  This is the same bakery from Lazy Sunday.

We took our cupcakes (and lemonade) across the street to the Bleecker Playground.  I picked a vanilla cupcake with pretty yellow frosting because it just looked summery.  I think I really like this way of visiting New York.

Amy enjoying her cupcake!

We planned to steer clear of Times Square, but then we decided we wanted to see Jessie's office.  I can't show you pictures of it, but all I can tell you is that I got to sit in the chair that Steve from Blue's Clues used to sit in.

Jessie and Art had to leave us to leave for a cruise, but suggested that we check out The High Line, which is a walkway/park on a former elevated train track.  Amy snapped this one of Jon and I (oh, so squinty!)

 

At this point we had to abandon Amy and head for the ballgame. Off to Citi Field we go.

Have you ever had Box Frites?  They're the epitome of gluttony but seriously, if you ever come across one (try Citi Field or Nationals Park) order a box with the bacon aioli.  Just do it.

A guy in our section desperately wanted the wave to catch on.  After several tries, it finally did.

One happy boy.

Post-game we avoided the crowded train and went into the parking lot so Jon could see the plaques where the old bases were at Shea Stadium.  Because as the song goes, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

Taking the 7 train back to Manhattan.

And so ended our day in the Big Apple.  We walked back to Penn Station to catch our bus and had a milkshake at the Tick Tock Diner before heading home.