NYC

Ever since Ryan decided to go to grad school in NYC, I knew that I had to make a trip out there.

I not only wanted to see where he lived, the school he attended, and meet the amazing girl he is dating,

but I also wanted to visit the amazing city of New York.

So we booked our flights back in November, and I could not wait.

This trip was the only thing that got me through my finals.

We seriously had the time of our lives.

This trip will go down in the books as one of the funnest weeks of my life.

I mean what is better then spending the week with my best friend/spouse, my brother, and his amazing girlfriend in the one of the best cities in the entire world.

There were so many highlights from the trip but I narrowed it down to my top 10 favorite things.

10

The Subway

We decided that we would only take the Subway.

This was one of our best ideas.

I mean the subways are a great way to sum up what makes New York, New York.

Everyone is in a hurry,

the street performers are some of the most talented people,

they’re the fastest way to get from point A to B,

there are the craziest smells coming from every direction, and

it’s a great way to see the cultures/ethnicities of the city.

We learned a couple of essentials about the subway.

If there is only one person in the cart, there is a reason for that.

He probably hasn’t showered for a while and his smell has driven everyone away.

The subways never wait for you, even if you are running.

There is no internet access/cell service while down there.

(so you better know what your plans are beforehand)

9

Sight Seeing

Dustin and I have been to NY a couple of times, so we decided to try out some new things this time.

My favorite thing we saw was the World Trade Center Memorial.

It was so surreal to be standing on ground zero.

To be reminded of the people who lost their lives.

To remember that it doesn’t matter what political party we belong to, where we are from, or what ethnicity we are.

We live the greatest country. We have so many freedoms that we take for granted.

It made me reflect on the millions of people who have made America what it is today.

We loved walking through Central Park, and after straying there for a week, realizing the need for this place.

With all of the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s nice to have a beautiful place to get away to.

We loved walking Fifth Ave, playing with the toys in FAO Shawtz, enjoying the complete chaos of Times Square, watching the ice skaters at Rockefeller Square, walking up and down Wall street, looking around in Tiffany’s, doing a little shopping in Century 21, walking the streets of Harlem, the Village, China Town, Little Italy, So-Ho, and Hell’s Kitchen.

8

Brooklyn

Dust said the one thing he really wanted to do was see Brooklyn.

So we decided to make a day out of it, and I am so glad that we did.

Brooklyn has its own feel to it.

We decided that if we every moved back to NY this is where we would live.

(well that is if we every became millionaires)

We loved walking the streets of Brooklyn Heights, relaxing and enjoying the scenery of the Brooklyn Promenade, playing at the park right on the water, window shopping in all of the cute little shops, and eating some great food.

7

Broadway

You cant go to NY without seeing a Broadway.

Dust is not the most musical guy and was not too enthusiastic about going to show.

But I dragged him to them, and he ended up loving them.

We say Mary Poppins and Jersey Boys.

We loved them both.

There is nothing like Broadway. They have such amazing voices and their production numbers are incredible.

But after talking to Ryan’s roommate Jeff (who is in Broadways), I can’t imagine a harder way to make a living.

6

Temple/Church

We loved going to church with Ryan.

It was a little weird going to a singles ward again,

but it was fun to see all of the young members of the church who live there.

There is such an array of people in the ward.

They are all there for different reasons.

But the one thing that unites them all is the Church.

I love that no matter where you go in the world the gospel is the same.

Another huge highlight was going to the temple.

My dad had given us 30 family names to do baptisms for.

The best part was we got to do them with the Harlem Second ward.

There were 4 or 5 members there that were going for their first time.

It was so much fun to watch them learn about the temple and how things are done.

Missionary work is on fire in NY.

There are so many wonderful people learning about the gospel there.

The best part was being in the temple with my family.

I love every opportunity that I have to go with them to the House of the Lord.

5

Linsanity

I have never been to Madison Square Garden.

So a couple of months ago, we decided that it would be really fun to go to a Knicks game.

Who would have thought that Linsanity would be going on?

We have been following Jeremy Lin since his first game and could not wait to watch him.

We jumped on the Knicks bandwagon and it has been a blast.

We got all suited up for the game.

The atmosphere was amazing.

(I mean there is not better arena then the Garden)

The sad part was they lost the game. It was their first loss in 9 games.

I guess it was just an off night.

But we still had fun freaking out and cheering on Lin.

4

Bagels

Dust’s favorite food in the entire world is bagels.

He is obsessed.

So the second we got to NY he said that all he wanted for breakfast every morning was bagels,

We went to the best bagel shop in town. Absolute Bagels.

These bagels are out of this world.

They pile on an inch of cream cheese and a tomato in the middle.

Dust went nuts. He was in Heaven.

3

Cookies

My favorite food in the entire world is cookies.

I consider myself a cookie coinsurer.

Anywhere I go, it is my mission to find the best cookie in town.

Well NY did not let me down.

There were so many good cookie places.

But there was one that really stuck out.

Insomnia Cookies

Open 24 hours a day and they deliver.

Talk about great service.

There smore cookie was out of this world.

We had to go back three times.

2

Food

I realize that the last three things on my list have to do with food.

But what can I say we are Calls, and we love food.

When Dust and I plan a trip, we don’t really talk about what we want to see, we just plan what we want to eat.

Dust had been researching the best places to eat on Yelp.

We had it all scouted out.

We ate more food on that trip then I have ever eaten in my entire life.

We always had a cookie, pastry, or piece of pizza in our hands.

The first thing we thought about in the morning was what we were going to eat that day.

I don’t know how we didn’t gain 50 pounds while we were there.

BBQ, Mexican, Pizza, Grimaldis, Jaq Torres, Whym, Shack Shack, Diners, Bakery’s, Island Jerk, Yum Yum, Greys Papaya and Katz deli where just a few of the places we dined.

NY has endless options of food. You could live there for years and still find new places to eat every day.

We loved every minute of it. But now I think it’s time to start a diet.

1

Family

The best part of the trip was spending time with my family.

With the craziness of school/work it was nice to spend a week with Dust and my brother.

We had so much fun visiting, hanging out, and just being together.

It was so much being out there for Ryan’s Birthday.

We had a blast throwing him a birthday party.

I loved being able to see where he goes to school.

MSM is an amazing school and I am so grateful that Ryan is there.

I loved meeting Alex and getting to know her better.

We love her so much and cant wait till she comes out and visits us.

We loved just kicking it at Ryan’s place.

This was a trip to remember.

I am grateful that my parents helped us get out there and for their continuous generosity.

I can’t wait to go back again.