New York City

Our overnight trip to New York City was great! The wedding was short and sweet, and the celebration that followed was a lot of fun.

We woke up Saturday morning after a very restless night. Eva had been losing her voice on Friday and overnight she had developed a scary sounding cough. By morning, we hemmed and hawed about what to do. Omi assured us that she could handle the situation, so after leaving insurance cards and plenty of "sick supplies", we were on our way. We ended up leaving a few hours later than we had originally planned, but when you have kids, you learn not to hold tight to those so-called plans.

We received conflicting directions from Google maps and our TomTom, so navigating was a little tricky. On top of that, the traffic coming into the city and it was stressful. Dave and I both wondered how people could deal with a daily commute into the city!

After five and a half hours in the car, we finally checked into our hotel. It was already 1:00 pm by then and we realized that we wouldn't have much time for sight-seeing.

This was the view from our 2nd floor room, the Queensboro Bridge.

We took a walk in search of a light lunch and found a bar/restaurant that looked promising.

The place had lots of character and the food was great!

Apparently all of the artwork is done by local artists.

The "tin" ceiling was really neat, although it's hard to tell from this picture.

I really enjoyed my spinach salad with blue cheese, apples and bacon and made a mental note to try making this on my own. Dave's Greek salad was equally as good, and was the perfect light meal. It was close to 90* so neither one of us felt like eating a hot meal.

Scenery seen during our our walk.

After a quick meal, we walked back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Liam, all dressed and ready to party!

We gathered in the lobby to meet up with the other guests who would be taking the shuttle bus to the wedding.

The Ravel lobby

The lobby, which is actually set up more like a lounge, has tons of silver globes hanging from the ceiling and it creates a really neat effect.

Along the wall, you can see the vending machines...filled with wine!

This was the first time I had never seen a "wine vending machine", for lack of a better term. I guess it's the type of thing you'd only see in upscale hotels or cities. You slide a card through the slot, choose your wine, and the amount you'd like.

With the cost being $2.00 for a taste; $6.00 for a half glass; $12.00 for a full glass, it's a bit pricey! But I think it's set up more for wine connoisseurs who want to sample a variety of wines.

The wedding was beautiful with the most creative wedding vows I have ever heard. The bride and groom created the ceremony to completely match their personalities and it was just perfect.

After the ceremony, caterers walked around with a delicious assortment of appetizers like rich macaroni and cheese, mini pulled pork sandwiches and caprese salad samplers. The bar also featured a Brazilian drink called a Calpirinha, which was similar to a margarita and very refreshing.

The venue was decorated just beautifully! The wedding colors were orange and charcoal, so striking against the white.

After having a fantastic time mingling with all of the other guests, we were seated for dinner. (My portobella mushroom ravioli was to die for!) The bride is originally from Chicago so I enjoyed talking "Midwestern conversation" with her relatives, and it was so comforting to hear that accent again. It felt like home!

After dinner, we danced the night away. For most of the reception, Dave carried Liam in the Snugli, which meant Liam danced right along with us, sandwiched in between. (It was so reminiscent of the wedding many years ago where Amanda was the one dancing between us, our "Happy Family" moment!)

Liam absolutely loved dancing. In fact, he found it so enjoyable that he wouldn't fall asleep! He took a few cat naps here and there, but after a few songs, he was fully charged and ready to get back on the dance floor with us. It was so much fun! We celebrated way past our bedtime, making it to the adult hour of 11:00 pm before returning to our hotel.

As for the girls back home, we checked in with them every few hours. Each time, they sounded like they were having the time of their lives, although Amanda had to do all the talking since Eva could only whisper. At no point did they ask when we were coming home. In fact, when I asked Amanda if she could save some of her lobster for me, she said,"Um, maybe you can just go out and get some there." They were in fine hands.

For dinner, Omi provided a very special treat: lobster and sushi! What four or two year old kid would request that as their meal? Champagne taste, apparently. No Chef Boyardee for them!

We left Queens at 7:00 am the next morning and were home by 11:00 am, just in time to rush Eva to the doctor before the office closed. As it turns out, she has laryngitis!

The plus side to that is that it has been much quieter around the past few days! Today, she is feeling much better and her voice is slowly starting to return.