NYC Day 2

Um...How much did I love the Cloisters? If you don't know what they are, go here because I'm sick of explaining. I had a friend (also an art history major) recommend them to me as her favorite part of the the city. She also said they were sort of out of the way, so I didn't have much hope of seeing them and I put them out of my mind. But when Abbie asked me what I wanted to do, I casually asked if she'd heard of them. Turns out Abbie lives "far out of the way" herself (Manhattan really isn't that big...) and they were practically up the street. So we went, and it was AMAZING. Gorgeous weather, gorgeous views, gorgeous architecture, gorgeous art...Brilliant. All around.

Mucho famous triptych that I studied. Awesome.

Pit stop at the apartment to drop off Forrest and the kids (we actually were babysitting a set of twins for Abbie's friend as well, thus we had four kids to tote and the Cloisters are not stroller friendly. Adventure.) Then Abbie and I went out on our own for lunch in Little Italy: real Italian pizza with arugula, olive oil and pencetta. Yum! And yes, we ate pretty much that whole thing. Go team.

Off for some downtown exploration - we passed through Soho and some other neighborhoods on our way to Chinatown. We poked our heads into this shop that looked like a forest of chandeliers...they all hung at eye level so you were literally walking through them. So. Cool.

I bought a bag on Canal Street after we hit up an AMAZING French Bakery. Most heavenly things I've ever eaten: apple danish and almond croissant. (Yes. I ate two pastries. It was legit French - how could I buy just one?!) Then off the the Brooklyn Bridge. We took the subway into Brooklyn then walked across the bridge back to Manhattan. It was beautiful - we had the most amazing weather and the sites were incredible. It was probably one of my most favorite things.

Macrame bicycle? Check. It's at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge - the Brooklyn side.

I had to rush to meet up with my group after that - late. Oops. I had time to dump my bags in my hotel room before we went to dinner. Who happened to be dining right next to us?

Could it be Timothy Omundson? The man who plays Carlton Lassiter on the popular television series "Psych"? Why, yes. Yes it is. That man in the blue plaid shirt eating a famous Junior's cheeseburger is indeed that Carlton Lassiter.

The funny thing is, I thought that I was an almost celebrity for seeing him in the bar next to my booth, then Abbie's friend hooks up with Leonardo Dicaprio in Central Park. Whatever. (We totally stalked the same playground later in the week in hopes of catching him...)

Our hotel was right on Times Square. After dinner we were free for wandering. I thought I'd seen most of Manhattan with Abbie, but this was something else all together. Stunning.

That's all for this one. Stay tuned for more...someday...when I have more time...maybe. Blech.