7:45 P.M.
Wed. August 31, Day 1:
We arrived at JFK on time and took a taxi to Moo's place in Brooklyn.
We spent most of the day tooling around town sight seeing and we met up with Al's uncle for lunch. He works in the city so we ate at a place across from his office.
Later in the evening we went shopping for some housewarming gifts for Moo's new place. She's taken an old warehouse and fixed it up pretty nice. Her and her roomies put up walls of sheet rock and it looks awesome. She hopes to have it finished in a few weeks.
September 1, Day 2:
Kitty and I woke up early after little sleep and ventured back into the city from Moo's place in Brooklyn. We checked into the hotel around 3 and spent much of the afternoon catching up on lost sleep. The hotel room was small but very clean. The decor' was modern and perfect for the small space we had been given.
After taking a nap we went back to the city and grabbed a quick bite to eat in Little Italy. The food wasn't very good and after walking around most of the day we went home early and hit the sack.
September 2, Day 3:
I didn't come to the city to sleep but last night and today I finally had a chance to sleep-in!
We spent most of the day sight seeing and had an amazing dinner at a place called Lunella's in Little Italy.
Tonight the hotel is giving us a nicer room and it is absolutely fabulous!!!
I don't think I've seen such a great palace in a very long time.
September 3, Day 4:
We woke up early and walked around the city for a few hours and grabbed a bite for lunch. After we checked out of the hotel we met up with Al's Aunt Maryanne, Uncle Glen, Aunt Rae, his cousins Michael and Jackie. We went shopping in the city and found some great shoes for an even better price. After shopping for a bit we drove into Jersey and saw where Kitty's family lived. The houses were more interesting than the ones around where we live in Florida. I liked the homes because they weren't a "Cookie Cutter Design" that is repeated every other house in the neighborhood. We spent a lot of time with Kitty's family and had a great time. Late in the afternoon Kitty's aunt Kelly picked us up and took us to her amazing house where she lives with Al's uncle Anthony, and her two great kids Melina and Nicky.
We had a great home cooked meal of sausage and steak for dinner and we went out for ice cream at Cliff's where Kitty had mentioned an ice cream cone called "The Sky Scraper". The soft serve was just as good as Kitty had mentioned.
September 4, Day 5:
We woke up early and started the day with an amazing breakfast of pancakes and ham. Melina went to church early in the morning so Anthony, Kitty and I spent most of the morning playing sports with little Nicky. We played everything from baseball, and Frisbee, to street hockey.
It's been a while since I've had so much physical activity and it was great to get out and actually do something sporty for a change. While we played baseball I couldn't help but miss the days when I used to play softball in high school. I really wish I had more time to myself at the end of the day. I'd like to join a softball team just to get the work out.
More of Kitty's family showed up at Anthony's place after noon to celebrate Anthony and Joey's birthday.
Anthony grilled up all of the best summer BBQ faves! There was food on platters as far as the eye could see. I think I ate my way through the entire afternoon.
The kids went swimming and Glen brought his scuba gear. I wanted to go swimming but didn't make it into the pool because it was hella-chilly.
Joey took us into town to see where Kitty grew up after everyone had some of the birthday cake. The homes in Kitty's old neighborhood were EXACTLY how he described them and his fort was still in tact as if time stood still while he was away.
After tooling around town for a few hours we picked up Al's cousin Jackie and joined his family when they ventured over to Maryann and Glen's place for a basketball game and some pizza. It was so great to just hang out with Kitty's family. They were so warm and hospitable. Michael was a trip; he had me laughing so hard I was in stitches most of the night. I remember laughing so hard that I thought my stomach would burst from the spasms of laughter. We brought out the camera and snapped some great family pics. Michael's facial expressions in some of the photo's were absolutely priceless! Even now when I look at them I break out into laughter. He's such a nice guy.
The drive home from Glen's house with Joey, Little Glenny, Michael, Kitty and I was the best. Michael told us a story about the last time Kitty had visited the city and Michael's comedy approach put me back in stitches. I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe.
His stories were the perfect ending to another perfect day.
September 5, Day 6
We slept in until 8 and packed our things to head back to the city. Anthony took us to a farmers market for cider donuts and then dropped us off at the Lakeland bus station where we caught a ride back into Mid Town. The cider donuts were absolutely amazing and unlike any breakfast pastry I had ever tried.
The bus ride was long but it gave us about an hour to rest before we got back into the city. We checked back into our hotel spent most of the rest of the day sight seeing and shopping for souvenirs in Battery Park and the sea port.
Kitty took me to Carmines for dinner and then we went to The Empire State Building and we snapped some amazing shots of the city all lit up.
September 6, Day 7
Our last day in the city, we met up with Joey for lunch at Katz's deli. The food was absolutely amazing. After lunch we went out to Little Italy for a quick dessert.
We didn't have much time to pack things up and then met up with Moo to ride out to the airport. Traffic was a mess, and once we finally made it to the airport it felt like it took us forever and a day to actually get home.
Overall the trip was amazing. It was so great to finally meet all the people and see all of the places Kitty has told me so much about. His family was very welcoming and they made the trip so much better. Both Kitty and I shared a lot of memories we won't soon forget.
Did I mention the hotel in Mid-town was absolutely amazing?....
