Wednesday, Oui? Hakuna Matata

Sometime last year The Lion King came to Boston for a limited time tour. I REALLY wanted to see it, as I have wanted to see that particular show for a few years now. For one reason or another we missed the opportunity and I was pretty disappointed. So, being the brat I am, I decided we were going to see it in New York City! (As an aside, Mary Poppins is coming to Boston in February- I barely even had to ask Aaron if I could buy tickets- I think he realized how expensive it is to go to NYC as opposed to just sucking up $150 tickets in Boston, hehehe.)

New York City at Christmastime has to be one of the prettiest, most festive places to be in the month of December. From the ice skating and tree at Rockefeller Center, to all the stores decked out for the holidays, any Grinch's heart is guaranteed to grow a few sizes. It really was a great time.

We went with two of our very best friends, Nickie and Jay. We drove, which went better than expected-- probably because I didn't drive, and we were there before we knew it... (the way home was another story!) We arrived pretty late on Friday night; mostly because we had to stop in Boston to drop Bing and Manny off at their Uncle Matt and Uncle Nelson's house (they were babysitting for the weekend.) We were pretty tired from the drive so we managed to find a grocery store to get some snacks but, had to rely on the hotel "gift shop" for beer, which was almost as expensive as the drive up, LOL.

We stayed just outside of the city in NJ because Nickie and I were paranoid about bed bugs. Although I try to avoid hotel chains at all costs (I LOVE B&B's) I usually only stay at Hampton Inn if I have to do a large chain. After a HUGE breakfast we took a bus to the city and began our day of shopping, exploring and navigating through thick crowds.

We tried to eat here because they had coconut shrimp but, the line was over 3 hours!

With how busy I've been lately, this sign totally sums me up!

The TREE! It was much more amazing in person.

We had a DELICIOUS lunch at an Irish (of course) pub.

Central Park, Baby!

I must admit, I am a homebody. As beautiful as Times Square was, it was really overwhelming. Between the people and the lights (it was SO bright) I was a bit over-stimulated and was really looking forward to getting to the Minskoff Theatre to get off my feet and see The Lion King.

But, not without first snagging one perfect picture.

The show was amazing. I'm really glad I held out for NYC. Not only did I see a show I've been dreaming of in one of the most famous theater districts in the world, we went with two of our very best friends. I am completely guilty of bursting into tears the minute the curtain opened!

After a long day of walking the city, we took the bus back to our hotel; arriving close to midnight. We looked over our purchases and then hit the hay- we had a long day of driving ahead of us and we were planning to stop at Ikea in Connecticut........

.....which Nickie and I were excited about. I question how genuine Jay's smile was. If I had to guess, I'd say Ikea wasn't nearly as exciting for Jay and Aaron as it was for Nic and I.