“A car is useless in New York, essential everywhere else. The same with good manners.”

Let me tell you a little story.  And by little, I mean that this blog post is probably going to be a doozy.

I've been several times, Luke had been once, and it was Nicole's first time....and we did touristy stuff that turned out to be SO fun...and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Let's start with Thursday.

I'll tell you first of all that I LOATHE flying.  It creeps me out...and I just plain do not enjoy it.  So...to remedy that, I need a little liquid courage to do it.

I'll save you the drama of being stuck on the tarmac and then being taken back to the gate because of an "emergency"....then a head count....and another....and topping off fuel....and bags being ripped apart....thank you to our wonderful airline....I hate to be negative and tell you which one we used....so I'll just give you a hint.  It starts with an 'A', and ends with 'merican'.

I'll start with the fun stuff.  We got to NYC Thursday evening.  And never ones to disappoint, we got to the hotel, that was the size of a shoebox, changed clothes...and started to rally...well, continued to rally I should say.

We started at Hard Rock, it was late...and we were hungry...and THIRSTY...and Nicole got to see Times Square for the first time.  I'm kind of a sucker for memorabilia...no matter what kind...and even though there is NOTHING that belongs to Bon Jovi in the place, it was still pretty cool.  Besides Tulsa, it's my first Hard Rock to see.

We then decided that we needed to catch up with the time while we were waiting on our dinner...and each got to pick a shot. 

Irish carbombs anyone?  Yes please.



We asked for several suggestions from our waiter and we were told to go to a place called "the Mean Fiddler"?  After he explained, with jazz hands, that it was on 47th street...we headed out the door.

me likey the Mikey from Ireland

We saw 6 people dressed in crazy hockey getup on the crosswalk, and long story short, they had all just been to the hockey game and were all Minnesota fans.  Wild, I think?  I don't follow hockey.  But I think they won... 

Anyway, we all wound up walking down the street to a place called O'Lunney's.  The bartender, Michael, was calling me princess, people were drinking water from vases, and the Guinness was a-flowin'.  Come to find out, our new friends had just met each other that night as well, so we were all strangers.  Note to self:  Best way to make new friends....talk to them at the crosswalks in Times Square.  "Princess Calling Michael"....even let me hook up my iPhone so I could blast some Bon Jovi in the place....(I'm starting to realize why Nicole makes such fun of me and tells people that I have Bon Jovi issues...) 

We stayed at the pub until they kicked us out....and all agreed to meet for brunch the next morning at the Four Seasons.  At 10:30 am.  PS, the bars don't close until 4.  SOOO...let me get this straight, we're getting to sleep, maybe by 5...and then dressed and ready to go and at brunch by 10:30?  It sounded like a fab idea at the time....needless to say, we didn't make it...but we did see the Four Seasons on the trip....kind of.

Fast forward to Friday.

Friday was some shiz.  We went to Chinatown....and did some shopping.  I don't feel like I can accurately describe to you what we did during the day....it's just not going to sound good on paper.  I need hand gestures, facial expressions and visuals.  I do have to say something for Luke and Nicole though, 'have either of you seen my Tiffany jewelry'?????

At around 4, we decided it was time to get some drinks....we're on vacation...don't judge us.  Enter back story(ies)...Luke and I have made it our 'vacation thing' to go to Coyote Ugly when we're on vacation.  It's just something that happened....and we've been successful thus far.  What's better than Coyote Ugly you say?  Hogs & Heifers.  That's what.  (if you go to the website, yes, that is the real door....)  There is also a shark on the wall that has hair....anyway, back to back story....Last year when I was in NYC, my bff Michael took me there and We.  Had.  A.  Blast.  I have pictures of bartenders and of people dancing on the bar...and of a very special perfume that few people know about....

Low and behold, we walk in the door and I spot Kelly.  The manager....the bartender from last May that I've met and that I adore.  There is also Carlos, playing pool....I have pics with him as well....it was fun telling them that I'd had so much fun last time that I brought new friends on this trip.  AND, we got to meet Kate.  Sweet Kate. 

Kate likes Wild Turkey....and apparently we do too?  I asked that instead of stating it because I never knew that I did in fact like Wild Turkey...but for some reason, when Kate pours it, it just makes you want to enjoy it.  That, or maybe because she can beat you up...and will, if you don't.  Or she'll talk shiz about you with her megaphone.  Don't tempt her.  She'll do it.  :)

We decided after a few hours that it was time to go grab some dinner and promised that we'd try to make it back....said our goodbyes and went on our way.

Being the fun tourists that we are (duh), we went to Planet Hollywood that night about midnight for some dinner.....it was a little tough for us all to get ready due to Kate's insistence of Wild Turkey shots # 1, 2 and 15.  I think it was 15 that got me.

I learned a couple of fun facts at Planet Hollywood. 

Let me share them with you.

• The yellow brick road, if followed, will lead you to the bar.
• There is so much Sylvester Stallone there because he owns the joint.
• Oklahoma City is mentioned above the bar in NYC.
• Josh likes Jager.
• I do not have the same size hands as Edward Cullen.
• Ferris Bueller is my hero.
• Just because there are urinals in the bathroom, doesn't mean it's the men's room.

   oh, and...Stallone hits like a girl.

Like we had done at Hard Rock, we consulted our cute waiter on where we should go....weird, he said a place called "the Mean Fiddler"....hmmmm...we've heard that before.....Should we try it?

Insert another back story here....in 2001, three of my best girl friends and I ventured to South Padre for Spring Break....I'm really good at keeping vacation friends, because I've kept in contact with the four boys that we met while we were there....we call them the boys from Wisconsin.  Well, one of them lives in NYC, and saw that I was there....via fb....and we went to meet him.  Saw the kid after 10 years....that was a pretty cool perk of the trip...and Nicole got to finally dance. 

After Luke and Nicole let me go see Jason (Wisconsin), we decided that it was time to take our waitor's advice, and head to "the Mean Fiddler".  OH.  MY.  GOSH....where the Patron flows like water. 

We made friends with Kyle, the mohawked bartender...which is another story in itself.....

I got some d#@$*e kicked out because he was being a you know what...and we carried on with our business.  Don't mess with us buddy.  We always win.

We are fans of 1.  Patron  2.  Closing down bars   3.  Pizza at 4:30 am after leaving said bars....

World...meet Carve.  BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD.......  Especially the Chicken Barbeque. 

Great way to end the evening.....slash.....start the morning????

Enter Saturday.

Again, since the bars close at 4 am, and we ate pizza after the bar....we got back to the hotel, I think, around 6:00 ish.  We proceeded to sleep until about 1, and then decided that we needed to go do some vacation things.  We, among other things, went to Central Park. 

Nicole and I made a fabulous game that I'll call, 'really get to know your cabbie, in 10 minutes'.  We are goooood at it.  The cabbie that took us to the park did not disappoint.  His name is Mohammed, and he's a movie star.  Well, kind of.  He was in the movie Taxi, with Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon.  He was a doll.  He autographed my quote book, and gave Nicole a newspaper clipping...of a photo of him with Jimmy.  Then we made him get out of the cab and take a picture with us.  :) 

We're nerdy.

Oh wow, I'm not sure how to tell this story.  For those of you that have had the wonderful opportunity to see Central Park, you are familiar with the tour guides - the horse drawn carriages and the rickshaw drivers....

All we really cared about when we got there was food.  Got some hotdogs and started to attempt to figure out how to approach going into the park.  That's when we met Ireland.  His real name is Dean, but that's not important. 

We call him Ireland. 

He started to give us the lowdown on his tour....and he really seemed to know his shiz. 


But when he told us the price, I immediately said NO WAY. 

He argued with me (very nicely) and then we decided to take him up on the offer. 

He offered to run down the street to get us some beers...which he did, and we went on our way. 

We played in the 'Friends' fountain...saw the bridge from Home Alone...Tavern on the Green...where Kermit proposed to Miss Piggy...and where they got married. 

We saw the Bethesda Fountain...and I've decided that is where I will get married....someday.

Probably one of the best decisions that we could have made.  Not only did we get to see sooo much of the park, he knew all of the ins and outs...and funny stories.  We even got to test our acting skills just before we got to Strawberry Fields...but that is for another time.  Use your imagination.  Get it? 

We met the mayor of Strawberry Fields, Gary.  I wanted some of his flare. 
Go meet him.  He's great. 

We saw where John Lennon was shot and the magical Majestic.  Where Marilyn Monroe lived with Joe DiMaggio. 

Needless to say,

I fell in love.

Ireland also showed us where Tom Cruise and Katie Homes take Suri to worship the  aliens.

After our tour was over...we had pretty much used all of the time that we had for the day....and we tried to go find some sushi.  Ireland actually drove us through the streets of Manhattan on the rickshaw, and dropped us off at a restaurant he recommended.  It was closed.  So the three of us cabbed our way back to a pub, by our hotel, for some foooood.  We were starved. 

The BON JOVI concert was to start at 7:30 so I threatened Nicole's life...that she better be ready...and we better be at Madison Square Garden, in our seats, by 7:15.

Yeah.  That didn't happen....but it worked out perfectly....and it was actually MY fault that we were late, because I had apparently thrown some of my clothes behind the armoire...and sweet Nicole not only found them, but crawled behind it to get them for me.  I like her.  :)

Anyway, apparently New Yorkers don't work on schedules because even though our tickets clearly said 7:30...it didn't start until 8:08.

By far the best Bon Jovi has ever done live (I've seen him enough to compare....) and our seats were AMAZING.  Better than amazing, I'm just actually drawing a blank on what's better than amazing.  :)

We were soooooooo close to the stage...and we sang too loudly, and danced our hearts out...we would have taken more pictures...but I'm an idiot and put the old batteries in the camera, thinking that they were the new ones.....geez Taylor, where is your brain?

I feel like I need to censor part of the story after we left the concert....so I will.....and I'll jump to Nicole and I going back to not only O'Lunneys.....only for disappointment, but also to the...wait for it....Mean Fiddler.....for probably one of the greatest nights ever had.

We made friends with everyone that walked into the door...and every employee in the place.  We drank the bar out of Patron, she and I...and danced our faces off. 

We felt like, since we hadn't started partying yet, that since it was already midnightish, we had no time to lose.....and we caught up pretty darn quickly. 

We saw more people being kicked out, though this time, not because of the staff's loyalty to us...

I've decided that everyone in NYC either looks like someone famous, is named Michael, or is from Ireland....not just of Irish decent...but actually from Ireland. 

Or named Michael AND from Ireland.

Since it was our last night in New York, we decided after we left, that we would go get the staff some pizza from Carve.  (perhaps we were being selfish and just wanted some for ourselves, but I think they appreciated the gesture nonetheless.)  I really hope that Shane got his sausage...piece of pizza that is.  We left before he came back in the room.  HEHE.  I know Nicole is the only one that will get that but I think it's funny.  :)

We staggered back to the hotel, with plans of waking up at 9....only 4ish hours away. 

I'm sure you know what I'll say next.  That did NOT happen.  Not even close.

Roll Around to Sunday....bloody Sunday.

I'm just going to summarize Sunday..because, well, I can...and because this may be the longest blog post EVER.  I'll give you the main points.

Shoot...I need another back story.  I bought some glasses....and a Norwegian woman named Liliba took them off of my head on Friday night...handed me a $20 bill and told me to go buy some more.  So I absolutely had to do this....and we did...only problem was, we had found them in Chinatown...and now it was raining.....meaning that no one would be on the streets selling anything.  Crap.

Long story short...we spent most of the time that we had, looking for my glasses...which Luke, thankfully, found....and then couldn't hail a cab to save our lives. 

We were meeting Ireland for lunch....and we were running reallllllllly short on time. 



world, meet Ireland...er...Dean.

 He drove in from the Bronx....at around 2:30?  We inhaled some pizza and then Ireland offered us a ride to our hotel so we didn't have to take a cab.  We accepted...and let me tell you.  He is the most freakishly horrific driver known to man....but he is the greatest.  We adore him and next time we go back, we will see him.  I can't wait.

Then he offered to take us to the airport.  Again, we accepted.  Only problem was, we were flying out of JFK - which is apparently aWHOLElot farther than either Newark or LaGuardia.  This I did not know. 

Again, long story short (I'm trying here)....Our flight was scheduled to take off at 4:20.  I think we made it there at 4ish???  Thank GOD for the rain, because our flight had been delayed and we made it.  We didn't get to Oklahoma City until midnight and I was exhausted the next two days at work....but I'd do it again in a heartbeat...and plan to in the next couple of months. 

I adore vacations.

I adore vacation friends.

I adore MY friends.

I adore memories.

I.  ADORE.  NEW YORK CITY. 

*I know that I've left some things out....and I may add to this later....but this will have to do for the time being. 
**Yes, I know that it's not generally a safe thing, getting into cars with strangers...but you only live once.  :)

I am forever thankful for my wonderful friends Luke and Nicole.  What a great trip.  What great times.  What great friends.  I adore them.  I simply adore them.