Snapshots of NYC // Day 3 // The Brooklyn Bridge and Anastasia on Broadway // October 2017

In the fall of 2017 we took a trip to NYC. We had never been, and honestly had more fun than we were expecting to! I'm finally getting my act together and getting these posted! :) If you missed my post with Days 1 & 2, check it out here.


On day 3 we spent a chunk of our day walking the Brooklyn Bridge, eating pizza, and taking a nap before my favorite dinner in the city... and Anastasia on Broadway. I think Day #3 was by far my favorite!

you can see the statue of liberty out there!

Eat: We tended to eat several partial meals from time to time... It was a little sporadic!

• Juliana's Pizza (Brooklyn) - We wanted someplace not too far from exiting the Brooklyn Bridge, and Juliana's was just the ticket. I knew Taza had recommended it, so I figured it was a good recommendation! We loved our Margarita Pizza and the atmosphere was very cute. If you enjoy wood/coal fired style pizza, you'll like Juliana's!
• Milk Bar (Nolita) - I wanted to try the social media famous Milk Bar. We were checking out a few places in Nolita, so this location was convenient for us. I'm going to be honest and say we didn't love it! The crack pie was suuuper sweet, and the compost cookie didn't have a lot of texture. It's like they ground up all of the "composty" items and tried to make a smoother cookie. Bummer, but oh well!
• City Kitchen (Times Square) - This was hands down my favorite place that we ate in the city. It is basically a food court, but with legit local vendors. Places like Kuro-Obi (of Ippudo fame), Dough Donuts, and Luke's Lobster Rolls. They have seven diverse places to choose from, in an area that is a little bit of a foodie desert. I'll take it. I got the ramen. SO GOOD. I think my first legit ramen! KC got the combo plate with mini lobster, shrimp, and crab rolls. He's a major seafood fan and this spurred his now love of lobster rolls. He's obsessed. The view from the bar at the window was lovely. Pretty city lights! We decided to go here because it was the most interesting place near where Anastasia on broadway was playing. NO REGRETS... other than we were too full to try a donut at Dough!

See: Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, and DUMBO. 

Shop: I made it my personal mission to explore tons of book shops while in NYC. I'm sure you are shocked. Here are the ones we saw on day 3. I'll have to do a round up post in the end when I finish. 

• None... but just wait for Day 5!

Do: while walking around the city itself is PLENTY to do, we did see some other great places as well!

• The Brooklyn Bridge (Brooklyn) - The bridge is beautiful and it is a nice way to see some great views of the city. This whole thing is going to be filled with tourists, and if you're like me... it will be fairly stressful to walk on. You're supposed to stay in certain lanes for runners/bikers... but it is nearly impossible.
• Tips: 
• Pull off to the side when you can, every once in a while there is a corner. It will give you a chance to get out of the crowd for a second or two.
• Offer to take a photo for someone and they will likely offer back. :) 
• DUMBO (Brooklyn) - This stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. You've likely seen people taking photos here on Instagram. The view is a very cool section of the Manhattan Bridge between buildings. As with most of the places we visited on this day of our trip, it was PACKED with tourists trying to get their shot in. Not an issue, but something to be aware of.
• Anastasia On Broadway - as I type this, Anastasia is no longer playing in NYC. *sniffle* However, it is touring the country... and we recently saw it in KC and it was still very fun. I would recommend it. Seeing a broadway show is kind of a "must do" while in NYC, and I am so glad that we saw this one. Here more about my experience at the show, here. 

Stay: We stayed at Pod 51 hotel. It was very economical!!! It's bare bones, but very clean and in a safe area. Just make sure to check what type of room they are reserving. They do have shared rooms and shared bathroom situations.

Favorites: Pizza at Juliana's, The View from the Brooklyn Bridge, CITY KITCHEN, and Anastasia on Broadway.

New Experiences: *coal* fired pizza, legit ramen, lobster/shrimp/crab rolls, a bridge that is the attraction, a Broadway show, and Milk Bar.

Have you been to NYC? What were some of your favorite things to do? 

Have you been to any of these places? 

Do you have any fun trips coming up?! We are heading to Memphis soon, and then somewhere really exciting in December! Any guesses?!

Other NYC Posts: Days 1 & 2, and Anastasia on Broadway.


More NYC travel day posts coming soon!

Happy Travels!

XO,

Alexandra

Snapshots of Anastasia Broadway + Have You Heard? // Christy Altomare - "Journey to the Past"

Happy Friday, Friends! I hope that you are having a great week! For us it was a two day work week, which has been FANTASTIC! I'm still catching up on some blog reading! Whew.

Today I wanted to share a song from Anastasia on Broadway. If you are familiar with the 1997 movie, then you know this song, but have you heard the Broadway version yet?!



We were lucky enough to see Anastasia during our NYC trip last week, and it was so so so so so so good. We actually planned our trip around the tickets, we'd had them for about a year..? I think. He, so obviously I was a *little bit* excited.

The musical is inspired by the 1997 movie and it's music, however it's been adapted for the stage and has a bit more of a historical context than a fantasy one. Rasputin gets swapped for a Soviet officer, but otherwise it is quite similar. They even changed some of the lyrics to songs that were otherwise the same. :) I really like what they did with it. It felt the same, but it also felt new, and it was a lot of fun to watch!

One of the coolest things about the musical is that it is in a small theater, and they utilize rotating panels on the sides of the stage to change the set. The panels often had windows, and the windows had neat screens that showed snow, or invaders to the palace, or whatever setting they wanted to portray. They even used them to show the ghost-like dancers during "Once Upon A December". It was really lovely!

The cast did a great job, from the leads, to the children and everyone in between, it was so well done! I loved the Christy Altomare who played Anastasia/Anya, she was so talented and full of energy. Derek Klena (Dmitry), John Bolton (Vlad), and Ramin Karimloo (Gleb) were all great as well! I loved seeing Mary Beth Piel, who played Gram on "Dawson's Creek" play the Dowager Empress. I also loved seeing Caroline O'Connor who was in Moulin Rouge, she was HYSTERICALLY funny as Countess Lily!

I definitely got really emotional, who's surprised...?, during this show. I think anytime you see something live that contains something important to your life, especially music, it's hard not to be swept up. I loved the scenes between Anastasia and The Dowager Empress, and I definitely cried when Anastasia came out in her blue dress for the ballet. Every girl my age and younger in the theater let out a little gasp when she walked out. It was so beautiful. :)

Overall it was such a great show and we had a blast seeing it! If you are in NYC, I highly recommend adding it to your schedule! You can buy tickets, here. (I am not affiliated in any way, I just loved it THAT much!). We sat in the upper seats, which were just $69 each (before fees). Not bad at all!!

Have you seen Anastasia on Broadway? Did anyone else grow up just loving this movie?!

Have you seen a Broadway show in NYC? Which one?!

What's your favorite musical?

What are you up to this weekend?!

Tonight we are going to my old high school's football game. While I don't enjoy going back to my high school... we are excited because my youngest sister Olivia is cheering during half time! hehe Other than that we plan on working on some projects, reading, and maybe doing some wishful fall cooking/baking. It's still fairly warm here... we were spoiled by the weather in NYC! : / 

Other Posts This Week: Sh*t KC Says // Vol. II, Back from NYC!, and Nine Months In // 2017 Goal Progress!

On YouTube This Week: Dakotas Road Trip // Process Video & Guardians II // Process Video.

PS - with all the sad things going on in the world, I just loved Audrey's post about Living Loudly. Check it out. And for the billionth time, I am sharing my 12 Small Things You Can Do To Make The World A Better Place, When it Feels Like Everything is Falling Apart post too. Hope these give you some ideas about how to feel less helpless in scared in the horrible aftermath of hurricanes, Vegas, etc. We had a shooting in my hometown just the day before. We woke up two mornings in NYC to sad shooting related news. It's so heartbreaking.

XO,

Alexandra