concrete jungle.....

A week in New York City will take it out of a girl. I had the most amazing tour guide ever and lucky for me she is a wonderful friend. Heather and I walked for miles, demolished our feet, froze our lunchladies in the AC and almost suffered from heat stroke. The week was jam packed full of seeing amazing sights, catching up with family and old friends, eating incredible food, indulging on pastries and cupcakes, being on TV, shopping, sunning on the beach, did I mention the eating? The food may have been the BEST part for this foodie! For being a Montana girl I feellike I have explored cities before..........but NYC is nothing like the sprawling cities of the west coast. Millions of people on a tiny island....not an ideal place to live in my mind....but it was an amazing vacation!
Our days were JAM PACKED! We spent every hour out and about. I squeezed in a 360 view of the city from Astoria, dinner at Il Bambino in Astoria, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, pizza at John's on Bleeker, Union Square farmers market, dinner at Sushi Samba with my cousin Isaly, Central Park, Rockefeller Center and the Top of the Rock, a live taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (he shook our hands and we were on TV), a back stage tour of the show, cupcakes from Magnolia, a near death experience in a bike chariot, an outstanding dinner at Ze Cafe where a high school friend is the head chef, the Today Show summer concert series with John Mayer in Times Square, Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, shopping/brousing on 5th Ave, dinner in Astoria at Locale with my friend from MSU Shane, an early morning mani/pedi to take care of the aching feet, Museum of Natural History with Heather and Isaly followed by dinner at UVA with the girls, an adventure to the LES to meet another high school friend Frank (Heather and I had not seen Frank for 10 years...since graduation) and a late night drink with Shane at Vynes, Sunday...beach day...sunning on Long Beach and dinner at Bare Burger in Astoria with Heather, Josh and Shane. I'm tired just writing it all down!!!!! I feel like I had a real NYC experience complete with crabby cab drivers and a mariachi band in the subway car :)
While the city was full of fun I was instantly reminded as I got off of the plane in Billings and started my drive back to the ranch that Paradise Valley holds that name for a reason. I live in PARADISE and not many people can say that.