I "believe" we had a good time!

Friday morning looked a whole lot like Thursday morning.  Sleep in and get up and ready in time for lunch.  It’s a recipe for success if you ask me. Plus … we had these awesome black out shades in our room that seemed to block out light and sound.  I don’t think I’ve slept that hard or that well in years.

We headed straight to lunch in Union Square at Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar.  You walk in and smell the chocolate (which is running through pipes in the ceiling) and you know it’s going to be good.  Although eating dessert first is not a problem, we heard their burgers were good as well.

They did not disappoint.

We did a survey of almost every waiter in the restaurant asking … what is your favorite dessert, what is most popular.  And they almost all said something different.  So Caroline settled for a warm chocolate molten cake which came with warm chocolate syrup, ice cream … and a shot of chocolate.

I enjoyed the chocolate/banana/waffle dessert which came with chocolate syrup and chocolate covered Rice Krispies to sprinkle over the top.  I’m not sure of the official name … I’ll go with “Perfection on a Plate”.

Caroline has a serious sweet tooth.  Chocolate and dessert are words of love to her.  But even she, who could eat her weight in chocolate, went over the top at Max Brenner’s.

She recovered quickly because there was shopping to be done.  There are Christmas vendors in Union Square and they sell the most unique things … totally different than what we found anywhere else.  We enjoyed looking around and then decided to take a Subway to another shopping area.

It was here that a lady told Caroline … “you are cute … you could have a career here.”  And let me tell you … it would be better than a career here:

This was Canal Street.  Let me say up front that I had no idea it was going to turn out like it did.  I never would have done it had I known.  We were INNOCENTLY looking around when a woman asked us if we wanted to see some designer bags.  We said “sure”.  Now I’ve been to Canal St. before so I did what any mom would do (OK, maybe not!) and said … “Caroline, be cool.  Be cool.  They are taking us to a back room … just act cool.”

Except they didn’t take us to a back room.  They took us down a street and into the back of a locked van with no windows.  It was then that I was pretty sure I wasn’t buying a purse but giving them mine … and I was fully prepared to do this as I was having horrible thoughts of Caroline and I ending up in the bottom of the Hudson River or something.  The lady kept holding up purses and saying “you like?  you like?” and I started mumbling … “I don’t feel comfortable.  I need to get out.”

Next thing I know she is on a walkie talkie thing talking in a totally foreign language and I’m quite sure this is it.  Mother/Daughter Day gone bad.

But once she got the all clear she let us out.  And I apologized profusely to Caroline telling her to never, ever do that again.  She laughed at how I was the one saying to “be aware of your surroundings” and then I’m all hopping in the back of locked vans with no windows.  Go figure.

About five minutes after our criminal escapade, Bill showed up.  We told him what had happened and I think he said something about that not ever needing to happen again.  He also asked me how many episodes I’d seen of Law and Order and if it hadn’t made any kind of impression on me.

It was all very exciting.

From then on Bill accompanied us everywhere we went…and we seemed to stay out of trouble.  The subway:

The Empire State Building:

I mean, he stuck to us like glue!

It wasn’t long before our wayward ways were a thing of the past.

Next up, Herald Square.

You know … where they film the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  And here’s a bit of trivia for you … I would LOVE to help carry a balloon in the parade.  I think it would be awesome.  I just don’t want to do it on a really cold year.  That and I don’t know how they pick the people who get to do it.  A girl can dream though, can’t she?

In fact … I “believe” one day it could work out!

I mean it’s New York … anything can happen, right?

The Christmas windows in the stores are so neat to see.

And then, there we were … walking into Macy’s on 34th St.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Next stop was Ellen’s Stardust Diner.

Ellen’s is a place where aspiring Broadway performers work at night and audition by day.  Many of their employees have gone on to great careers.

As we walked in, two of the wait staff were performing a song from Phantom of the Opera.  I’ve seen Phantom twice and honestly … I think that was the best I had ever heard it.  Please don’t think I’m exaggerating.  I’m not.  A girl named Grace sang and when we left I whispered to her that I didn’t think it’d be long until she was on the Broadway stage with her name in lights.

I loved all of the performers.

Our waitress loved Bill.

I told him not to tip her.  :)

We had some good diner food and enjoyed great entertainment.

We paused for a cheesy tourist picture.  The funny thing is Bill told me to act like I was shopping for something in the store while he snapped a few pics.  I think Caroline and I and our rebel ways were bringing that good man down.

Next thing we knew, we looked up and lo and behold there was a place called “Caroline’s”.  It’s kind of hard to see in this picture, but it was really there.  And it was cute too.

We had yet to see the big tree at Rockefeller Plaza.

It is spectacular, stunning, breathtakingly beautiful.

I LOVED the dancing snowflake show that we watched on the side of Saks Fifth Avenue!

Just around the corner is the famous Magnolia Bakery.  We stopped in for their Red Velvet Rockette cupcake … because apparently we didn’t think we’d eaten enough that day!

Caroline convinced Bill it was too cold to walk back so we took another cab.   She loved “hailing” them … Bill loved to walk.

We took our cupcakes to Grand Central Station (our hotel was attached) to eat.

I kept telling them that I had seen a movie that was filmed there once but I couldn’t remember which one it was.  I racked and racked my brain until I remembered…it was Madagascar.  When the animals are fleeing the zoo.  It made me laugh that I worked so hard to remember MADAGASCAR.

I also laughed at Caroline who thought the chocolate Rockette “coin” that was on top of our cupcakes was one of those plastic rings you get on grocery store cupcakes. I can definitely put going to the bakery more often on my list!

The other thing to put on my list is to research how you get picked to carry a balloon in the parade.

Because I “believe” that would be very fun.