The Big Apple

Back in March my boss brought me into her office and asked me if I would be willing to leave Rylan for a few days and go on Labatt's annual company trip. This year's destination: The Big Apple! Of course I eagerly accepted the invitation. Anyone who would turn down an all paid vacation is crazy! Labatt is celebrating 100 years in business so I knew that this trip was going to be nothing short of spectacular. Well, we weren't disappointed. We were totally spoiled and pampered the entire trip and enjoyed every minute of it. Matt and I have visited NYC on several occasions, but never have we seen the city like this before. Here is a day by day snapshot of the vacation's activities:

Thursday:

• Arrive in Newark and take private tour bus to Katz deli for lunch. All you can eat knishes, pickles, sandwiches, potato salad, cole slaw and cheesecake. I think this was the best cheesecake I've ever had before. YUMMO!
• Check-in at the Ritz Carlton Hotel across from Central Park where we stayed for 3 nights. I could not wait to catch up on some much needed sleep in this luxurious hotel.
• Walk in Central Park
• Four Course filet mignon & lobster dinner at the Lincoln Jazz Center. I immediately recognized this famous venue as the set of the Ellen Show while she taped from NYC. It had incredible views of Washington Circle from it's gigantic all glass wall, the perfect backdrop for our dinner entertainment. Juilliard students performed song, dance, and instrumental pieces throughout the evening.

Enjoying some lunch at Katz Deli

View of Central Park from our hotel room

Dinner backdrop from Lincoln Jazz Center

Friday:

• Eating Tour through Yiddish Town, China Town, and Little Italy. On the menu: Candy, knishes, soda bread, black and white cookies, pickled everything, cannelloni, gelato, dried fruit, and much much more.
• Empire State Building with VIP Express passes. Our guides told us to waive the Express ticket every time we saw a line and we'd be escorted right past the 3 hour wait and straight to the top. I don't think people waiting in line were very happy with our group, but heck there is no other way to see the Empire State Building! There's no way I'd wait in that line for a 15 minute birds eye view of the city. It was pretty sweet though.
• Dinner and Yankee vs Red Sox game from 5 private suits. This was an incredible, once in a lifetime event! We enjoyed a catered dinner and dessert in true Yankee baseball style with unlimited ball franks, short ribs, mini sliders, peanuts, popcorn in every flavor, drinks, and an ice cream sundae bar (amongst a lot of other good food). Final score: Yankees 3, Red Sox 6.

Delicious bakery in Yiddish Town

Labatt's Heinz Rep, Karen, her husband, and I enjoying some Yankee Stadium ice cream. Matt and I had a blast hanging with this couple on the trip.

Saturday:

• Meatpacking District Tour. This was the most interesting part of the vacation for me. Our tour guide educated us on the history and transformation of this once dilapidated meatpacking district to home of the trans sexuals & whore houses to upscale Chelsea Market and Greenwich Village. Now it's the home of high end clothing boutiques, world famous restaurants, and specialty food vendors. The transformation is amazing! This is definitely where I would live if I could afford one of the $25+ million dollar homes in the area. Of course we sampled lots of food on this tour as well: fresh breads, New England clam chowder, fresh pasta, chocolate milk and cookies, cheese & crackers, biscuits and fruit spread, and more.
• Private dinner at the New York Zoo and South Pacific Broadway Show. I've always wanted to see a broadways show in New York and I finally got to do it. We even got to enjoy it from the third row. I was so impressed by the entire performance. The actors and sets were even better than I had anticipated.

Famous sugar cookies from Eleni's. I had to try them and compare to my own sugar cookies. Eleni's cookies may look better but mine win on taste!

Meatpacking Tour Guide with some fresh lobsters from the seafood market

Dinner at NYC zoo

Broadway

Sunday:

• We enjoyed breakfast with one of our vendor's and his wife. I can't remember how we got on the topic, but Matt and I actually talked to them a lot about the church and what we believe. It was a neat and unexpected missionary opportunity. Before we parted ways for the airport they actually said that they feel like they should invite the missionaries over for dinner if they come across some in their neighborhood again. I thought that was so cool! I loved getting to know other Labatt employees and our vendors on a more personal level during this trip. I think you can truly understand a person when you see them in a more relaxed and fun environment, especially when they are with their spouses.
• Home to see our favorite little baby in the whole world. Michelle surprised us and brought Rylan to the airport to welcome us home! What a sweet surprise!