The Rockettes aren't the only LINE in town...

Well the NYC trip is wrapping up. What an adventure. I have shin splints from walking 10 city blocks in those D*** boots I just HAD to have...
I may never wear them again...

Running a tad behind today going to the customer site - my co-worker tells me we'll have to run 4 city blocks. I have on 2 inch heels. I tell her to go piss up a rope. You run, I'll meet you there when I get there. I'm a quick study on this NY Attitude.

Did I tell you I had lunch at Sardi's yesterday? How cool is that?! Right next door to the theater where The Producers is playing. Thought about looking into a ticket - but shopping won out.

Walked through Times Square. It is amazing - if you've never been, put it on your list of Things To Do Before You Die! Unbelievable! Made the mistake of walking into Toys R Us. I even had a 20% off coupon to use. The lines to check out were obscene. No way am I going to stand in line to spend MY money on TOYS!

When I finally made my way out - there was a line queued on the street to get in. No Joke. Who'd of thunk it? Of course, now that I mention it, I am one of those IDIOT moms that stands outside Toys R Us at 5am the Friday after Thanksgiving in the cold and dark. But for some reason - that makes perfect sense...


Where else did I go? Oh yes, Rockefeller Center - to see the HUGE Christmas tree, the skating rink - but most importantly - to see where Matt, Katy, Anne and Al work. Yes, I pushed my nose the glass to see inside Studio 1A for the Today Show. No one was there on a Sunday afternoon but It was still beyond cool. Yes, I am a startruck fool and was completely broken hearted when Matt got married...

I was determined to get my picture made in front of that tree. Wasn't sure how to accomplish this - as I was on my own. I did see one of New York's Finest taking someone's picture. But I refused to degrade the police officer any further. And then I saw them. A young couple - her taking his picture. They looked like a typical mid-western-white-bread couple. So I say to her - "Tell you what. You take and hold my camera, and I'll take your picture with your camera." She stares at me for a sec. "And then you can take a pic of me with my camera. That way, we've both got insurance that neither of us takes off with the other's camera." I thought it was brilliant. They went for it. So I got my picture taken in front of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. As did they, together, as a couple - not individual shots of each other. This is what we call a Win-Win situation. (Check out the boots and frayed hem!)


From Rockefeller center, I made my way to 5th Avenue. And we all know what's on 5th Ave - Saks! Before I made my way into Saks, I was going to go into the American Doll store. We are not into those at my house - nor are we going to get into those HUGELY overpriced, over-marketed creations. Not so my girls can mark on their faces with blue mark-a-lots! Forget that. But I did think it might be cool to get them a Christmas ornament from there - especially since they have a doll with the same name as my oldest daughter. THERE WAS A LINE TO GET IN THE DOOR.

We did not go in there. And by 'we' I mean Me, my Boots and my now Developing Attitude!

Off to Saks. Made it in the side door. Wow - that place is amazing. The first floor - where all the cosmetics are - was like a Winter Wonderland. Ice branches and sparkling snow up to the ceiling and throughout. Made my way to the 9th floor - to the Christmas display. My goodness, they are proud of their Christmas ornaments. $60 for a small ugly porcelain dog ornament.
No purchases here. No Sir.
Exited the front door and THERE IS A LINE TO GET IN. I had to resist the urge to tell them all to head around to the side door. No line there.

Kept going down 5th Ave. Found the Disney Store. Have been in the Disney Store in every city I have ever visited. My daughter owns Disney stock - so I see my purchases there as an investment in her college education. My girls are getting Princess ornaments and my son is getting a Mickey Mouse football. And I waited in line 25 minutes to pay for them.

I am detecting a disturbing pattern here...

All I really wanted to do was to go to Bloomingdale's and buy a Christmas ornament. I wanted one like I bought at Marshall Fields in Chicago 20 years ago. 24 carat gold - three dimensional. Delicate. I LOVE my Chicago one. And I just knew I would find it at the nicer stores in NY. But Noooooooo. 10 blocks later, I make it to Bloomies. Stood in line for 30 minutes to buy something - can't say what b/c I am giving it to a friend that reads this blog occasionally. But it WASN'T the ornament I wanted.

Out of Bloomie's. Down the block, I make my final stop. This teeny tiny hole in the wall place called Serendipity. Apparently they make a killer frozen hot chocolate. One of my dearest buddies at home insisted I check this place out. And it seems she knew what she was talking about. This is a real hot spot - for locals and tourist. As I walk up - I hear the little guy at the door tell the couple in front of me that there is a FOUR HOUR WAIT. Not 4 minutes. Not even 40 minutes. FOUR HOURS. You must be out of your sweet little mind if you wait 4 hours for a hot chocolate. Honey, please. So I ask the guy, can I just walk in for a sec - thinking I can at least say I've been there. (and we all know that's the really important part - saying you've been there) And it is tiny. I was expecting to see nekkid waiters or something. Or maybe they were giving away small pouches of gold coins. ANYTHING to explain to me FOUR hours or WAITING. Nothing. Normal ice-cream parlor type place. I don't get it. Have people taken complete leave of their senses - wait four hours. I simply can not get past this...
Might not have recovered from my shock at all if my feet hadn't hurt so dad-gum bad.
But intense pain made me refocus. Taxi. I had to get a taxi. And while I was a bit wary of getting into another one - after the trip from the airport - it was either cab-it or crawl-it. My pride forced the first option.
And getting a cab is not as easy as they make it look in the movies. First, you have to know what the lights on top of the taxi mean. There is a science to this. And then, you have to flag them down - which made me feel like a complete arm-flapping idiot. But I was desperate, remember.

So this older woman walks up and stands near me on the curb. An even older woman - with a walker joins her. I realize I just got screwed. Next thing you know - a cab stops - right between us. She looks at me, smiles and motions to the car. I smile back and say, "Oh no, you take it." And they do. My mother raised me right. My feet are cursing me. My good deed was rewarded as about 2 seconds later, another taxi pulls up and returns me safely to my hotel.

I stop at the bell stand to retrieve my luggage and determine that the Bell Captain and I are kindred spirits. He asks how my day was. I tell him great - 'cept that I am crippled. He takes one look at my boots, smiles and says "Nice Boots. You look good in them." I reply beaming, "And we both know that looking good is the most important thing."
He agrees in the most delicious NY accent I have ever heard and tells me to go on up to my room, he'll send my bags right up. I love him.

Go up to the lobby - to get my room key. THERE IS A LINE 20 people deep. I am really starting to get pissy about this line stuff in NY. I am standing - in line - at the end - complaining good-naturedly (out loud) that the least they could do is bring us a cocktail while we wait - when the manager shows up with a pen and pad. He is taking down names. I smile sweetly and tell him in my best southern accent that the little lady from the front desk had called me this afternoon to tell me my room was ready and that I was checked in. All I had to do was stop and get my key.

You see, when I got to the hotel that morning - it was well before check-in time. So I ran up to the front desk hoping I might slide in. I have learned that a sweet smile and a dab of Southern Charm can, on occasion, open doors. Not this time. Nope. But she did take my name and say she'd call when my room was ready.
So now, this manager pulls me from the END of the line, walks me to the front desk, brings out the front desk supervisor and she - my most favorite person of the day - hands me my room key and sends me on my merry way. I gotta tell ya, I felt like a Rock Star getting the VIP treatment. It was pretty darn awesome skipping that ghastly line.

I made it to my room, kicked off my boots, ordered room service, watched a movie and did not leave until 11am the next day - when they kicked me out...

Oh yeah, those gold NYC ornaments I walked twenty city blocks in search of - I found them at LaGuardia before catching my flight.