So I went down to Times Square to check out Super Bowl Boulevard and it was AWESOME!!! So awesome that I think Times Square should just be like that all year round. Now it’s time for me to bring my experience into your living room/office/wherever you may be! 

The before… Getting geared up!

The middle… snapping shots of all of the subway ads on the way to the Shuttle to Times Square!

I have arrived!!!

This should be blue and green… Who didn’t tweet for the Hawks?! Better luck tomorrow.

And that’s a wrap! Go Hawks!

As always, I had the BEST trip home! Filled with family, relaxation, and some good old fun! Here are some highlight pics :)

Christmas Eve and Christmas with the family…

My sister and I got my Mom a Google Chromebook laptop for Christmas. So hopefully she’s reading my blog on it now! (hear that Mom?!)

I made my Dad a photo book of my parents trip to the big apple last year and then got him a signed copy of my favorite astronaut’s book too!

Bentley picking out which toy she wanted before the other dogs go their choices! (Scoots and Niko!)

Last time Chris visited, we were all over the place the whole time that we didn’t get to spend much time actually in the claw. So this trip he finally got to meet some of my besties and get a real feel for our small towns :)

Which, after taking him to our favorite brewery in Buckley, he pretty much thinks we live in a Duck Dynasty episode. haha

Then onto the Seahawks game! I got Chris tickets for Christmas and my parents got my sister and her fiance tickets to come with us and let me tell you it was AWESOMEEEEEE!!

Chris, John and I hadn’t been to games before so it was a pretty awesome experience and our tickets were SICK! No zoom on this pic ;-) and this guys fist actually kind of adds to the pic I think!

When they say the stadium is loud, they are not messing around! It was so loud I literally could not hear myself think, soo to think they’re trying to make calls in that?! Insanity. The 12th man is insane!!

Oh yeah, and there were ponies. PINK ponies! Say what?! This little cutie is Tinkerbelle from Dreamland Ponies (Check them out too, I hear you can even have them come to your parties!) Another reason why the Seahawks are awesome! 

We took Chris up to Snoqualmie Falls to get a little nature fix. It was so foggy that when we first got up there you couldn’t even see the falls, but then they peaked out.

We wrapped up our trip in Seattle for some adventuring. My Dad is super awesome and decided to give me my Birthday present early so that we could enjoy the city. So He got us tickets to check out the Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Space Needle, and the EMP Museum. 

If you haven’t checked out the Chihily museum yet, GO! It is so fabulous and beautiful! His work is unlike anything I’ve seen before.

This room was my favorite. If I ever have a wedding.. this is where it’s going down. Then we headed up into the Space Needle. I haven’t been up since I was a little kid so it was a lot of fun for me too. The fog really liked sticking around on this trip, but you could still see everything minus the mountain.

Then we headed to the EMP. Another really cool place! Such the perfect combination of places for us to visit! 

For the evening, I introduced Chris to one of my favorite places, The Cheesecake Factory, which he loved and then we relaxed a little before the fireworks. This was the view from our roof of our hotel. I wouldn’t mind having that view everyday ;-)

The fog got so bad during the fireworks that you couldn’t even see them part of it.. so I don’t have a picture, but we had such a great time! We met this nice woman who came over to us and gave us cute little cups with sparkling pear cider!

To kick off the New Year, we ate our dessert for breakfast on our rooftop with this view again, before taking off.

Aw yes, this view again!

Seattle, I love you. I love home and I’m so thankful for my time back again. :) Cheers to 2014 everyone!

One thing that NYC definitely gets right is Christmas. Okay, okay there are a few other things, but Christmas is definitely one of them. The towering tree in Rockefeller Center, the sparkling lights, and shop windows decked top to bottom. What’s really worth doing when you come to visit though? Well, this is my 4th holiday season here and while I’m not technically a real New Yorker I’ve had quite a bit of experience playing tour guide throughout the years! So, I thought I’d give you my advice on what I think is worth doing and what you’re better off skipping.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!: Rockefeller Center. Let’s talk about it. The one thing that everyone always wants to see when they’re in the city during the holidays is the tree. And I say GO! It’s iconic, it’s massive, and there is something a little magical about being in the center of Rockefeller center surrounded by lit up angels, ice skating, and snowflake projections on the near-by buildings. 

What I would suggest could be considered obvious advice, but if you can avoid the area on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, by all means avoid it. Go a few days after when some of the crowds start to die down. It’s up through the first week of January and if you’re in town it’s worth going when it’s a little less crowded. A little less — Still plan on a lot of people, but it will be a little more manageable. Trust me, I’ve been on Christmas Day and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you arrive, dies in about 2.5 seconds when you find yourself crammed between wall-to-wall people and you’re just trying to keep all of your party semi-together. If you can plan your trip accordingly, do. 

Twirling on the ice: What’s more festive than ice skating in NYC? You see it in just about every movie, right?! My advice - Skip Rockefeller Center and try Wollman Rink in Central Park instead. I know, I just told you to go to Rockefeller Center, and do, go for the tree, but skip ice skating there. The Rockefeller Center ice skating rink is TINY (They totally have you fooled on film) and not only that but it’s pretty pricy and the ice isn’t as well maintained. 

There is much more room to skate in Central Park and you will still be surrounded by a serene backdrop in the park. The prices are much better too. There are also several other ice skating rinks throughout the city but my favorite is Central Park.

Sipping on frozen hot chocolates: Don’t get me wrong, I love the frozen hot chocolates at Serendipity 3, but I’m going to say skip it during the holidays. That is, if you have the opportunity to go at another time of the year. They’re wonderful and the decor is cute, but the waits can get a little horrendous and it’s not worth waiting hours for. 

Strolling up 5th Avenue: It’s going to get a little crowded, but it’s free, cheerful and worth seeing. Go! Some of my personal favorites to see on the avenue are Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman, Harry Winston, The Peninsula Hotel, and inside the Plaza Hotel. Tiffany & Co has some cool decals up this year too!

Joining the Crowds at Macys: The Macys! You’ve seen it during the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade and in just about every Christmas movie. And it’s a cool place! It’s not cool enough to make it onto my Christmas must-see list though. Skip it! If you have a chance, it’s definitely fun to see the outside and maybe pop inside for a few, but I don’t personally think it’s worth a stop. Especially if you’re going to the 8th floor in hopes of seeing a winter wonderland similar to Gimbels in the movie Elf. Hate to be the bearer of bad news.. but unless you’re standing in line to see Santa (which is a VERY long line), the winter wonderland is blocked off. And considering if you don’t want to wait for a crowded elevator and decide to take the escalators instead.. it’s a long trip up. 

Oh and, another tip. Bundle up. It’s cold here and while I’m sure you’ve been in the cold before, when you’re in the cold here, you’re really out in it, not jumping in and out of your car. You will be a much warmer and happier person with a warm scarf, hat and gloves. You’re going to be outside a lot and the wind will get you!

Well, that’s all that I have for you. Get out there and enjoy the holidays in the city!