Yankee Stadium tour

I have never followed baseball much but it is one sport I actually understand and can enjoy. =)  But mom knows all about some of the true greats.....Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle..........  She thought it would be really cool to take a tour of the new stadium.  So we booked ahead, as it sells out often, and we added it to our itinerary!

It was a really awesome tour, and that's coming from me!  I learned alot and it was really cool to see the history of the Yankees.  I would definitely recommend the tour and say it's a MUST for Yankees fans.

The stadium is beautiful!  It has gifts shops and it's very own Hard Rock Cafe!  We took the tour option that came with a lunch at the Hard Rock and that was very cool!  Lots of neat memorabilia in the restaurant!  And we even got to check out Monument Park which I hear opens when the gates do and closes about 45 minutes prior to the start of the game.

Almost there!

      

First...lunch at the hard Rock Cafe!

A crowd in Times Square....

Not an uncommon sight for sure........but we just had to check it out and see what was going on!!!!!!  My guess was a celebrity sighting, or possibly something being filmed for tv or a movie but what we found was just as sweet, to me anyways!


CARS!!!  Yes a group of cars!  And if you know me you know I loooooooooove cars!  As we moved through the crowd I heard a woman say "It's JUST a bunch of cars" as she walked away disappointed - that only made me want to see what it was even more!!!!!

It was quite a sight!!!!!!  There were cars from the Gumball 3000 and Bull Run.  It's NOT everyday one sees a chrome Lamborghini Aventador!!!!!!!!!!  There were a few other cars there but this was truly the showstopper!  The crowd gathered was crazy and police were having quite a time with traffic control.  I never did figure out why they were gathered on a side street in the middle of Times Square but it really didn't matter to me either. =)  I would have loved to hear that Lambo start up and rev the engine........  but a quick internet search gave me that opportunity!  As amazing as it was, it was not the most awesome car I spotted in 2012.  That honor belongs to a custom Bugatti Veyron I spotted outside of a boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills during another trip.  Don't see those everyday either!

Wish I had more pics of this but the crowd was crazy!

And for any car lovers......here's a shot of the Veyron I spotted in Beverly Hills =)  Not a bad pic from a moving vehicle.

Famous Original Ray's Pizza

As you walk along through the city you will see many pizzerias bearing the name Ray's.  You may see Ray's, Famous Ray's, Original Ray's, Ray's Original Famous, Famous Original Ray's...well you get the point.  Truth is I have no idea who Ray is or which pizzeria came first but I know that I have only tried one......and it is so delicious I am embarrassed to say the number of times I have eaten here.  =)  Partly because it is extremely convenient being right by where we stay but mostly because it is just very, very good!!!!!!  

If you find yourself in Times Square looking for a New York slice - look for Famous Original Ray's Pizza on 7th Ave just up from the M&M's store near the intersection of 7th and 49th.  Yummmmmmmm.........  And they have excellent pasta too!!!!!!! 

Single slice barely fits on the plate!  =)  YUM!

The best spaghetti I've ever had

Mom had Penne ala Vodka - YUM!

So good I ate it ALL!  Yummmmmm

Max Brenner's Chocolate By The Bald man

One of our most favorite things is...CHOCOLATE!!!!  And did we ever find great places to indulge in chocolately goodness in NYC!!!!!!!!  One of our most favorites is Max Brenner's Chocolate By The Bald Man at 841 Broadway between 13th and 14th Street (near Union Square).

Now I can't quite remember how we found out about this place....I believe mom saw it in a travel or food magazine and after reading about it and researching it we knew we would find our way there!

That afternoon it was a destination for us so we hopped subways and made our way there.  A plesant surprise was a big street fair taking place right down the street in front of the restaurant.  It was such a fun atmosphere and we figured we were here - why not check it out!!!  So we wandered through a bunch of booths at the fair before heading in.

From the moment you walk through the door you feel as if you are in a chocolately paradise!!!!  They have a shop at the front where you can buy all kinds of wonderful things.

We both knew exactly what we wanted!  We started off by sharing an appetizer which were potato skins but not like any we'd had before.  These were so delicious.  They had a cheese sauce on them instead of shredded cheese and were also dusted with cocoa powder!!!!  Then for dessert!!!!  (Our main course!)  A trio that consisted of a scoop of vanilla crepe-flake ice cream, a mini chocolate shake, and the most delicious - most amazing chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate center.....and if that wasn't enough......it had a shaker of chocolate sauce to pour over the top!!!!!  Heaven on a plate!!!!!

We really enjoyed our visit and it was a fun atmosphere!  I'd highly recommend a visit to Max Brenners!  Now, there are only 4 locations in the US and a few internationally.  If you find yourself in NYC or maybe even Las Vegas (there is a Max Brenner's at the Caesar's Forum Shops) check it out!!!!!

If you see this building...MB is right around the corner!

Mini milkshake!  Yum!!!

Smores Pizza

Giant bars of delicious CHOCOLATE!

Yummmm...