I know that this may not be throwin it back too far for my TBT post...but it was 2 weeks ago, so that counts, right. Tell me yes.
I think I may have mentioned how for Christmas the mister got me the best gift ever: cooking classes at ICE or more aptly known as the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement.
I was able to finally register for classes and went a few weeks ago. and had the. best. time. ever.
Prepare for large photo dump, cause that's what is about to happen. New York is one of my favorite places and I am quite certain that I could get around Manhattan blindfolded, yet stick me in downtown Raleigh and my navigation probably still couldn't help me...even after 10 years of living here.
With that said, I have been to the city so many times and played tour guide more ways than I care to remember and so, for the past few years, I forget the large wonders this city holds and concentrate on a more local flair when I visit.
This time though...I decided to reacquaint myself with some of my favorite places..
I took this from the back of the car with my aunt driving full speed. Not too shabby,
First things first, lunch. Priorities people!
In the lobby, ready to head up.
waiting for class to start. in my new boots. Which you will notice are different than the picture above. Which is due to the fact that the sole of , not just one, but both of my boots...blew out. As in vanished. What. the. What. Thankfully there was a Burlington Coat Factory adjacent to ICE and these were on clearance from $55 to $14. Bargains find me where I am at;)
The rebuilding of The WTC on my walk the next morning to class from our hotel.
I just loved these buliding agaisnt the blue sky as I wandered from Midtown to Chelsea
Love this red door of this church.
Ummm. Yes, please. We learned how to make five different dishes. By far my favorite was the peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake bars. Yum.
My aunt joking that they were all hers when I got back to the hotel with my goodies.
We decided to meander our way to Chinatown and then over to WTC.
The graveyard at Saint Pauls
Saint Pauls...in the midst of WTC
Saint Peters. First Catholic church in the city.
A long work in progress. Not much more to finish the facade.
They did such a good job with the reflection pools.
I struggle when I visit and people are taking pictures and giggling and laughing...but you never know anyone's story... so I try not to judge them. Even if I want to;)
I love the old buildings that melt into the background of the city and at first glance, appear dilapidated I always imagine the people who have lived there and seen the growth and change first hand.
Always my favorite piece of the city, Washington Square.
This was as I was leaving headed back up Waverly, where had it been all weekend?!
Loved the color contrast through the trees as I was sitting in the park.
Empty benches are rare. haha
Harold Square, this was a block from our hotel.
and I took this last picture quite lazily, from the bed in our room...before we left to spend a few more hours to head home.
If you ever have chances to take classes on your visit, I cannot urge you enough to do it! I learned a lot but had a blast in the process. The first night was a Mad Men Cocktail class and I was able to create some tasty cocktails from the sixties and then on Sunday I partook in the chocolate and peanut butter class.
So thankful that Wiki knows me well enough to know how much I adored this thoughtful gift!
and I know...some of you think my mom and I look nothing alike, right? haha I definitely saw the resemblance in that picture.
and I finally added bloglovin button to my side bar, so if you haven't followed me on it already...what're you waiting on. haha