My Leaky Waders: Trip Recap: Turkey Day in NYC

I may have failed to do daily posts of our recent trip to New York City, but that is simply because we had too much fun and I had so little energy at the end of the day.

The single thing that made this trip so much easier was the gracious offer of housing at my friend's apartment. Not only did we save big time bucks but we also benefitted from his convenient location and thoughtful suggestions on sights and restaurants.

First let me hit the highlights of the trip and then bombard you with some sample photos from the weekend.

On day one we rode the train to the Museum of Natural History and got to see the baloons for the Macy's Day Parade all blown up and pinned to the streets by big nets and sandbags. We walked home and stopped at Eataly, and Italian market/restaurant for a light snack. This would be one of several trips to Eataly. It was a bit pricy, but phenomanally delicisous.

On Thursday, we woke early and got to 49th and 6th to grab our spot in line for the big parade. Our spot was so close I feel like I am now friends with Carly Ray Jepsen, Chet Atkins, Whoopi Goldberg, and The Elf on the Shelf.

Immediately after the play finished, we took the short stroll to NBC studios and watched a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Rashida Jones and Jimmy did a rocking medley of contemporary hits with a holiday-themed twist. Man-o-man, I wish you could have seen it.... but wait, you can. Click HERE. keep an eye out for the guy in the top right of the crowd high clapping in a red plaid shirt... yeah, that is me. The wife and mom-in-law are to my left. I also got to shake Jimmy's hands. They are surpisingly soft.

Wi did manage to have a Thanksgiving Meal. I went to a nice grocery store near the apartment where they had some pre-made goodies. Stuffing, turkey breast, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Yum.

On Friday we spent time down at the 9/11 memorial. It is really a beautiful site. There is a lot of construction going on down there as they raise other buildings and complete a visitors center, but you can tell, once it is complete, it will be gorgeous.

Let's see, what else. We grabbed a cheap burger and beer at a place called Corner Bistro that was really cool. It was great to see some reasonably priced foods. Nothing special. Just a good burger with good beer.

On Saturday, I finally made it to the local Manahattan Fly Shop: The Urban Angler. That deserves an entire post in itself, so I'll just stop for now by saying, it is a great shop with knowledgable staff and some very sweet rods, art, clothes, and equipment.

Saturday afternoon we used our turkey leftovers to make a turkey white sauce pasta. That induced a deep coma in the girls only to be woken by me when it time to head to see our only show we paid for: A Prairie Home Companion. It was a great show with a new favorite musician: Aoife o'Donovan (pronounced Eee-fa). Also, some awesome jokes and, as always, Lake Wobegon. The show is archived here.

Other noteable thigns included the Union Square Market, Peels for brunch, buying Starbucks coffee in exchange for toilet usage, and weather that couldn't have been much better.

Okay, time for the photos.