60 Years Young.

Here's to my dad! We spent last weekend in NYC celebrating his 60th birthday with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. My dad is pretty much the greatest parent anyone could ask for. Funny, sarcastic, but consistent and supportive. Growing up, I couldn't have imagined a better dad. As an adult, I couldn't ask for a better friend.

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

We arrived in NYC via train. It was 60+ degrees on Friday and I got to leave work early to celebrate my dad. My mom organized this weekend and I could not have been more impressed. Hotel in a prime location? Check. A weekend of events planned? Check! Chocolate covered strawberries in the room? Check!

My dad is THE BIGGEST UConn fan. My mom booked us a table at a bar. Yep, let me repeat that. Pammy T pulled through. Did you ever think you'd see her name on a table at a bar in NYC? Me either, but here is proof!

We had the best time at Red Sky in NYC. We ate lots of bar food, watched the entire UCONN game, and my dad even managed to meet some new (22 year old) UCONN friends at the bar.

Isn't he the most handsome :)

UCONN lost. But, at the risk of being cheesy in the spirit of my dad's cheesy jokes, Friday was a winning night!

We did come back to the hotel and have a delicious cake that Matt and Sam brought all the way from Boston! I forgot my camera. How is that even possible?! I need to be more on top of it.

Our hotel gave us free Starbucks in the morning. A free soy latte on a cold day? Sign me up. Have I said yet that I have the greatest husband in the world? He went downstairs and waited in line for said latte so I could dry my hair. Good husband. The best ever reallly. After a 60+ degree day Friday, Saturday was a chilling surprise and I was thrilled that Jamie got me the Venti latte to keep my hands warm and eyes open.

Matt picked our brunch location,  Blue Fin in Times Square. The major plus? Everyone in Times Square waits in line in places like Hard Rock Cafe, so Blue Fin located in the W Hotel, had no line. I loved their simple menu. I also loved their complimentary bellini. Mmmm. In unsurprising news, Jamie chose sushi for brunch. So did Matt. They shared. They like to share food. Matt still says that the time Jamie and I visited them in Boston and we spent all weekend eating is one of his fav Jamie memories. I digress.

Eggs Benedict is my FAVORITE.

We got my mom to try raw fish sushi for the first time. Success!

We ventured from brunch to see Jersey Boys! on broadway. It was awesome. As we were sitting there in the theater, I already knew Jamie was wondering where he should look up the legit story of the Four Seasons. Jamie loves learning. I was not surprised to see him whip out his blackberry right afterwards to read about Frankie Valli. My mom looked thrilled through the entire performance. That was enough in itself to make me happy. After the play, Matt was hungry. Surprise surprise. We took a few pictures, had a drink, and a snack at the Hilton bar before taking a quick rest pre-dinner.

 After our quick bite to eat, we headed back to our rooms to relax and nap and then got ready for dinner. Yep, we did a lot of eating. I was pumped to wear one of my new BCBG dresses I bought last weekend. You can read more about that here if you are interested.

We hopped in two cabs and headed to the West Village for dinner. I highly highly recommend our dinner choice, which Matt and Sam chose. ALTA is a cute almost hidden restaurant that I immediately fell in love with when we walked into. I should also mention I adore the West Village and would 100% chose that as my location if I ever relocated to NYC. Alta's menu is extensive. And their sangria is strong. Both were great.

Okay, so I need to take a moment here to explain something. My brother's wife, Sam, can eat. She is the prettiest, and teeniest thing. And you would never in a million years guess it. But, Sam, where do you put it?! She can out-eat all of us. We put her in charge of ordering food on Saturday night. And without exaggeration, we ordered almost the entire menu. All led by Sam's choices and suggestions.

Okay, so the large majority of the dinner I forgot to take pictures. I was eating. Sorry. Here are some highlights for you to salivate over.... braised short ribs with the most amazing pasta base, crab stuffed avocado, skirt steak with the most delicious seasonings, some sort of beets, fried goat cheese. I could go on. It was delicious. I think you need to go check it out yourself. At the end of dinner, dessert is offered and we jumped at the chance. Petit creme brulee, butterscotch fondue with green apples, beignets (Sam said "I need those donut things!!") So good. But, at the end of the night, Dad, Sam, and Jamie wanted some more... so they decided to pour the extra butterscotch fondue into spoons. I swear, we did not starve these people for the week before NYC.

After dinner and drinks and dessert and drinks and more and more... we headed back to the hotel.

 

The next morning, we were a bit tired, but donnnn't worry... we had room for more food and decided to opt for the buffet breakfast. Well, some of us did... others of us (me) had enough of the overeating and had a nice muffin and banana instead.

After breakfast, we took a little trip over to the Museum of Natural History, my dad's favorite. Beautiful Central Park across the street lured me in for a picture. Can we note how cute the little girl in the forefront of the pic with the pink boots is?!

So... we spent a few hours in the Museum of Natural History... it was so sunny outside we snapped a few pics.

Somehow it looked like we went on a Safari instead because of all the animal pictures. I assure you we did not, but it sure made Jamie and I think about planning that trip in the future! The dinosaurs were pretty cool, I sorta felt like a 4-year-old.... but I was enthralled with the ginormous bones of these creatures.

We had the best weekend with the fam in NYC, and we loved celebrating my dad and all the things he loves... his family, UCONN, Guiness, chocolate cake, sleeping in (every now and then), some new experiences (sushi and bellinis for mom!), a good musical, a late afternoon nap, a huge huge huge dinner, big breakfasts, and the museum. A little nap on the train ride home sealed a fantastic weekend.

Happy 60th Dad! You are the best dad in the world and one of the best people I know. Here's to you!!