That sort of NY love or "pride" is everywhere though. As soon as we stepped off the plane at LaGuardia, Anh & I knew we were in for an adventure. You instantly feel the city's pulse, a vibe or energy that is so unique, it's indescribable. Oh, and contrary to what you might expect, New Yorkers are actually quite polite. As we all piled onto the airport terminal bus, a stranger stood and offered me his seat, definitely a courtesy I wasn't expecting. Our cab driver was equally hospitable, eager to offer us advice on navigating the city and opinions on where to eat.
Our first stop, the Greenwich Village/West Village area. Anh & I wandered the streets for a while, waiting for Kelly to get off work. By now, you know that we are big fans of our local "Pinkberry-esque" tart yogurt shop. So, you can imagine how excited I was to discover Red Mango (the "original" tart yogurt chain) and Pinkberry less than a block from Kelly's apartment. Bring on the free samples!
The winner is...Red Mango! It's creamy texture and soft consistency combined with a slightly less tart flavor made the perfect combination. Sooooooo good!
We took a window seat and enjoyed a little people-watching. Within a matter of minutes, Anh and I figured out the necessary wardrobe changes that we would need to implement if we were going to blend in with the young NY "hipsters."(1) No hair washing or brushing. Girls, simply wad that rat's nest of hair on top of your head in a makeshift bun. The more stray pieces the better.
(2) Throw out the rules on wearing colors that compliment each other & instead combine colors that in no way shape or form seem like they would ever go together. If you're able to combine insanely busy patterns, even better!
(3) Wear skinny jeans tucked into your knee boots or, better yet, wear leggings/pantyhose as pants with little ankle boots.
(4) Do not ever hang up your clothes. Piling them on the floor in a huge heap is necessary to obtain the insanely wrinkled effect that is all the rage.
(5) And last, but not least...Never, ever take off your sunglasses or ipod earphones.
Needless to say, Anh & I did NOT fit the mold for the neighborhood. We must not have stood out as total tourists though because more than once someone asked us for directions.
After the yogurt-fix, we made our way to Kelly's place. She lives on a quiet little side street that may seem familiar to you because TV and movie crews film there regularly.
Hence, the note that we found on Kelly's door. I'm not sure whether you can read the small print. The letter invites the resident to contact a location scout if they are interested in allowing a crew to use their apartment for filming during the production of Jennifer Aniston's and Gerard Butler's new movie, "Bounty Hunter."
Okay, the note wasn't actually on Kelly's door. She lives in the basement apartment! 
I don't think anyone is shoving Jennifer Aniston into a basement. The note was actually on the door of an awesome townhouse up the street. At least, Kelly can look forward to more celebrity sightings. By the way, I forgot to take a picture of Kelly's living room. She does have one...a kitchen too! Her place was actually larger than I expected.Speaking of celebrity sightings though, Anh and I happened to see a couple while we were there. No truly big stars, just a couple of D-listers. Truthfully, even that might be a stretch. Anyway, we crossed paths with an actor that played a bartender/love interest for the character Brooke on "One Tree Hill," and we saw Jill Zarin from "Real Housewives of New York" on Bravo. Now, you know the sort of quality television programming that we watch!
Getting back to Day 1, we were eager to sample some famous NYC pizza. So, we headed to a little place close to Kelly's apartment, John's Pizza. The food was absolutely delicious. We all shared a salad, meatball sub, and pizza.
I should have taken a picture of the sub because that was everyone's favorite, but there just wasn't time. It looked so good that we attacked it as soon as the plate hit the table!
Dessert was cupcakes from The Magnolia Bakery. It was featured in the "Sex And The City" movie which has made it a booming success. Sadly, we were all kind of disappointed. The cupcakes are beautiful, but that's about all I can say.
After wandering the cute tree-lined streets of the West Village admiring the window displays for the various stores and cafes, we decided to call it a night. We were going to need a good night's sleep. We had a lot of ground to cover on Day 2. Stay tuned for pictures from our walking tour!
Our friends, Jay & Lisa, met up with us which meant that the boys got to hang out with their friends, Hayden & Hudson...always a good thing. Like usual, Hudson was completely content and accepted that he was just along for the ride in his stroller.
Baylor was not as cooperative. He played a long for a bit, but eventually Baylor demanded to walk like the big kids.
Even though it was the Shrimp Festival, most people were actually dressed like pirates. I guess dressing up like a prawn just isn't cool. Jax wore his pirate tee and then gathered some accessories along the way.
Here's Hudson giving us his best, "Arrrrg!"
Throughout the day, we encountered some interesting creatures. First, we ran into the Geico Gecko.
Then, we came across some visiting horseshoe and hermit crabs, courtesy of The University of Georgia Marine Extension. Jax really enjoyed getting up close and personal with them. He even let one of the horseshoe crabs pinch his fingers. Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt. They only look scary.
Jax was so proud to wear his shirt and jacket "just like Daddy." Although, he did end up shedding the jacket pretty quickly once we arrived at the office. To him, jackets are for outside. I actually had to bribe him to put it back on for a picture.
Baylor also didn't have an i.d. badge to wear. Hint, hint, Grandfather!
Now, I'll show off my contribution to the party: flower arrangements. I actually duplicated an arrangement I saw in Napa, although on a much smaller scale.
And, finally, a few shots to make your mouth water. The dessert trays, otherwise known as bribes for Jax.
