Soooo, I spent the majority of last week in New York City. And it was my first time there. Wowza! What a city!
I live very near Chicago, so when I first arrived, I thought it seemed a lot like Chicago. No big deal, right? A regular big city. Um, no. It wasn’t until I took a helicopter tour on my next to last day there that I saw how big and vast it really is. This is an aerial picture — and you can’t get the full gist of it. But still. Maybe you can get an idea.
I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time, toooooo. Eeeeppp. So exciting. The helicopter flew right past it. The statue was closed for repairs, so we couldn’t tour the lovely Lady herself, but I wanted to make sure I got as close to her as possible… which is why my awesome hubby arranged a surprise helicopter tour. I think I’ll be keeping him.
And I saw the Empire State Building, too.
And we flew right over Yankee Stadium:
I didn’t have time to do a bunch of touristy stuff, though. I was in meetings and at BEA, but I met so many cool people in person. I have spoken to all of these awesome peeps a million times, but never saw them face-to-face. But now I have faces to attach to their names and voices, which is cool. I’m very bummed that I didn’t get a picture of my awesome editor, Amy. 
I’ll have to get one next time.
But…. here’s a pic of me and the amazing Jessica Sorensen. We were at BEA together on Thursday. And interesting fact– Jessica and I were on the same flight from Chicago to NYC– and we didn’t even know it! When I found the driver who had come to get me, I saw another driver who was holding up her name. And then we put the pieces together and realized that we had been on the same flight. Too funny.
On Friday, I met my AWESOME agent, Catherine Drayton in person. She’s so adorably tiny. Like, super tiny. I’m a gigantic Amazon, but standing next to Catherine, I’m even more so. She has the most charming Australian accent ever, too. She thinks she looks jetlagged in this pic, but I think she looks adorable. And amazingly tiny.
And here’s one of me and my spitfire awesome publicist, K.P. Simmon. Her red hair totally fits her personality– in a good way. 
She takes such good care of me.
As you might remember, Michelle Leighton and I ran a contest for breakfast and a private book signing with us in NYC. Here’s a group pic of the winners, Michelle and me. We ate at Nougatine in NYC– and that green bit that you see in the windows behind us is the only green in NYC. Central Park. From left to right: Teresa Mary Rose’s awesome mama, Mary, Teresa Mary Rose, (my winner) Me, Michelle Leighton, Anne Marie (Michelle’s winner), and Anne Marie’s super cool friend, Teresa. Mimosas and fun were had by all.
This is me and my gorgeous BFF, Michelle Leighton.
I did manage to cram in a few touristy things. My husband and I took a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park, I walked down Broadway and into Times Square, and I went shopping on Fifth Avenue. I also rode the subway across town once, when I went for that helicopter tour. All in all, NYC was quite an experience. While I’m glad to be home, I’m definitely looking forward to my next trip to the Big Apple.
I’ll leave you with a pic of Broadway at night. Have a great Monday, everyone!
