Exploring Baltimore

Vince & I have made it a goal to try to explore as much as we can on the East Coast while we have easy access to it. So this past weekend we decided to head south of the Mason-Dixon line and check out Baltimore. A little added bonus was that our friends Trish & Jim were in Baltimore for Trish's sisters wedding. We spent Saturday exploring downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor. We had lunch at a local pub and sat outside with the local just relaxing. This is when we really realized we were in the South...people were actually friendly and a lot of men were smoking cigars! After we ate we walked around and sat by the water and had a snack before returning to our hotel to get ready for dinner.

Vince had found a restaurant on the water that seemed promising and it was! We started with some yummy crab dip and followed it up with 8 jumbo crabs. I didn't realize how hard we would work for our dinner and how dirty we would get! But it was a blast and the best crab we have had!

We got back to the hotel and met up with Trish & Jim at the hotel bar. It was great seeing them and catching up. We also got to spend some quality time with baby Madelyn Sunday morning! After a quick lunch with Trish, Jim & Madelyn we headed back to Philly for a nice relaxing Sunday evening. I was really surprised how much I actually liked Baltimore and I still can't believe it is only 1 1/2 hrs away!

June has not been what we have expected-cool temps and rain almost daily. So we are looking forward to July and hopefully some summer weather! We are also excited for all the visitors that will be visiting us Matty will be here next week followed by Molly and then Erin! We are so excited to get to show our family & friends what Philly is all about! We hope for more visitors in the following months!

The Big 3-0 in NYC

Well Vince completely out did himself for my birthday. He took me to New York City for the weekend! We stayed at The Regency by Loews at 61st and Park Ave-it was a very nice hotel! Unfortunately Friday was super wet-it rained all day and all night. But that didn't stop us from still having fun and exploring!








We went to lunch at Serendipity which was a cool atmosphere but the food lead something to be desired.






Then we walked around and ended up in Bloomingdales and V told me to pick out a present...what a great hubby! We came across a build your own charm necklace and I was in luv! I got 3 charms...a V for Vince, a Paw Print for Miles and a Star to represent our future goals/wishes.






Then we headed for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Scalinatella-it was a very nice dinner. We wrapped up the evening at the hotel lounge for a night cap.














Saturday was a busy day full of sight seeing!

We started out at a diner for breakfast and then took the subway to Battery Park. We wanted to
go to the Statue of Liberty but as we were in line for tickets they sold out. So we walked around the Financial District and saw the Bull and the NY Stock Exchange.














We then grabbed a quick lunch and took a ferry boat tour on the harbor. We got to see the whole city, Lady Liberty and Ellis Island.


































When we got done we went to St Paul's Chapel which is one of the churches that the firefighters slept at after September 11th. It was a very touching experience.

We then went and cleaned ourselves up and went to Union Square to meet Brian & Daniel for dinner at an Asian restaurant called Saigon Grill. It was a nice birthday dinner. Vince ordered the Sea Bass and below is a pic of what came to the table!
















At dinner Vince had another present for me...a beautiful diamond necklace. He did an amazing job picking it out!














We then went out to grab a few birthday drinks at an Irish Pub called Slones and then headed to Hells Kitchen and went to a bar called Mercury and then went and walked around Times Square. They have closed off Broadway in the heart of Times Square and placed lawn chairs out for people to sit and take in the views.























Sunday morning we hit another diner for breakfast and then headed back to Philly. Miles' kennel was full for the weekend so he had to go to PetsMart and stay at their hotel. I was a bit worried since he is so weird about being away from home but he had a blast! He went to day camp and loved playing with the other dogs! All in all the weekend was way more than I could have expected I am so lucky to have my hubby!