NYC, Day 2!

Our first full day in NYC was a busy one! We were exhausted from the time change, and didn't sleep all that well, so we had a slow start to our morning. Once we got going though, we didn't stop! After a quick stop for a coffee and smoothie, we headed to Lincoln Center. I love the tree lined streets in this neighborhood.

 On the way, we happened to spot some movie filming going on. We were told it was the new SpiderMan movie. We snapped a quick photo and moved on.

Lincoln Center is home to the Metropolitan Opera House. American Ballet Theatre Company is doing different performances there over the next 6 weeks. This week is Swan Lake, which we've both wanted to see, so we got to the box office when it opened to try to get tickets.

We were able to get some last minute Standing Room Only tickets to the matinee show at 2pm. Not the best option, but we were thankful we'd get to come back later in the day to watch the show.
There is a beautiful fountain out front, which just happens to be a perfect place to pose!

Next up was doing a "dry-run" to get to the dance studio where Zoe will be spending her days. Since it requires two subway lines, we wanted to get familiar with our route. We purchased our unlimited metro cards, and were on our way.

 We made it without incident, and arrived in Union Square in the middle of a fantastic farmers market. We found her building, where another dancer happened to be standing outside of. She had come to the intensive last year and loved it. She was very nice, and eased our anxiety a bit.

 We continued to explore this part of town. The studio is near the Flatiron Building in a fun part of the city.

We went to Madison Square Park, which is absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't get over the beautiful flowers, plants and trees.

 Our main reason for being in this park was Shake Shack! Zoe was told it had the best burgers, fries, and shakes in the city.

 She couldn't agree more. I didn't have the burger, but the peanut butter shake was delicious! Right next to the park was some more SpiderMan filming. They were setting up for a chase scene when we came by.

We got back in the subway and after a quick change, we made it back to the Metropolitan Opera for Swan Lake!

The theater was beautiful, and we loved the chandeliers in the entry.

Our standing area was right behind the orchestra seating. It would've been nice to have sat, since standing for 2 1/2 hours got a bit uncomfortable, but we were just happy to be there.

 The show was fantastic, and the dancing was stunning. Julie Kent was breathtaking to watch.

 Our day wasn't over, so we picked up another slice of pizza for dinner (this time even better!), and went for a long adventure to Laduree Paris on the Upper East Side. Laduree is a famous French bakery known around the world for their incredible macaroons.  The line was out the door, but according to Zoe, it was worth it!

 We got orange blossom, vanilla, coffee, and rose water. They were delicious.

 We found this beautiful old church along the way. I can't wait to see more of them throughout the city.

 We walked through the center of Central Park on the way back home. The last time we were here, everything was dormant and brown. I couldn't believe how green and lush everything was!

 Bethesda Fountain was full of water, and the I loved seeing all of the people boating around the lake. I think we need to add that to our to-do list!

Sheep Meadow was full of families having picnics and playing games. It was a nice walk back, but our feet were exhausted! It was time for showers and pajamas, and a little downtime before bed. It sure was a fun day!