“Can we just be in New York already?” So were the words uttered many a time throughout finals week by Amy, Dee, Crystal, and me. But the day finally came, and after powering (more like struggling) through the much underestimated stress of move-out, we were in the Big Apple!

The first morning of our NYC adventure began with the immensely exciting activity of… waiting in line! Crystal and I stayed with our friend Jackie in Staten Island the night before so we were up at 5 AM to ferry–>subway–>walk to Dominique Ansel Bakery, birthplace of the Cronut. Right on schedule we arrived at 7 AM in front of the bakery an hour before its opening time, and already a line had formed almost to the end of the block.

Clearly the Cronut craze is still alive, and after experiencing a Cronut for myself, I can understand why! Each precious bite revealed multiple layers of dough characteristic of a croissant but combined with the chewier texture of a donut. And between each layer oozed blueberry jelly and cream filling. As delicious as it is innovative, the cronut was so very worth the wait (it’s photo is now my lock screen).

Cronut consumption was followed by shopping in Soho until lunchtime when we made a return visit to Eight Turn Crepe, a Japanese creperie.  We had actually gotten sweet crepes for dinner there the night before when we got into New York, but they were so delicious we wanted to come back and try the savory options, as well. Solid in both the savory and sweet departments, this place is definitely my Soho go-to from now on!

No New York trip is complete without the indulgence of a Broadway show and so we waited in our second long line of the day at the TKTS booth. But no worries, there was plenty to observe and keep our minds busy while waiting around in Times Square. After contemplating Book of Mormon, Cinderella, Jersey Boys, and more, we decided on a show that we had actually never looked into before. We watched the ad for it repeatedly on one of the many giant screens while in line and were convinced by the acrobatics that it was the happy and energetic show we were in the mood for, and that show was Pippin’!

The time between buying our tickets and show time was punctuated with pizza for dinner. We ventured off to the nearby Don Antonio by Starita, which was featured in an episode of Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives, even ordering all the menu items featured in the show!

Pippin’ surprised us all with its unconventional performance style, as actors frequently interacted with the audience; there was even an audience sing-along section! Also unexpected was the rather dark second act and a few rather risqué numbers, but although different than expected, the show was no less than amazing. But of course, it’s on Broadway!

To round out the day, we stopped at Junior’s for a slice of obligatory New York cheesecake to share as we took in the night scene on the steps in Times Square.

It was nearing midnight so we decided to part ways for the night, but (story time!) the adventure wasn’t quite over for Jackie, Crystal, and me. On the subway to South Ferry Station, we actually got locked in! The details: At the second to last stop, the conductor had announced that passengers getting off at the last stop (South Ferry Station) needed to be in the first five cars. We were in the very back when we heard the announcement so hopped off, but frantic that the doors would close any second before we were able to hop back on, we only moved up a few cars, choosing a car that another woman was in because we figured she must know what she’s doing right? Wrong. We arrived at the last stop and the doors didn’t open. In a panic, we started walking up through the cars towards the front but lost hope when we hit a dead end; it seemed our only option now was to wait for the subway to go back in the other direction and get off there. But thankfully, the other woman with us noticed one of the workers inside the room of what we thought was a dead end. She asked him if there was any way we could get off the subway and not have to make the counterproductive trip back where we came. To our despair, he said that we couldn’t and should have been paying more attention. But after sensing our resistance-free concession, he playfully asked, “Are you really going to give up that easily?” A chorus of PLEAAASSSEEEEEEEs later, he happily let us through to the other side and we were out! The woman with us throughout the experience left us with these words, “Never give up in New York!” Lesson learned.