For Jason’s 26th birthday (back in March), I
surprised him with Brooklyn Nets tickets. When Jason finds an interest in
something, he seems to know a lot more about the topic than most people. The NBA is
one of those things, but I found it kind of sad that Jay had never been to a
game. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about this gift (it also relieved a
lot of stress to finally be able to give Jay his surprise).
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| He was so happy! |
About a week later, we went to the Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago
Bulls game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. We were so excited to go to the
game and we were so happy to have Kim and Ryan come with us (this was also part
of the surprise).
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| The game was so much more fun with these guys! |
The Barclays Center is the newest area in the NBA since the
Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn in 2012. The fans in Brooklyn are very
proud of their team. You can certainly tell by the way they chant for their
team and bang their “Boom Sticks” together to make a lot of noise. The game was
very exciting, especially in the last quarter when the game became very close.
Unfortunately, the Nets lost to the Bulls, but we still had a fantastic time.
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| We were pretty high up in the stands, but they were still great seats |
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| We got pretty into it |
In April, our friends David and Melissa
came from Virginia for a short visit to the Big City. We were very excited to
meet up with them because we had not seen them since I graduated from BYU-I about
a year ago! We mostly just did a lot of walking around the city and eating. One
fun thing we did that I haven’t had too many chances of doing was passing
through a street market. It was so much fun to look at all of the different treats
and flowers being sold. We were even able to taste test some apples and duck (I
passed on the duck, while Jay passed on the apples. . .) I loved seeing all of
the beautiful flowers because it reminded me that Spring was definitely here.
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| David and Melissa |
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| Sampling at the Street Market |
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| In front of the Flat Iron Building |
When it got close to lunchtime, we had to introduce David
and Melissa to “Shake Shack”, which is mostly known for their delicious burgers
(and of course their shakes, but we had to hold back this time). We tried not
to fill up too much so we could find the place that David was dying to go to
for dessert. After a long trek to East Village, we finally found the “Big Gay
Ice Cream Shop”. Seems pretty odd, right? It was actually surprisingly
fantastic!! David, Melissa, and Jay all got what the shop is most known for
which is called the “Salty Pimp”. I went for the more subtle, “Monday Sundae” in
which the ice cream is inside a Nutella-lined waffle cone. I think what makes
their ice cream so fabulous is the sea salt! Jay and I can’t wait to go back!
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| Who wouldn't want to enter a place like this? |
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| Yes, this was on the wall inside the shop |
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| Seriously, you need to experience this ice cream |
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| No words needed |
From there, we walked around Times Square a little bit,
stopping inside the Rockefeller Center and checking out the merchandise from
some of our favorite shows. Before we knew it, we were hungry again and settled
for hot dogs and pretzels in Central Park where we sat in the sun and watched
the always-interesting people walk by. This was another one of those times that
I was so grateful that winter was officially over. But wait, we can’t go
without dessert! We stopped by “Sprinkles”, the first cupcakery in the world,
of which David informed us. In my personal opinion, it was not nearly as good
as Magnolia’s cupcakes.
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| Some of our favorite comedies |
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| MORE SUGAR! |
By the end of the day, when
we parted ways toward our homes, we were all ready for bed after a sugar-rush
day.
