All Things Audry: Big Apple and Times Square'd

You know when you get a crazy idea to do something out of the ordinary. And you say to yourself, "I can't do that. What if something goes horribly wrong?" But then, you think, "But this is my only chance. Either do it now or regret not trying."

So, here was my dilemma: I could sit around my house on a three day Columbus Day holiday weekend and do nothing all that special to celebrate my last weekend to be ...er, 39 ... (or 29 again wink,wink). Or I could pack up my three children and hit the open road up to New York State where my husband's work had stationed him for the last month and a half. We could crash at his hotel room, then take a train into Penn Station - right into the heart of Manhattan and spend the weekend doing something completely out of the ordinary and totally out of character - especially for me.

Yes, you guessed it - we went. And, I'm happy to report nothing went horribly wrong - partially because between my husband and I we had vice grip on the kids as we schlepped from one toy store to the next. Toys R Us in Times Square (Ferris Wheel ride inside the store included), Lego Store at Rockefeller Plaza (the ice skating rink was open!) and The American Girl Store (all three floors of dolls, doll clothes, doll accessories and a spa - not for real living people, but for the dolls).

"It's your birthday weekend," my husband reminded me as if it just occurred to him. "Don't you want something?" At this point, we had crossed multiple traffic-filled/enter-at-your-own-risk intersections, forged through a break in the Hispanic Heritage Parade with my crying daughter who thought she'd never make it across Fifth Avenue and into the American Girl Doll store and plunged back through trills and hoots of the parade goers as I slowly came to the realization that a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park wasn't on anyone's "must see" list but mine. "All I want is a cold, preferably alcoholic beverage and something to eat," I said as the the time read well past noon.

Rooftop dining at the Perfect Pint off Broadway on 45th Street

I got my wish (minus a trip to Central Park): a cold beer and a grilled portobello sandwich that was so phenomenal I ate the whole thing. We weaved our exhausted children back to Penn Station by way of cutting the corner through Macy's. Perfumed and amazed by the jewelry department including a couple purchasing an engagement ring for a mere $24,000, we returned my husband back to his "home" at the hotel and, the next day, arrived safely home ourselves.

Other than a migraine-like headache and my hands being sore from clenching the steering wheel too tightly down the interstate, it was a fantastic trip - and completely worth breaking from the ordinary to be a little daring.

As I've heard it said, "Daring greatly yields great rewards." In this case, the rewards were amazing memories for our family as neither my husband nor my children had ever visited Manhattan. As for me, I'm kicking off this new decade ready to enjoy life to its fullest!

My local roads all have this speed limit. Not that I'm a bad driver or anything -really- but I never noticed that the speed limit was 40, until that number was on my mind the day of my birthday!

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I'm celebrating my birthday by extending the super low price of $2.99 now through the end of October!