Our family drove up to New York City this weekend and spent a short but fun two days  in Manhattan. We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rockefeller Center, the Manhattan Center, Times Square, met up with family friends, ate a whole lot of good food… and more! I was born in Queens, and although we moved to the DC area soon after, there’s something about New York City that resonates with me. It’s too busy and fast-paced for my taste and I could probably never live there, but it’s still part of my roots. I spent most of my childhood and adolescent years in Northern Virginia, but we used to take annual trips up to New York City during the holidays as a family so it was really nostalgic to be up there with the family for the first time in almost a decade. Here are some photos from our short trip:

Miwa + Misono
Eating ramen lunch at Sapporo in Manhattan

Sapporo special
Sapporo Special

the parents
the parents

oncoming train
New York subway

brother harassing hubby
Brother harassing the hubby.

entrance of the Met
The clusterfuck that was the Met that day.

entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

samurai exhibit
samurai exhibit at the Met.

sculpture garden
Sculpture garden at the Met.

painting by Auguste Renoir
Renoir painting.

Skyline Hotel
We stayed at the Skyline Hotel.

sushi rolls for dinner
sushi rolls for takeout.

the huge Christmas tree
Rockefeller Center and its huge Christmas tree.

St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral

New York Macy's
The ginormous New York Macy's.

Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden

blue skies in NYC
Empire State Building

with the Empire State Building behind us
So sunny compared to the previous day's torrential rain.

yummy-looking treats!
sweet treats at a Chinese bakery

Haven't seen her in years!
First time seeing Sylvia in years! So good catching up!

Miwa, Mari and I
Miwa, Mari and I at Tick Tock Diner. I've missed you Mari!

New York skyline
New York City skyline.