New York City: Day 6

We woke to the sound of an alarm clock, which is ridiculous since we were on our honeymoon, but completely justified because of our 10:15am NBC Studio Tour!!! We  jumped on the subway to Rockefeller Center, picked up a quick breakfast at Starbucks and wolfed it down before starting our tour. There was absolutely no photography allowed which was a bummer. We were ushered around by real NBC Studio pages (sadly not Kenneth), and got to see the Dr. Oz set, the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon set (which is RIDICULOUSLY tiny compared to what it looks like on TV) and the Saturday Night Live set! We were told that it was probably our once-in-a-lifetime chance to actually sit inside the SNL studio because there is a 3 year wait list to see the show, and chances of actually getting picked to get tickets are slim to none. Way to crush my dreams, NBC, way to go.

NYC tip: You’re not allowed to have food or drinks on the NBC studio tour, and you can’t leave to use the bathroom and then come back. I chugged my venti tea, and then I had to hold it in…

After our tour we walked over to Grand Central Station, which was miraculously repaired back to its original state after all the damage that happened in the Avengers a few months prior to our arrival 😉 We stood still for a good half an hour taking pictures and observing the hustle and bustle of hundreds of people getting where they needed to go. A talented man in plaid stood at the top of one of the staircases playing violin, and the classical music paired with the busyness of Grand Central Station created a moment saturated in contrast that I’ll never forget. I could also have just put a blanket on the floor and laid there, looking up at the ceiling which was a beautiful teal color with gold illustrations of the zodiac signs. Urban stargazing!

We had a quick lunch on a patio at Cafe Centro near Grand Central Station and then we caught the subway over to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. This part of our day was definitely in the top 5 moments of our trip for me! Bedford Avenue is very similar to Whyte Avenue in that it is relaxed and full of unique shops and restaurants for blocks. It was a great bit of downtime in comparison to the action on Manhattan island. There weren’t many tourists around so it felt quite authentic and less commercialized. We strolled in and out of record stores, unique boutiques and thrift stores, with our favorite store being Beacon’s Closet. Talk about the BEST thrift store experience I’ve had to date. It was jam-packed with designer labels at unreal prices! I found a Diane Von Furstenburg dress and skirt (coincidentally both animal print), both only $30! I wanted to stay in there for hours hunting through all the racks, but my hungry tummy didn’t agree.

With grumbly tummies we went to find a spot for dinner. We got a recommendation by a local to try The Meatball Shop, and holy smokes I’m so glad we did because we now have their cookbook and do awesome things like this. Seriously the most delish meatballs I’ve had. I indulged in three different meatball sliders, Husbie had a meatball smash, and I had an ice cream sandwich for dessert with a scoop of homemade REAL mint ice cream between two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. I’m drooling right now just thinking about it again.

After dinner we took the train home, bought some tickets for a BROADWAY SHOW on Day 7, and chilled out for the night!

Lessons Learned: Williamsburg is a nice retreat away from the hustle of Manhattan and New York thrift store are less about dead people’s clothes and more about dead people’s DESIGNER clothes!