Wall Street and a Hot Dog

A little ice.  A little slush. And a chill in the air make for an adventurous day in the city.

I had no idea that today would be so monumental. And unforgettable.

It all began with a short walk to the subway.

We made our way over to Wall Street.

We have been here several times but we wanted to see it covered in snow and we needed to check out the Wall Street Christmas Tree.

Our first stop was the Museum of Finance.

I know.  This does sound exceptionally boring or depressing. 

It was a little bit of both.  But it was also very interesting and educational.

We tried to find this museum on one of our excursions during the summer but we couldn't find it.

I mean, it was no where to be found.

Alec had the map and we were supposedly standing right where the museum should have been.

But it wasn't there.

We couldn't see it.

We gave up and went on to something else.

This time we just happened upon it.

I had no idea it would be easier to find in the snow.

The inside of the museum is beautiful.

You can take a self guided tour, what we did, or you can take a guided tour.  I'm sure the guided tour would be really informative but it was easier with our crowd to just go it alone, so to speak.

From this really amazing ticker tape.

To this awesome ticker tape.

Thanks Michael Bloomberg.

On one wall of the museum was a time line of financial highs and lows.

I took one little picture of a low.

It speaks for it self.

The money room was very cool. And the "Ponzi" room was very cool too.

On to better things.

Here is the tall but seemingly sqatty Wall Street Christmas Tree.

It sits right outside the NYSE.

And right across from this guy.

Love him.

We took a walk over to the Trinity Church.

It's beautiful in the Summer.

But there was something about the snow all around that made it a little more captivating.

I am truly in awe of these doors,

After hanging out inside the church for a few minutes we were on to the next adventure.

I had no idea it was going to be an adventure with the hot dog man.

There's something you may or may not know about our youngest little guy.

He has autism.  He stopped talking around age two and it has be a journey of various sorts ever since.

As you may imagine having a nonverbal child can be challenging at times.

Food is one of those times.

He doesn't have a wide range of likes when it comes to food.

He sticks with what he knows and seldom tries new things.

To hurry up this uncomfortable story and get to the good part I will just get to it...

By the time we finished with the museum, with Wall Street, and with the church it was two o'clock and we hadn't eaten lunch.  People were getting hungry and delirious.  They needed food.  Any kind of food.

Enter...the hot dog cart.

There's a hot dog cart that sits right outside of the church so we ordered hot dogs.

I handed the first dog to Jenna.  But before we knew it Heath had taken it from her.

Not only did he take it but he was taking bites out of it.

You might be wondering why this is such a big whoop and why we condone food snatching.

It's a big deal because Heath has never, ever eaten a hot dog in his life.

And we don't condone food snatching.  I think in the commotion of ordering from the hot dog man my mind reading skills were momentarily clouded.  I had no idea he wanted to eat a hot dog.

He's had opportunities to partake of such a weird food but he has never conceded.

  Until now.

This is the man's first hot dog.

This was his first but it wasn't his last.

The very next morning, as we headed to the subway we passed a hot dog cart.

Is that even the right term, "hot dog cart?"

Anyway...

Heath stopped and pulled Scott to the cart. 

When we asked if he wanted a hot dog he shook his head "yes."

He enjoyed his second hot dog just as much as the first one.

It was oddly monumental.

Oh, look.  It's trash day for Wall Street.

Oh The Possibilities

Even before your bags are packed you can feel the excitement New York City has to offer.

This excitement can quickly turn into an overwhelming sense that there won't be enough time in the day to see, visit, and eat all that the city has to offer.

This sense isn't a figament of your imagination.

It really is overwhelming. 

And you won't be able to get it all in.  At least not in one trip.

After you hit all of the must-see tourist spots here are a few to add to your list.

Eataly on 5th Avenue. 

I'm not sure I can even describe this place. 

It's a market of all things kitchen and cooking. 

It is a grocery store of all things fresh. 

And if that isn't enough to peek your interest, there are several restaurants mixed in between all of that food shopping experience.

It's Mario Batali's vision of putting yummy and unusual things under one enormous roof.

I've never heard of a Pepino Melon but I wanted to eat one.

And then there's the Stand that has been on Jenna's list. 

I blame chef Michael Symon, who listed the marshmallow milkshake from the Stand on

 TV Food Networks "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."

The restaurant sits between Union Square and Greenwich Village and the real name is Stand4.

We went to the Stand for Jenna's birthday.

Jenna and I have a small "thing" for Michael Symon. 

Afterall, he is an Iron Chef. 

And although we've never tasted his food, we are sure he has good taste.

So, we dug in to hamburgers and fries.

They were good.

And then the anticipation of tasting the milkshake, Chef Symon's recommendation.

It was all a little bit overwhelming.

I should mention here that when he gave this particular milkshake as his pick it was for the Sugar Rush episode of the "Best Thing" and during the filming he drank three of these bad boys.

Scott wasn't sold on any of it.  He is a self-diagnosed food snob.

I'm a bit of one myself but Michael Symon pushes my food snobbery to the side.

Milkshakes can be amazing.

And this one didn't disappoint.

It was delicious.

It was a marshmallow milkshake that will never be forgotten.

The greatest part about the eating experiences in New York that differs from say, Los Angeles, is the mere fact that you can leave your hotel or apartment, walk a block, and be dining at a fantastic place.  

In LA you need to pick the place, get in your car, sit in traffic, and then be at a fantastic place. 

GiginoTrattoria was my pick for dinner one night.

It's in Tribeca and it has amazing food.

I had to hold back on taking too many pictures because our table was in the center of the restaurant and our server thought I was crazy.

So you get one picture of the place.

I think the woman sitting at the far table wearing the Santa hat was a little more spectical than I was.

Food.  Glorious food.