The Rowells Come to New York

My sister, Jodi, and her husband, Jordan, came to New York City this week to visit. Jordan has never been to NYC before so Pat and I felt a lot of pressure to make this trip the "trip of a lifetime." Jordan is not one for "city life;" however, we were determined to show him all the great things that a city can offer.

They took the Red Eye from Salt Lake on Friday night, then arrived in NYC at 6am. Jodi is a pro at the subway system, since she was just here about a month ago and traveled all around on her own, so they were able to make it to our place without a hitch.

When they arrived, Jodi took a nap and Jordan, Pat and I watched some Food Network shows on NYC restaurants, determining where we would be eating this next week. You see, Jordan is a Foodie and really appreciates a good meal, so with all the great food here in the city we knew this was going to be how we were going to "impress" Jordan.

So, our first stop: Katz Deli. This Deli is famous for its pastrami or corn beef sandwiches and also for the infamous scene in "When Harry Met Sally," where the old lady says "I'll have what she's having."


When we arrived there were about 50 people in line outside the door. We thought it was going to be a long weight; we were inside ordering within 10 minutes. They have this fabulous system where they give you a ticket as you enter. When you order, they mark your ticket with what you got and how much it costs. After you finish your meal, you take your ticket to the cashier and pay as you leave. The restaurant was packed; however, Katz has this system down so they are able to accommodate quite nicely to the large crowds, which there definitely were.

Now for the food. I have never had pastrami before but knew that it was a must have, since that is what the rave is all about; and let me tell you the "rave" is well founded. This was by far the best sandwich I have ever had. The pastrami has so much flavor and almost melts in your mouth. Of course, you had to pay a good $15+ for a sandwich but it was WELL worth it. The best part was that Jordan loved it as well! We were 1 for 1!

Katz is right next to the Deitch Wall...so of course we had to take a picture!

After our bellies were full we headed down to see the Bodies Exhibit (the exhibit that shows a whole bunch of dead people without their skin...to put it simply) However, we opted out because the weather was so nice. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold (when the sun was out). Jordan kept commenting how the weather was "perfect"....we were 2 for 2!

Instead we walked around the lower part of the island taking in all that NYC had to offer:
-The pier which felt a lot like San Fran
-Wall Street
-Parks
-We even saw a movie or tv being shot

We walked so much that we were all pooped and headed home early to recuperate...you don't want to over do the first day. On the way home we stopped by my favorite place in NYC, Grand Central. We showed them the amazing architecture and the "whisper arch." I love stuff like this. If you and a friend stand at opposite ends of the underpass and one of you speaks towards the wall at a normal volume, the other person can hear you perfectly even though you are a good 20 feet away and facing in the opposite direction. It is awesome.