Now I truly know what it is about this city that everyone loves. I've been there before, but only for business. This time around, it was different. I attribute that to having my beautiful wife there with me to witness this special city with.

The history, the art, the lights, the people, basically the whole idea of New York is really appealing. We stayed in the heart of Times Square, everyone has to experience that once right? It was at the Millennium Hotel, about 50 stories above all the lights, high enough to drown out the sea of noise that never seems to quiet down. I certainly went through those city noise withdrawals while walking the dog back in rural Issaquah. Anyway, back to the story.

On our first night, we walked through the New York Public Library, a wonderfully designed building, strolled through Bryant Park and purchased Broadway tickets from TKTS. We went and saw 'A View from the Bridge' at the Cort Theatre. It was a very moving performance with Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson, both in top form.

The second day, we utilized our purchase of those touristy type passes, where you get to ride on a double-decker tour bus, hop on and off, and walk to your place of choice. We scored the first ride with a tour guide that was very funny and knew a lot about the city's history, as well as current events taking place around the island. Did you know the Macy's red star logo comes from a hand tattoo that Rowland Macy had on his hand? Me either. Or that the Empire State Building has its own zip code, but no one lives there? Whoa. There were tons of interesting facts like this on our first ride. We stepped off at Battery Park, ate some freshly honey-roasted peanuts, waded through the security lines and waited for the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty. We hopped on and had some wonderful views from the ferry of both the city and Ellis Island. We didn't get off as we wanted to save time for other sights to see.

After that, we walked to the World Trade Center site and paid our respects. They are working 24 hours a day straight on the new buildings and memorials scheduled to populate the area. Then we kept walking, and I mean walking. We took a stroll through Chinatown and what is left of Little Italy. Next, some shopping in SoHo and I got lost in the G-Star store for what seemed like hours. Then a call came in from my cousins who wanted us to meet them for some Japanese food at Robataya in the East Village. We had a great time, enjoying the ambience, the family and the Japanese chefs, who yelled every time they served up a dish, kinda surprising at first, but endearing by the end of the meal. Next stop, The Crooked Tree for some delicious crepes, and it was time to call it a night… or so we thought, as we took the Subway up to 34th Street and walked to the Empire State Building for some nighttime views. This particular building has always held a special place in my heart and it did not disappoint. From its shear height and art deco styling, this was truly a sight. I just had to yell "Jonah!" when getting to the outside doors of the viewing floor. Whew, enough for one day.

Last day of the New York Pass, but we used it well on museum row, but before that, we pit-stopped at Planet Hollywood, splitting some pizza that tasted like cardboard (but for the price $6 for the whole meal (New York Pass coupon), we couldn't complain too much), we caught the next bus going north. We saw where Madonna lives (sometimes), witnessed one of the last remaining bath houses, and paid our respects to the late John Lennon at Dakota Apartments. Then, after a quick stroll through Strawberry Fields, walked up to the Museum of Natural History. This building was amazing and while the exhibits were nice, we both thought it would have been better taking the kids there.

Our next stop, St. John the Divine Cathedral. What a huge place, you could fit the Notre Dame inside this building, literally. We hopped back on the bus, saw the largest bell tower in the nation, a little ice on the Hudson (first time in 20 years) and took the bus tour through Harlem. The Cotton Club, Apollo and masque dedicated to Malcolm X were highlights. Up next, museum row, but unfortunately we didn't have to time to visit the Guggenheim, because we were going to the Metropolitan Museum. Tough choice, but a wise one, as this was one of my favorite spots on the whole trip. We both walked throughout the huge museum until they literally kicked us out at 5:15. We saw some of the most amazing pieces of art and could have stayed there another hour at least. Afterwards, we caught a cab back to Times Square and ate at Junior's, a place known worldwide for its delicious cheesecake. We both believed it lived up to its claim, as well as serving up some mean ol' Red Devil's food cake.

The next day brought plenty more exciting things to do and places to visit. We contacted the New York Pass people about our faulty passes and they sent us to a building where we could pick up another 1-day pass for all our troubles on the first two days, NICE! We then decided to visit Rockefeller Center and see the city landscape during the day from the Top of the Rock, which, we were told, had views that matched those of the ones at the Empire State. It didn't quite have the same appeal or character of the Empire, but the sights were amazing indeed.

Next stop the MoMA, which we thought we wouldn't be able to visit, since we ran out of time on our old 2-day passes, but the gods smiled upon us and we headed straight there. Well, after a quick stop to a hot dog vendor for some polish sausages and hot sauce. The MoMA was a great museum, with a Tim Burton exhibit going on there now. I was amazed at the amount of sketches and art that he had produced, truly an underrated and wonderful talent. I was not aware that he directed Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, I loved that movie growing up (Large Marge!).

We then decided to go towards Korea-town for a bite to eat, then to West Village and try and find some cool little shops to peruse. One of the stores on my wishlist shut their doors days earlier (bummer) but we were able to find some great stores in its place. We walked along most of Bleecker Street (also one of my favs as we had a nice simple walk down the neighborhood together), ate some Gelato, and continued on to G-Star store no. 2 for more cash spending(!).

Ahhh, as our time in this awesomely mesmerizing city was almost at its end, we both thought we had experienced countless amazing things and had THE best time. It was hard to say goodbye…