Ahhh, here we are, friends!! The last big day of our Manhattan adventure!! If you’ve read the last two posts and looked at all the photos up until this point, you’re aces, so thank you!!! Our last full day was another action-packed one that included a stop at CNN to meet my amazing editors, but more about that in a bit…

First up: Remember when I teased you with talk of making my ABC television debut?? Yes, I admit that perhaps it was sort of clickbait-y, but it’s still mostly true!!

Guess who went to a taping of The View?!?!?

YESSSSSS…I practically couldn’t believe it either!!! I still can’t believe that I got to go to THE VIEW…such a cool experience!!! It was SO surreal to see all my favorite hosts up close…can you believe how close I was to the stage??? Totally fangirled, but guess what?? #SorryNotSorry

And look…you can see my front wheel. Does this mean I can check off my bucket list item of being on the show??

After working with editors Jane Carr and Yaffa Fredrick on nearly 20 op-eds over the last two years, it was an honor to meet them in person!! They’ve made me a better writer and I can’t thank them enough for the wonderful tour of CNN studios today!!

After our tour, we enjoyed some outdoor time at The High Line…

…and explored the sweet deliciousness that is Dylan’s Candy Bar; as you can imagine, I was in heaven surrounded by all those sweet treats!!!

And, just for fun because I couldn’t resist posting this adorable photo of Ms. Bear.

Allow me to caption this photo as if it were a celebrity candid in the pages of Us Weekly…

NYC, July 26th
Sharon Blake stops for a bite of street food while exploring the city’s Upper West Side.

The very best part of the trip, though, was getting to spend some quality time with family! I don’t get to see my mom’s family nearly enough and it was wonderful to catch up on each other’s lives. They truly are the BEST family in the world and I really wish we all lived closer so we could get together more often!!!

Whew!! We made it!! I have a few other NYC-adjacent posts that I’ll be doing in the coming weeks, but I was so excited to show you all photos of our adventures!! As always, thanks for reading and being so awesome!!!! I love you… xoxo

Happy Wednesday, friends!!! Well, if you read yesterday’s post, then you know that we didn’t waste any time getting settled in! As soon as our plane touched down, the fun begin right away. After all, we only had three days to explore the wonderful Big Apple. There was certainly zero time for our (OK, mostly mine…) slow-poke ways! We got right down to business, taking a leisurely stroll around Central Park; it was so nice because Mona’s apartment was within walking distance and the weather was beautifully sunny and warm!!

We’d walked around Central Park AND explored a bit of Columbus Circle…all by 11 a.m. Remember, I’m typically still snoozing at this time, so this was a pretty big deal for me!

I felt hip. I felt chic. I felt like I was part of the in-crowd — you know, those Manhattan movers and shakers who cross those busy NYC streets with a sense of purpose and determination!! Honestly, it sort of felt like my Carrie Bradshaw moment, but more about that in a separate post!!

Confession: I about died during this next part of our trip. It’s not an understatement to say that I became a complete fangirl, even though I tried to hide it well. Are you ready for this?

Really ready?

Because IT’S BIG…

I entered the hallowed halls of Hearst Tower!!!! Yes, the epicenter of magazines and sacred ground for us writers!!! It was everything I thought it would be — a beautiful building, in-the-know editors going up and down the escalator. The energy was inspiring and palpable.

My favorite part of being a writer is the friendships that I’ve made over the years!! I was honored to meet April Franzino in person. As Good Housekeeping’s Beauty Director, she continues to inspire me!! Thanks so much for the wonderful tour, April…

The afternoon saw another “first” on our trip: SEEING MY FIRST BROADWAY SHOW. As I said on social media…Ain’t too proud to say…I’m seeing my first Broadway show!!! You all know just how obsessed I am with all things The Temptations, so seeing their remarkable, decades-long story come to life on the stage was such a thrilling experience. Plus, all the songs were even more toe-tapping and infectious than they were in the classic made-for-TV movie from the late ’90s. 10/10, I highly recommend spending an afternoon at the theater…wish I would have done it years ago!

After the musical, we walked around Times Square, and, yes, in case you’re wondering, the place was as hopping as ever. So. Many. People. Everywhere.

We walked a total of 6.5 miles that day and traversed some 20 blocks just to get back to Mona’s place from Times Square. But good news: My battery kept its charge all day! Just like me!

Tune in tomorrow for more city fun and I’d love to hear all about your travel adventures too! What places have you visited lately? What’s your favorite vacation of all time? xoxo

Ooooh, friends!!! As I’ve been fond of saying lately, “That was a time!!!” And nowhere is that phrase more appropriate than when talking about our amazing trip to the Big Apple!!! As you can probably imagine (and especially if you were following my adventures in real time on Twitter!), our time in NYC was pure magic and better than anything in my wildest dreams!! Allow me to recount all the tales all this week because this trip of a lifetime deserves more than one post! First up: Day one includes airport fun and Lincoln Center…

We were up bright on early on that first day! If you know my sleep schedule, you know that getting up at 7 a.m. is practically the middle of the night for me. But, we were about to jet set to the big metropolis, so this was no time for snoozing! We made it to the airport and, of course, had plenty of time to spare! Ms. Bear believes in getting to the gate VERY early, which is fine by me because…

Look…our gate was right across from the CNN newsstand!! It’s fate!!! I must admit that I felt a surge of pride when I saw the newsstand — I thought, “I’m so proud to be a regular contributor for CNN.”

Two and a half hours later, following a complimentary Diet Coke and trying to read a celebrity weekly without getting nauseous (no success there!)…

Post-flight hair, don’t care because…WELCOME TO NEW YORK. “I can’t believe I’m actually here,” I thought as I rolled off the plane and took in the sights and bustle of LaGuardia Airport!! I could feel the pulse of the city already and it was my first time in Queens! My heart started to race at the mere thought of all the excitement that awaited us!

Whew! Just our first HALF day in NYC had lots and lots of fun firsts. First time taking an Uber. First time at Lincoln Center…complete with a pretty water show!!

But my absolute favorite part of our first day?? Getting to meet a dear writer friend in person for the first time!! Laura and I became fast friends two years ago after she edited my essay in Good Housekeeping, and I’ve admired her ever since!! It was such an honor to go out to dinner (we went to indie food and wine, a really interesting restaurant close to Lincoln Center!

and talk about everything from writing to our fathers — so grateful to know this exceptional writer and kind soul.

I also want to mention just what going on this trip means and how important it is: All three of us are really proud of ourselves for getting to the Big Apple! Special thanks to my mom and Janelle for helping me so much and my cousin Mona for being a wonderful host/tour guide!!

Be sure to check back on Wednesday and Friday for more photo fun from our adventures, including my ABC television debut, my first Broadway show and the thrill of meeting a true beauty guru!! Like I said, friends, IT WAS A TIME… xoxo