New York rocks…but holy crap is it cold. We got on the plane it was 80 degrees, we got off it was 51 with 30-40 mph winds. The first thing Cara noticed was how every car honks, hahaha. I have had the best two days with Cara. Yesterday when we arrived, we drove straight into town and checked into the hotel. We are staying in midtown, on East 51st street and Madison Avenue at the Rockefeller Center Hotel. It is incredibly nice. Very modern and contemporary, just the way we like it. Yesterday afternoon and evening had nothing scheduled with NBC. We decided to meet one of my best friends, Nathan, who lives in the city and goes to NYU at his apartment in Soho. He suggested a restaurant called Blue Ribbon and that is where we went. It was a great introduction for Cara to NYC dining. I surprised Cara with a random stop on the way home in Times Square. After that we went back uptown to our hotel and called it a night.

This morning we got up, earlier than expected with a phone call from Mrs. Alagna telling us about the article that the Island Packet published today. We got up shortly after and ate breakfast and hung around until our first 11:30 AM meeting with the rest of the couples and the TODAY Show producers. It was a rather intense meeting with lots of rules and things to expect on the show. (much of which cannot be commented about) That meeting ended at about 1:30

The next scheduled thing wasn’t until dinner at 6:00 so we had a few hours off. We ate a little, went to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and walked around Mid-town. We got back to the room around 3:30 and I decided to go to the gym; Cara hung around the room, relaxed and watched TV.

Six O’clock came quickly and we went to dinner with the rest of the couples at Fresco by Scottos. It was AMAZING!!!!! Cara had Mozzarella and tomato with artichoke hearts, red endive, and a basil pesto topped with a drizzle of Balsamic reduction and Olive Oil. Entrée was a simple spring mix salad. I didn’t have an app because I had a 64oz New York Strip. OH MY GOD!!!!! I will post pictures tomorrow. Dinner’s finale was two servings of six different desserts…… need I say more!

We then headed back to the hotel bar called Johnny Utah’s. It was a trendy bar with a young crowd. Sort of a south west swing to a NY bar. There was a mechanical bull and Cara and I decided to give it a run. She did amazing and I think I held my own.

It’s ten o’clock on the dot and about an hour past our bedtime. We are getting up at four AM and need some sleep. See all of you tomorrow and I hope you love us….