New York City and Jennifer Esposito

This past March I got the opportunity to fulfill one of my bucket list dreams. Travel to New York City, the big apple, the city that never sleeps... you get the picture, it's pretty awesome :)

I was invited on an east coast road trip by good family friends the Hartnetts. After dropping off one Hartnett kid in Jersey, Anne, whom I call my second mom, and Katie, my "other" younger sister, and I boarded the train into the city.

 Anne had lived in the city years ago and knew the ropes. So, we filled our 2 days there with all the must-sees and beautiful sights we could possibly fit in.

I absolutely LOVED it, the people, the business, the SHOPPING (bye bye savings at Michael Kors).

Here were some of the highlights for me:
The famous Plaza hotel, just as beautiful as I would have pictured it, anyone who ever watched the Eloise movies as a kid should take a peek at the old lobby, it's gorgeous!

Shopping on Madison and  5th.... let me tell ya right now... Tiffany's is real guys, like jaw dropping, diamond studded real. Armani, Versace, Prada, Dolce and Gabanna.... also real... ha ok, I just looked, but I can pretend like I can shop at these places right!?

Rockefellar Center: just as beautiful as I would have thought, with an added bonus of seeing a proposal as we ate dinner at their rink-side restaurant!

Central Park: Serene. The boathouse, the fountain, the gorgeous paths and views of the city. I loved our long stroll through the inner city landscape.

The Boathouse! 

A couple other highlights include:

• Seinfeld Diner
• Stardust Diner: SO entertaining and good food! Highly recommend it!
• Rockefellar building(where I actually realized I don't like heights at night.... minor panic attack, no biggie)
• Columbia university
• Mamma Mia on Broadway (SO amazing!)

One of my absolute favorite parts, however, was visiting Jennifer Esposito's gluten-free bakery.

Jennifer is one of my favorite actresses and gluten-free connoisseurs. She raises awareness for celiac disease and shares her story of illness and hardships as she fought to find a diagnosis.

She also founded Jennifer's Way, spreading awareness about Celiac, and sharing her delicious gluten free recipes and products. This then led to the opening of her bakery in NYC, so of course we made the trip to 10th street and avenue A to taste her delicious treats!

Let me say this, it has been a long time since I have gone somewhere and been able to choose anything I want from a tray of goodies and know it wont make me sick...

So we got to the tiny, but cute bakery, and who do I see when I walk in the door.... Jennifer Esposito herself, standing 3 feet in front of me... Katie and Anne had to give me a little shove to keep moving through the door as I stood starstruck in front of the actress.

After I spend a couple minutes picking out delicious bread and treats, I turn to leave. But then I realized, I really really really want a picture with her.... but didn't want to bother her.

 Katie, the wise 16 year old advises me on this dilemma.
"Maria. How many times are you going to get this chance, to meet her, and to introduce yourself....ONE!"

So.... I asked, and she graciously agreed to take a picture. So it happened, I met my favorite actress and have a picture to prove it :)

She will always be my inspiration as I can completely relate to her story. Being sick, being scared out of my mind, not knowing what was wrong, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

 But I am forever grateful we DID figure it out, I am healthy as ever, and I can live my life the way I want to live it, treating every gluten-free challenge as a gift from God. 

One of these days I will share my story, the hardships I faced as gluten forced my life into a 180 spin during my first year of college. But for now I'm focused on the future, the chance I get to face my fears and chase my dreams. 

Here is a link to Jennifer's website, she has products, information, and her story. So take a look!   http://jennifersway.org

Happy Living!
~M