• Twelve • Twelve • Twelve • (NYC Day Five)

Our last day in NYC was a quick one but we made the most of it and even spotted someone semi-famous! We stumbled upon french bakery, La Bergamote Patisserie (ooooh la la, so fancy!), and had the most delicious breakfast we had the entire trip. Jeremy ordered mouthwatering "Every Kind of Berry" French Toast (that included raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries) and Asha devoured the best spinach-asparagus quiche she has ever tasted!

Before heading to NYC, Asha saw that there was an actual, physical Etsy (an online handmade marketplace) shop not too far from where Sianneth lived.  We talked Jeremy into going (he really didn't have a choice) and the three of us were on our way to SoHo, a neighborhood in New York noted for art galleries and many stores and shops. As the map on our phone told us we were closer and closer to our destination, we began to get a little worried as the area seemed a little vacant. As we made sure the address & location were correct, we peered up at a sign that read: RETAIL SPACE FOR LEASE. We quickly realized that the Etsy store that Asha thought was permanent, was really only there for a limited amount of time. Sigh. It turns out the Etsy Holiday Shop was a pop-up shop for a weeks amount of time and we missed it by a few days. Next time we'll make sure to pay attention to the details a little more closely (like opening and closing dates). According to this blog, it looked like it was a success to the community with lots of fun and creativity filling the room!

Walking to our "Destination"

What would have been the Etsy store -- Photo by Sara Kerens

A little bummed (not so much Jeremy), we left the once-upon-a-time Etsy storefront and decided to explore the area a little more. We headed to the neighborhood of Greenwich and passed by many buildings belonging to New York University. We came across Washington Square Park and were lead to the sounds of music only to find a group of kids ballroom dancing. We decided to stay and watch a little and Sianneth noticed someone who looked a little familiar. Jeremy then confirmed that it was "that guy from Dancing with the Stars". It turns out that guy was Tony Dovolani, the latest winner (with Melissa Rycroft) and Mirror Ball trophy holder of Dancing with the Stars!

We later found out that we were witnessing a Flash Mob of more than 100 Ballroom and Latin dancing schoolchildren from Harlem who were coming together to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims. Ballroom Basix, a non competitive partner dancing program, had worked with the kids before Hurricane Sandy hit. Ballroom Basix put together the RHUMBA 4 RELIEF flash mob and the dancing went down precisely at 12:12pm on 12-12-12. Perfect timing!



Tony was nice enough to take a picture with us after the dancing was over. He was very personable and the kids did a great job performing! It was great to be a part of the community gathering and see people coming together for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Time was limited and we had a plane to catch! After the flash mob, we rushed back to Sianneth's place to grab our luggage and we were out the door! Luckily we left enough time for us to get lost because we, of course, got turned around on the subway. After 30 minutes on the train we realized we were going the wrong way, ha! We finally made it to the airport and we flew home to our beloved beast, Apollo! We can't thank Sianneth and Jason enough for letting us stay with them during our visit! We had THE BEST time and can't wait to see what NYC brings during our next visit!