NYC

NYC what is it about you??
Yes we survived our big trip to the city. I was so nervous about the flying and walking but it was fabulous and I'm so glad I could go! We saw so much in the few days we were there (Wed-Sunday). What exactly did we do? I had to write down the details in our travel journal so I wouldn't forget as I already am...it was so much! We saw Rockefeller Center- which is really small, and that was surprising, they make it look huge on T.V. but it's this little area in between some buildings. We went to Times Square of course, where all the tourists flock and take pictures- there are even tables and chairs there so you can just sit and watch the cabs and people around you. The Broadways let out there too, so it's gets crazy at night. We went to the huge Toys R Us at Times Square (three stories of fun) and rode the carousel in it ( a real life sized one). We went to the M &M store- where they have every color imagineable for only $13 a pound- we didn't buy any, and the Hershey store, where it smells heavenly like chocolate. We went to my favorite store ever- FAO Schwartz, where they have 3 floors of toys- it's where the movie Big was filmed with Tom Hanks playing on the life size piano- which is there and you can play on it. They had some awesome toys there, some life sized, including an elephant and giraffe I'd love to have (but for $500 each, a little too high for us!). We did get a little rabbit for our son from my favorite book and illustrator, Guess how much I love you.
We also went to Ground Zero to see where the twin towers were, we stopped in St. Peters Chapel which was across from it, a memorial now since fireman and workers all rested there during that horrific event.
We went to China town, where I picked up a lovely scarf for $5- the fashion everywhere is leggings and scarves. The whole wearing the leggings as pants, doesn't really fly with me, but I think they are cute with a long shirt! We also picked up some scarves for a friend that asked us to get her some and gave us some money, and I tried my very best to haggle with the street vendor, which we did end up with a good deal I suppose.
We did get some real NY pizza- which was so yummy, the thick cheese and pepporoni was delicious, and the crust was thin. It was greasy and I have pictures of us wiping it down with napkins but soo good! The pizza in NY is different, I kept getting a small scent of anise, maybe it's the water they use?
Other sites we saw: MOMA (modern museum of art) where we saw Monet's Water Lilies- very impressive scale, Andy Warhols pop art, Mondrian, Seurat's pointillism in his work, and Van Gogh's Starry Night, and some other works. It was cool to see them close up after learning about them for years, and being artists we can appreciate their work all the more.
We also saw a broadway- the West Side Story, and Jonah waited in line for tickets so we got them for 40% off, still pricey but a good discount. The theater was a new experience too, it was cool to attend a broadway, and pretty good, but the seats were so close together!! Our leg room was smaller than a plane, crazy!
Then we stopped at the Empire State Building at around 11p.m. which was breathtaking. The city went on for miles, and was all sparkly and shiny with the millions of lights. It was so windy up there too!!
Then on Sunday we attended church in Times Square (there's really a Times Square Church) and went to a tour at NBC studios. Then we flew back home and passed out on the couch....
It was a fabulous whirlwind trip full of activity, new experiences, great food and good memories. I'm sure we will look back and remember this trip for years to come and I'm so grateful for the chance to go!!
It was so different going there after hearing about it and seeing it for so long (I'm a NY native, originally from upstate) and it was definitely different from what I thought.
The space is so much tighter and smaller almost than I pictured, but overall it was much safer than I thought. If you keep moving and don't target yourself as an obvious tourist that doesn't know what there doing your fine. We utilized the subway and walking along with some crazy cabs to get around. I learned I'd never ever drive there- you have to be out of your mind to drive there. Everyone honks and swerves, delivery trucks park along the sides, sometimes in the middle of the road, you just go around them, cars cut each other off, pedestrians are always walking across intersections...craziness.
The sounds I became familiar with were the honking of horns- all the time.
It's such a different lifestyle, I am thankful I grew up in the country, this trip made me realize I could never really be a city girl, it's just not for me! I saw kids with their moms and I can't imagine how it must be to go to school, get groceries and such all in the city. The nice thing is everything is so close, you can pick up an apple from a cart, or a bagel, or grab some fresh produce from the open market, or fresh cheese from the deli, but then you have to cart it back by foot or take the subway. Then the buildings are smaller inside too, bathrooms are smaller, unless you are rich and famous and can afford a big space. It's expensive too! I am a coupon girl and I don't think you can use the couponing system at their markets!
So overall, it was a wonderful trip, a good experience and full of many memories to come. I have so many pictures, I'm editing now, so perhaps I can post a couple soon.