This is another one of those photo-heavy posts about our vacation. We split our vacation up by taking the kids to New York City for three days. I had only been once several years ago for just a day. I tried to find the link where we posted the photos from that so we could all see how much older I looked five years later, but apparently I never posted about it because the photos were lost in the Great Computer Crash of '07. Bummer. But I was excited to spend a little more time there and do some obnoxious touristy things.
Like take photos in Times Square.
I would like to go on record and say that Times Square is so not my favorite part of NYC. It's too loud and busy and hot and overwhelming. You couldn't pay me enough to be there on New Year's Eve. But we had to brave it to for tourism's sake and that's where THE LION KING was showing on Broadway.
That's right. I said, "Lion King on Broadway".
It was amazing. No wait, "amazing" isn't a big enough word. "Magical" or "spectacular" or "outstanding" are better, but still not quite right. I knew Phoebe and I would love it, but I wasn't so sure about Eli and Brad. Eli has said several times it was his favorite part about the vacation (but he has several favorites) and I think Brad enjoyed it. He's hard to read.
Eli was too cool to take a photo with MADAME TUSSAUDS wax figure of Rafiki. It was the only photo of a "cast member" we took. We (briefly) thought about waiting around for the cast to exit the stage door and meeting the ACU GRAD who plays the part of Pumba, but we had some antsy kids with us.
This is my favorite way to view Times Square. Aware of all the hustle and bustle, but not quite part of it.
After the Lion King, we walked around Times Square a bit more and then headed off to find something to eat. At this point, the kids fell apart. They were hot. They were tired. They were hungry. And they were d-o-n-e. This little episode prompted Brad to make the very best decision of our New York City trip, ever.
He bought us tickets on one of those double-decker TOUR BUSES that you see all over the city. They go every stop you can imagine and you can get off and on at whatever stop you please and there's "touristy" commentary on the rides. Seriously, this is the way to do New York City. You get to actually see it...and when it's way hot, you can ride in the air conditioned downstairs compartment. We managed to to take all the different tours available, except the Brooklyn tour, but that was included in the night tour, so we even got to experience a little of that, too.
Monday morning, we did the Uptown tour first thing while it was still pleasant. Did I mention that they were having record high temps the three days we were there? Lovely.
This is some famous museum. American Museum of Natural History, maybe? I took the photo because the statue on the left is Daniel Boone, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. No joke. I also had a relative in the Alamo, but that's a whole other bowl of beans!
This is just a pretty (and probably famous) church. At this point I decided to stop taking photos of buildings because I realized there was no way I was going to remember what I had taken photos of.
We jumped off at one of the Central Park stops along the tour. Can I tell you how much I love Central Park?! I could spend an entire day (or two) exploring it. I settled for a couple of good hours.
I made my kids ride THIS old carousel. I have a thing for carousels. They are a slice of whimsical history with beautiful art.
Eli was almost too cool to ride it. Almost.
So many good photo ops!
We came upon THIS stage (also called a bandshell...that's your free trivia for the day) while looking for a hot dog cart with some shade near it. Phoebe did what anyone would do.
She put on a show.
This comedian danced along for a few seconds to an oblivious Phoebe. I told him that's how we danced in Texas.
I took a video of her little performance and I'll post it later. It would make an already-too-long post even longer!
This was a guy blowing great, big bubbles. How cool is Central Park?
Enjoying our hot dogs from a hot dog cart.
After Central Park, we headed over to FAO SCHWARZ. As much as I love a good park, I love a good toy store, too. And not like the crazy, commercialized TOYS R US in Times Square, but one that maintains its identity as a place with quality, unique toys and a rich history to go with them. I'll admit it, I'm a toy store snob.
Plus they had Legos.
And a famous, giant piano. This time, Eli was too cool to get on it. Sigh.
DYLAN'S CANDY BAR was recommended to us by several people, so we stopped by there next. It was great fun. More so than I expected. That's what's nice about low expectations. You are constantly being blown away by things! I didn't take too many photos here, but we enjoyed a little snack at the ice cream bar and the kids had fun filling up their candy bags. It's a definite must-see in NYC...at least if you're there with kids.
Since we had tickets on the double-decker bus, we figured we needed to make a point of riding the subway at least once while we were there so we could say we've done it. This is the only photo of that memorable experience. I don't really like the subway. It's loud. It's dark. I never know where I am or where I'm going. It just stresses me out. So I only snapped this one photo of Eli...who thought it was great fun to ride the subway.
Then it was off to mecca for little girls. THE AMERICAN GIRL DOLL STORE. Phoebe had been waiting for this part of our trip for months! Since her birthday, actually. She'd gotten birthday money from us and Brad's mom to buy herself a doll. The boys headed next door to the Nintendo store while we shopped and looked and drooled over dolls.
She chose Kit. I might have been slowly and slyly manipulating her decision in this area because Kit really is the best one.
Then we met back up with Brad and Eli at ROCKEFELLAR CENTER.
We ate dinner with Erin under the street at the Rockefeller concourse and then headed off to the night tour. The few photos I took on that were pretty blurry so I didn't post them.
The next morning we got up and headed to the STATUE OF LIBERTY. We decided to actually go to Liberty and Ellis Island so I ordered our tickets online before we left. It allowed us to skip a big, long line. We did have to wait in a security line, but it moved pretty quickly. The views of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry are amazing.
On the island, you get a free audio tour when you buy your tickets. Brad was thrilled.
But they had a special audio tour for kids that made the trip so much more informative than us just walking around reading to them would have been. I did the kids' tour with them so we could stay together and I could help Phoebe with her headset. It was fairly user-friendly, but the girl is a mess when it comes to stuff like that!
My husband is a dork.
We rode the ferry over to Ellis Island. I think I was most excited about this because I just find it fascinating. The architecture and the history and the emotions in these walls is kind of staggering.
There was a audio tour here, too. Brad was kind of done with the whole Ellis Island so we didn't do the entire audio tour and I wasn't in the mood to push it. Despite the dazed looks on all their faces, it was interesting.
Back over in Manhattan, it was sweltering. Like hotter than fried hell. We had planned on exploring the area a bit and then going to the 911 MEMORIAL, but it was too hot. Since the memorial is still under construction, they can only have so many visitors at one time and you have to get free reservations in advance. Ours were for 4:30, but they let us go early.
It's a beautiful and reverent place. Eli and Brad explored a little bit more than Phoebe and I because Phoebe was falling apart. We were even asked by a security guard if everything was alright because she was lying on the concrete in the shade and crying. He made sure to make us aware of the drinking fountains located at either end of the memorial.
The next few hours were a bit of a blur. I remember walking and walking and walking to find the bus stop while Phoebe cried and cried and cried because she was hot and tired and couldn't walk anymore (or so she said). Then riding the bus back up to Rockefeller plaza in the heat behind three Amish couples who looked hotter than we were and thinking that NYC could really do with some good gusts of Amarillo wind. It wasn't the best three hours of our trip, but all part of the experience, right?
We ate dinner at GRAND CENTRAL STATION. It's another one of those New York City landmarks that I love and I can quite tell you why. There's the beautiful architecture juxtaposed with the busy, harried folks just trying to get where they need to get. Think of the stories that building could tell. Think of all the good-byes and the reunions that have happened in its long history. If that building were built today, it would be modern and utilitarian and cold because there would be no stories in its walls. New buildings make me sad. Apparently I was so overwhelmed by Central Station that I did not take one photo. Not one.
After dinner, we did the very last thing on our New York City To-Do List. The EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. We bought advance tickets for this, too. Brad really wanted to go at night so we got there just as the sun was setting. We were able to skip the lines for that, too. But really, they keep it moving pretty fast that you're at the top before you know it.
And my fear of heights sets in. It's irrational, I know. But I get light headed and anxious every time I get up somewhere high. You know, like 86 stories above ground. It's only if I'm outside, though. Being in an enclosed office building doesn't bother me one bit. Go figure. I sought the safety of the inside concourse while Brad and kids explored.
We met back up at the gift shop, where Phoebe was baffled by the little Empire State Building figurines with a bear on the top. Hee hee.
We left Wednesday morning (after a stop at the Dunkin' Donuts two doors down from our hotel). Experiencing New York City traffic was an event in and of itself...especially when an NY police officer got out of his car (on our right) and began yelling and cursing at the big truck (on our left) because he was blocking traffic. After that, we were glad to get back to the beach and the boardwalk. :)
And you'll be glad to know that there is only 1 more vacation post left!
I can hear you cheering from here.
