We started our last full day in NYC with a cruise around the island. The guide was really fun and informative. For example, we know that his ex-wife, Julia lives in Queens. We were told that the cruise, which cost us only ten bucks each, would be a great investment, and we now agree. It gave such a good general view of everything and a history lesson to boot.
This cage is a golf driving range out into the water. The interesting thing is that this is the pier where the survivors of the Titanic were brought.
One World Trade Center: it dominates the skyline at 1776 feet tall
The Brooklyn Bridge: it's way cooler than any of other bridges there.
The New York City Skyline
This lady is one of the main things that I wanted to see in NYC, and she did not disappoint! She was so tiny from the Empire State Building, but she was magnificent up close. I'm not able to put into words what I felt in her presence, but I had a real "moment" when I was there so close to her. It was a mixture of pride, patriotism, hope for the immigrants who still dream of being welcomed, and hope for the future of the children in my home right now.
Ellis Island. I would love to spend days there, soaking in the history! It is closed (or closing?) for quite a while for restoration. There just wasn't time for everything on this trip.
While trying to get up the nerve to hail a cab to take us to the far reaches of Central Park, we walked several blocks and saw the Cake Boss Cafe. We decided it would be wrong to pass it up since we've seen most of the episodes. We each had a delicious cannoli and bought a box of biscotti to bring home to the others.
I know it's not very original to love Starry Nights, but I have always loved it. It was so much better in person than in books and posters. The depth and texture added so much! Oh, these three pictures of from the Museum of Modern Art. We tried to go to the free Friday nights at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, too, but the line was a little more than we had patience to handle.
Brishen did a presentation on Dali, so he was pleased to see this one.
To get why I made Brishen take a picture with this painting, you'd have to read the children's book, Olivia. It has been a staple in our house since Brishen was little, so I recognized this work of art right away. I thought I'd impress my younger 7 with a picture of it to compare. The oldest one thought I was silly.
We had a few culinary objectives on this trip, as well. We ate bagels, and we ate cheesecake. We ate from a the food cart above, and, yes, we even ate our Famous Ray's Pizza folded like a real New Yorker.
We didn't actually go inside the Guggenheim, but we did get to see it and the architecture that makes it so famous. This was important to Brishen since he has the Lego Architecture version in his room. We are easy to please.
I guess this means I get too much of my exposure to the world from ways other than travel (TV, books, movies, board games), but so much of what I saw was exciting because of where else I had seen it. Park Avenue, of course, reminded me of Monopoly, as did many other streets. Brishen didn't find that too exciting. I was reminded often of my favorite Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romantic movies as we walked along quiet streets of got off the elevator at the Empire State Building. Seinfeld reminders were everywhere. I first saw the giant piano at FAO Schwarz in the movie, Big. I guess this is why I really wanted to see the city for myself. I have seen so often how others portray it that it was time to put it all in context for myself.
This was a quiet street near the Guggenheim where the locals walk and talk and shop. The strollers are crazy fancy. The kids were obviously locals because the parents weren't freaking out if they ran on ahead. The doormen made sure we never tried to enter any of the residences. This was another time when I was glad that we did so much walking even though my feet were about dead by this point.
Brishen didn't really get why I was so set on fitting in a trip to this toy store until after we visited. I am very glad he was the only one of my kids who was there with me. It was a sight to see with every toy you could imagine, including tiny teddy bears for $150. We found every brand we love and were introduced to new wants by the convincing sales people. We walked out without making a purchase, which our bank account appreciates, but I'm very glad we went and explored
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