New York, Part Deux

I should probably begin by explaining that Tim has a hotel room in the city for the month, courtesy of his company. And so we decided to take advantage of that, since New York City is very expensive… Anyway, Clay had classes, so Paige and I flew up last week for a few days. It seemed like a great idea since the forecast was for rain here…and we had a boil water advisory for our little beach area. Sadly, I didn’t bring my (real) camera this time, so snapchat photos will have to suffice.

We left Thursday and got to spend that day with Tim before he left for work. He surprised us with tickets to Something Rotten, which was fabulously funny and absolutely great. We loved it!

The next day Paige and I headed to Chinatown to do a little (ahem!) shopping on Canal Street. After a bit of haggling, we walked to Little Italy for a quick snack and to rest our feet and people watch for a bit.

After our respite we headed on to Greenwich Village. We did a bit more shopping, a lot of walking, and finally had a late lunch/early dinner at Famous John’s (Thanks for the recommendation, Theresa!) It was delicious!

While we were noshing on our pizza, we checked on the status of our lottery entries for some of the sold out shows we hoped to see – Hamilton, in particular. Sadly, but not surprisingly, we did not win. So we opted for discounted tickets for an old favorite. And it did not disappoint.

Saturday was museum day. We went to The Met and we spent hours there, yet probably were only able to see about a quarter of the exhibits. It was all just amazing. And slightly overwhelming…so much to see!

And Sunday (when it started raining in the city, and the sun came out at home) we decided to head home.

It’s good to be back. Thankfully, the boil water advisory was lifted right after we got home. Perfect timing! 😊 I love visiting NYC…but it makes me appreciate my quiet, peaceful, tranquil home even more. Although…it might be worth the frenetic pace and constant barrage of sirens and honking horns to have access to those museums…

Posted on May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 by vkfamily 2

Strawberry Fields Forever (Day 4)

We all slept quite late our last day in the city (after our late evening at School of Rock!) Thankfully, it had stopped raining, although still chilly and overcast, so we decided to explore Central Park.

It always amazes me how tranquil and serene the park can be, especially considering that it’s right in the middle of this huge, frenetic city. I also always forget how much I love it there. I was quickly reminded of the many things I love about the park…from the boats, to the statues, to the placards on the benches with lovely quotes, to Belvedere Castle and the Ramble (probably my favorite, honestly) and the street performers.

Walking through the Ramble was my favorite part. It’s so lovely. And so amazing that those beautiful woods are right in the middle of a giant, crazy city.

And that was it for our family getaway to the city. It was great. It was fun.

I love New York. I really do. But, honestly, it wears me out. It is a city full of energy and I’m a middle aged mom who needs her sleep.

I’m happy to be home. But I’ll be back, New York, I’ll be back.

Posted on May 10, 2016 by vkfamily 0

I Want to Wake Up in a City That Never Sleeps (Day 3)

Our third day in the city, we set out for the American Museum of Natural History (scene of Night at The Museum). It was another rainy day, and it was packed. But once getting through the long, long line to buy tickets (hint: the suggested ticket price of $22 is just that; a suggestion. You can pay any amount. 😊) the museum did not disappoint. Actually, even as we were waiting in the interminable ticket line, we were entranced….

The dinosaurs were pretty awesome. I was expecting T-Rex and Stegosaurus, but was quite surprised by the enormous stag/deer/elk thing and the humongous ancient armadillo, among others!

I must admit, however, that finding T-Rex made us very happy. We were all quite taken with him.

Clay was enthralled by every single thing about the oceans exhibit…from the sharks to the jellyfish to the huge blue whale.

The museum was lots of fun and the perfect activity for a cold, rainy day. We could have spent hours more exploring, but we needed to get back to the hotel and freshen up before heading out again…

We saw School of Rock and IT WAS FABULOUS! Alex Brightman (Dewey Finn) is amazing, and the kids all play their own instruments and are just so incredibly talented. It was wonderful!

Here’s a little clip from Broadway.com.

Posted on May 9, 2016 by vkfamily 0

These Little Town Blues Are Melting Away (Day 2)

Our second day in the city was filled with touristy stuff. Which was actually a lot of fun, in spite of the drizzly, dreary, 50 degree day.

We started out on the Staten Island Ferry…which provided lots of photo opportunities with beautiful views of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty. And it was free!

Then we walked. We walked through Grand Central Terminal, ate lunch downstairs in the food court, and then walked to the Empire State Building – after a quick stop off at the library for a few more photos. Yes, the ESB is predictable and touristy. And it’s expensive, and the lines are crazy-long. We know. But the kids have never been…and it’s just one of those things you have to do.

And those views! You really cannot beat them.