(Travel) Last day pictures

(Travel) Last Day in NYC

Marco was determined to get up early for our final day in New York. It was a bit painful, but we were out by 9 o'clock. (Don't laugh.) Our destination was the High Line. The High Line is an elevated walk over the Chelsea District. It once was a railroad track but has now been converted into a green space/board walk/art space. I'm really bad at taking pictures, but trust me when I say it was beautiful.

Bagels for breakfast and back to the hotel to pack up our luggage and store it in the hotel until we had to leave for JFK. When that was settled, we took a subway to meet Brandon at Madison Square Park for a burger at the Shake Shack. He touted this as the best burger ever. The line was immense, so I reserved judgement until I received my order. Wow. It was a juicy patty wedged between two potato buns and slathered in a tangy sauce. Just wow. Some of my best experiences in NYC were hanging out with Brandon. We walked us down to Washington Square Park where we enjoyed some live music and chatted. The parks in the city are green oasis and great public spaces to hangout. On the way back to the subway we stopped at The Strand bookstore to purchase a few books for the flight.

Friday night is a busy night to be leaving the city, but we were able to get a cab to the airport. It was a long ride.

Today the boys were up early. My body is a bit confused, but nevertheless I'm up and sipping on my first cup of coffee. 

Final thoughts: NYC was the best big city I've every visited. It was surprising how easily we could maneuver through public transit, and it was clean and safe. We all had an amazing time.

(Travel) MoMA/Chinatown/NY Public Library/Times Square

Our last full day in NYC began very late. We got out the door and had a late breakfast at a diner around the corner. From there we took the subway to the MoMa. The museum was crowded with many visitors. We decided to check out the audio tour which helped us learn a bit more about the art that we were viewing. For many of the pieces they had an analysis geared towards kids. I enjoyed them, too. Marco's tastes differ from mine when it comes to art, so I took the kids to give them a tour of the fifth and fourth floors. The boys and I visited the "greatest hits" of the MoMA, and then found the Education Center for children. It was an interactive area for the kids to make a stop motion movie and create something out of paper. 

From Uptown we decided to take a subway to see the New York Public Library because we're geeky like that. The kids enjoyed reading books in the children's section while I marveled at the architecture. It's grand. The main rooms that I wanted to view were closed for "inspection", but we were still able to appreciate some of the smaller reading rooms. The library also borders one end of Bryant Park. Bryant Park is a public space that has many cool things going on. Game tables, clubs and classes are offered. Free. 

By 3 o'clock we were hungry and decided to check out a restaurant in Chinatown that Brandon recommended. They are know for their soup dumplings. These are steamed dumplings filled with broth and a small meatball. Really tasty and hot dim sum. Chinatown wasn't really our scene. There are sales people every 10 feet asking if you want to buy a watch or purse (all fake), but we enjoyed our meal immensely. 

Back to the hotel to rest our legs for a couple hours. We ventured out for our last opportunity to see Times Square at night. As soon as we got off the subway it began to rain. We have been carrying umbrellas with us for awhile, but ironically decided to ditch the backpack for the evening. We walked a few blocks before we decided that we had seen enough of the lights and valued being dry more. Early to bed, so we can walk the High Line tomorrow morning. 

(Travel) Museum of Natural History/Carnegie Deli

Another museum day in NYC. Now the Natural History Museum has a pretty impressive collection of just about everything history and science related, but even more impressive is the setting. The architecture of the building is amazing: arches, columns and high ceilings that compete with the content of the spectacular displays of dinosaur bones and whales. We snacked at the museum because Marco was taking us to Carnegie Deli. 

$24 for a sandwich? Did you see the picture? It fed all four of us. I'm not a fan of pastrami, but this was tender and juicy. The rye bread was soft. I slathered some mustard on the edge of each bite and kept repeating, "this is so good, this is so good." Even the boys enjoyed the sandwich. Up next was a slice of NY cheesecake topped with strawberries. I enjoy a slice of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake every once in awhile, but find it rich and dense. This cheesecake was just different in texture and taste. We all left feeling very satisfied and a bit full.

The boys headed back to the hotel while I went to the laundry mat to wash some clothes that got soiled. (Long story). I dashed back in time to get dressed and headed to Wall St. for bible study at David and Kami Deruig's house. There were thirteen people in our bible study. What a cool group of people! 

(Travel) POTUS/Met/FAO Schwarz/Serendipity

Everything we did today was totally eclipsed by the fact that THE President of the United States was in town today. What are the chances of actually seeing THE President?

Our first adventure of the day began with our first trip uptown to the Met. We took a quick jaunt through Central Park luckily following a group of school children who were on a field trip to the Met. The Met is enormous, and has an overwhelming amount of things to see. You could easily spend five days in the museum. We enjoyed the Arms and Armor exhibit, the Modern and Contemporary exhibit, and the European Painters exhibit. Mateo took a picture of every Picasso the Met had displayed. I was a bit star struck by the Van Goghs. Three exhibits in five hours?!?!  It felt strange only visiting a small fraction of the museum, but the density of amazing art is a bit overwhelming.

We left the Met to take a taxi to the place they boys have been anticipating: FAO Schwarz. After visiting every boy section (definitely avoiding the girlie, pink areas of the store), the boys spent their vacation money on some Lego sets and Spy Gear. The next stop was Marco's choice. Marco and I have eaten at the Serendipity in Las Vegas a few times. They have the best. grilled. cheese. sandwich. Unfortunately, the menu in NYC is different. The food was just okay. Serendipity has a cluttered, eclectic vibe. For being another tourist attraction I was surprised at how friendly the staff was to everyone. The meal ended with two frrrrozen hot chocolates which were delicious.

A crowded subway back to midtown to rest our legs at the hotel. As we were leaving the subway we saw the streets were being blocked off, which was a bummer because both of the boys had to use the bathroom. The police were telling people that the President was driving through and that the street would be blocked for twenty minutes. The poor boys were bouncing up in down (they had to go pee), while we waited along the barricades. It didn't take long for a few hippies to show up with protest signs. There were so many police officers, dogs, and helicopters. Then the police cars started driving by, followed by black SUVs, followed by two black Lincoln Continentals with American flags and the Presidential seal. Now, it was pretty difficult to actually see through the tinted windows. But, I think that I could see the President waving. The two presidential vehicles were followed by more cars, and then it was all over. The police moved the barricades and everyone continued on their way. Just another day in New York.

(Travel) 9-11 Memorial

After a nap and a delicious panini at a shop around the corner, we took the E train to the World Trade Center. The 9-11 Memorial is very moving. It was a beautiful evening to sit and view the memorial. 

(Travel) Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island

We could have easily spent the whole day between the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We took a subway down to Battery Park and boarded a boat with many other tourists to visit the Lady.  The National Park Service has a very nice audio tour for each location. We were unable to procure tickets for Crown or Pedestal access, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience regardless. It's quite moving to reflect upon the fact that the Statue of Liberty would have been the first thing many immigrants saw upon arriving to the United States. After a few hours touring the grounds, we took another boat to Ellis Island. By then the island was packed. It was a bit overwhelming with so many people, but we were able to watch a film and quickly walk through each level. We were beat. Lots of sun and walking for the day. Back to the hotel for a nap!