New York City! Thursday - Central Park

Shantel's #1 thing to do in New York was making sure we visited the temple. It is up near central park, and we could have stopped by with the kids, but we really wanted to be able to go inside. However, trying to do that in the middle of the day would take up a lot of time, so we decided to get up super early (5:30) so we could get up to the temple around 6:30. Bruce agreed to watch the girls when they woke up. We managed to navigate the subway on our own and it was fun to see the angel Moroni on top of the building. It was really interesting because the temple had different floors and you took the elevator from floor to floor to get to everything. Since it was so early we were pretty much the only ones there except the workers. We did initiatory and then met in the celestial room. It was really cool because I finished first and went to the Celestial room and there was not a single person in there, including any temple workers. It was so peaceful to be there alone in the celestial room and be able to think and reflect. 

We headed back to Bruce's and then got changed and headed out to Central Park to start the day.

The girls were watching Safari Live with Bruce when we got back, it was super cute.

We went by Macy's  34th Street store to see the displays and then took the subway.

Note: That hat was a huge win. Aubrey was getting a hat and Lydia really wanted one too. They were only $5 so we figured that was fine. Then she wanted hats that we did not love and so we ended up not getting one. Fortunately, later on we found one we could all agree on. 

This is one of my very favorite pictures. It was so nice to have the one on one time with Lydia. I feel like Shantel and I both had numerous moments like these of just engaging and interacting with Lydia and this picture captures if perfectly. 

We walked through the park together, here are some of the highlights:

-Seeing the statue of Balto the dog (we had just watched this movie with Lydia)

-Stopping and climbing on rocks

-The biggest hit was a giant playground. It was a castle type system with running paths in it and those were filled with water and then there were other things that sprayed water. Then back behind the castle thing were some giant rocks that Lydia loved to climb on. The girls loved it and must have played there for an hour. 

-Stopping by the lake and taking pictures on the bridge and then walking around to the other side and finding some turtles swimming in the water. 

-Climbing Trees: Lydia and Aubrey found a few great climbing trees and we were pretty tired, so we were happy to sit for a bit while they played. 

-Tire swing: Last stop in the park was the tire swing. 

After the park we went to the Museum of Natural history. It was super nice because it was a great place to cool off. We spent most of the time looking at the animal displays. The best part was when we were looking at any of the African Animals and Bruce would pull the girls close and tell them some interesting facts about each animal. 

After the museum we went to a restaurant called Empanada Mama. Bruce had been talking about how great it was and it did not disappoint. It was my favorite thing we ate the whole trip. They had about 50 different empanadas you could choose from and we picked 10 or so that sounded good and order about 20 empanadas to split. They were amazing. Also, the guacamole was super delicious. It was really nice to sit down and relax and chat for an hour or so. 

The walking that morning was pretty hefty and we were tired and so were the girls. We headed back to Bruce's to relax for a bit. Wendy was so good and played Go Fish with the girls. 

We decided to head to the Brooklyn Bridge. On the way we headed over to China town. We did not have a lot of time. Lydia had saved her money for the trip and she saw the Chinese fans and was so excited for them. She spent a while picking out her favorite one and it was a hard decision, but she was so excited.

We got to the bridge and spent some time letting the girls run around a grassy field and then got some ice cream. We waited until it got dark and we watched the city light up. It was a beautiful view and was so much fun.

Hard to see, but this was a huge set up elevators. I love Shantel and this is such a great pictures. She makes everything more fun. I'm so grateful we were both able to go together.

I love this picture. Lydia was so tired at the end of the night. Shan and I did not even try and stop her from sprawling out on the ground while we waited for the train. 

We had a great day. 

New York City! Wednesday - Statute of Liberty and Broadway Play

First thing on our Agenda was the Statue of Liberty.

We walked over to the subway and took the train down to the waterfront. On the way over we walked right through the garment district (Bruce lives right by the 42nd street port authority, which is by Times Square and the garment district). It was so cool to see all the shops with fabric and machines making different dresses and things.

It was funny because we actually ran into a movie that was being shot right next to where we took this picture and had to walk around it.

The Statue of Liberty was awesome. We loved the boat ride out there and it was so cool to see up close. As a side note- if we go back, make sure to just reserve a specific time. We got tickets that you could just go any time, but then you have to wait in a really long line. It is worth being less flexible and just reserving the time you want to go and saving time in line. 

One of my favorite things on Liberty Island was the view of New York City. 

After the Statute of Liberty (and after grabbing some food from a street cart) we went to Wall Street. Our favorite thing there was Federal Hall. First, it was hot and it was nice to be inside. However, it was beautiful inside and had some really neat historical things. This included the Bible that George Washington used when he was sworn in as president. The columns and whole building were magnificent. In the basement there was actually some open space and some columns and Lydia and Aubrey played hide and seek with Bruce and it was fun. 

The next stop was The World Trade Center, Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial. I think for both Shantel and I 9/11 was a really significant and impactful event. When I went to New York back in 2003, they really did not have anything there yet and were still deciding what to do. I think what they did was perfect and really gave a chance to reflect and ponder and remember those people and the many who sacrifice to protect our country. The New World Trade Center is a massive building and now the tallest in New York. 

For each of the fallen towers, there is a reflecting pool that sits in the footprint of where the buildings stood. It was peaceful to listen to the water and reflect on that day. It was also interesting trying to explain to Lydia what had happened and why this was important. I can only imagine what it was like to explain it to children as it was happening. 

Most of the area around the towers was also rebuilt because of damage from when they collapsed. One of the cool things they did was make a giant subway station (called the Oculus) that is a subway station, a piece of art and a shopping center. 

Next up was Washington Square. This turned out to be so fun. There was not a ton to see, but there was a fountain that you could get in and play in the water and we all were hot and that was a highlight of the day to cool off and get a little wet. (Or in the case of the girls, a lot wet).

This is a recurring theme. Lydia did amazing considering how much we walked. In fact, from Wednesday-Friday we walked 30 miles (40 miles from Tuesday-Saturday). That is a lot of miles, and we even rode the subway a ton. So any chance she got to sit down, she would take it. On the ground, in the subway, anywhere. This is one of my favorite pictures because we are on this grounded subway and she finds a tiny spot to sit and catch a break. She really did so amazing.

We grabbed some food (and some desserts) and went back to relax at the apartment and get ready to go to the play. Bruce had a bunch of great dessert places he had us try while we were there.

The girls pointing to the 20th floor where Bruce's apartment is. It was actually really cool to be up so high and be able to look around at the different things.

This is a picture from Bruce's lobby which looked amazing. The girls got all dressed up for the show and then we did some pictures.

The theater was amazing and the show was really great. We really enjoyed it.