New York Trip Recap!

We had such a fun time in NYC that I wanted to quickly document what we did each day so I won't forget!

Day 1: Monday July 28

We arrive in NY at 6 pm after our 2 hour delay in Denver. We get checked into the New York City Athletic Club. This was a very nice place to stay and there is a required dress code to walk in the front door. We ended up using the back door several times! After getting a quick dinner at Whole Foods Market we took the subway to Times Square. We were all amazed by the lights, people, and honking taxis. We went to a few stores but our favorite was the M&M store. After a couple hours of walking, people watching, and shopping we were tired! We eventually made it to bed at 1 am after getting on the wrong subway!

Day 2: Tuesday July 29

We took the subway to Battery Park where we stood in line to get on the ferry for the Statue of Liberty. The line was long and it was hot but it was worth it. It was so cool to see the Statue up close and to be able to go to Ellis Island.While on Ellis Island we were able to see many displays about the immigrants that came to the United States (one of them was my great grandpa). We returned to Battery Park and walked up to Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, and Ground Zero. There isn't much to see at Ground Zero because there are huge fences around the site. There's going to be a monument built there and is to be completed in 2012. We went to Serendipity for dinner,dessert, and their famous frozen hot chocolate. The dinner not so great but the desserts were tasty!!!

Day 3: Wednesday July 30

We got up at 5:00 am so we could head down to Rockefeller Center where the Today Show is broadcast! We were there from 6-9 am and were shown several times in the background. I even met Natalie Morales! We walked around a ton this day visiting many stores: The American Girl Doll Store, the NBA Store, FAO Schwartz, and the Apple Store. We also went to the top of the GE building. They call it the "Top of The Rock." There is a great observation deck where we saw all of the New York Skyline including the Empire State Building!

We went back to the hotel to take a nap since we got up so early! That evening we went to our Broadway show of The Lion King. We all loved it! The costumes, sets, music, and dancing was fabulous! After the show we walked in Times Square until we found a little cafe to have some NY cheesecake!

Day 4: Thursday July 31

We woke up early again to make it to the Manhattan Temple by 8:00 am. We walked a few blocks from where we were staying and it was right there in the middle of town. There's no grass, flowers, or grounds at this temple. It was great experience for Morgan to do Baptisms for some of her ancestors. We walked to Carnegie Hall to show Morgan where I performed with my High School Concert Choir. I was bummed because it was under construction and we couldn't see anything but the lobby. After breakfast we finally made it to Central Park which was right across the street from where we were staying. After taking a short tour in this carriage we went into the park to eat our pretzels and people watch.

We took a taxi down to Little Italy to have an early dinner. It was amazing to see all the little shops and restaurants. We had some good Italian food at Puglia's and then hit the shops. There were many people wanting to give us a "good deal" at their shops. We found a place on the famous Canal Street where we bought some inexpensive purses.

Some of my observations about New York: Lots of people, always in a hurry and have to keep up, when waiting at a crosswalk you must stand in the street so you can get across first, many New Yorkers Smoke, it is very humid in the summer time, I still can't understand the subway system and I'm amazed at how many people know exactly what they are doing, lots of people speak foreign languages, I'm glad that I only had one kid to keep track of and no little kids, food is expensive there, there are no Caucasian taxi drivers, walking is a must in the City and there is never enough time to do everything you want in New York!

It was one of my favorite trips and thanks to Mom and Dad for letting me tag along!