Taking a bite of the Big Apple

We are back!  Our trip was amazing.  Our three days were packed with fun activities.  Here is a recap with pictures from each day.  I'll warn you that it is pretty long.  Read at your own risk.

Saturday:  We left home at 5:00 am. It was a smooth trip to the airport and through security.  Bonnie was a little nervous, but she did great.  Once we were in the air, she relaxed and enjoyed the flight.  We had to circle LaGuardia several times and ended up landing in Philadelphia to refuel, so Bonnie ended up getting to two-fer for her first flight experience.  That only threw us off by an hour or so.  After landing at LaGuardia, a van took us to the hotel and we put our luggage into storage and went on our merry way.  After a quick meal at an awesome restaurant right next door to the hotel, we took the subway to the American Museum of Natural History.  We stayed there until they closed at 5:45.  We went back to the hotel and checked in.  Then we walked to Times Square.  We visited Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.  Afterward we got some iced cappuccino and sat right in the middle of the action for about an hour.  Traffic, megatrons, street performers, food vendors, merchandise vendors, and costumed people everywhere….  We could have stayed there for hours!  It never got boring.   Finally we left because we wanted to make it to the Rockefeller Center by 11:00.  The ticket seller told us that visibility at the top was zero, so we decided to wait and try it the next night.  We walked all around Rockefeller Center window shopping and enjoying the sights and sounds.  We finally got back to our hotel after midnight to prepare for an early morning and busy next day.  

That blue sign is our hotel.  It is Club Quarters Opposite Rockefeller Center.  It has a great central location, friendly staff, not too expensive, secure luggage storage, and free bottled water.  I would definitely recommend it.

I have a new word.  I will never say "skull" again.  It's a braincase.

I would totally try to pass this off as real, but him being dead really puts a hole in my story.

I was amazed at how many parents handed their kids to these costumed people in Times Square. Bonnie cried when I tried to hand her over.  She wouldn't even go to the Naked Cowboy. 

Sunday:  We woke up in time to make it to 9:00 mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  The building is in the middle of a massive restoration project.  A lot of it is blocked from view by scaffolding, both on the inside and outside. http://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/about_restore.php   Nonetheless, we made it in and found a seat.  The archbishop started speaking, and we couldn’t understand a word.  At first I was thinking it was a Latin mass.  I know a few words, but I really don’t understand much at all.  Then at some point, I realized it wasn’t Latin at all.  It sounded more like German.  The archbishop gave a homily that was over 20 minutes long.  It seemed like an eternity!  Some people were nodding along, obviously understanding much more than I did.  Then he switched to English and said, “So as the eloquent Pope John Paul II assured us, ‘you may no longer be in Poland, but you will always be Polish”, and thanked us all for coming to the annual Polish Day celebration.  Mystery solved.  We had a good laugh about that whole experience. 

We went back to the hotel for breakfast and a clothing change and then took the subway to lower Manhattan.  We walked around in Battery Park and then hopped on the water taxi.  We stopped at South Street seaport and the DUMBO neighbored in Brooklyn.  We cruised by the Statue of Liberty for a photo op and went back up the Hudson River to Pier 84.  At the last minute we decided to hop off at Pier 84 and head toward Central Park.  That ended up being a mistake because I forgot to bring my map and New York Pass booklet.  Bonnie wanted to rent bicycles, but we couldn’t find the rental stand that accepted our passes.  After walking for 2 hours, I finally called Matt to look it up for us online.  I have an iPod Touch that needs wifi for internet access and this is one of the few occasions that I really wish I had an iPhone so I could have instant access to stuff like that.  Wifi signals were plentiful, but they were all locked.  We made it to the store, but they closed in less than an hour from the time we got there, so they ran our passes through and gave us vouchers for the next day.  We got on the subway aiming for the Empire State Building, but the MTA officer had given us the wrong directions.  We ended up heading back to the hotel to get the maps and find somewhere to eat.  We were both a bit grumpy that there had been so much wasted time on what was supposed to be our most productive day. 

We went to an Irish Pub to eat.  It was loud and laid back.  We enjoyed some excellent food and had an attitude adjustment.  It was not so late that we needed to call it a day.  There was plenty of time left for fun.  We went back to Rockefeller Center to go to the Top of the Rock.  Again, visibility was poor.  They offered to run our NY passes, which expired at midnight, and give us vouchers for the next day, but we decided to just go ahead anyway.  I love to learn about the history of such places, but that bores Bonnie and this was her trip, so we went straight to the top.  We could see some lights way below, but not much else.  But it was cool just to be up there, and there was a fun interactive room that lights up and changes colors as you move around.  After that, we walked around the area a little more.  Bonnie made a little video for her siblings to watch as she had done the night before.  After a while we decided that ice cream would be nice, so we walked all the way to Times Square for Cold Stone Creamery.  We sat in Times Square just as we had the night before and had a blast.  After going back to the hotel, we went over the missteps of the day and decided that a rigid schedule works best when time is limited, so we mapped out a plan for Monday complete with directions from place to place.  We were determined to pack it with activity.

 

The beautiful Saint Patrick's Cathedral.  Or should I say "Przepięknej katedry Świętego Patryka"?

 

 

Aside from getting off one stop too early once and getting the wrong directions to the Empire State Building , we were great at the subway.  I would highly recommend it.  It is safe, fast, and cheap, and it really adds to the New York experience.

Bottom of the Rock

Top of the Rock

Interactive room

 Monday:  We showered, dressed, packed, and officially checked out of the hotel at 9:00am.  On Sunday night, people were already camping out in Rockefeller Plaza in line for the Today Show concert, so we watched on TV while we were getting ready but went the opposite way when we left the hotel.  We headed to the bike rental shop and stopped for breakfast along the way.  We rode bikes in Central Park until 11:30.  Then we took the subway to Chinatown and ate lunch.  After looking around for a while, we took the subway back uptown to Grand Central Terminal.  Again, if it had been my trip, we would have taken the 1-hour audio tour, but we didn’t.  We looked around for a few minutes and headed out for a store called Dylan’s Candy Bar.  It was amazing.  We spent $50 on candy!  After that, we headed back to Rockefeller Plaza to the Nintendo store to buy Will’s souvenir.  Luke and Rosemary got candy, but Will had specifically requested something other than food.  This was supposed to be our last stop before heading back to the hotel to await our ride to the airport.  We picked Will out a Pokemon toy.  When we went to pay, I handed the cashier my credit card, and he asked for my ID.  I went digging in my bag and couldn’t find it.  Panic started to rise.  I completely emptied my bag.  It wasn’t there.  I paid for the toy in cash and started to retrace my steps in my mind.  The bike rental place!  I had to show them my driver's license to rent the bikes.   I already had the phone number in my phone from when I had called for directions.  Sure enough, they had it.  At first I figured I’d just get them to mail it to me, but then  I realized I couldn’t get through airport security without it, so we had no choice but to go get it.  We had to go from the corner of 49th Street &  5th Avenue to 58th Street between 7th & 8th avenue and back in 20 minutes.  We were running.  Bonnie was exhausted and I was harsh.  Training for the 5K came in handy.  In the end, we made it.  It was crazy. 

Sometimes I see people running down the street or crying behind the wheel of their car and wonder what their story might be.  I’m sure people wondered why we were running like mad down 7^th avenue.  After getting back to the hotel, we got water, used the bathroom, retrieved our luggage and waited for our van.

When times seem bad, it is time to count your blessings.  If the cashier at the Nintendo store had not asked for my ID, I would not have realized I left my ID at the bike rental place until we were going through security at the airport.  Then we would have had to take a cab back to Manhattan ($50) to retrieve it and back to the airport ($50) and would have missed our flight as a result.  It was a rush, but at least we had time to take care of it.  And after we got back to the hotel, it started raining, so at least we weren’t running in the rain.

Our flight was slightly delayed due to the weather, but LaGuardia is a nice little airport.  We made the best of it.  While sitting there waiting for our plane, I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize and then I had a voicemail.  It was an artist who lives in Rome who makes jewelry.  She was asking if Bonnie would be interested in selling stuff at an art show for her.  She does the Berry College Arts & Crafts Show every year but has a scheduling conflict this year, so she is going to pay Bonnie to work her booth and purchase a booth for Bonnie sale her own stuff.  It was the perfect end to an excellent trip.  I called her back this evening to accept the offer on Bonnie’s behalf and work out details.  Bonnie is so excited.  Bonnie idolizes this young lady, and it is such a compliment to Bonnie that she considered her mature enough and good enough with people to represent her and sell her art.  I am proud of my baby.

This is real candy in a glass staircase.  The store is three stories tall.

Poor exhausted baby girl!

Headed back to the airport in the rain.  It made leaving a little less sad.  Even Spidey and Minnie Mouse needed a dry place to stand.

Home sweet home

October

Just a little update.  I have five weeks of school complete!  Five weeks down, and eight more to go.  It has been tough and busy, but I am keeping my eye on the prize.  Next semester should not be nearly as busy.  If I can just make it eight more weeks, I'll be fine.

 I have one project close to completion.  That is the 5K.  I am now on week 8 of the Couch to 5K program.  I can run 28 minutes without stopping.  My back has hurt this week, so I have not pushed myself too hard, but I am tentatively planning to run the Three Rivers Run on October 19th.  It is a 5K in Rome that benefits the Breast Center.  I think I'll be ready.  

I read a phrase a few years ago that has impacted my life so much.  "Comparison is the thief of joy."  After running two miles and feeling accomplished, I saw on Facebook another friend who ran four miles.  The two miles had almost killed me, but the accomplishment felt so good.  I was immediately deflated when I read her status and wondered why I couldn't do better.  Then that phrase popped into my head and changed my view.  Good for her.  I'm sure she worked hard and felt good as well.  Being at a different level does not mean that we shouldn't both feel proud.  I have friends who run marathons, and I never think to compare myself with them.  Why should I compare myself to someone who ran four miles?  I'm doing great.  The only person I should compare myself to is the person I was yesterday.  

The homeschool coop is moving right along.  Tomorrow will be the fourth class.  I like my little group of 7th-12 graders.  Will and Luke somehow ended up in a drama class.  It is hilarious because it really highlights how different the boys are from each other.  It is like a church drama team thing where they do hand motions and dance to piped in Christian rock music.  Will is all about it.  He always shows me what they worked on when we get home, and he is excited about the class performance at the upcoming fall festival.  Luke, on the other hand, actually hides in the pews during class!  Will rats him out, and the teacher makes him get back up with the class.  Last week, he actually shed some tears about "being forced to act like an idiot".   Black and white, I tell ya.

I am enjoying my bible study.  I have met some nice ladies.  I had seen many of them in passing for several years but never introduced myself.   I really miss going to the Goodwill or TJ Maxx and having an hour to myself, but I do feel like this is something I should do, and it is much cheaper than shopping.   ;-)

  Will turned 11 on September 26th.  We didn't go all out for it, but he had a happy day.  That was on Thursday.  Then on Saturday, Luke got a puppy.  He had been researching dogs for several months and almost making himself sick wanting one.  He wanted a black lab, so we found a black lab mix at a local animal shelter.  He was named Sailor by the shelter, and Luke liked the name.  He is a cutie pie.  Caidleigh and Tim seem to be adjusting to the new addition just fine, and Luke is over the moon with happiness at having his very own dog.

Bonnie and I leave on our trip on Saturday morning.  The government shutdown has closed the Statue of Liberty, so we have had to rearrange our schedule a little, but it actually freed up time for more fun stuff.  I just saw on MSNBC that Miley Cyrus is going to be on the Today Show on Monday morning.  Rockefeller Center is right across the street from our hotel, so that should be madness.  Oh well.  We'll work around that, too!