BIG APPLE

7/30/15 Thursday

We made it to NYC, the Big Apple, late, late, late on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, arriving into the airport (JFK) at midnight and getting to our Hotel Edison, smack dab in the heart of Times Square, well after 1:00 AM.  What a trip!  There was a bit of a mix up with the reservation, but we managed to crash by about 1:45.  The kids were troopers, even though Will has a bit of a cold.  He took a pull out sofa bed, and I slept between Sarah and Aubrey in a king bed.  Didn't have great rest but it was okay.  Wow, what a day.  Jet Blue was delayed due to mechanical difficulties, and we owe it to a young flight attendant named Lauren, who did double duty and made it so we could fly.  A late night but we made it safe.  We enjoyed a lazy supper at the Chili's restaurant in the Jax airport.  Not bad.  Had some delicious shrimp and pulled pork tacos.  Surprisingly good.

Right now, I'm enjoying a cup of good coffee at a Starbucks in Times Square.  This place is noisy and busy--there must be 300 people buzzing in and out.  The bright lights of the monitors are just outside, and Hotel Edison where we are staying is so convenient.  Way to go Sarah!  After our rather short night, we got up and got cleaned up.  The shower was great, especially on my aching shoulder.  We scored some free food vouchers from the hotel late, and so Will and I went next door to Danny's deli and got juice, yogurt, muffins, and fruit for breakfast.  It wasn't bad and probably saved us about $40!  We ate in the room and the Burton's came over to meet us just after 10 AM.  Wow, talk about a happy moment, we ran towards each other in the lobby and hugged grand hugs!  So fantastic to have us together for some fun.

We settled luggage and headed out for M&M world.  That was way fun, even thought it was a bit smaller than London's version.  It has 3 stories and candy of every color.  Will and Aubs each got a half pound, and we enjoyed all the NYC displays.  We went to the Hershey store across the street.  It was very small and crowded and had this sickly sweet smell of syrup.  We didn't stay long, kind of made the head spin. Imagine a heavy smell like Waffle House but instead of chocolate syrup.  Yuck.  We then wandered to Toys R Us, and had a blast looking at the indoor carosel.  There were giant dinosaurs, huge Lego displays, and employees playing with all kinds of flying and remote control toys.  It was like being a kid, and I joked with Scott that the Hot Wheels display contained a car  bigger than his Toyota Prius!  We then headed out for                                             food before our 2 pm show.

We tried finding the noodle house I remembered from 2005, but had no luck.  We opted for Carmine's Italian right off of Times Square, a few blocks away.  We sat at a large round table in the back, and we ate family style.  We drank lots of water--very smart--and shared a platter of Ceasar salad and angel hair pasta and meat balls the size of my head.  The waitress said each plate feeds 3 people, but 8 of us easily ate the food, and it was a gracious plenty.  So we made it through lunch for $10 a person.  What a deal!

With happy bellies and feeling cooled off and refreshed from the rest, we ventured to Wicked at the Gershwin theater.  It was a few blocks away and was a huge, wonderful old NYC playhouse.  So fantastic!  Our seats were almost center stage on the lower level about 30 rows back.  It was just perfect, and I sat by Will and really enjoyed the music, the sets, the story, everything.  I was a little sleepy in the theater due to the short night, the cool air, the dark, and all that but to say I enjoyed the show would be the understatement.  It was a great story to talk with our kids about how people stand behind various curtains in life--like the wizard--and how people treat one another.  Good stuff.

After the show, Jon from my Alta ski trips, met us and it was so good to see he.  He is a native of Brooklyn, and he is retired from Goldman Sachs.  He is so warm and friendly, a Jewish man of faith who has become a dear person to me.   He took us to a local place for some refreshing lemonade and a potty break, and then we headed out on the stuffy subway to go to the edge of the financial district so we could walk with him and his daughter Sarah across the Brooklyn bridge.  Wow, what a views of the city, the Statue of Liberty, and of the Freedom Tower.  The bridge is an architectural marvel, and to hear him talk about his love for his city, to hear his stories, were all gifts of grace.  It was hot, and it was a long walk, but it was so meaningful.  Our destination was an old pizza place (Grimaldi's, I think) that was pretty much under the bridge.  There was a line out the door, but we got our orders in and a guy wearing a fedora working the crowd, got us a seat upstairs and took our orders early.  We were hoping for beer, but they weren't serving any due to a loss of the liquor license--oye vay!--so we had sodas and a Peach Snapple drink, yum, and had some of the best pizza this side of Rome: fresh dough, crispy crust, and very fresh toppings.  It was all cooked in a coal oven.  To die for, especially when you have walked a lot.  Jon got one with peppers, capers, and extra basil.  I loved it!  Supper was a fair price: $60 for the family (splitting the bill) including tip, that's $120 or so for 9 people to eat!

We devoured the food, and then headed out to the dock just down the road from the pizza place and got ice cream at an old Brooklyn creamery.  It was really a fantastic local place.  The moon was starting to rise, and there were the sounds of acoustic music being played by some locals as they day winded down.  I got a hearty scoop of butter pecan, and it was so rich and creamy.  Aubs got double chocolate, Will got peach, and Sarah got coffee.  I had a bit of jealousy for Aubs' choice.  The chocolate was amazing.  We ate and then walked a few blocks to the subway and Jon took us to Rockafeller Center.

The train this go round had a/c--what a gift!  We bid Jon farewell around 8:45, and then we got our tickets that Scott scored for us for free from a member of the church he is serving--way to go, mate--for Top of the Rock.  

It is hard to put into words how cool this place was/is.  We went in a group up a super fast elevator that allows riders to see up through a clear ceiling as images are cast on the Plexiglas



from NBS studios.  Way cool.  It was like an amusement park ride or something.  We got out then made our way to the various viewing levels and got to look at a panorama of the city with a big full moon hanging over it from over 700 feet up!  It was awesome and made you feel so small.  NYC is absolutely HUGE.  Will noticed that due to all the lights, you couldn't see stars.  Bit of a bummer, but the skyline took one's breath away, totally the best way to end a long day.  We were all happy, and to make it even sweeter, Aubs wanted to hold my hand and cling to me a good bit.  Being up that high kind of makes you reach for loved ones in the best possible way.  

So we took a short walk back to the hotel Edison, got our new rooms, and crashed really hard.  My feet were pretty sore from all the walking, and it felt so good to wipe down my skin with peppermint soap on a hot rag and then to rub lotion on the feet.  Aubs wanted me to rub hers and that was such a soothing way to end the day.  This go round in our new room, we had 2 queen beds, and we enjoyed crashing around 11:30.  I woke up around 7, got showered.  The old back is a bit tight today.  I headed out for a good cup of coffee, and Starbucks always delivers.  

Today, we are hoping for a slower pace.  Maybe do some shopping in Chinatown?  Maybe catch little Italy?  Can't wait to see what the day brings.  Better go check on the family.