Our Mecca: New York City

Before kids, Lar and I made our pilgrimage to NYC at least once per year.  For 8 years straight.  We saw over 30 shows on the Great White Way.  We ate our weight in pizza.  We zipped around on the subway like we lived there.  It was our city and returning to it, smelling the NYC funky smell and getting in step with the crowds always made me feel like I was home.

I really wish that I lived in a suburb of NYC, not stupid, clean, no character, no Broadway DC with the terrible public transportation system.

Anyhow though, for the first time since Abigail joined our family, we returned to our adoptive home city, hoping to show the kids some finer points of the city we love so that maybe they would love it too and we can commence yearly trips again.

Abigail did love it.  She didn't want to leave and was very sad to go.  Joseph started every day with tons of energy, refusing to be carried, literally running down the sidewalks and into traffic with youthful exuberance that doesn't know how to budget your energy for the day, but so full of life and happy to be "in the greatest city in the world"

"Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now.  History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be in the greatest city in the world."  (little quote from Hamilton there!)

Joseph was terrified of Times Square because, as I may have mentioned before, (here) he hates green things. He also hates people in costume, like mascots.  And Times Square is packed with people in costume, many are green (green M&M, Shrek, Hulk, Statue of Liberty to name a few).

Before I post pictures, I HAVE to tell you that Larry and I each got to see Hamilton (on different nights).

Yeah, that's right.  The hottest ticket on Broadway for a reason, we have been in love with Lin-Manuel Miranda since In the Heights and the man is a genius.  Hamilton will be in my head for a long time.  

I am a packing guru:  family of 4, 3 days in the Big Apple all
packed into 2 school backpacks and we took one
toddler carrier backpack which our toddler refused to ride in the whole time.

Big, huge playground in Central Park and my
kids spend the whole time digging a hole in the sand with
a little boy whose nanny kept calling him "Ewan."
Like McGregor, I guess.

Little bit of Belvedere castle.  

Me and my girl

Upstairs in Belvedere Castle

The Statue of Wigglety (as Abigail called it) is directly
behind Larry's head.

"Hey look, Joseph.  It is the Statue of Wigglety."

Our confident little man with his
shopping from China town.
He carried it all the way to our hotel on 79th.

Abigail and I saw Matilda.  She loved it.

Joseph was delighted to watch some major building
construction happening in the Chelsea area of the city.
It was like Goodnight Construction Site come to life!

Abigail and I studied bridges this summer and she was
excited to name some different types on our trip.

She really wanted this hat.  She doesn't even know what
the Yankees are, she just liked the hat.

We walked the whole High Line
on a very beautiful, cool NYC morning.

Abigail loved to see old pieces of track
on the High Line

Taking a break at the 10th Avenue overlook on the High Line

Oooh Look!  The High Line has a water feature!

This is Joseph, about 2 minutes before he fell
asleep on the Ferris Wheel in the
Times Square Toys R Us.  It was 7 pm.
Larry had to carry him back to the hotel.
(I was at Hamilton.)