Thanksgiving in New York!

New York was both amazing and exhausting! Here is a quick day-by-day rundown:

1. Wednesday, November 25th: Got up at 3am to head out to the airport where they ended up confiscating our toothpaste and Nutella. Javin was devastated. Flew in about noon and was escorted by the most beat up taxi you have ever seen. It looked like it had just come out of a junk yard! Of all the beautiful yellow taxi’s, we would get THAT one. We held on for dear life. He honked at every moving (and non-moving) thing! We finally got checked in to our hotel which was amazing. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in the Financial District adjacent to Ground Zero. Then it was off to find the subway so that we could head to FAO Schwartz. That place was a mad house but, the kids were lovin’ it! They even got their turn to play on “the piano”. Then it started raining, decided to head back, got slightly lost, found an organic grocery store that had Nutella and made it back late, wet and exhausted. A nice compliment to an ending day was the nightly manager’s reception offered by the hotel with complimentary snacks and drinks. Time for rest. My mom flew in about midnight. Back to sleep…

2. Parade Day!!! First, we went downstairs to enjoy the gourmet breakfast served daily at the hotel and included in our stay. The chocolate chip pancakes were delicious! Then it was off to seize the day. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was a sight to behold. People were packed in like sardines, and Jeremy almost got in a fight…literally. Javin was hanging on to iron bars on a window while Kadi sat atop Jeremy’s shoulders to see. We were near the beginning of the parade route at 69th and Central Park. It was a perfect spot. We actually ended up ditching the crowd a bit later, backed up a few yards to one of the elevated townhouses and rested on their balcony with our hot chocolate. Much better! Jeremy felt compelled to buy the kids trumpets from a street vendor, and then it was off to Uncle Jody’s for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so great to see all of them!

3. Black Friday! I woke up at 6am to do some online shopping; then Jeremy and I went to Wall Street and I kissed the iconic, big bronzed bull! (Unless you are into securities and investments, you probably won’t find that very amusing.) Anyway, then we went to tour the Ground Zero memorial. It was an incredibly emotional experience, especially for Javin. To touch actual remnants of the plane and the towers was so surreal. It was hard to eat after that, but we managed. After enjoying some famous NY Pizza, we headed off to Times Square all in an effort to lighten the mood. Low and behold, as soon as we exit the subway is the three-story Toys R Us. The kids had already seen it and there was no turning back now. What in the world were we thinking heading in there on Black Friday?!? There are no words to describe! The kids stood in awe as they gawked at the Ferris Wheel inside. Kadi could not wait to ride it! After leaving there, we went to the M&M store and the Hershey store where Javin was in Reese heaven! On the way home, the kids played Jingle Bells on their trumpets and people on the streets joined in singing. It was precious! The sugar crash ended shortly after.

4. On Saturday, we decided to go to the U.S.S. Intrepid which is a WWII aircraft carrier. So neat and a must-see if you visit NYC! Check out their website: http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/. We were able to hang with the Trosclair’s again and catch up on some much needed family time! Uncle Jody took us to a nice little diner for a late lunch and some NY Cheesecake. Yum! Afterwards, we found a nice little playground near the hotel and the kids burned off what little energy they had left.

5. Sunday was our day to explore Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty. We took a nice walk along the Hudson, boarded the ferry and gazed in amazement as Lady Liberty grew closer. We could not gain access to the crown since it was sold out, but we did manage to walk up to the pedestal and observation deck. Lots of steps! On our way back, we passed Ellis Island and the kids took part in a street show in Battery Park. Now time for naps. Even after a long day, Jeremy and I ventured out for a stroll in Central Park and found a great Japanese express place called Teriyaki Boy. Excellent food at an excellent price. Then eventually, we stumbled onto 5th Avenue. Jeremy needed to take a leak, so we stopped in at Mr. Trump’s house. Ok, it was Trump Tower, but Donald does live in the penthouse of the tower. Most of the stores on 5th were closed since it was Sunday evening. Try back tomorrow. We did manage to get in a little shopping at H&M though. I love that store!

6. Ahhh, awesome day! Started off on 5th Avenue with a PURCHASE at the TIFFANY’S! I now sport a lovely silver bracelet. Wahoo! However, Kadi was not as fortunate and couldn’t understand why she couldn’t have any gold jewelry from there. Jeremy did find her a butterfly necklace for her wedding though. How sweet is that?!? He wants to carry on the tradition my dad started. Afterwards, we attended the “ROCKETTES” show at Radio City Music Hall. I am so glad we went. It was the most incredible thing to watch and very entertaining for all ages! Awesome production and a definite must see! Nap time again. Mom watched the kids while Jeremy and I went out for our 8 year anniversary. Can you guess where we went? Of course, the Empire State Building! What a lovely and romantic experience with an awesome view of the city lit up at night. We headed to dinner below at the Heartland Brewery. Just divine! Then we took a stroll through Macy’s. I had no idea it had 9 floors! Get this, even the store associates did not know which floor the men’s department was on! Biggest department store ever! Some of the escalators seemed original since they were made of old wood. Very neat…and rickety.

7. Departure day! We were actually ready to come home. There was so much more that we wanted to see and do, but it was impossible to fit everything in. NYC is massive! Next time, we hope to hit some Broadway shows.

So, that about wraps it up! I hope you feel like you came with us! Keep in mind that this was actually the “brief summary”. Also, this did not accurately depict the amount of walking that took place. We were sore for a week! Check out my facebook for pics! I will have them up soon!