Sunday, April 26, 2009

Give my regards to Broadway.

So, it was a quick trip to NYC, and we're back to tell the tale. It was a great time with Mom and Dad Robinson. They were awesome, taking us around, and showing us the sights. They had been there for a few days, and had their feet on the ground. We stayed in the amazing Marriott Marquis, and I'm telling you, that is the way to go. It was right in the middle of the city, within close reach of everything. Here's a lowdown on our trip.


We got an early start, to catch our bus by 7:30 am. We had to park near the bus stop, take that bus to the metro, and walk a few blocks in DC to get to the actual bus that was taking us to NYC. Not too convenient, but not too bad either. This is KC still in DC on the way to out Bolt Bus.


It was an uneventful ride, which is always nice, and we were greeted by Janice and Clyde where bus let us off. While walking the streets, we did a little shopping, and then hopped in a cab to take us to the Hotel. This is KC in the scary cab. They are seriously nuts, those drivers, but at least they got us there fast.
We freshened up, dropped off our belongings, and went to eat lunch at this awesome burger place across the street from the hotel, Juniors. They give you pickles and pickled cabbage when you sit down (which I loved, of course). And as you can see, they served us the most massive plate of a giant steak burger, onions rings, and steak fries. Yeah, we were pretty stuffed, even sharing and all.
The weather was quite nice. I kept taking off, and putting on my jacket, but I like it that way, not too hot, not too cold.

We decided to take on of those tour bus rides that we got to sit on the roof and see all the sights. We got a bunch of fun facts about the architecture, what celebrities live in what apartment buildings, where the plane landed on the Hudson River, and where certain scenes of Seinfeld were shot, etc. Yeah, we were the ultimate tourists. We were also pleased to pass the temple. It's quite small among all the giant buildings. You really have to search for that Angel Moroni (below).
Then we perused FAO Schwartz. I took this picture for Lili. And of course we had to see the infamous giant piano, made famous from the movie BIG. I didn't stand in line to play a little "Heart and Souls", but it was fun nonetheless.



And instead of waiting in the two hour line to go to the top of the Empire State Building, we went to the Top of the Rock instead. Turns out the Rockefeller Center started to do the same kind of things a few years ago, and with the same view, and only a fraction of the wait, we were happy with this option. And we could see the Empire State Building, instead of standing on it. Win, win.
The next morning, we decided to go see the Statue of Liberty first. We took the [frightening] subway to battery park, and made our way to the back of the loooooong line, which moved surprisingly fast. We took the ferry to Liberty Island, and enjoyed the massiveness and architecture of the statue, and of course the skyline of the city. Then we took the ferry again, to Ellis Island, where the others took and audio tour while I just enjoyed the scenery. It was such a beautiful day.
After that, which isn't pictured because I was worn out by then, was ground zero. It was just so weird, and eerie. There used to be giant buildings right there, and now it's a construction sight. But it was interesting to see the future plans for what they are building. We ate lunch in the building near the sight, and then had to make our way back to catch our 4:30 bus.

This is what we felt like on our bus ride home. Exhausted. But we were so happy we went to play with Mom and Dad. They were so nice to invite us along, and we were happy to have an excuse to go to this great (though incredibly crowded and smelly in parts) city.

Our bus ride home was more eventful (detours, stop-and-go traffic, and rain, ugh) than the one there, but we eventually made it to DC, which seemed so much more serene, homey, and sanitary than in had before were were in NYC. It was pouring rain on our walk to the metro, and the bus we took to the metro wasn't running that late on a Saturday. But with New York still fresh in our minds, we thought to call a cab, and were finally home in our own territory, free of public transportation.

Until next time, New York.

7 comments:

Susan said...

Wow, it sounds like you really packed in a lot of sight seeing in such a short time! Quick and spontaneous trips are often the best. We'll have to check out the buses that go up, parking in NYC has always been a bit of a deterrent...

Drew said...

What the heck, no show to see? But it looked like a super great trip! KC's looking great rockin' that beard, and I love the HP legos (but um, Harry doesn't even have glasses, what's up with that?). You look beautiful! I'm glad you had a good time!

Corinne said...

SO SUPER FUN! You packed so much in, that's AWESOME! I've stayed in that hotel, I LOVED it. I'm so glad you had a great time :)

melody said...

Sounds like it was a fun weekend in the city. I was thinking of you and was a little jealous! Glad you enjoyed it.

Cami said...

Oh, that stupid subway ride to battery park. Do they still have the idiotic bus shuttles for part of it? Maybe that's only on Saturdays. Ugh. Looks like an awesome trip, and that your bus tour was more successful than my London one. Nice job.

Woods said...

That looks amazing! How fun! You look so gorgeous! I'm just plain jealous!

Unknown said...

When I went to new york with chamber we stayed in that same hotel. I am so jealous...I have been wanting to go back to new york ever since I left! I'm glad you had a great time, it's always nice to get away for a couple of days.

oh, and I thought the exact same thing about ground zero...there was definitely an odd, eerie feeling about.