New York, New York!!!

I took the girls on a trip to Disneyland for Fall Break so the boys voiced their opinions and said they felt they deserved a boys trip as well. So we asked them where they would like to go. They both decided on New York, which I was definitely happy about. We flew out on a Thursday afternoon and arrived that evening in the rain. The Subway was a definite eye opener for them and a new experience, nothing like Singapore! We stayed at the Marriot near Central Park which was a great location. The night we arrived we ended up finding an amazing pizza place around the corner that we took back to our hotel to enjoy!

DAY 1:

The first day in the city, we had to change our plans a little bit due to the weather. It was raining most of the day so we decided to spend it indoors. As we walked through the many puddles, Taylor's feet became soaked. As we headed to the 9/11 Museum we lost him momentarily and found him with his shoes off by an air blower. At least he is creative! We got to the museum in the later morning after sleeping in a bit. The boys loved the infinity fountain that honors those who passed away that day. It was an amazing view of the Freedom Tower that day as it ascended well into the clouds above. 

The 9/11 Museum is a somber experience, but it was very tastefully done. It is overwhelming to remember the thoughts and feelings we all felt that day. Although the boys weren't alive during that infamous day, they were able gain an understanding of its history and how it has shaped America today, for better or worse. 

After the museum, we ate dinner at the mall adjacent to the museum and headed back to Time Square where we bought tickets to a Broadway Show. The Boys loved Time Square! I really wanted the boys to experience a musical, however, after showing them some of the songs and clips, they both declined and I really didn't want to spend the money on something they would dread. So I was recommended to see the show "The Play That Goes Wrong". I heard it was family appropriate and very funny. After watching it, everyone in our group agreed. While we were there, the US gold medal Curling team was invited to help out on stage for a couple of improv parts. It was a great experience. Once we returned back to our hotel, you will never guess what our midnight snack was... PIZZA!!!

DAY 2:

We were lucky that the rain had cleared and we were able to head out and venture around the city. The Statue of Liberty is always a must, so we headed there as well as Ellis Island for the tour and history behind it. Skyler was a little grossed out about how they had to test for Trachoma by hooking the eyelid! Many of the stories were so sad especially when families were separated and some sent back to their original country.

After our adventures seeing the Statue of Liberty, we stopped at Grand Central Station to walk around and enjoy the famous subway station. We then headed to the Empire State Building so that we could see the view both in the daylight and evening. It was a perfect time to see the city. You don't realize the vastness of the city until you are 80+ floors above ground level! We were also impressed to learn that it was built in less than 1 year!!

DAY 3:

The next day was Sunday, so we tried to limit the activities. So we went to church which was inside the New York City temple which was a great experience. Then we went to the Museum of Natural History. We also went to eat at the Infamous restaurant "Black Tap" where the boys enjoyed a few of the over the top shakes!

DAY 4: 

Since we had a late flight out, we decided to make the use of our time. We experienced Levain's infamous cookies, rode bikes around Central Park (Dad thought he was getting shin splints because of the 6+ miles he didn't anticipate), then headed to Rockefeller Center for lunch. After lunch we had reservations for an NBC studio tour which was fun to see behind the scenes of certain shows including Saturday Night Live, NBC nightly news and other day time talk shows. They had us reenact a nigh show, where the boys were part of the band and I was the announcer. While we were there we also ran into the olympic ice skater Johnny Weir who was there for a show. It was a great trip with the boys! We are all ready to do it again!