New York!

Our trip to New York was so much fun! The energy of the city is amazing! I've seen so many pictures and TV and movies but they just don't do it justice. Being there is something you have to experience for yourself. We truly tried to do it all while we were there. Our trip started with a bus tour of the city stopping at Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, Times Square, Park Avenue, lower Manhattan, China Town, & Little Italy. That evening we went to see Lion King. We had all been on the red-eye flight and up all day so during the show we were all fighting to stay awake after a big meal at Dallas BBQ, but is was so fantastic! Especially the costumes and music. The next day the drill team girls took classes at Steps on Broadway, so Erica, Laurie and I headed out on the subway with some of the other parents to find Little Italy. The weather was sunny and almost warm! We shopped for purses and scarves (all "special price, just for you") in china town then found a cute little Italian restaurant and had a yummy lunch sitting outside with the sun shining, it was great! We continued shopping on Canal Street then took the subway to 5th Avenue and 42nd Street to check out the shopping there but by that time my foot was hurting and Erica was tired of shopping so we decided to catch a cab back to the hotel and take a rest! Laurie and some of the other parents continued shopping then walked back to the hotel. I think I could lose weight living in New York because you can walk anywhere, or catch a bus or the subway, we are so used to getting in the car to go anywhere it was fun to be near Times Square where everything is within walking distance. I would have walked even more if my injured foot would have cooperated! When we committed to the trip, I had no idea that my foot would still be bothering me 6 months after my accident! I thought it would be all back to normal by now, sadly that is not the case and I'm getting pretty sick of it! My sister Laurie was so nice and patient with me and how slow I had to walk when it would get swollen and painful, but I tried to make the most of it and do and see everything we could! That evening Mandy and Erica wanted to go Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. We went to the biggest Applebees I've ever seen afterwards. On Saturday morning the whole group took the subway to Battery Park where we took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty, which was interesting to see but for some reason seemed smaller that I thought it would be! It was really cold that day so when the ferry took us to Ellis Island we were too cold to get off the boat (we needed to save something for the next time we go!) After getting off the ferry we took the subway back to Little Italy for some great Italian food for lunch, then more shopping in little Italy and china town, what fun! We found lots of cute scarves and purses. That evening we went to Wicked. It was by far the best Broadway show I have ever seen, amazing! Our group was able to stay after the show for a "meet and greet" with a few members of the cast and crew, the girls were able to ask questions, get autographs and hear some of the history and details of the production. On Sunday we decided attend Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, it was so pretty and it was interesting to attend Sunday Mass there. After Mass we had lunch at Rockefeller Center then met the whole group for a tour of Radio City Music Hall. It was really interesting. We headed to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company for a fun group dinner, then went to visit the Observation deck at Top Of The Rock in the Rockefeller Center where we saw wonderful views of the city at night. We spent the rest of the evening walking around Times Square then stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for dessert. On Monday morning Laurie and Mandy went shoe shopping at Macy's while Erica and I went to the wax museum and had fun taking photos with lots of famous people! (Wax figures that is) then we went to the Broadway Cafe for our last meal in New York. It was snowing and windy and very cold, bone chilling cold, so needless to say our last few hours in NY were not as enjoyable as the rest but we still tried to make the most of it. (I bet the cabs made lots of money that day because it was too cold and windy to walk anywhere!) The storm delayed our flights a few hours but we all made it home safe and sound! Can't wait to go back but next time I will definatley go when it's warmer!!!