New York City

New York!  These streets will make you feel brand new… Big lights will inspire you… Hear it for New York… Is that song stuck in your head now?

We left for New York City late Saturday morning.  After stopping for lunch, restroom breaks, and even pulling over at a hotel in New Jersey because S was having a little meltdown, we finally made it to our hotel.  A and I spent quite a bit of time researching hotels and we couldn’t have picked a better one.  Hotel rooms in NYC are tiny (not surprising), but knowing that the boys would be going to bed earlier than A and I, I was really hoping to find a suite.  After reviewing photos and deals and locations, we decided on the Fitzpatrick, which was near Midtown/the Financial District (I think).  It was a beautiful hotel and our suite offered a separate little room with a sleeper sofa (preferred for the boys as it’s lower to the ground) and a television.  The staff was so nice and incredibly helpful and I loved the location of the hotel – close to all major tourist attractions without being smack in the middle of Times Square.  It was perfect.  After arriving, we quickly hailed a cab and headed to Times Square for dinner.  The boys LOVED sitting in the cab sans car seats (while I was holding on to them for dear life).  Times Square was so so crowded (per usual) so we headed to the Hard Rock Café for dinner.  I think the boys got a kick out of seeing SO many people, lights, sounds, etc.

Sunday morning, we walked to the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  It was enormous and stunning.  I was caught off guard by our bags being searched as we entered and the presence of a police officer throughout mass.  I understand the need, just not something I’m used to.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed mass at such a huge church with such a diverse group of attendees.

After mass, we walked to Central Park Zoo.  S had a meltdown because we refused to buy him his own giant pretzel and he cried most of the way to the zoo.  He also did not understand why he couldn’t ride the horses attached to carriages outside of Central Park.  Once we got to the zoo, the boys were great.  And all things considered, they were troopers, walking quite a distance from hotel to church to zoo.  We enjoyed seeing the animals and there were even little stands set up where the boys would get stamps and have a little lesson on recycling, animal diets, etc.  So fun!

After the zoo, we walked back to our hotel (a long walk) and found the Love sculpture along the way.  Once we made it back, we asked for a pizza recommendation.  The staff recommended a spot just around the corner with NY style pizza.  So yummy!

Since it was still early, we decided to take the boys to the Empire State Building.  Because New York.  I have to mention that A is afraid of heights and I give him credit for being brave and heading outside to take in the view.  At this point, the boys were getting really tired so we grabbed a cab back to the hotel.

Monday morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed to Lower Manhattan where we hopped on a boat and saw the Statue of Liberty along with the Manhattan skyline.  After that, we met up with a friend in Bryant Park for lunch and then it was back to Maryland.

A and I were in New York City seven years ago and we were in such a hurry to see everything because we didn’t know when we’d return.  I think I enjoyed this trip so much more because we didn’t have a set agenda and the boys surprised me with how much they were willing to do/see.  Previously, we stayed on Long Island because I was there for work, but I loved staying in Manhattan.  Now, I want to return to the Big Apple again. J  I really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city – so many people, so many things to see/do, and most of all, I loved experiencing all of it with A and the boys.