East Coast Trip - NYC

We have had "East Coast Trip" on our family bucket list for a very long time.  And we've planned it out in detail more than once.  After taking a 'raincheck' last June, it finally came to pass (May 23- June 3) as we pulled our kids from school a few days early.  The older they get, the more complicated the family schedule becomes.  Although we missed having Tanner join us, we had an exciting adventure that involved him, too. We made some great memories!  Now I just need to remember and record our happenings.

I have reached a completely awesome season of life.  Traveling with kids (and not babies/toddlers) is a piece of cake when the youngest is 8 years old.  Even without the back-of-seat airplane screens, my kids can handle the travel without all the drama of those younger years.  After watching other people travel with little ones, I am reminded why we didn't go far from home with our baby chicks.  (Of course, this was all pre-kindle, smart phone, gadgets galore).  To every thing there is a season....indeed!  I digress.

Waiting for dinner at Monetti's Pizza/Pasta in Weehawken.

Monday after school, we drove to SL (spent the night at the Murray house) and caught a morning flight to Newark, NJ where we rented a mini-van and drove to Weehawken, NJ.  We spent three nights at an airbnb in a residential neighborhood conveniently located outside of but easily accessible to NYC.  The local bus was $3.25 per person and slick as a whistle in bringing us home each night.

The owner of the airbnb we stayed at lives on the main level and rents out the upstairs apartment.  As such, she (Chris) was very helpful and accommodating.  For a quick meal upon our arrival, she recommended Monetti's a few blocks away.  We were the ONLY 7-person family in the vicinity and attracted a few glances as we walked around the surprisingly quiet neighborhood.  Moe's Deli across the street and on the corner was our go-to for milk, cereal, fruit, etc.

Pizza and Italian fare from Monetti's.

We stayed in the upstairs of the gray building.

It didn't take long for the kids to observe how different city life is from their rural upbringings.  Clues included the tight quarters, no yards, parking at a premium, corner markets, honking horns, all walks of life...

Recently, Jantzen received his permit for driving and shared with me how the instructor said he rarely parallel parks but explained it's a required part of getting a drivers' license.  Jantzen marveled at the abilities of city-dwellers in mastering the parallel parking technique.  The fact that Chris (landlord) stood in the street to 'reserve' a parking spot while Aaron was circling blocks attests to the fact that parking is at a premium:).  We happily scored a spot near our building then left the mini-van parked for a few days - until we left NYC area.  Taking the commuter bus in/out of the city was much easier.

Day 2 - Wednesday, May 24

We purchased a hop-on-hop-off bus pass package that allowed us to cover a lot of ground and included a few attractions to visit while in NYC.  It was a great decision for us.  We did plenty of walking even with this option but we really appreciated the educational insights and humor of Paul (favorite tour guide).

Manhattan Temple near Lincoln Center

Central Park

Although we didn't spend a lot of time in Central Park, the kids really enjoyed scaling the rocks and being in nature - as much as is possible in NYC.  It was a happy place for them.

Random pic of Brin - by Anna.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Grant's Tomb

The Met - behind Elsie

We didn't take time to explore any of the museums in NYC because we knew there were plenty ahead in our schedule.  The kids did hear all about my elementary school field trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) on my last day of 6th grade.  My family moved from NJ to UT in March 1985 and this field trip coincided with my final day of school.  It was very memorable for me.

We navigated the crowded streets in a single file line.  Usually Aaron lead out and I served as the caboose - keeping a close eye on every duckling.  It worked well.  We kept a quick pace and weaved in and out quite easily with the ebb and flow of bodies all around.

Time Square

Lunch at Chevy's near Time Square

Checking out the Lego Store in Rockefeller Center

  

"Top of the Rock"

The views from "Top of the Rock" were spectacular.  Quinn is very interested in sky-scrapers and asked a lot of questions.  He became the expert in this department and was constantly comparing building heights between the Empire States Building, One World Trade Center, etc.

Central Park behind us - all 9 blocks of it.

The Rockefeller Center

The evening bus tour to Brooklyn became a favorite for the girls.  They especially loved the city skyline at sunset.  The light on the Empire State Building was uniquely red that night in honor of  - National Blood-Donation Awareness Day (?)...but we didn't capture it well with a camera.

Our first night in the city ended with a treat from the famous Cake Boss shop.

Day 3 - Thursday, May 25

Since we stayed on the NJ side, we opted for a Uber driver (only $15!) to take us to Liberty Park to catch the ferry for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  The downpour didn't deter the school field trips and we were swarmed by students from Jersey - everywhere.  I couldn't complain since I had once been one:).  The lines were long and we worked hard to stay dry.  It rained most of the day and we spent a lot of the day outside.  The kids were troopers!

Waiting in line for the ferry to Ellis Island

Ellis Island in the distance

After exploring & watching a film, we boarded another ferry for  the Statue of Liberty.

Inside the ferry - kids sampled soft pretzels and stayed dry.

Quinn is behind Elsie

We didn't bother going through security (again) and waiting in more lines to walk up to the pedestal of the statue.  Perhaps if the weather were better or there were fewer school kids around...but we hopped on the ferry headed to Battery Park then walked several blocks to the 9-11 Memorial at Ground Zero.

After walking through the downpour all day, we opted for a subway ride back to the Time Square area for a late lunch/early dinner at The Olive Garden.  We were able to 'dry out' while eating and the rain started to subside.  We chose our final pass activity option and walked through Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum since it was next door to the theater where we had tickets for "Aladdin" that evening.  There was just enough time for the kids to visit a souvenir shop nearby before getting seated for the show.

Anna and Elsie on the subway

The show was certainly a spectacular Broadway production.  Our calculated exit after the show was almost as spectacular.  I know I'm funny about such things but we were seriously boarding the bus at the Port Authority and almost 'home' before some people even left the theater:).  It was awesome!  The show ended around 9:30pm and we were back and packing up by 10pm.  That's impressive.

kitchen at the airbnb

dining/FR where boys' slept

narrow staircase leading to our apartment

After 2 days/3 nights in the NYC area, we packed up and hit the road for the next part of our east coast adventure.  We really enjoyed our time in the city and learned much along the way.