Do you have a travel bucket list? I do. There are so many places I would love to visit! And I have already been to several of them. Still, my list seems to grow as quickly as I check things off. New York City has been on my list for quite some time. I'm not sure what it is about that city that has intrigued me; perhaps it's all the movies or shows I've watched that take place there. Perhaps it's the iconic symbols associated with our nation. Perhaps it's the diversity of things to do. Whatever it is, I have wanted to go...and I finally had the opportunity. This was a girls trip. Nichole and Kate were gracious enough to invite me to join them. Nichole has already been to NYC a couple of times, but for Kate and I, this was a first. Kate was excited to go for much of the same reasons I was. She wanted to visit places she had read about or seen in movies. Plus, she is in a musical performance group and loves all things musical theater. Jeff was more than happy to let me go with Nichole and Kate because it meant that he didn't have to go (although he would have graciously gone with me!). Jeff doesn't get as excited about the big city stuff like I do. So it was settled...and off I went! We all flew in on Tuesday, March 8th, and met at Newark airport in NJ. We then took an Uber (ride share) into the city where we stayed at a hotel (Hampton Inn) near Times Square. We dropped off our stuff and were off! We didn't waste any time in beginning our adventure. We had tickets to go to the top of the Empire State Building that evening but had a few hours to kill before then. We grabbed a quick lunch/dinner then made our way to Bryant Park and the NY Public Library. I love all the parks in the city. It makes sense to have so many because there are literally buildings everywhere! If you didn't have a park, you would have no place to simply sit and relax outdoors. We loved the park but were "underwhelmed" by the library. There were no books! It was more like a beautiful building/museum than a library. There was one room with books, but we couldn't enter unless we were there to do research or study. Instead, we just enjoyed the beautiful building and moved on.
After the library, we made our way to Herald Square where the largest Macy's is located. Nichole and I wanted to see this place because of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade we grew up watching. More than New Years in Times Square, I would like to attend the Thanksgiving parade. I'm not sure why. Perhaps the nostalgia of watching it as I grew up. I'm not sure I'll ever go so it was fun to at least see where it's filmed and where the parade ends. We still had some time to kill so we went inside all 9 floors of Macy's. I can see why it's the largest store! It was HUGE! The funny thing is, we really didn't shop. Instead, we found the coolest, old, wooden escalators and rode them all the way up and down the store. (We did take a little bit of time to stop at the candy section.)
 |
| We had to reenact the classic escalator scene from Elf. When in NY... |
Finally, it was time to make our way to the Empire State Building. I can't imagine a better way to start off our trip than this view...at that time. It was dusk. The sky was barely awake and the lights were just starting to glow. It looked almost magical from 80 stories high. I erroneously assumed we would just be shuttled to an elevator and let out on the observation deck. Instead, we were treated to a whole maze of displays as we made our way to the top. The displays highlighted the history of the building as well as iconic moments it has been featured in movies or shows. At last, we made it to the top and the view almost took my breath away. NYC is one of a kind! I'm happy that I don't have to live there, but it was an enchanting place to visit. The views were awesome! We were able to pick out certain buildings and could even see Lady Liberty in the distance. There were a few high rises that had blue and yellow lights in honor of Ukraine. (Russia has currently invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked war. Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing the country. Those that remain are taking up arms to fight for their country. The atrocities that are being broadcast are heartbreaking...and here I am, living the good life in NYC. I am reminded how blessed I am every day, and I pray for those in Ukraine [and elsewhere] who may wonder where peace can be found.)
Before making our way back to the hotel, we decided to go see Times Square at night. With all the massive monitor displays and LED lights, it didn't feel much like night! There was such a vibrance and energy all around us. Again, I loved standing where I see the people gathered on New Years Eve to watch the ball drop (even though I never really desire to be there when that happens). I even got to see the ball! I didn't realize that it remains there year round. We snapped a few pictures then called it a day. We had all been up super early to catch our flights so we were more than ready to go to bed...in anticipation of the next few days of adventures!
Wednesday (March 9th) was our first full day in the city, and it welcomed us with rain and sleet ALL DAY LONG! We knew going into the trip that rain/snow was a possibility, but we were hoping it would be scattered and not an entire day. Thankfully, we had two full days (Thursday and Friday) with no rain. Saturday we had rain in the morning then it just got bitterly cold. Still, at least half of the trip was awesome weather! Today we planned to start our day at the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. We decided to stick with the plan, but quickly realized that we'd have to return another day if we actually wanted to see anything. Still, we enjoyed the cold, snowy, non-crowded few moments we spent at the top...and I enjoyed being in the building where the Today Show and Nightly News is filmed. (Nichole liked that we were where the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is filmed.) Rockefeller Center was not what I was expecting. I guess I just assumed it would be an office building/ TV production center; however, it was so much more! There were shops and restaurants (like the famous Magnolia Bakery with its banana pudding...yes, that was breakfast) and of course, the iconic skating rink. (Kate wanted to go skating but decided that she didn't want to go in the rain. Unfortunately, when we returned on Friday, the rink was closed because they were filming episodes for the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Bummer!) We got lost both times we were at Rockefeller Center. We weren't even sure where we were at when we exited the building. Thankfully, the maps on our phones are incredibly accurate! We actually maneuvered our way around the city with ease. We even conquered the subway system! After we left the building, we took a few pictures around the iconic Rockefeller Center spots before making our way over to St. Patrick's Cathedral.
New York is full of beautiful, towering cathedrals, but St. Patrick's is probably one of the most notable ones. While we may not have the same religious practices or beliefs, I fully respect and admire those of other faiths...and we were in awe of this gorgeous edifice. We reverently appreciated the honor given to the "saints", especially Mother Theresa, a saint from our day. We were amazed by the breathtaking stained glass windows and stone architecture. We appreciated the faith of those there who were praying and finding a quiet moment to worship.
Because of the non-stop rain, we bounced from indoor establishment to indoor establishment as we made our way to the American Museum of Natural History. First, we stopped at the Lego store on 5th Avenue. This avenue is known as the shopping district. There are blocks and blocks of stores stretching for what seems like miles. The Lego store was just one (we made stops at a couple more on Saturday when it was raining again). It was fun to see all the life-sized Lego creations inside. I even found a bonsai tree for Jonas (who had received all high scores on his current grade report).
Next, we popped into an Italian restaurant for lunch as we made our way north. There were 3 food items we were determined to eat while in NYC: pizza, bagels, and a hot dog. I guess that's what we figured was iconic NYC foods. The pizza here was delicious, but it wasn't quite what we pictured when we thought of that floppy, thin crusted NYC pizza. (Don't worry though! We grabbed a slice of that kind later.) After lunch, we kept moving north and just happened to walk by the temple. We were seriously just trying to move fast and stay as dry as we could when all of the sudden we looked up...and there it was! It is so strange to see the Angel Moroni amidst high rises. We made one more stop before making it to the museum: Levain bakery. I'm pretty sure these guys are the ones that started the whole cookie craze. We grabbed a couple huge, gooey cookies and chatted with one of the bakers. We discovered that she is going star in an off-Broadway production of Sister Act. Kate was thrilled. They bonded over a mutually shared love of musical theater. Kate was definitely in her element.
We finally made it to the American Museum of Natural History. Prior to coming on the trip, we purchased something called City Pass. It provides discounts to some of the biggest attractions of various cities when you buy them in a bundle. This museum was a part of that bundle for NYC. I'm not really certain I would have chosen to go if it had not been included, even though this is the museum featured in the Night at the Museum movies. The museum was MASSIVE! It houses all sorts of displays from animals to rocks and gems. We ran through the animal displays (because Kate is sensitive about that stuff), enjoyed the rocks and gems, then quickly found a few artifacts that are featured in those movies. It was interesting, but I'm not sure I need to go back.
By this time, we had walked at least 8 miles. That was what we averaged per day! Yet, the allure of Central Park was calling so we crossed the street and explored a little portion of the park while vowing to return on Friday when the weather would be nicer. Kate had a specific list of locations that she wanted to see in Central Park. These were locations that were referenced in the Percy Jackson books...and yes, we saw all of them by the time we left. After the long, wet day of walking, we decided to brave the subway system to get home. It was actually pretty easy, especially with the use of our phones. We simply typed in where we wanted to go and our maps would give us what public transit line we would need to take, where we'd need to get off, and how to walk the rest of the way to our destination. Thankfully, our hotel was only a few blocks away from various subway stops so we didn't have to walk too much.
 |
| Blue and yellow flowers for Ukraine. |
We made our way back to the hotel to put our feet up and freshen up before heading out to see Dear Evan Hansen. Kate was most excited to see this musical. It has won several awards and was even made into a feature film. The music is stirring and the story line is heart wrenching. I think everyone can relate to some aspect of the mental and emotional struggles the main characters experience. I have seen the movie, but the live production was much more jarring. The emotions seemed more real and more raw. I think we all cried at various moments throughout the musical. We quickly jumped to our feet after the final number and applauded with everyone else. As we left, we noticed there were a couple of people gathered by the stage door. Evidently, prior to COVID, the actors would sign autographs and mingle with the people after the shows. However, all we could hope for was a quick "hello" or "thank you" and maybe a picture. Well...we got the BEST picture! We greeted several actors before the main actor, Zachary Noah Piser, came out. He was so down-to-earth and gracious. We thanked him for sharing his talent and he offered to pose for a picture with Kate. She was in heaven! I'm pretty sure that was the highlight of the trip thus far. It was the perfect way to end our cold, wet day. (As a side note, the pizza from earlier in the day did not settle with me! I threw up during the production. Luckily, I made it to various garbage cans as I rushed to the bathroom. I was so worried that I would get Nichole and Kate sick or that I would be asked to leave so I kept quiet about the whole thing. When I had to find an usher to get a new face mask [because I obviously got vomit all over mine], I blamed my stomach ills on being pregnant. I laugh about that now because I'm not in my prime childbearing years, but I didn't want them to think that I had COVID or some other contagious illness [although I could have]. Oh boy! It was a long night, but I'm happy to report that it was just that night and no one else got sick. I'm pretty sure it was just something I ate that didn't settled with me.)
The next day (Thursday, March 10th) was a sunnier, drier day! We were all excited because we knew it would be another day of walking and being outdoors. We started our day with an early subway ride to the southern tip of the city. From there, we took a ferry ride out to see the beautiful Statue of Liberty and tour Ellis Island. Lady Liberty is a national symbol...and perhaps even an international one. She embodies the hopes for the American dream. She stands for freedom, equality, and acceptance of all. She reminds us that we are a cacophony of races, religions, and nationalities that are meant to find unity and peace in spirt of our differences. I was pretty excited to see her. I had repeatedly read the New Colossus, the poem written by Emma Lazarus for the Statue of Liberty. I could hear Lady Liberty's silent plea to allow all the "tired, poor, and huddled masses" to "breath free". To send the "homeless" and "tempest tossed" to her the light from the lamp leading to the "golden door". I think it's good to remember that our nation's beginnings came as result of immigrants looking for a better life.
Next, we moved on to Ellis Island. Although, after some quick research, we discovered that we didn't have any ancestors that came through this port of entry, we were still fascinated with the edifice and what it was like for those coming to America. We entered the hall of registry then followed a thorough depiction of the process each immigrant faced when coming through Ellis Island. Not all who came were allowed to stay. Some were deported because of the perceived strain they would have been on the society's resources. Some were deported because of illness or disease. Others were allowed to enter because of family that was already in the US. Still others (mail order brides) were allowed to enter because they had been purchased or had a contract for employment. It was crazy to walk through the displays and imagine what it would have been like. In one area, they had preserved the graffiti on the walls of those who entered those halls.
By the time we finished at the island, it was near lunch time...and there was a hot dog truck! Even though my stomach was still recovering, I couldn't pass up this NYC tradition. Nichole and I both grabbed a hot dog (Kate was not having any of that!) as we headed to our next destination. On the way, we saw the Charging Bull in the financial district. I posed for a quick picture of a subway stop right by Wall Street, and we got to briefly see Alexander Hamilton's gravesite through the wrought iron fence of Trinity Church. Unfortunately, the church's roof was under renovation so they weren't allowing anyone on the grounds. We weren't able to see Angelica, Eliza, or Hercules Muligan's graves. Thankfully, Hamilton's grave marker was large enough we could see it from the street. I didn't realize that Trinity Church was the original King's College or that King's College eventually became Columbia University. Things you learn when you stop to read the signs.
We finally made it to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. For the next two hours, we explored this sacred place. This was the most somber experience of the entire trip. In fact, about half way through the museum, we all had to stop, take a seat, and just let out some emotion. I was not in the US on 9/11/01. I was serving my mission in Uruguay. I remember a senior missionary couple rushing in to our zone conference to tell President Chidester what had happened. We instructed to quickly return to our areas. In the bus terminal, I could see some brief images and news reports, but that was the extent of my exposure to what had transpired. From then on, I heard verbal reports from members and others, but I didn't see the ongoing reports or graphic footage. We were instructed not to gather with other North American missionaries for a period of time. They wanted to limit any large gathering in case this was an attack on all US citizens worldwide, but other than that, my life went on as normal for a missionary. This museum opened my eyes to the reality of what occurred at that place on 9/11. In the midst of crumpled metal and destroyed fire engines were videos of those people who were jumping to their death. There were audio recordings of people's accounts of the day. It was all heart wrenching. Before and after the museum, we walked around the memorials and traced the names of the people. We saw three white roses placed on the names of those whose birthday it was. And then, we stopped at the tree. One tree had survived the destruction of that day. As I posed for a quick picture, I could see the buds starting to form. I reflected on the significance and symbolism of that small bud. I was reminded of the beauty that returns after the harsh cold months. I was hopeful that this memorial could be an ever-blooming bud to remind the world of the beauty that can follow tragedy.
After the museum, we decided to maximize our time in this area of the city since we didn't plan to return. Unfortunately, my energy was waning due to the lack of sleep and food intake, but we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. Again, this is another iconic NYC landmark. From the other side of the bridge, you could see the NYC skyline; however, we made it halfway and decided that was enough. Kate was even feeling the fatigue of having walked so much. Nichole was a little disappointed...until...walking back into the city we stumbled across a live filming of the TV show, Bull, with the main actor, Michael Weatherly. Living in Payson, I have seen a couple filming of Hallmark Christmas shows (that occasionally use our downtown area for a set), but Kate and Nichole had not yet had the experience of seeing a live filming. I noticed the set signs and then saw the cameras before we realized what we being filmed. It was fun to watch them do take after take of this one scene. We saw the director talking to the actors and production crew managing all the "extras". While it's not a TV show I watch, we had fun watching this!
Finally, we made our way to Little Italy (through the sketchy Chinatown!) for dinner. I ventured to try a little of what Nichole and Kate ordered. I was certain I wasn't going to throw up, but I was still trying to play it safe. We wandered around Little Italy for a bit after dinner. We found a fun Christmas store and Kate and Nichole indulged in some ice cream before we headed back to the hotel to call it a day. I'm pretty sure this was our longest day out and most day of walking.
Friday (March 11th) was another beautiful, sunny day. It even got warm enough that I stripped off my extra layers down to just my t-shirt. We were all pretty tired from the previous days of travel and walking so we decided to sleep in a little. Nichole even ordered Ess-a-bagels to our room. These bagels were delicious! My favorite was the cinnamon apple cream cheese on a honey oat bagel. After we had breakfast, we headed back toward Rockefeller Center to actually see the view from the Top of the Rock. We did consider waking up early to go see a live filming of the Today Show (which I love), but sleep won out! On our way back to Rockefeller Center, we wandered through Times Square during the day. The massive monitors are just as impressive in the daylight as they are at night. I'm not sure what it was about Times Square, but I was kind of mesmerized by it all. We explored the M&Ms store, found some crazy statues, and a funky water tunnel on our way.
Back on the Top of the Rock, we were so glad we decided to return! We could see back to the Empire State Building, but what was more impressive, was the view of Central Park. I have to admit, I wished it was summer or fall because the park wasn't very pretty with its bare trees, but it was still impressive.
 |
| While I love the Today Show, Nichole loves Jimmy Fallon. We found this door open as we walked by so we had to snap a quick picture. |
We didn't stay too long this time. We grabbed a few pictures, admired the view, then headed down to the park. We were going to maximize our last sunny day in NYC by walking through the park. Of course, we hit several specific locations for Kate and enjoyed all the statues and other sites in between. It really was the perfect day for a stroll in the park.
After the park, we headed to Serendipity 3 for a late lunch/early dinner. While Kate and I managed the sites we visited, Nichole mainly picked the places we ate. She did her research and we were never disappointed. This is another NYC staple. I guess several celebrities have dined there over the years. It is eclectic and a little whimsical...and they have amazing sundaes! It took all three of us to tackle one and we couldn't even finish it.
Finally, we made our way back to the hotel to clean up for our final Broadway musical. Before we made it back though, we stopped at the Drama Books store just a half a block from our room. The actress we met at Levain Bakery suggested that we make a stop there. She reported that it has been around since 1917 and was in danger of closure when Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in to save it. We are so glad he did! It was such a fun bookstore and Kate found a couple Libretti for her favorite plays.
That evening, we saw the musical Come From Away. I'm not sure Kate was as excited about this one as she was Dear Evan Hansen. The music is good, but there really aren't any standalone songs, meaning that you can't really understand the songs unless they're sang in the context of the play. Yet, as we mentioned what plays we were seeing to the random people who inquired, Come From Away got rave reviews. I was excited to see it because it depicts the humanity and goodness of something that happened on 9/11. We were all hopeful that it would lift our spirits regarding that horrific day after our somber day yesterday...and we were NOT disappointed! It was phenomenal! We all readily jumped to our feet when it was over to applaud the actors and musicians who took an ordinary story (or stories) and turned it into something extraordinary. The whole music weaves different stories of different people who landed on or lived in Gander, Newfoundland. The history behind what happened during those few days is amazing. As with the previous production, we stuck around after the show to thank the performers. There was no cute posed picture, but we couldn't have been more thrilled with how our evening ended.
Saturday (March 12th) was our last day in NYC. Unfortunately, it was much like Wednesday. We woke up to rain that stayed with us until at least early afternoon. We were pleased when it had stopped but then the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped. By the time we made it back to the hotel that evening, the temperatures with the wind chill were in the teens. Needless to say, Nichole and Kate were popsicles. Fortunately, I was a little more used to the weather so I wasn't too cold, but it was a good reason to call it an early day. We knew the weather would be bad so we planned accordingly. Much like Wednesday, we hopped from indoor location to indoor location. Our first stop of the day was the Metropolitan Museum of Art near Central Park. We hopped on the subway and headed north from our location. When we got off, we needed to cut through the park to get to the other side where the museum was located. Kate still had one or two more places to see in Central Park so we wound our way through the park to see the last minute locations. Even in the dreary, cold weather, signs of spring were popping up all around us. We found some daffodils, crocuses, and even a few blossoming trees. However, if I ever return to NYC, I'm going to choose to come in a different season.
When we made it to the museum, we still had about 15 minutes before it opened. We huddled together and formed a shield with our umbrellas, but it was a little harder to stay dry today with the wind. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long before the doors opened...and we were overwhelmed! We easily spent 2+ hours there and didn't even begin to see all that it had to offer. We made our way to one area before deciding that we needed to narrow things down so we googled the top things to see at the museum, located them on our map, then started checking them off. Kate was most interested in the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art. I really enjoyed the Renaissance painters. We saw original works from Renoir, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and more. I was in awe at all the amazing talent that surrounded me. This is a museum I could return to!
Once we finished at the museum, we had successfully checked off all the "must do/see" items on our lists, but we weren't ready to call it quits. We decided to walk down 5th Avenue and do a little shopping. On our way, we popped into a pizza place and got what we would consider a true slice of NY pizza. The slice was HUGE! There were smaller slices that each of us chose then we all had a piece of the jumbo slice. Now our culinary tour of NYC was complete. We then bounced from store to store. Nichole and I got something at Lululemon (it was my basically my only purchase for myself from the trip. I did buy few stickers for mine and Jonas's sticker book and I got a pack of playing cards, but that was it.) while Kate wanted to browse all the fun books at Barnes and Noble.
We eventually made our way to Grand Central Station. This wasn't necessarily on our list, but it is pretty iconic. Of course, it was busy with travelers going to and from the city. The building was incredible. The paintings on the ceilings and the marble floors/walls were gorgeous. Nichole had read somewhere that if you go to this certain archway and whisper in the corner the person on the opposite corner can hear you. Of course, we had to try it out...and you actually could! Fun little trick.
Our last "to-do" was actually a request from Tyler. Evidently, he used to follow a YouTube star who resided in NYC. He wanted us to go to his place of residence and simply take a picture. This meant that we had to hop back on the subway and head all the way back downtown. Maybe if I return to NYC one day, I'll spend more time down there. This is where the city originated. There are cobblestone streets and old buildings. There is a lot of history there...I would just need to do a little research first so I don't miss anything. By the time we were done locating the building, we were frozen and ready to simply head back to the hotel to warm up and pack up. It has been an amazing trip! I feel like I can finally check NYC off my bucket list. I'm so glad that I got to share this trip with Kate and Nichole. We ordered dinner in the hotel, watched a movie on TV, and packed up. The next morning, I had an early flight out. I left a couple hours before Kate and Nichole. As the plane took off, the sky was on fire! In a matter of a few hours, I went from city lights and sunrises to the snowcapped mountains of the west. It was fun in the city, but I was grateful to get back to my family and my home...with all the wide open spaces.
