NYC

On the last day of our family mission trip, our family and one other decided to go spend the day in New York City.  We took the Staten Island Ferry across so we could get a good look at the Statue of Liberty.  The kids enjoyed riding the ferry and it was really cool and patriotic feeling to see the Statue of Liberty.  Once we arrived on the other side, we went down Wall Street and walked to the Gorund Zero area.  It turned out to be more complicated that we had thought to see the  9/11 Memorial, so we just kind of walked around the area and looked from afar.  Amazingly, Judson fell asleep in my arms in the middle of all the construction and noise around Ground Zero, and since we were all starting to get hungry, we decided to find a place to eat.  We ended up at Burger King, which wasn't very New Yorkish, but it turned out to be a great decision.  The manager was super nice- he gave all the kids crowns and announced them as princesses and princes and opened up a special handicap restroom multiple times for us so we wouldnt have to wait in the long lines.  While we were all eating, Scott googled stores in the area that sold strollers and went and bought one so we wouldn't have to carry Jud so much.  No idea what we were thinking not taking a stroller with us!  He does like to walk, but it was definitely too much for a 2 yr old.  After lunch we walked down Fifth Avenue to get to the subway so we could head over to Central Park.  The kids thought riding the subway was fun and it was a lot cleaner and nicer than I had imagined.  Central Park was huge and beautiful.  We only saw a small portion of it, but it was enough to satisfy everyone.  We walked past the entrance to the zoo, climbed on a rock formation, saw the statue of Balto ( a hero dog), ate snow cones and ice cream, watched a marionette puppet show, and played in a really neat playground area.  We decided that since Times Square wasn't that much further, we would go ahead and walk over there to check it out.  We ended up eating dinner at an Italian restaurant right next to where they film "The Late Show" with David Letterman.  We also saw "Hello Deli" where they do little segments and contests for "The Late Show".  After dinner we did some souvenir shopping and went inside Hershey's Chocolate World for a few minutes.  It smelled so sweet in there it was almost sickening!  Times Square was super crowded, noisy, and over-stimulating.  It was one of those things that is neat to see once, but you don't really need to go back.  There were so many people, lights, signs, costumed characters, and stores it was just overwhelming.  It didn't even feel like we were outside.  After a quick ice cream cone from Ben and Jerry's, we headed to the subway to start our trip back.  This time we rode the Subway all the way back to the ferry station and got right on the ferry.  We hit it at a perfect time because it was just beginning to get dark, so we could see the city lights from the ferry and see the flame of the Statue of Liberty shining brightly.  On the ferry ride back, Scott and I were talking about what a great, but psycho day it was seeing so much of New York City in so little time with 6 kids ages 7 and under.  It was exhausting, but totally amazing and worth it!  It will definitely be a day we always remember!

Avery, Kendall, and Bethany waiting to get on the ferry

The view of the city when we first got on the ferry

Lady Liberty standing proud

a closer view of Manhattan

Avery and Judson climbing on a rock formation in Central Park.

Kendall- Queen of the mountain!

"Cheese!" Judson loved the whole Central Park experience since he loves outdoors so much.

The subway ride over to Central Park.  My pictures got a little out of order somehow and I cannot seem to fix them!

This was the statue of Balto, who was a hero because he saved an entire town in Alaska by delivering medicine during a blizzard. There were several dogs basically doing a relay, but this completed 2 legs of the journey because one of the others couldn't make it.   Joshua had read a book about Balto, so this was high on our list of things to see in the park.

For dinner we had pizza at a restaurant right by The Late Show.  You can see Lindsey and I carrying our little ones in this picture.

This bridge  in Central Park was a perfect spot for a family picture, but I'm glad it isn't a close up because we were all looking pretty rough and tired at this point.

We played at a really neat playground in Central Park with a sandbox, swings, a fountain, a bridge, and this awesome slide

The slide and steps going up to it were cut into the side of a hill.  The kids were sliding down on pieces of cardboard to make it faster.

Judson did this slide over and over.

He was wearing his crown from Burger King since he slept the whole time we were there and didn't get it until he woke up.

Avery and Kendall enjoying a rest and a snow cone in Central Park

We all sat on this bench while we had our treats and watched a man doing a puppet show nearby.

I had to take Kendall down this way (towards the zoo) to potty, and there was a man playing "Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty on the violin under another bridge like this one.  Kendall loved it!

On the way to Times Square

Our little chocolate lover had to have her picture taken by this shirt inside Hershey's Chocolate World.

Avery chose this shirt for her picture.  We got all the kids bears like the one she is holding, only Kendall got a purple one and Jud got a white one.They all said "I love NY".

Times Square.  Not sure why this one came out so dark, but it really made the lights stand out.

another view of Times Square

The view of the city lights from the ferry on the way back to Jersey

Scott and Judson with the Statue of Liberty in the background.  Goodbye NYC!