Ever since I, Dave, took Lacey to NYC a couple of years ago, Tanner has been asking when it would be his turn. He needed a couple of years to improve his patience and his listening skills. While not perfect yet. I decided it was time to take him to the city since he had been learning a lot about the various landmarks there and nothing makes learning come alive than actually going to the place you've been learning about. In particular, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. So, it was time for our special one on one father son time to the city. But a couple of months before our trip, Tanner asked if Lacey could come along as well. I told Tanner it was fine with me if that's truly what he wanted. Thus, lucky Lacey was invited to this trip and she couldn't believe how nice Tanner was in inviting her to crash our special trip. Maybe the family motto of "kindness"is working or maybe Tanner just likes company? Either way, we woke up early and headed to the train station to make the 3 hour trip up to NYC!
Lacey and Tanner loved taking the train. They were well equipped with their electronics and Minecraft.
I was pretty stoked to be back in the city as well. One of my favorites in this world of ours.
First order of business was to take the subway all the way to downtown Manhattan to go see the Statue of Liberty. I was glad I had pre-purchased tickets when I saw how long the ticket line was. We still had to wait in the security line, though. But we made it thru onto the ferry and were on our way.
I want to call attention to this Viking cap that my parents brought back from Norway for Tanner. He refused to wear it the right way. He insisted he was a rhino even though Lacey said he looked more like a Unicorn. Yeah, that comment didn't go over well. Anyways, Tanner was a Rhino for most of the day and got comments everywhere we went.
Leaving Manhattan sure does give you great views of the city. This is downtown, with One World Trade Center dominating the skyline. I believe this is now the tallest building in America.
Tanner and that mesmerizing skyline.
And here we are meeting the First Lady of NYC! We had access to the pedestal and climbed the 200+ stairs. Having a selfie stick sure helped us get some cool pictures!
Lady Liberty photo bombing our picture!
Tan's turn! He was so excited to see the Statue of Liberty. I was 6 years old when I first saw this monument, but at the time, she was covered up in scaffolding and I remember being so disappointed. Funny what stays with us and what we forget as kids.
Making our way to Ellis Island and back to NYC provided us with endless photo opps.
So the downside to seeing the Statue of Liberty the ticketed way (vs taking the cheaper Staten Island Ferry) is that you lose a lot of precious time (~3 hours) going from one island to another and trying to pack everything in. So by the time we were done with the tour, we were chasing daylight to see and do more in the city. A new exhibit had just opened in Battery Park: the Seaglass Aquarium Carousel. There was no line, so we did it! It was very cool and untraditional for a Carousel. I'm sure it's even cooler at night, but we didn't have the luxury to come back downtown later. Both kids thought it was cool!
Lacey in her fish!
Tanner had a fun time!
On our way to the subway, we passed by the Wall Street Bull and snuck in some quick pictures. NYC is always crowded and today was no exception. Tourists everywhere!
Our next stop was Union Square and by this time we were ALL hungry. We went to this BBQ joint that let kids eat free BUT they were at capacity due to college football games. Dang. Not wanting to waste anymore time, we found a class NY pizza joint and had some amazing thin crust pizza! Tanner was impressed. So, it wasn't free, but it wasn't $$ either. After lunch, we walked around Union Square and then went to the City Bakery for their thick hot chocolate. It was cold this weekend so it hit the spot. That and their homemade marshmallows and pretzel croissants - SO GOOD!
And guess what we ran into at Union Square? Dylan's Candy Store! Lacey was beyond excited that we came upon this discovery because I wasn't planing on taking them to the original location and didn't know they had just opened up a second location in the city. Lacey was in heaven. This girl loves her candy!!!
With candy in hand, we made our way back uptown. Lacey and Tan learned how the subways work in the city and that you need patience waiting for your train and then not having a seat when you do get on the train. And Tanner learned people will run you down in this city - this city is always on the move! I also told the kids to be on the lookout for the official mascot of the city: rats! But we didn't see any.
We got off at Central Park and walked down to the Plaza Hotel. Both the kids have seen the Eloise movie and have peppered Kerry and I with a ton of questions about this hotel ever since. They both wanted to see if this place was as fancy as the movie made it out to be and they both were impressed. They were hoping we were staying there for the night, but alas we weren't!
Beautiful Lace-face!
We went inside the Hotel to take a look. And look who we ran into: Eloise!
Night had now fallen on the city and we walked up 5th Avenue. The windows were all decorated in elaborate Halloween themes, so the kids were entertained. We were making our way to Rockefeller Center when we passed a Lego store. Well, Tanner was inside that store in no time flat. And I have to admit that the store never gets old for me either. Seeing all the creations made out of legos is impressive.
Toasting to a great trip with their Magnolia cupcakes.
Tanner has been reading about how the Empire State Building was constructed and the men who risked their lives in the process. And he saw the movie King Kong this summer at Myrtle Beach and was even more fascinated with how tall this building could be. Well, it's no longer the tallest building in NYC, but it's still impressive. Instead of going to the top of the ESB, I read that Top of the Rock has the best views of the city, including the ESB, and that there's more room to take pictures and enjoy the views. So, up we went! More waiting in lines, more practicing patience for Tanner, but soon enough we were gifted with amazing views!
I mean, come on! You can see the ESB, One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge, and all the buildings and boroughs of the area. I know they call Paris the City of Light, but I think NYC has her beat.
Then we were off to Times Square. One can only wonder what kind of impression this place makes on young kids. It's pretty energizing!
But not THAT energizing! It was now after 9pm and Tanner was shutting down. Lacey and I could've kept going but Tanner was done. He had seen what he came to see and now insisted we go back to the hotel. And he had one more request: no more subways, he wanted to take a cab!
Unfortunately the cab wasn't going to take us all the way to our hotel bc we were staying over in Jersey City since I had a free night at the Hyatt there. We had to take another train to get there and by then both kids were done. But they soldiered on until.....
...they were snug in their comfy bed! They also got their 2nd wind since they could play some Minecraft before bed while I watch the Cubs lose to the Mets. Boo! Do you remember how exciting it was go to a hotel when you were a kid? I still get excited about hotels, but these kids were equally as excited. NYC is not the same when you go with kids, but it's still fun!
This was the view from our room when we woke up! There's the ESB again for ya, Tan!
We made our way back to Penn Station to catch our train back to Maryland. We are really lucky that we live so close to this dynamic city. We had a great time and are already looking for the next opportunity or excuse to go back! In 3 years, it will be Riley's turn for her NYC field trip with Dad!
