NYC Weekend

Since we are moving so soon, we tried to cram in a little trip to New York City. I told Richard I would cry if I never got to see the Statue of Liberty the whole time we lived here. Isn't that how it goes? You live somewhere for a long time and still never get around to some of the most popular destination in the area. We have actually done quite a few. The only two things we didn't get to do are a bit further away. They are Niagara Falls and Boston. And those are worth a trip with the kids later on. So I won't cry over them.

For our NYC trip, we drove in late Friday night, and saw the Statue of Liberty via the Staten Island Ferry. I got a great tip that you actually get a much better view and photo opp of the statue via this free ferry. It was a nice 25 minute ride, and we saw the statue on the way there and back. However, squirmy kids and poor lighting (it was after dark) made for lousy pictures. So instead of trying to get the perfect shot, we just hung out at the railing of the ferry and enjoyed our view.

The next morning, we made our way to Central Park. Gabriel enjoyed climbing some rocks and we all had fun on the carousel. Gabriel had double the fun, since he got to go twice!

We then soaked in the sun on a bench in the park and ate some amazing sandwiches made by a local shop. The shop also had a window to order espresso and to-go sandwiches. I tried an espresso since we're moving to Italy. Nope. Not good. I'll stick with my drip coffee. But I did love this cute sign they had out front. "Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free kitten."

After lunch we finished our trip with a visit to the Swedish Cottage right in the middle of Central Park. The cottage was actually built in Sweden in 1875, and placed in Central Park in 1877. It has since served many purposes, including being used as headquarters for the Civil Defense during World War 2. The cottage is currently the home of Marionette Theater. They write their own plays and make they're own puppets, which makes for a truly unique show. Both kids were entranced by the performance of "Bessy's Big Shot", a story about a cow who tries to join the circus. Very cute!

I'm so glad we were able to squeeze in this fun trip! Now Richard doesn't have to hear me cry about missing out.