New York City

NYC!  Growing up in Ohio, it's borderline inexcusable that I have never been to New York City.  I've hit the church history sites in NY a dozen times, but not the historical city itself.  I can't imagine bringing a large family here to visit, and flying clear to the East Coast from Kaua'i is less-than-appealing.  When Cory and Kristen asked if we wanted to join a quick weekend trip, we jumped on it.  Mom and Dad Edwards were willing to be with the kids for those days, and even though we felt guilty enough about leaving the kids (Brady's travel schedule is intense), we checked cancellation policies for the hotel and airlines, we are still glad we followed through on it and took some time together.

Empire State Building has never been on my bucket list, but I liked it so much more than the Eiffel Tower.  It was the first building in the world with 100+ stories, but more impressively to a construction wife, it was built in 1 year and 45 days.  I am currently hoping our house goes up that fast. 

The exhibit was so well done.  Beau is also well done.

It makes the dream work.

The original elevator shaft.

So many iconic films with this building featured.  Took this picture for Zac and O:

...and this one for Cory.

Beau and Emily, Brady and Cory's cousin, were gracious enough to let us join their city trip, which they make every couple years with Cory and Kristen.  I appreciate funny people and Beau is a funny person.  I also appreciate people who care about food and Emily is a successful recipe blogger.

First sighting of Lady Liberty!

World's most photographed building!  

We took the elevator clear to the 102nd but preferred the 86th floor viewpoints outside.

Italian for dinner.  Brady and I were so grateful to take the food tour Cory planned for us on this trip in his detailed itinerary.  You can only have a 10:15pm dinner reservation in the city.

Walking the streets until nearly 1am and thinking, "Kate would love this so much."

First night in our NYC-style hotel.  Excellent location with all the perks of a lukewarm shower without water pressure, room for one suitcase, and a loud A/C and heater system.  I thought, "Kate would hate this so much."  It's funny how that stuff is really no biggie with a good location and no kids.  Also, no complaints about the lobby furniture.

Friday morning, we ordered a cronut before walking the Highline, the 1.45 mile, elevated rail-turned-greenway.  It was one of my favorite activities of the trip and I wish the trail was 14.5 miles instead.  We spent the gawking at all the art, the buildings, and vastness of NYC.

This statue seems way too large in person.

This one, too.

Peek-a-boo mural:

Mural-making in progress:

This exterior light should be on the shortlist for our house:

Waverly Pl:

Where Seinfeld started:

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Trip #1: such pretty treats.  Usually pretty treats are pretty but not delicious.  These were amazing.

We were very behind our itinerary, but managed to squeeze in a trip to Suit Supply for the boys to pick up new suits, and Canada Goose for me to buy the coat of my dreams. It is now mid-January and the winter has been so mild that I have worn the coat exactly one time.  I need to wear it about 900 more times to make it worth the purchase. 

Finishing the afternoon with a stroll along the Brooklyn Bridge:

pics of us on bridge

Brady and I can hustle walking, but we learned that you cannot beat the estimated time given to walk anywhere in NYC.  The traffic lights make it impossible.  So, we rode the subway a couple times.

Cosme: contemporary Mexican.  This meal featured lots of meat so dessert was my favorite part!

We needed a photo without us in tennis shoes.

The Rockettes!  Plenty entertaining but I could not shake the uncomfortable homogeny of the group and how objectifying it all felt.  Again, I thought, "Kate would love this." But also, "I don't really want Kate to love this."  The Christmas music complete with live orchestra and chorus was very festive and it all felt jolly.  And unsettling.  

Wandering the city for a bit before bed.

Up next: the MET!  We were allotted 2 hours and guided by Brigham's must-sees.  Like all parts of our NYC experience, we were woefully behind on his itinerary.

For Owen, in memory of his "I want to be a glassblower" phase.

For Kate, who taught me to love ballet.

We left separately from Beau and Emily (Emily was determined to see "The Wave," which turned out to be in storage).  While we were walking, a man grabbed my bag.  I yelled "NO!" and wrestled for it.  Brady went on high alert, too, ready to take someone down.  It was Beau.  Such a funny moment and also a very heart-racing experience.

Walking through Central Park:

All I could think was how much I wanted to join the throng of joggers.  Kristen ran early am but my SI joint had been on the fritz and I worried about aggravating it further.  I felt so much FOMO and wanted to run like Phoebe from friends.  I also kept thinking that I am such a country mouse because Central Park was definitely may favorite part of NYC.

I spy...Moroni.

It had a been a couple hours so naturally we had to eat again.  Hooray for famous bakeries and their delicacies.

We took a picture in front of Juliard and sent it to Mahjinka, sure that this was where she went to school.  That was actually her rival school.  Oops!

Seema, a contemporary Indian restaurant, was our favorite.  Dosa is now in my food vocabulary.

We saw Back to the Future and it was entertaining and impressive but it does matter when you do not recognize the music in a live musical performance.  The special effects were impressive.

The next morning, I got my favorite NYC experience: jogging to/through Central Park.  Brady joined me on the jog to the park, stopping every block for the lights.  It was a rush feeling the energy of all the runners and joggers and felt like a scene from a snowglobe--idyllic and tucked away as its own separate place within the city.

We caught the last few minutes of the primary program at church.  The ward was on three separate floors, with strollers crammed into corners next to the elevator and stairs.  I think of NYC residents as rich, dressed to the nines and working as executives or in high profile jobs, but it was interesting to look around and see the mix of completely different circumstances in that ward.

We stopped for pastries and sat in the back garden room:

Brady and I were anxious to visit the museum and 9/11 ground zero. As we were walking around the memorial, we met Ruth who lived just a few blocks away and witnessed the tragedy.  Her descriptions and details from first-person perspective added to the solemnity of the visit.  I was especially interested in the way it has impacted her life since.  She and her husband split, but she has stayed living by the site of the terror and shock from 23 years ago.  She dedicates time to the site, sharing her story.  

Listening to the voices of people calling spouses from hijacked planes, hearing speculation about what was happening, accounts from witnesses, the timelines, and a sweet video depicting all the small boats that volunteered to remove people from Manhattan during the time of crisis showed the considerations that went into making the museum memorable.  I've been to so many memorial museums but this is the only one that I lived through.  It is so interesting to realize my kids do not share the memory.  We all know where we were and what we were doing when the Trade Centers were hit.

Kate was so excited to see the pictures of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza's graves.

Wall-E Street!

This post started with Beau and it's ending with Beau:

Ginger Cousins!

4-foot "Fearless Girl" defying financial markets.

Beau and Emily's flight left earlier than hours, so we said goodbye, promising to find another city to explore in a couple years.  We ate salads to give our digestive systems a rest, packed up and headed out on an Uber.  We talked to Rach the whole way to the airport, and halfway into the 1-hour drive, I was carsick.  I made it all the way to the airport before throwing up in a trash can.  Lame.

But NYC was not lame.  I'm not sure cities are my favorite thing.  I need to visit more than once to fall in love.  I want to be someone who loves cities and outdoor trips, but I am not quite there.  I liked it!  But love takes time and experience.  I loved hanging out with this crew, having Brady to myself for a few days, and all our culinary stops.