Sunday from NYC

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Our second day in NYC was just as busy as the first! We ate breakfast in Hell’s Kitchen and then used one of Tony’s Droid app’s to find the closest subway. That has proven to be very useful on this trip! We then went to the Museum of Natural History. The girls were troopers and we walked around for three hours. Their favorite exhibit was The Ocean. The especially loved the big, blue whale hanging overhead. The one that disturbed Julia the most was Human Origins. There were Neanderthals that she couldn’t stand looking at. It was too funny! Her favorite thing in the museum was the cafeteria. I turned my back on her for a minute and she was putting donuts, chocolate pudding, chips and a hot dog on tray. I talked her into returning half of it! Next, we walked over to the Patagonia store and did a little shopping. We were able to take the subway to the site of the World Trade Center. They are in the process of creating the 9/11 memorial. Across the street from the site is St Paul’s church. Miraculously, the church was not destroyed. The firefighters would go there to rest during their search for survivors. St. Pauls church is filled with photo and momentos of those who have lost their lives. It was a very somber experience, but I’m very glad that we were able to pay our respects. We then took the subway to B&H photo store which was the most over-stimulating thing we have experienced while here. Tony was hoping to look at a camera lens, but the place was packed with people. I’ve never seen so many people in a store at one time! Once we convinced Tony that he didn’t need a new lens, we left and started walking home. On the way home, we saw something unique to NYC - a parking lot that kept cars on a lift three cars high. It was amazing!! We wrapped up the night by meeting our friend, Andrea and her husband, Dennis for dinner. After seeing their beautiful apartment, we took the subway to SOHO and ate dinner at The Delicatessen. It features American “comfort” food. We enjoyed cheeseburger spring rolls, mac and cheese and a bucket of fried chicken - just to name a few! We had a great time catching up with friends. Living in New York is a completely different experience than living in Fairfield! Andrea told me that they typically only use their car once a month - unless they leave the city for the weekend. They walk to the grocery store once a week and carry two bags each. That’s a little different from my 15 bags I usually haul in my mini van! While we were together, we were able to see the Chrysler Building all lit up. Amazing! We ended our fun evening by taking a taxi back to the hotel. Can’t wait for tomorrow - hiking up to the crown of Lady Liberty.

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