Hissyfits Photography Blog

It seems as though life has once again gotten busy on me…or maybe it truly hasn’t ever really settled down. Nevertheless, I still haven’t gotten to share much about our amazing trip to NYC so am going to use this chance to post a few fun facts.

And because it seems less overwhelming, I am going to do this “list style!” My OCD makes me want to have each paragraph lead into the next and go in sequential order of our trip, but at this point I just want to remember the details, no matter the order!

Let me preface this with a couple of VERY important facts. This was a trip Chris qualified for. It was all expenses paid and by far the most luxurious trip we have ever been on. We are so grateful for the opportunity to go and get to experience all of the “finer” aspects of NYC without spending our life savings!

Second of all, it wouldn’t have been possible for us to go had Chris’ mom not flown out and met us. This trip was not “child friendly” and some of you know I refuse to fly {or travel at all!} without my kids. So had Grandma not gone, we wouldn’t have been able to go either. She stayed with the kids while we were off eating in fancy restaurants and doing grown up stuff! Thanks again Grandma!

Now for a few facts…

1. We saw Wicked on Broadway. AMAZING. I have never experienced anything like that before and it was absolutely something I will never forget. Everything from the unbelievable set and props to the beautiful voices of the actors and actresses. It was SO much fun and definitely a highlight of our trip!

2. You hear so much about the people of NYC being super rude and unfriendly but our experience was the exact opposite. Our first day there a couple sat next to us in the restaurant where we were eating lunch and struck up a conversation. They worked nearby in the United Nations building and were so helpful and full of advice about things we should try to do while visiting. We met many more like them during our stay.

3. We went to both FAO Schwartz and the fancy Toys R Us in Times Square. The Toys R Us came complete with one of the Jurassic Park dinosaurs AND a ferris wheel! I have a whimpy stomach and got motion sick on the ferris wheel. Yeah, pretty lame, hunh? While FAO Schwartz was fun and different {Gentry and I totally danced on the big piano!}, we liked Toys R Us better!

4. We also went to the America Girl store and Gentry got her first American Girl doll. She got a Bitty Baby. We named her Gracie.

5. Huntler loved riding the subway. When you ask him what his favorite thing about NYC was, he’ll tell you the subway. Me? Not so much. Too many people. Too many germs. {We had to wait for one of our trains to take off because they were cleaning puke out of the car we were on. Gross.} Too many connections and having to change lines. Filthy dirty. Dark. You get the idea. Oh…and the rats. Yep…the kids and I saw two GIANT black rats scurrying across the tracks. Chris missed them…he was walking way too fast for the kids and didn’t get the privilege of seeing such filth. Let me just say that I threw the mittens Gentry was wearing during our subway trips away and washed Huntler’s and mine in hot water once we got home. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. But Huntler loved it!

6. Huntler also LOVED ice skating! For years and years now I have wanted to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Like everyone else, I have seen the rink on Christmas specials on TV as well as the Today Show. It just looked so fun! So, our last day in NYC we went. The rink was closed all morning because of the rain, but once it stopped, they cleaned the ice and we were ready to go! Well, all of us but Gentry. She HATED it. Screamed. Cried. Fought us while putting on her skates. Typical Gentry behavior when she doesn’t want to do something. I am sure that the other people there were wondering what in the world we were doing trying to make her skate! Let me just say it was NOT cheap and we weren’t about to give up! Once we made it to the ice, the hysteria continued. We had to call Grandma to come to the rescue and sit with sassy pants while we skated with Huntler.

Chris and I spent the entire time hanging onto his arms to keep him upright but oh how he LOVED it! He giggled and chatted the entire time! When we asked him if his legs were getting tired he would say, “No. They are just fine! They aren’t tired at all!” He didn’t want to stop!

And just for giggles, here is a snapshot of Gentry. Not a happy camper! But she looked darn cute, don’t ya think?

7. Of all the wives there, I connected the most with the ones from Kansas. Imagine that.

8. I got up early one morning {we left at 6:15} and went to the Today Show with a few of the wives. It was just a short walk from our hotel. Had it not been freezing cold, wet and windy, it would have been SO much fun! If we are ever back in NYC when the weather is nicer, I would definitely love to go again! The big story the day we were visiting was the boy in the balloon. While we were there we also stopped at the Dean and Deluca you always see when they are filming outside for hot drinks! It was so much fun to get to experience all of these places I have only ever seen on TV!

9. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria and let me just say, I could have stayed another week or two. Seriously. I am telling you guys…this trip was by far the most luxurious one we have ever been on! We were upgraded to a two bedroom suite and definitely had the best of accommodations! Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dressing room and a living room. Three flat screens. Insane. Oh and the soap? They have the BEST smelling soap I have ever smelled! I think I mentioned that we went a day early so we were on our own? Yeah…the room we stayed in that night was the size of a postage stamp and not nearly as nice!

10. We took a tour of Ground Zero. It was not at all what I expected. I guess I thought we would actually be able to see the dirt and such where the buildings once stood, but it was all fenced off and we couldn’t see anything. It was a bit surreal to be walking around down there though. We all have memories of where we were when we heard about the towers. I am sure most of us remember seeing the footage of people running and all of the dust and dirt billowing down the streets as well. It was definitely a time to remember and reflect.

11. Before our tour of Ground Zero, we heard a presentation by Bob Beckwith. Remember this picture? That is Bob Beckwith {retired fire fighter} with President Bush. He told us where he was the day he heard about the towers and then some about his time working at the site. It really brought home once again just how devastating this all really was.

12. Central Park is AMAZING and I could take pictures there all day long. ALL.DAY.LONG.  Enough said!

13. We also had the opportunity to eat at Tavern on the Green and Sardi’s while we were there! Both fabulously fancy restaurants! Sardi’s is known for their caricature artists. They have hundreds of caricatures of very famous people who have eaten there covering their walls. They drew our caricatures as well. Let me just say that I hope I look NOTHING like the picture that we had drawn!! And Tavern on the Green? Amazing. I definitely felt like a bowl in a china cabinet because I am the kind of girl who is more than perfectly fine to head out to eat at Red Robin in my jeans, but these once in a lifetime experiences were amazing!

14. The fast food restaurants in NYC are TINY. I mean, like barely any or no seating. Seriously? I never did get used to that!

15. There really are people EVERYWHERE – just like you see on TV. Even in the cold temps! You could definitely tell when the work day ended because it got even crazier! I am super paranoid about pick pocketers and told Chris to keep an eye on his wallet more times than I can count and checked to make sure my own was still in my bag countless times as well! How horrible would it be to lose not only our credit cards and cash but also our ID when we had to fly back? Bad, bad, bad.

16. We did not take the carseats. We debated and debated but in the end decided not to. Definitely not my best decision ever as a mom. We knew we weren’t going to have a car and the only time we would need them was to and from the airport. Let me just say that I was a nervous wreck and making myself sick over the fact that our kids were only being restrained by a seat belt while at the hands of taxi drivers. I think it was somewhere between 15 and 20 miles from the airport to the hotel and while the highways weren’t nearly as overwhelming as they are here in AZ, the drivers are CRAZY. Especially the taxi drivers. I was seriously about to throw up I was so nervous. I hate traffic anyway but when I have NO control whatsoever, it is a thousand times worse. Luckily we didn’t have any problems but I can assure you I will NEVER do that again.

I think that’s it? I’ve been working on this post for days now so I am sure I have forgotten something, but I covered a lot! Happy Monday!

Filed under my-lil-lollies, random-sweetness, by Bethany