Day Six!

Moving right along... this post is a long one!


As I mentioned earlier, we had to pack up and check out of the Waldorf Saturday morning. When we extended our trip, the Waldorf could not continue to keep us. That was OK, because we moved over to the Dempsey’s hotel, which was convenient and though not as charming or historic, was more roomy and had free internet! (happy Drew!)

Food Network Building (American flag on top)




Food Network store


View of Chelsea market - coolest building and shops!

After our move, we headed over to Chelsea Market, which occupies the building that was formerly the National Biscuit Company (Oreos and saltines were once baked there). It is now currently home to my beloved Food Network and many cool shops and eateries. Unfortunately, you can’t just pop into the Food Network offices and ask for Bobby Flay or Rachael Ray. Oh well, at least Rich and I scored a Food Network coffee mug and baseball cap in one of their shops. We also had a snack there before we headed over to our 1:00 pm tour of the Ground Zero Museum Workshop.

It is hard to accurately convey the impact this little museum had on all of us. It is just a tiny room, which looks like it might have been a studio apartment at one time, located in what is known as the Meat Packing District. The museum was created by Gary Marlon Suson, (if you have a moment, please click his name and read his interesting story) who was the only photographer permitted to shoot the wreckage of 9/11. Gary was appointed under the conditions that he could not photograph human remains, would not receive any salary for his work, and could only sell his work if profits were shared with victims’families. Gary also collected artifacts from the site that were just going to be thrown away. Along with these artifacts, and his photography, he has put together this first class, intimate museum. Your tour begins with a movie which relives some of 9/11 and features Mr. Suson describing his experience taking these photos and being among the wreckage with the FDNY. I was very surprised to be immediately overcome with emotion as the movie played. The tears just began to flow, because in this environment you are able to relive this horrific event and feel for the victims and their families. There was a real connection to that horrific day.

You are then free to roam around the museum with a headset and a remote for a good amount of time. The walls are covered with the framed photos and artifacts are displayed in cases, and each has a number. You just punch in the number on your remote for any item and listen to the story of what you see. This takes well over an hour, as you don’t want to miss anything. I was very struck by the actual clock that he had retrieved from the PATH subway station below the World Trade Center. It had stopped at a little after 10:00 a.m., which was the time the second tower fell. It was a wall clock with a plug, and that is precisely when the electricity was cut off. He was able to retrieve it and have it in the museum.

There were also some other truly fascinating artifacts. One was a large piece of glass, which we learned was very unusual to find. In fact, all the glass that was found wouldn’t even fill the trunk of an ordinary car. They just simply did not find much glass – it all melted or turned to powder. But the most interesting artifact to me was an actual piece of one of the planes that was found. It is propped up against the wall in the museum, but for various reasons we were not allowed to take photographs of it.

Crosses and Star of David made by an artist from steel wreckage.


Actual clock found; photo of it on left. This is very eerie.



Calendar page found in the rubble.

I am so glad we visited this museum. I think it was very valuable for all of us, but especially for my children, to really allow them to experience this amazing event close up and personal. They were very little when it happened, and while we did watch it on TV, I think this opportunity gave them more of a sense of what a significant event this was. I still remember John MacArthur preaching the Sunday after 9/11. He pointed out that while this was a tremendous tragedy and large loss of life, it is important to remember that all of us will come to the same fate as the victims of that terrible September day. We will all die somehow, someday, and we don’t know when that will be. Are you ready to die? Is your future in heaven secure? That was his challenge to us that Sunday morning. We all must make that important decision to repent of our sins and trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, while we have the opportunity.

After we left the museum, it was appropriate to go visit Ground Zero. There isn’t much to see as the perimeter is all fenced. There is construction going on, but Emma was able to shove her lens in between a hole in the fencing and get the above shot.
Kids with Gary Marlon Suson in St. Paul's

Across the street from Ground Zero is St. Paul's Chapel, where the rescue workers sought rest and refreshment during the rescue efforts. It is now somewhat of a small little tribute to 9/11. There is artwork from children and one of the beds the firemen used is still there. We were walking around when we saw Gary Marlon Suson sitting at a small table, signing his book, Requiem, which contains the photographs he took after 9/11, along with the story of it all. We approached him and told him that we had just visited his museum, and that we appreciated it very much. We got to talking with him and quickly observed the utter despair of his life. He was like a war veteran who had been forever changed by the experience of war. He truly seemed unable to smile (see photo above) and was completely discouraged by the evil of this world as demonstrated on 9/11. His experience at Ground Zero totally changed his life. He had to rummage through destruction and death for weeks, literally smelling death, seeing unfathomable things (like human remains) and eventually getting physically sick for months with respiratory illness after being on the site. He has only recently regained his health from that time. Rich shared with him a little about our loss of Brady and the fact that while evil and death does exist in the world, there is hope. He explained a little about our hope in Jesus Christ, and asked if he could send him some (gospel) material. He said we could do that. Rich immediately thought of John’s sermon, “Why does evil dominate the world?” with the story of Brady on it as the perfect DVD to send him. So we hope to do that really soon. It was really neat to end our 9/11 experience with meeting Mr. Suson and getting to share with him about having hope beyond this wicked and painful world – a world that he obviously finds no hope in. Before we parted, upon spotting Emma’s camera, he asked if he could take a photograph of our family in the chapel. After taking the photo he calmly stated, “Wow, that was the first time I’ve taken a picture since my work during 9/11.” Apparently, he was just so discouraged from his experience that he basically lost all interest in photography. This picture turned out to be the only picture of the four of us together from the entire trip.

Well, after that emotional experience, it was good to meet up with the Dempseys again for dinner at Tony's di Napoli. Tony’s is an Italian restaurant that has been around for awhile, where large servings of pasta and other Italian specialties are served family style. It is perfect for a group because you get to try more dishes. After filling up on delicious penne with broccoli, cheese ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, and Chicken Marsala, we walked around the city again, and by popular demand and general consensus, found ourselves at Serendipity for the second night in a row! It was just too good not to go back and we knew it would be a long time until we could ever have a frrrozen hot chocolate again. Some of us tried new things, and some of us were unable to deviate from the same item as the night before but everything was amazing.

We planned with the Dempseys to go to church the next morning at a church that both Rich and Rick had heard of from various people. Rich thought it would be "an interesting Christian cultural experience" and that it was....

Day Five!

Friday began with a most enjoyable bike ride in Central Park. Biking is the perfect way to see the park. There is a 6-mile loop inside that lets you see scenery you just couldn’t cover on foot (its perimeter is 58 miles). There is a bike rental place that you can get yourself a cruiser and take in the majesty and splendor of what is nicknamed “New York’s backyard.”

To give you an idea of how huge this place is, here are some interesting facts: the land it covers is over 800 acres (it actually covers about 6% of the city of Manhattan), which includes 250 acres of lawns and 136 acres of woodlands. It contains 26,000 trees and 9,000 park benches. There is a zoo, a carousel, and 7 bodies of water, including a large reservoir. 275 different types of birds call Central Park home. It is so lush and beautiful, and quite a bit was in bloom during our visit. I think Emma captured it well with her camera. The picture in the header of my blog is of Rich and I on our bikes in the park.

Well, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, our friends, the Dempseys, providentially ended up being in New York at the same time as us! They came in late Thursday. We got in touch while in Central Park, and agreed to meet for lunch. We tried to get into the Burger Joint, a place Rick knew of and that we had read about and had on our “must eat” list. However, it was too busy, so we headed over for some pizza, which was pretty good eats. (we did get into the Burger Joint later in our trip – stay tuned.)

We parted our separate ways after lunch, because we had a tour scheduled at the lower east side tenement museum. This was found to be a very fitting activity after visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Tenements were the buildings in which immigrants would usually make their homes upon initial arrival in New York. They were very low class accommodations and hopefully only a stepping stone to better living conditions. Each tenement had three rooms (no bathroom) in about 300 square feet and this space was usually shared with 6-9 people. In recent years, a vacant tenement building was purchased and restored to its original condition and tours are now provided. We joined a dozen or so people for an intimate tour of the tenement and were told the stories of the actual people that lived in that building. It was very interesting and I highly recommend it.

Tenement that we toured


We met back up with the Dempseys for dinner at Virgil's BBQ. Even though we had reservations, they were having trouble seating our party of 8, so we split up into two groups of four, letting the kids have their own table (way fun). The food was really good! They had the smokiest meats, and pretty much everything was absolutely delicious that we tried. We all shared the most amazing nachos, with four meats atop, yummy barbecue sauce and oozy cheese. We had to eat quickly because we had tickets to the Little Mermaid !



Rick had gotten us the “house seats” which are the seats that the key performers and director are entitled to. I think they were in the 8th row – center! Wow! Now this is a show I can recommend! It was truly amazing, from the cast, to the music, to the dancing- everything was spectacular. It was an absolutely amazing production! I have to say that Ursula was my favorite! Afterwards, Rick pulled out his Disney trump card and obtained us a backstage tour which was really exciting. We got to learn more about the way they pulled off such an amazing show and it was really fun to stand on the stage! After we were done, we exited the stage door, which created a frenzy by all the fans waiting for the stars to emerge for autographs (they thought we were the stars). It was quite funny. If we had pulled out sharpies I’m sure we could have gotten away with signing playbills!

Ky with Prince Eric



Backstage tour



Taylor pretending to be King Triton



Ursula was a hoot! Boy that woman can sing!


It was starting to rain when we came out of the show, but who cares? It’s New York and it’s the city that never sleeps. We walked for hours all around Times Square and other parts of town, and finally made our way to Serendipity, a restaurant I had read about and also had received recommendations for. We arrived around 12:30 a.m., and they were busy! Serendipity is famous for their “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate” which is like a very upscale Frappuccino. It comes in a giant bowl, with 4 straws, and is thick, decadent, and absolutely amazing! They also have other frozen drinks, such as the Frrrozen Coconut Orange (which Emma and Kylie enjoyed very much) as well as a Frrrozen Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate! Rick and Kari ordered the apple pie, which came in the same giant bowl and was topped with cinnamon ice cream and lots of whipped cream! The place is kind of like an eclectic Farrells and a real gem. If you want to try the Frrrozen hot chocolate at home, I found the recipe online!

Drew: Can we go to Serendipity again??



We finally made it back to our hotel sometime around 1:30 a.m. and crashed in bed. Even the sugar rush we got at Serendipity had no effect on our exhaustion!

Day Four!

Thursday began with tasting our first New York bagels. For some reason, on our last time here, we never even had a single one. Since Ess-a-Bagel was right right on our way to the Statue of Liberty tour, we stopped in. They were very, very good – especially their “everything” bagel toasted with lox spread- yum-O -but I have to say that nothing beats a warm, fresh Western Bagel here at home (we love to go to the factory in Van Nuys and get ‘em fresh and hot).

Top: Damaged sculpture that used to be in one of the World Trade towers, now displayed with eternal flame at Battery Park. Bottom: Drew and Rich in the eerie morning fog.

So, with happy bagel bellies, we headed for Battery Park for our 9:30 tour of Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. As you can see by the photos, there was quite a bit of fog on that morning. I was a little bummed, because the Statue of Liberty could not be seen through that thick fog from the shore. I remember when I saw the Statue for the first time in person a couple of years ago. I was walking toward the dock for the tour, and *there it was* and I was simply floored. For me, it is a very moving experience actually being on the Liberty Island. I did not expect to have that reaction, but I was truly awestruck. There is just something about being there in person with the Statue of Liberty when you have only seen her in photos and on TV your whole life. It is a very cool thing to just sit on the patio and gaze at our country’s great symbol of freedom and liberty and think about how blessed we are to live in this country. I know that if the Statue prompted this reaction in me, I can only imagine how the thousands of immigrants’ hearts must have leaped when they saw her come into view, after a long and treacherous boat trip from their countries far away. For them, it meant something life changing but unknown – a chance at a good life here in America. One of those people was my very own grandfather - Charles Vida -more to come.

One interesting bit of trivia about the Statue of Liberty: As you know, it was a gift from France to the United States, and in gratitude we in turn gave them a Statue of Liberty as well. It is exactly the same, but much smaller, and its location is in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. If you saw the movie National Treasure 2, you probably remember seeing it. I never knew that!

Rich and I on the boat over to Liberty Island

First view of the magnificent Statue of Liberty

Full view of Statue, after fog cleared. The miniscule people below show you just how large she is.

Interesting view...you can't help taking a million photos....

Looks like a postcard...love the zoom lens!

I love this photo of Emma, with Manhattan in the background.


Emma & I gazing at the Statue

You used to be able to climb the Statue inside all the way up into the torch in her hand. Long ago (over 75 years ago) they determined it was unsafe; now you can only climb inside the base to the bottom of the statue, and look up into her hollow frame. This is an engineer's delight (read: Rich) and quite fascinating to an ordinary person too! If you ever visit, I highly recommend taking the "monument" tour (optional, for additional price), which provides a park ranger ushering you through a small museum and explaining the whole story of how the statue came to be. You also get to view the original torch and a lifesize mold of her face. It is very interesting. If you don't do the monument tour, all you are able to do is wander around the island patio.

After the Statue of Liberty, we visited Ellis Island. Ellis is included on the Statue of Liberty tour, and is a separate island close to Liberty Island. Ellis was the place that immigrants arrived to be checked over before being allowed to set foot on U.S. soil. It is a significant place for me, because as I mentioned above, my grandfather, Charles, came through Ellis Island many years ago as a teenager, from Hungary. I looked up his name on the computer of immigrants - kind of sent chills up my spine! Ellis stopped processing immigrants in the 1950’s, and lay dormant until several years ago when the buildings were restored and made into a wonderful visitor center and museum. They have a wonderful movie including actual immigrants telling their story of coming through Ellis. You can also walk through all the processing rooms, see artifacts, and look at immigrants photos and propoganda. It's an amazing history lesson!

Entrance to the processing building on Ellis

Well, those tours took nearly the whole day, and we were tired, so we headed back to the hotel for a little bit of rest before dinner and another show.

We hopped a cab to Brooklyn, to take the kids to the historic Peter Luger Steakhouse.
Peter Luger has been voted the top steakhouse in New York for 24 consecutive years, and is on the Top 10 steakhouse list for the entire U.S. as well. Peter Luger is a very interesting place. It is old (120 years old!) and not really very nice at all by means of décor. It looks somewhat like an old tavern with its well-worn wood tables and floors.


They basically have one thing on the menu – you guessed it - steak. The menu choices are: Steak for 2. Steak for 3. Steak for 4. These kind of menus are good for me (I'm so indecisive). They also have a few appetizers, salads and sides. But, the waiters want you to have the following: bacon appetizer, tomato and onion salad, steak, skillet potatoes and creamed spinach. You kind of feel guilty if you deviate. And, if you try to order something else, such as a baked potato instead of the skillet potatoes, the waiter will most likely say, “you don’t want that” and proceed to tell you what you do want. I agree to an extent; you do definitely have to start with the bacon appetizer. You heard me right: Bacon – sold by the slice- as an appetizer! But, this is no ordinary Farmer John or even Applewood smoked bacon. It is kind of like a cross between bacon and ham, thick and smoky, meaty with just the right amount of fat to remind you that it really is bacon. It is absolutely amazing! You have just never tasted anything like it, that's all I can say!

But this is where we deviate and disobey the waiter's wishes for us. I have concluded that the tomato and onion salad is really only for people eating by themselves who won’t be near anyone else for the rest of the day (or week for that matter). The onion slices are raw and about 2 inches thick; I cannot imagine how your breath must reek after eating them! So, we opted for the Caesar salad, which is top notch. Then the steak arrived: hot, sizzling, and in a pool of juice and melted butter. It’s simple but makes a statement. The waiter turns a small plate upside down on the table and rests the large oval steak platter on it so the juices flow to the bottom of the plate to be spooned over the meat. And he will serve you, thank you. (He doesn't really care what piece you want.) This whole experience is rather amusing, but let me tell ya, all it takes is one bite and you realize this is indeed a very special piece of meat. We wisely ordered “steak for 2” for all four of us, and had leftovers. It is very rich anyways -you cannot possibly eat too much of it. Nor should you eat too much of it... last time Rich and I came, I kid you not -we saw someone collapse on the ground after exiting the restaurant. Peter Luger could probably clog your arteries faster than anything else. It’s a good place to visit once, for the experience. Other than that, I find a grilled steak at home to be just as pleasurable (especially if it’s from Costco – seriously, they have the best meat!).

Then here’s where our evening went a little bad…

We wanted to see two shows when we were in New York – Wicked, of course, and also one we hadn’t seen. I thought Mamma Mia sounded rather cute, but wasn’t quite sure of the content. I had gotten a good recommendation from someone at church, but to make a long story short, I was literally ready to walk out of the show after just a couple minutes into it. It was extremely vulgar and inappropriate; my conscience was highly violated for being there, and I felt sick and uncomfortable that I brought my children to it (the worst part). We did end up sticking it out until the end, with hopes that it might not all be that way, but unfortunately it was pretty much was. If I had to say something nice about the show I would say the music/dancing was really quite fun. The music was all songs from ABBA– really great songs -and it was very cute how they wove all the songs together to tell a story. Nevertheless, I must strongly not recommend this show. Incidentally, it is being turned into a movie to be released this summer (starring Meryl Streep) – I doubt that it could be any different than the show so I’d be careful with that one too.

Well, after that experience, we had to drown our sorrows somewhere, so what better place than at Junior's Cheesecake – a New York fixture for many years. They have amazing desserts. Rich and I shared the chocolate mousse cheesecake, which was a layer of chocolate mousse over a layer of plain cheesecake, with a chocolate crust and fudge topping. Insanely delicious! I only indulge in cheesecake about once a year, so this met the quota par deluxe!


Emma's strawberry cake, and my beautiful chocolate mousse cheesecake in back

Day Three!

I guess I was a little ambitious about being able to live blog daily from New York! I got through two days, and then fizzled! I guess it didn’t help that we came in after midnight three nights in a row. Here I hope to remember all the highlights of each day.

Wednesday, Day 3, was a great day. It was so wonderful to see Drew at the train station! It was one of those rare moments when he looked glad to see us (just kidding!). Since it was lunchtime, we headed over to John's Pizza. John’s is another coal oven pizza that is supposed to be one of New York’s best. It was absolutely delicious…but I still hold to Lombardi’s as my favorite (see my first blog on NYC). We then dropped off Drew’s luggage at the hotel, and proceeded to do some shopping. Drew especially enjoyed the The Apple Store and the surprise Rich had for him. Drew had been dreaming of getting the new iPod Touch…and Rich had a business proposition for him. Rich would get Drew the iPod if he put in a whole new lawn in our backyard (this involves removal of old grass, rototill and soil prep, and laying sod on about 450 sq. feet of space.) Well, apparently this was a “no-brainer” for Drew and he jumped right on it. Thus the deal was sealed and Drew walked away with a very cool new toy. I'd say it was a win-win for both my boys. Incidentally, the Apple Store is so cool - there is a glass box at street level that you go into, and you can either take a staircase or glass elevator down to the store below street level.

Top: Cool Apple Store! Bottom: Drew's happy now, but he's going to have to earn his iPod touch with hard labor!

That evening we had dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant called Becco. It is a bustling, rather small restaurant owned by Lidia Bastianich, in the Theater district. It is very convenient, when you are going to a show, to eat nearby your theater so you can walk. (Not only does it save time, but transportation cost.) Though the restaurant was crowded and extremely busy, we were surprised (and downright fascinated) by the impeccable service. The food was amazing. They have a wonderful little special called Sinfonia di Pasta (symphony of pasta) that includes salad or an antipasti and as much of the three homemade house pastas that evening that you want. That evening there was a gnocchi, an orriechette, and a spaghetti and they were all superb. The waiters come around with these amazing large platters of the pasta and offer it to you constantly. Emma and I both ordered this – she got the Caesar salad and I got the antipasti, which was pretty much my favorite food of the trip. Arranged artistically on a plate were marinated grilled vegetables, fresh mozzarella, and some kind of tender fish in a pool of really good olive oil. Yummy. Also, on the table were fantastic breads and assorted Italian olives – I was in pure culinary bliss! Rich had his beloved Oso Buco with risotto, and Drew got a grilled veal chop over garlic mashed potatoes that was also mighty fine. A very special meal.

After dinner we headed over to the Gershwin theater for Wicked. We have seen it in L.A., but with Emma being such a fan, we really thought it would be fun to see it in NY. I have to say, the L.A. show is way better. Megan Hilty and Eden Espinoza are amazing as Glinda and Elphaba, and while the girls in NY were good, it just wasn’t the same. Also, the Gershwin theater in NY is very plain and lacks character; there is just something special about going to the Pantages theater in Hollywood. It is so grand and beautiful and being there just feels so festive. The audience in NY was a little sleepy as well – everyone cheers and laughs so much in L.A. When Elphaba makes her first appearance, everyone in L.A. applauds, but in New York we found ourselves to be the only ones clapping and stopped quickly! But, it was very fun to see it in New York! Emma and I were saying that it would have been really fun to have seen the original cast, with Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, but that was years ago. They are the ones on the soundtrack, and they are amazing. After the show, we went to the Stage Door where Emma got to meet some of the stars, and get autographs on her playbill. There was a Standby that evening for Elphaba, Lisa Brescia, and I think she was at least my age!

Top: Emma & I ready for Wicked in green! Bottom: Emma with the cute Lisa Brescia (Elphaba) at the Stage Door.

So that concludes Day 3. We all headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep for another big day Thursday.

Home Sweet Home!

Greetings all. We arrived in Burbank at 10 pm last night (1 am NYC time) and it was wonderful to be home. We have never taken such a long trip before, and it seemed long! I plan to back-track a bit and go over each day and its highlights, as soon as Emma posts the photos for me. I think she took something like a thousand...so she'll narrow it down and I'll post soon! For now, I am rejoicing over the good times we had as a family and the goodness of the Lord to give us smooth and safe travels, protection from harm in a big city, good health, and wonderful experiences we will not soon forget. This was an amazing opportunity for us and the provision for it all was from the Lord.

In spite of the wonderful time we had, I am indeed praising God to be home. Home is the best place, isn't it? To be happily busy in my home is the greatest joy of my life, and that is exactly what I am doing today. Unpacking, running laundry, cleaning up (I left the house clean, but 4 cats massacred it), and filling the refrigerator with HEALTHY food is such a delight to me. (The scale was very unkind to me after this trip, so I stocked up on lots of fresh fruits and veggies!)

Rich stayed an extra day on business, so I look forward to picking him up tonight and all of us being home together!

The photo above was taken in St. Paul's Chapel, across from Ground Zero. This chapel housed rescue workers from 9/11 and now is somewhat of a shrine to that event. I have an interesting story to tell about this photo - and the person who took it. Tune in later for more details!

Finishing up the last bites of the Big Apple!

Hello all,

Well, the "live blogging" thing isn't going so well! We have been soooo busy, which results in soooo tired, so hopefully when we get home we'll highlight each day with photos...

Just a brief update though. We are going to go to a church here in Manhattan with the Dempseys this morning. It is pretty much the best church you could go to here in a seemingly God-less city. I'm sure it will be interesting - the pastor is supposed to be very good. Right now as I wait for a couple loads of laundry to come out here at the hotel, and my family to shower, I thought I'd blog a little.

We had to switch hotels yesterday, since the Waldorf couldn't extend our stay. We moved to the Courtyard Marriott with the Dempseys and it's quite nice. While the Waldorf was stunning, the room here at the Marriott is larger and more family friendly and it is more subway convenient. This is totally New York: It cost us $36 just to switch hotels 2 blocks away. First, we had to pay two bell hops $10 each (one at each hotel), then we had to tip the 2 different people who hailed us a cab/loaded our luggage. And lastly, we had to pay for the cab fare! Only in New York. (Maybe if we didn't have 10 pieces of luggage we could have walked...)

We have had fun with the Dempseys since they arrived Thursday. On Friday we met them for lunch and then went our separate ways for the afternoon. Friday night was a blast! We met them for dinner at a great barbecue place and then went to see the Little Mermaid, which was spectacular! We saw three shows here this week and it was my favorite by far. Rick arranged for us to go on a backstage tour after the show which was very cool. We then trudged around Times Square in the rain, ending up at a great dessert place called Serendipity well after midnight. (In fact, we returned again to Serendipity last night - we all loved it so much!) Then yesterday, we met up with the Dempseys once again for dinner and dessert, walking all over town and capping it all off at Serendipity again! I will elaborate more on "Frozen Hot Chocolate" later!

We've seen so much - a week was a great amount of time to spend here. There are so many amazing things we did that I will blog about later. I can't believe that tomorrow it is already time to pack it up and head over to Philadelphia. But for today, looks like we'll tie up loose ends and see some things we still haven't seen- the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock, a bit more shopping (don't worry - we brought a large, empty duffel bag for purchases!), and perhaps Carnegie Deli. Tonite we have the Steven Curtis Chapman concert in Times Square at the Nokia Theater, and I'm sure that will be really great!

Maybe I can blog from Philly! See you then...

Day Two!

My birthday began with Rich bringing me a nice cup of Starbucks coffee - in bed! Starbucks in our hotel + thoughtful hubby = very special treat. We then proceeded to a most quaint little breakfast place, where I enjoyed some delicious cinnamon-raisin french toast topped with candied walnuts, strawberry butter, and real maple syrup. Emma had a goat cheese and roasted bell pepper omelette, and Rich had the homemade corned beef hash with poached eggs. That restaurant was a great little find and we were all happily fueled up for a day of shopping.

After we had made our way through a good amount of Greenwich Village and Soho shops, we made an amazing discovery: we really don't like shopping in stores with $400 sweaters. So, we decided to head to some places my sister had recommended, but still couldn't find anything (except some dresses for Suzanne!). At last we spotted a big two story GAP, and guess what - that was the best find all day! I guess if you don't like to spend the big bucks (we're not too into Prada or Gucci), or rummage through busy discount stores, then you might as well save your shopping for home and just see the sights! But we had a great day walking the streets, riding the subway, and of course, eating. The weather was superb - low 60's - not bad at all. It was a most pleasant day.

Rich and I enjoying our after breakfast snack of cheese

Shopping at Stone Flower - cute stuff for Suz

Speaking of food (aren't I always speaking of food?), I'd love to mention some other culinary highlights of our day: stopping for a parmesan bread stick at Amy's Bread , cheese and olives at Murray's cheese , corned beef on rye (late lunch) at Katz's deli, a birthday treat at Haagen-Dazs, and finally, dinner at Joe's Shanghai. I can't go on like this - I'll have to be rolled home!

In front of the Brooklyn Bridge

I can't wait for tomorrow. Drew comes in around noon! We'll hit some more pizza, lots of sights, and finish our day seeing Wicked!

Live from the Big Apple!

Greetings to all from New York City! After so much anticipation, it is good to finally be here in the Big Apple.

As you can see by our luggage, we really know how to pack light. Only five suitcases and three carry-ons for three people- yes indeed we're quite the experienced travelers! Cynthia Wilson gave us a ride to the airport at 5:30 a.m. this morning (yes, this woman is a saint.) and we barely made our flight! We were surprised that the Burbank airport was so busy and it took almost an hour to check our bags and go through security. We were the last few people to board the plane! We had a little layover in San Francisco, just enough time for a latte and some wonderful San Francisco sourdough bread, and then embarked on the long flight to New York. Once in New York, our baggage came miraculously fast (all five pieces!) and our hired car was waiting at the curb for us when we came out.

We are staying at a really fun place -The Waldorf=Astoria. My aunt (a travel agent) got us a really great deal, so we get to stay in this amazing and historical place. (In fact, it will cost us more to stay at the Marriott with the Dempseys later in the week, that's how good of a deal she got us!) The Waldorf was built in 1893 and is specatular in Art Deco decor. It was fun to drive up and see the uniformed bell hops/doormen, complete with their snappy uniforms and fur hats. When you walk in you just experience the grandeur, and are instantly transported back to a more elegant era. The place is absolutely gorgeous and so well maintained. The staff is polished, abundant, and ever-present; there is even someone who tells you to step up to the counter to check in. We have a charming room with tall ceilings, crown moulding, floral carpet, big windows, and a marble bathroom. Below are some photos of the humongous first level of the hotel. I think old hotels like this are completely charming and I am so excited we get to stay here!



After checking in, we did the same exact thing we did when Rich and I made our first trip here 3 years ago - hopped in a taxi and went straight to Lombardi's Pizza. This place touts itself as the first pizzeria in America, and has a coal-burning oven that is over 100 years old. I truly cannot adequately express how much I love this pizza! Rich was kidding the waitress that we flew into New York just for Lombardi's. (It is almost true!) The combination of the amazing thin crust (not too thin), the incredible tomato-y sauce made from Italian San Marzano tomatoes, and the quality fresh mozzarella cooked in the coal oven produces a truly amazing result. Rich, Emma and I easily pounded an entire large pizza. So worth the calories and cholesterol (both of which I am supposed to watch.) I know this is probably killing my sister (who went to Lombardi's last year), so I will stop now.


So that is about it for today. It is really only 8:30 pm California time but it feels to me more like the 11:30 New York time that it is. We did wake up around 3:30 this morning, so that is probably why I'm feeling rather spent. And, I don't sleep well in hotels, so hope I can get a good night's sleep for a big day tomorrow. Rich, our master planner, has a full day of shopping planned for Emma and I. Since it is also my *birthday*, he is also taking us out to breakfast at Good enough to eat . I can't decide whether I'll have the pumpkin french toast or the Peter Paul pancakes....(see the menu if you're interested). Yummy!

Drew is still having a great time in DC, and joins us here on Wednesday. Then the real fun begins! Rich has so much planned for us, and we also meet up with the Dempseys on Friday.
Hopefully I'll have the energy to blog tomorrow evening! Don't forget to check Emma's blog
for more photos!

Drew's blog

Drew leaves bright and early tomorrow morning for Washington D.C. with my Dad! You can check out his blog to see what is going on the next 12 days of his life.

Click here: http://divello-dilectio.blogspot.com/

Technology and Me

In light of our upcoming travels, my family gave me an early birthday present...an iPod!

It really makes me laugh that I actually have an iPod. Technology challenged me has an iPod!
The box sat on my desk and I didn't open it for days. I didn't want to even hold it. It terrified me. It seemed so overwhelming...how do you even get the music on it?

So, I made a brilliant deal with Drew...I gave him $50 and he put all his music on my iPod. So, now I have over a thousand songs all ready to go. Sweet deal! Perfect for someone like me who is technology challenged. When Drew was showing me how the iPod worked, he manipulates the little device so easily. I kept thinking, I will have to read the manual to understand this later. How do you turn it on again? How are kids so good at this stuff?

It reminded me of when I got my newest phone. For a mom, getting a new phone is like, "Bummer, now I have to learn how this new phone works." I liked my old phone. I knew how it worked. Then it broke. UGH. Kids love to get new things, but moms love to keep the old things they know how to use and dread getting new ones. By the way, I thought it was funny when the salesgirl at AT&T asked me what I would be using the phone for. I thought she was kidding. When I answered plainly, "for making phone calls," she replied sadly, "Oh." Boy, did I feel stupid for not saying "for downloading music, checking my email, and surfing the net." I just want to make phone calls, OK? I know, it's weird.

As soon as we left the AT&T store with my new phone, Drew asked to see it. He instictively knew how to work it. I seriously couldn't even figure out how to make a phone call yet, and he was personalizing the thing for me. I don't get it - how do they innately know this?

Well, I hope no one is looking at me when I pull out my iPod on the plane, and try to turn it on and use it. Well, if someone is watching, at least I will provide entertainment on a long and otherwise dull flight!