NYC & Long Island (Days 5 & 6)

We spent our last morning in the city doing a little souvenir shopping, saying goodbye to Times Square and hitting Rockefeller Center one more time. I wanted to get to the filming of the Today show early, but I was exhausted after the last 4 days and just couldn't get up and going early enough! We did get there in time to see the last 1/2 of the 4th hour with Kathie Lee and Hoda. It was fun to see them filming in the studio, as well as Sara, their sidekick.

We enjoyed a fabulous Italian lunch before checking out of our hotel and getting our rental car to head out to Long Island to see where Joe grew up.
Our first stop was at St. John's Cemetery. This is where Joe's family plot is, so he has many relatives buried here, including both of his parents. It was an emotional visit for him, and he was glad he was able to make the stop.

Next we headed to Massapequa Park. Joe couldn't wait to show us the house that he had grown up in. The family that lives there now are incredibly nice people. They knew all about Joe's family and welcomed us in with open arms. Joe got to show us the house and yard, and the kids loved seeing where he used to play when he was their age. These New Yorkers have some wonderful hospitality!
The neighborhood is adorable, with lots of cute houses and well kept yards. Next to the neighborhood is a beautiful nature preserve with tons of woods and paths to walk through. We spent a lot of time wandering and playing...the kids absolutely loved it!

After the woods, we drove to one of the small local beaches down the road that Joe used to spend some of his summer days.
It was getting pretty dark, and quite cold, so we didn't stay long. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped Joe's old friend Tommy's house for a visit. They didn't even know we were coming, but once again, the hospitality is wonderful, and they welcomed us in for a fun visit. The men did lots of reminiscing and it was neat to see them together and hear some of their crazy stories. Wish I would've taken a picture!

In the morning we went to Aunt Ruth's house. This is one special lady, with a mind as sharp as a tack. She is truly one of the sweetest women I have ever met, and her memory is stunning. She enjoyed getting to spend time with the kids, and remembered so many things about them.
The kids also enjoyed spending time with their second cousin James (who they've never met). Within 60 seconds, they were running around playing, like they had been friends for years.

Our day ended with a very long (and rainy) drive to Clifton Park, outside of Albany, to stay with Joe's brother. It was a bad idea to try to get off Long Island and out of the city at rush hour. The kids were great in the car though, I think they were happy to have some down time. We arrived at Bill and Gloria's house about 9pm and enjoyed a late dinner before hitting the sack.

New York City (Day 4)

We had a very fun breakfast this morning at Ellen's Stardust Diner. The staff are all performers who sing and dance their way around the restaurant while seating and serving you. They are all very talented and it was fun to have some entertainment during breakfast!
We were excited to go the American Museum of Natural History. This is one of the best museums I've ever been to and we loved so many of the exhibits.
We started with the Journey to the Stars show at the Hayden Planetarium. It was incredible!
We walked through the many exhibits, including the butterfly exhibit where we were surrounded by thousands of beautiful butterflies.
Zoe was desperate for one to land on her, but they chose my head instead!
It really cool to see the largest intact asteroid ever found.
We couldn't leave without seeing the statue from the "Night at the Museum" movie...

While we were there, we ended up running into some pretty tight security. Once we saw some Secret Service agents running around, we came to realize that President Obama was in town and happened to be visiting the museum the same day we were. So we ended up having to wait in a few lines, and going through a ton of security to see a few exhibits.
We left the museum and walked through Central Park. We couldn't believe how many police officers were there due to the heightened security. I have never seen anything like it. We found Belvedere Castle which had a great view overlooking Turtle Pond, where we could see some adorable turtles swimming around.

While walking around, I got a text from my friend Jenn telling me that Sandra Lee was hosting "America's Biggest Bake Sale" at Grand Central Station. It was 30 of the top pastry chefs and bakeries in New York coming together for a bake sale with all proceeds benefiting the New York Food Bank. Seriously, could anything make me happier??!! So I dragged everyone back to Grand Central so I could go on a serious dessert frenzy! (Thanks Jenn!)

This is what I ended up with (plus a few things that I ate along the way)...
It sure was delicious, worth every calorie, and nice to know that the money goes to a good cause!

Tonight we hit Broadway for the new Spiderman show that was in previews. Mimi got us the tickets months ago and we were excited to be there. This show has been in and out of the news, plagued with accidents, cancellations, withdrawals, and criticisms. It is the most expensive Broadway show ever produced, also with the most stunts. We couldn't wait to see what all of the buzz was about!
Overall, the show was fantastic. The stunts were truly amazing, and watching these actors fly around the theater at high speeds was fantastic. The music (by Bono) was also really good. There are definitely a few things that need to be worked on, in fact, the show had to be stopped briefly due to Spiderman getting stuck in a web, but we really enjoyed it. The show will be closing down in a few weeks to "re-organize" and "regroup" before the official opening. We were glad we got to see it when we did!

After the show we wanted to check out Times Square at night. We didn't stay long since it was freezing! Cooper did get to stop at the Yankees store which made him a happy kid!
Our last full day in New York City was a busy one, but we sure had fun!

New York City (Day 3)

A very early start this morning! We jumped on the subway to be at Battery Park at 8am to head out to the Statue of Liberty. Security is VERY tight here, and it takes forever to get through. We had to wait outside in line for almost and hour and a half, and it was FREEZING! With the wind chill off of the water, is about 10 degrees!
The kids were so well behaved, trying to jump around to stay warm and keep busy, even when our toes were aching from the cold.

Seeing the statue in person is a very impressive sight!
I had booked tickets about 8 months ago to go up to the crown. They only allow 240 people up a day, so they are very limited. The kids were so excited to get to go up!!
The climb was a strenuous 354 steps up a narrow spiral staircase, but since we were one of the first people up, we didn't have to wait behind anyone. The timing was perfect!

We made it!
It was fun to reach through the windows and touch the outside of the statue!

We had beautiful views of the city...

After walking through the Statue Museum, we boarded the ferry again to head to Ellis Island. There is an informative exhibit there, and Joe was touched to find the name of his grandfather on the wall to commemorate his coming to America.

After the ferry, we walked to Ground Zero, although there really isn't much to see now. The entire area is under construction, to rebuild the area and huge memorial that will opening later this year.

It was humbling to see the mass devastation in person. Such a huge area was physically impacted and the fact that it is almost 10 years later is unbelievable. From there we walked, and walked some more. We went through the financial district and civic center. The city buildings, and courthouses are stunning.

We walked through Chinatown and Little Italy too. Chinatown has taken over most of the area, but there is still a small, yet strong, presence in Little Italy. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Lombardi's.

After dinner we found the funniest dessert place called Rice to Riches. It is a store that sells a dozen varieties of the best rice pudding ever, and you can even add toppings and mix-ins. It was strange, but delicious!
We finished the night by walking to SoHo and taking the subway back to the hotel. Our feet were beat!