New York City

My husband and I have been married for 14 years now - hooray! This year we decided to take a day to go to New York City and see some of the sites. We did a little homework and made a list of a few things we wanted to see, some we hoped to see, and we happened by a few more while we were up there. My only problem? How to fit 176 pictures into 1 blog post. Don’t worry; I’ve chosen out a select few.

We did our homework and found that parking in NYC was actually cheaper than many places near us in Philadelphia. That was a big surprise! I think it was because it was a Saturday rather than a weekday. Even still, “cheap parking” is not usually something one associates with New York City.

Our first stop was The Top of the Rock - Rockefeller Center. This view of the city was gorgeous! The Top of the Rock is so much cheaper than touring the Empire State Building, although the Empire State Building still remains a must-see as it is an iconic part of the city landscape. The elevator had a brief history of Rockefeller Center played on the ceiling as you went up to the 67th floor, and then another video clip that they play on the way down. It helps to make the ride a lot more interesting! You take the elevator to the 67th floor, and from there you can take an escalator to the 69th floor, and then a short flight of stairs up to the 70th floor.

This is the view from the 69th floor, facing the north end of Manhattan. The view of Central Park was beautiful - such a vast area of peace and tranquility in the heart of the city that never sleeps.

Looking toward the southern end of the island, you can see the Empire State Building, standing tall above most other buildings nearby. Just to the right of it, and in the background is the new Freedom Tower, which will be featured in another picture. On the river, past the Freedom Tower are 3 small islands, one of them being home to the Statue of Liberty. On a more clear day, I’m told you can see her as a welcoming point, even from this distance.

When we went back down to the main level, it was difficult to find a spot to take a picture of all of Rockefeller Plaza in its full summer beauty. One thing that my husband and I did not know, or realize, is that the skating rink that we so often see in winter, becomes a restaurant in summer. Since it was difficult to find a good vantage point for a picture, I decided to share this amazing capture of the plaza by the experts at the Lego store, which occupies a building right on the plaza. And yes, it’s ALL made out of Lego.

From Rockefeller Plaza we wandered through a street fair and had some delicious wraps for lunch. We enjoyed the people-watching and marveled at what the city must be like at rush hour on any given work day.

We ventured into Central Park. There seemed to be a good mix of native New Yorkers and tourists, and all were enjoying the peace that came from this hideaway in the heart of the city. We happened onto a concert of classical music, by an orchestra that gives free summertime concerts. We saw a few street shows and were entertained by their antics. We enjoyed the real life scenes from some of our family’s favorite movies and decided that if nothing else, it would be fun to bring the kids with us next time, to enjoy a day in the park.

After spending time in Central Park, we got in the van and drove the whole perimeter of the park, before heading across the Queensboro Bridge, and eventually onto Roosevelt Island. There is a small park at the northern end of the (very small) island, and in that small park there is a small lighthouse. Since my husband loves lighthouses, we spent time trying to figure out where we could (legally!) park on the island, and then we walked up to the park to take a few pictures. Considering that the doorway is standard doorway height (whatever that is, a little over 6 feet, maybe?) you can tell that the lighthouse is not very tall. And it was closed off so we were not able to get much closer, but we were still glad for the walk and the gorgeous view from the island back into Manhattan.

We decided that our last stop would be Liberty State Park, to look back at the southern end of Manhattan and to see the Statue of Liberty, closer than we’d ever been before. Someday we’ll take a trip out to the island, but it will be when we have the kids with us. We arrived shortly before sunset and it almost seemed chilly as the cool breeze came off the river. This is a gorgeous park, full of history and reverence, as you can imagine that some of the first immigrants probably had their first steps on America’s mainland right there at the park.

Please excuse the poorer quality of this next picture - the wind had picked up and it’s a long distance shot. For ease of travel, I had only taken my phone for picture-taking. The picture is looking back into Manhattan. The prominent building in the right-hand side of the picture is the new Freedom Tower, complete with the spire. The tall building in the left-hand side of the picture is the Empire State Building, and just to the right of that, also with a more pointed roof, is the Chrysler Building.

It was a beautiful day in every sense. These pictures are only a small part of our day, believe it or not! A few other highlights - we parked right by Carnegie Hall, we traversed the Brooklyn Bridge, we spotted Radio City Music Hall on our way to Rockefeller Plaza, we drove by Trump Tower near Central Park - just a wonderful day! The weather was warm but not too hot, the company was the best, the views were spectacular, and the celebration of our anniversary was wonderful! We’re looking forward to taking another trip back up to New York City with the kids. A special thanks to my parents for keeping the kids to help make this celebration possible!