Momma goes to NYC

Right after school let out in May, the Hanner girls (and bodyguard Mark) headed up on a much anticipated trip to New York City to celebrate Erin's graduation from college.  The invitation was extended to Hunter and our kids, but he decided he'd rather stay home.  This meant I had 6 days ALL TO MYSELF!!!!  It was fabulous.  I ate my food hot and when it arrived at the table, only had to take care of myself, and had no poopy diapers to change for almost a week.  It was a much needed and very enjoyed break from the routine of my life as a stay at home mom.  We ate, shopped, went to shows, shopped some more, and saw a lot of the sights of the city.  It was heavenly!

We left from Abilene at 6:30 Friday morning and arrived early afternoon in NYC.  We stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square, got our freshly baked cookies, and headed out to explore.

We couldn't all fit in a taxi, so Mark surprised us with a limo at the airport

we felt special

meanwhile, this is how Hunter rolls when I'm gone-pj shirts, non matching shorts, and no shoes

view of times square from our hotel-so many people there
we quickly adjusted to all the fast walking and elbowing your way through the crowd

the ball was a lot smaller than I imagined

We ended up at the city block that was Macys.  Seven stories full of stuff.  I got off the elevator wondering where I could find some new capris.  Erin kindly informed me that I should be looking for some colored or boyfriend jeans instead.  Glad she was there to dress me up with the times.  Shopping and fashion are not really high on my priority list.  I was actually completely overwhelmed by all the neon everywhere.

We finished our evening with a meal at a Cuban restaurant.  It was without a doubt my favorite meal of the whole trip.  These were special bananas fried and a spicy dip.

I am not brave, but I ordered this upon a recommendation.  It was a flank steak and it was to die for!  We all were worn out by the end of the evening and headed back to the hotel for bed.

Day 2 we ventured out on the subway and went to FAO Schwartz for souvenirs for the kids after a tasty breakfast.  We went to the afternoon show of Mary Poppins and I LOVED the show.  I was singing the songs for weeks.  It was super well done and the theater...

My iphone pictures don't even begin to do it justice.  Bert and Mary flew all over and there wasn't a bad seat in the house.  We ate a late lunch followed by more shopping.  

We were tourists on day 3.  While Mark and Jana got our tickets for the double decker bus tour, the girls headed over to the fire station across the street.  The fireman were so nice and welcoming.  We learned lots about the events of 9/11 and their response.  It was very moving.

These were members of their station lost in the World Trade Center.

The fire station was actually one of my favorite spots we visited.  These fireman loved their job and took so much pride in what they did.

We hopped off our bus at Madison Square Garden.  In our adventures to find a bathroom, we came upon Penn Station.  I had no idea it was all underground under the stadium and was shocked to see all the subways and trains going through there.  We have so much parking around our sports stadiums, it was foreign to think that everyone used mass transient.

Later we went through security and took the ferry by the Statue of Liberty.  We got out at Ellis Island and listened to the headphone tour.  I actually learned a lot.

 We tried to go to Serendipitys later that evening, but there was an hour and a half wait.  We walked down the street to Dylan's candy bar instead and had ice cream.  It was 3 floors of colorful candy.  Hunter would have been in heaven.

 We took the long subway ride to the Yankees game.  The stadium was really neat.  It was drizzling and a little chilly.  We had great seats right off first base.  The crowd was tiny and not into the game at all.  I was expecting much different.  The people behind us were Yankee fans, but did a whole lot of complaining about how terrible their team was playing.  We were cheering for the Royals.

 We did a lot of riding around the city on our tour buses.  We went around Brooklyn, Central Park, and all over Manhattan.  Many memories were made following a lady down allies in Chinatown, shopping in Soho, and enjoying Warhorse at the Lincoln Center.  

 One of Mark's college friends was in town for business.  He was leaving the same day as we were, and offered his jet for us to all fly home to Texas with him.  We were loving the comfy leather recliners and definitely enjoyed our flight home without the hassle of a busy airport.  It was the conclusion to a perfect trip!

Spoiled!

Benton loved his legos I brought back for him.  He has spent hours building and following instructions.

I was pretty happy to see these little faces too!

I know I left out lots since we went in May, but I still wanted to document the fun we had.  Many props to Hunter and Honey and Poppa who took care of the boys while I was off having fun.  I think they were really happy to have me home!