New York City

The kids and I took a bus trip to NYC this past Saturday.  They were excited to see the sights and sounds, having never been to the city before.  The boys passed the time playing with their DSI's on the way.

 The first thing we did when we got there was head down to ground zero.  There was not much to see if you didn't have tickets, but we picked up a book they were selling on the street corner to add to our History collection.  Kaleigh took this shot on one of the new Trade Center buildings.

 After we hopped on the subway and made our way to the Ferry to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty.  The kids were very bummed that she was closed for renovations.

 Kaleigh took this shot of the World Trade Center towers.

 One of the coolest parts of riding the subway, was this group that jumped on and sang 'Feliz Navidad' with their instruments and then jumped off again.  Kaleigh was happy to give them a dollar because she thought it was so cool.

 As we were getting off the subway, Parker said to me, "Mom, I think that lady has a cat in her bag."  It wasn't, but I had to laugh and take a picture of it. 

 Blake with Minnie and Elmo.

 Kaleigh got this cool hat from a street vendor.

 Kaleigh, my mother, and my aunt got in line to get into the American Girl store, while I went about 1,000 feet to the Lego store with the boys. I  kid you not, it took us almost 45 minutes to get into and through the building.  The streets along Fifth Avenue were insanely crowded and it was zero fun for me.  I was extremely disappointed in what I saw.  I imagined huge Lego creations of the Statue of Liberty or other New York hot spots and there was none of that.

 After that we went across the street and into St. Patrick's Cathedral.  It was massive and beautiful.  The kids took about 50 pictures on their DSI's

 At 6pm we boarded the bus and headed home.  The day wasn't all I hoped it would be, but I learned that I am not cut out for bus trips to New York right before Christmas and on a weekend.  Next time we go, it will be during warm weather, on a weekday, and with someone who can read a subway map better than me...because I stink at it!