After the morning at Statue of Liberty, we had to hurry. The girls and I had a date on "Cherry Tree Lane" with Mary Poppins! But, our lack of navigation expertise and my stress level landed us here!
Amanda and I were a little nervous, but Taylor and Sophie thought it was awesome!
The musical was phenomenal. I know that I am not an expert critic, but I love Mary Poppins. If you've seen it (or anything else professionally performed), you know how ridiculously expensive it can be. This was my THIRD time to see Mary Poppins. Yes, I think it was even better than Lion King.
After Mary Poppins, we finally made our way to one of the most anticipated stops of the entire trip--FAO! Two years ago, Kennedy and Sadie were able to dress a Barbie on the computer. Then the Barbie came out on a runway and was announced in typical NY Fashion Week style with their names as the designers. Taylor and Sophie have looked forward to this moment for two.stinkin.years. We went up the escalator and immediately to the Barbie section of the store where we found...wait for it...the Barbie style show thing was G.O.N.E. Yep, two broken-hearted little girls.
However, the BIG Piano was still in action. And, Kennedy and Sadie didn't get to see a live performance like Taylor and Sophie did. Yes, it made me and Amanda feel better to point this out. However, the little girls were not as impressed. They wanted Barbie!
The days were cool, but not miserable. However, the early mornings and late evenings were C.O.L.D. Taylor and I figured out pretty quickly that cuteness doesn't matter as much as warmth!
The final stop of the evening was The Top of the Rock. This place is one of my favorite places in NY to visit. It is amazing during the day and absolutely breathtaking at night.
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| Empire State Building from Top of the Rock |
At the very Top of the Rock is a "light room". I'm not sure what exactly the room is other than fun. For most people they come in and leave within five minutes. However, Taylor and Sophie were in awe. We stayed in this room for about 45 minutes and tried to make our colors "mix". You can tell by Taylor's face that she was bored beyond belief with this concept.
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| Sophie trying to find her color in background and Taylor making hers light up |
Finally after a long, busy day, it was the final ride "home". I have no idea what was really going on in this picture. However, the expressions on their faces are priceless!
End of Day Two
End of Day Two
Since I clearly have a time management problem, I thought I would go ahead and close out the final post of the trip on one long blog. So, just pretend it has been another month and a half (about June 5) and I am finally getting to this last day!
Day Three of NYC
Upon arriving in NYC, I was disappointed to hear that in order to see the Memorial Fountains you have to have a pass and that they are "sold out" months in advance. You don't really have to purchase them, but everything I knew about them suggested that I would not be able to get even a glimpse of the fountains. But, while I couldn't sleep after such a busy day, I pulled out my handy-dandy phone and looked online. I was able to get four passes for early the next morning. I was SUPER EXCITED! Sophie and Taylor didn't have a clue, but they smiled for a picture.
We were blessed by such a heartwarming experience while standing near one of the fountains. A lady came up to the fountain and looked over the many names. She suddenly flagged down the other two people in her group and shouted, "Here it is!" The three of them gathered around and rubbed the engraved name, hugged, and cried. I was touched and wished Taylor could understand the significance. For just a brief moment I thought maybe she had an inkling of what the names meant.
We continued strolling around the fountains, talking about September 11, 2001, and reading names. Taylor found someone with a last name "Taylor". She pointed to the name and asked me to take her picture. I obliged. As I removed the camera she said, "Mom, that's cool. I got my name on here and I didn't even have to die!" As preciously innocent as her comment was, I was terrified that family members there to mourn would not appreciate her innocence that I found somewhat humorous. So,we moved right along.
After such an emotionally charged visit to the Memorial Fountains, we headed back to The Rockefeller Center. The girls were anxious to ice skate. Amanda and I were not so anxious to ice skate. But, we decided to suck it up and enjoy the opportunity. I must say that it was truly one of the best times I've ever had in NYC. Ice skating in Rockefeller Center. I think it should've been on my bucket list--if I had one. I was the last one off the ice saying, "one more time". The little girls didn't even whine or cry when they got cold. Fortunately, no one was soaking wet from falling either.
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| From the ice. We were WAY UP THERE yesterday! |
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| Action shot! This was her only fall and I got it. |
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| How many best friends will have this memory? I love them both. |
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| Look! We do tricks! |
Ellen's Stardust Diner is another "must do" for NYC. This is a diner where the waitstaff sings and dances on the tables, etc. Many of their former waiters are now on Broadway. One of the waiters there was a finalist on American Idol (they said). Sophie and Taylor lit up like Christmas Trees when this guy came over to sing to them.
And a final good-bye to NYC. Here are the "little girls" who aren't so little, posing on a fountain. I have no idea where this fountain is other than in NYC. I do have a similar picture of the "big girls" on this same fountain. Amanda and I thought it would be so neat to have an identical picture of the little girls. The older girls sat facing each other with their toes touching. We explained this as "sit down and put your feet together". In typical Taylor and Sophie fashion, they interpreted the same directions completely differently than their sisters! This is what we got!
Somewhere during the day, we had to stop and have a real NY hotdog from a street vendor. Yesterday (April 22, 2012) Sophie Watson was still talking about the mustard on these hotdogs! She LOVED the mustard. I know I need a picture of her with her hotdog, but although I took a super awesome camera on the trip and took AMAZING pictures with it, it is must faster to email the ones from my phone to use on the blog. Seriously, I am already almost 4 months late getting this done because I really wanted to use the "good" pictures and keep putting it off.
Day Four...the day we say Goodbye
The final morning was spent in Hoboken, New Jersey at Carlos' Bake Shop. Taylor wasn't so impressed with the famous bakery, although she has seen the show.
But she did get excited about the vegetables at the store next door!
On the flight to NJ, they wanted their Moms. On the flight home, the travelers were feeling much more independent! They sat together, alone in their own row.
Home...
It was a fabulous trip with very few moments of whiny, irritating six year olds. I know she won't remember all of the details, but I hope she will remember some of the highlights and know that the world is a big place with amazing places to learn, experience, and love.
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