Maras Vacation 2009 - Phase 1: NYC

This year we planned our family vacation to the East Coast because my brother and his family recently relocated to Connecticut. It seemed a great plan as we could visit them and see New York City, as Chris and I (nor the kids obviously) had ever been there. Long story short, the closing on their home got delayed and after we had already bought our airline tickets we found out they wouldn't be out there for most of our trip! No worries...we quickly got online and did some fast computer work (thank goodness for the Internet) and came up with a Plan B. It all worked out in the end as we got more time in NYC and still got in a few days with the Thompson's at the end of our trip. Get comfortable...this will take a while!

We flew out of Omaha on Saturday and our first stop was the Detroit airport where the kids enjoyed a trip through the Tunnel of Light.


All settled in for the flight to Hartford, CT. Brian was out in CT so the movers could drop off their belongings and he could do some unpacking before Amanda and Cal came back out. He picked us up at the airport and brought us to our hotel for the night.

SUNDAY: Chris turned 40 on Sunday, May 24th and I couldn't let it go unrecognized. He had already enjoyed his gift of a fishing trip to MN earlier in the month, but the kids and I still had a few things up our sleeves. We each designed a t-shirt to wear proclaiming the special day. We donned our shirts Sunday morning before we headed to our next hotel in Newark, NJ. We always try to budget our trips carefully, and by staying in Newark I got a great rate on hotel and we just took the train into the city each day. It was so much fun seeing people read our shirts and wish him a happy birthday ALL DAY LONG...it worked just as I had planned and he was a really good sport about the whole thing.

The kids and I also put together the "40 Things We Love" about Chris...I was very proud of them as I thought I'd have to fight with them to complete this. They didn't take long at all to fill in the squares (I helped too) and they came up with some really sweet things to say. Chris is a man of few words, but I think he appreciated our efforts. :)

We took our first subway ride from NJ to the tip of Manhattan and Ground Zero. It's hard to comprehend the scope of what happened since none of us had been then when the towers were standing. However, it was a moving experience and I am glad we could share it with the kids.

Almost more impressive than the actual site was St. Paul's chapel just across the street that survived the destruction as well as the Great Fire of 1776. The graves in front are so old and it really is a peaceful, beautiful spot across from so much destruction. Inside are displays of all the mementos and pictures left at the site. It was so intensely personal that I didn't feel right about snapping any photos as people were openly weeping as they visited.

Our next stop was City Hall Park. It was pretty hot outside so we had our first taste of "street food" and bought ice cream cones. Check out the gas lights to the right of the fountain. I was instantly mesmorized by all the beautiful architecture that surrounded us.

Here we are at the start of the Brooklyn Bridge.

We made it about mid-way before certain members of our party got hot and tired. I won't name names, but the 39 yr old and 40 yr old were hoping to make it all the way across.

After leaving the bridge we meandered to China Town. We really wanted the kids to get a feel for the diversity in NYC. They really enjoyed all the sights and sounds...and the stores full of JUNK. They were in heaven and bought lots of trinkets.

After China Town it was off to Little Italy. Talk about busy! So much to take in. Tony was excited because he recognized a spot along the way that was pictured in his Social Studies book at school!

Since it was Chris' big day he got to pick the restaurant. Although we enjoyed China Town, the food was a little too "odd" for us and he chose to eat dinner in Little Italy. We found a cute little place that served brick oven pizza. I think this was the only time we SAT down to eat our entire time in the city. No one gained any "vacation weight" as we walked, and walked, and walked....and enjoyed eating from street vendors: ice cream, pretzels, hot dogs, kabobs.....

After Little Italy we hopped the subway and ended further uptown...right into Herald Square!

Our final stop for the day (yes, it's STILL Sunday) was the Empire State Building.

What a view...can you believe this? Quite a shock to a family that lives surrounded by cornfields. We really enjoyed the view from all directions and stayed until dusk so we could see the lights come on in the city.

Livie even called Gramma from the top of the Empire State Building! I bet we surprised her!

MONDAY: This was the day we took the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It was Memorial Day so we got an early start. By the end of the day it was crazy busy. Miss New Jersey was our ride to the Island. It was quite an experience as the ferry was filled with people from all over the world. We hardly heard anyone speaking English without a foreign accent. All part of the experience.

View of the city skyline from our ferry. Another beautiful day, that got downright HOT by the afternoon. Perfect weather for being on the boat though.

Beautiful Ellis Island. Quite a sight to see. Most of the main building has been restored, but many buildings on the Island are in dire need of repair.

This is the main registration hall. We took a guided tour for a brief history before we ventured out on our own. It's a very impressive place...you can just FEEL the significance while you are there. Significant because Chris and I wouldn't have made this trip had our grandparents not passed through this hallway. Goosebump moment.

The kids take a break on original benches still in the hall. Kind of a poignant shot of the two of them sitting there. My dad's mom was Tony's age I believe when she landed at Ellis Island.

After your name was called in the great hall you descended these stairs. The left was for all those boarding trains for NYC. The middle was for those being detained for legal or medical reasons and the right side was for those boarding trains for all other destinations.

This is my favorite picture from our entire trip. 12 million people passed through Ellis Island, 12 MILLION. This shot is looking at the stairwell that millions of people walked on in search of a new and better life for themselves and their families. See how the stone is worn? And how amazing is it that WE walked on those SAME stairs nearly a hundred years later. More goosebumps.

Another shot of the skyline from the Island.

Ah, Lady Liberty. What an awesome sight. We really enjoyed seeing her in person and were all surprised by how BIG the actual statue is.

We were too tired to venture up into the statue, but spent a lot of time enjoying her splendor.

Believe it or not, it is STILL Monday. We went back to our hotel after a long day at Ellis Island for a little nap. We put on jeans and sweaters and headed back into the city for the evening.

Times Square, NYC...what a place. The sights and sounds are almost overwhelming. As we walked along and got closer Livie exclaimed, "This is what I imagined New York City was like."

The smell of kabobs were too powerful to resist and we enjoyed yet another meal on the street.

I must say for all the walking and subway riding we did, I never felt insecure or scared at all. There were police all over the place and we were completely comfortable as we made our way around the city. This was our latest night as we got back to our hotel around 11 pm. I can't speak for what happens in the wee hours, but for the most part we were impressed with the atmosphere.

I didn't see the little "guardian genius" over Chris' left shoulder until I posted this picture. So funny, as in college Einstein was Chris' "official mascot" as I often called him that as he spent so many hours studying for things like Organic Chemistry and Stoichiometry.

TUESDAY: This was the day we set aside for Central Park and finding Dylan's Candy Shop. What can I say about Central Park...it was AMAZING!!! We only saw a fraction of it and were in awe around every corner. It's unbelievable that this oasis can be in the middle of New York City.

All along the way there were more and more beautiful things to photograph. It was very clean and well kept. By the time we got there, there were only a few people left sleeping in the park. :)

Tony was thrilled to visit the Central Park Zoo. It was small, but very picturesque and we saw a few things we don't have here at the Omaha Zoo.

Again, around every corner there was something to photograph. It was hard deciding which to post as I have so many great pictures. The stone work and landscaping were awesome. (I'm running out of descriptive words!)

Ooohhhh look....a secret passage! How fun! Chris and the kids just forged on ahead without a care in the world. I was relieved to find only one homeless man inside reading the Bible outloud. Whew. I've done a lot of research on the park and was a bit worried to be honest about what we might encounter.

After what seemed like a 100 miles of walking we finally found the Holy Grail for Kids...Dylan's Candy Shop (Dylan as in, Lauren, daughter of Ralph). It was everything they had imagined and more expensive. ha ha. We saw a show on the Food Network about the shop this winter and they had been looking forward to it ever since.

Chris and I both agreed it was pretty impressive. The kids were in heaven that's for sure.

After another 100 miles we found the world's largest toy store, FAO Swarz. Another kid mecca that didn't disappoint.

Along the way we walked down Madison Avenue, Park Avenue, etc... and enjoyed seeing how the "other half" live in New York City. As we passed Barney's I saw Katie Couric get dropped off and run inside...that was my only celebrity sighting of the week. The architecture of the churches and apartment buildings were breathtaking. I feel like we really got a feel for the city seeing all sides of it. I didn't post pictures of everything, but we also saw CBS, NBC, Rockefellar Center, Radio City Music Hall to name a few. We really enjoyed the experience and left very tired, over stimulated and looking forward to our time at the beach!