Day 5 - Cakes!

 We had a very lazy morning.  In fact, we didn’t actually get out of bed until 10:30am!  Unfortunately that meant like every restaurant was finished serving breakfast so we ended up back at Starbucks after a long walk around the Theater District.

Then we headed south to our cake decorating class at NY Cakes.  After the fiasco yesterday, we left plenty early and did end up arriving 30 minutes ahead of our scheduled class.  So, we looked around at the retail store with all the gadgets and tools and then watched the helpers clean and set up the kitchen space.  Sammy loved seeing all of the cakes in the display cases.  

We had a great class with Lisa, the owner.  We learned some new techniques and tricks for decorating with buttercream and practiced some tips we hadn’t used before.  In the end, we each decorated a cake to take home.

We headed back in the 95* temps, through the sticky and hot subway tubes and back out on the concrete for the 5-block walk back to our hotel.  

On the way we grabbed Chick-Fil-A for lunch and ate in our hotel room… once we were settled in the cool A/C space.

We took a little time to unwind and left the cakes with the hotel staff to put in the freezer overnight (it should help them travel tomorrow).  

We headed out again a little after 6:00pm to do our final run through Time Square and pick up some souvenirs from the trip.  

Then it was back to our room for a relaxing night before heading out tomorrow.

Day 4 - Pottery

We had a 9:00 am pottery class in Williamsberg this morning so the alarm woke us up for the first time this trip.  We pre-ordered our Starbucks breakfast and then walked to the subway to eat on the way.

Its hot.  I mean mid-90s hot.  And so hot surrounded by concrete with tall buildings blocking the breeze.  My sweet girl did so well but clearly the temps were wearing on her.

I was feeling nervous about today… the temps are way outside of Sammy’s 82* tolerance; plus we were leaving manhattan and traveling further than I’d ventured on the subway.  I had it all planned out and kept the route / directions pulled up on my phone.  We left ourselves 60 mins to make the trip rather than the 30 the app recommended.  Yet we still arrived 30 minutes late.  First, we jumped on the wrong train… technically it was the correct train but heading in the wrong direction.  I realized my mistake but wanted to give Sammy time to finish her breakfast so we went a little further before jumpin’ off to head back.  When we arrived at the station to transfer, we saw our train and quick jumped on, only to discover we were once again going the wrong way.  Ugh.  We got off and found the right platform.  A man encouraged us to get on another train that was available and waiting, saying it was going to the same station, so we boarded. I quickly called the pottery studio to tell them we’d be 10 mins late as we waited on the final train.  But within moments they announced that the train wouldn’t be leaving any time soon as there was an issue on the tracks.  They recommended alternative routes… I was not prepared for that so we headed up to the surface and looked for a cab.  Literally a car pulled up to the curb in front of us and we got on.  Thank you Jesus!

So just to be clear… I was nervous about the travel.  So I had looked at hiring a car $175.  Or scheduling a cab $50.  But ultimately decided on the subway $5.50.  But here we are sitting in a cab ANYWAY… and it still cost me $50.  But it was relaxed and air conditioned.  Phew.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as we walked through this small and crowded little studio until we went out the back door into this lovely green space outdoors.  Our teacher was wonderful.  She was kind and very knowledgeable and was so patient with us.  She was engaging with Sam and it made for a great time!

I loved feeling the clay slide through my hands.  It was incredibly relaxing and I can see why people enjoy it so much as a hobby.  Beyond the relaxation, there was some good life lessons in it.  

• you cannot be too set on the finished project as sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way we plan or hope 
• you cannot rush it… faster isn’t always better
• sometimes the clay is just done (over saturated) or tired and you need to just start over.
• It’s all practice.  Even if you do start over, the time wasn’t wasted if it was spent learning and growing.

We each made three pieces in the allotted time.  We help clean up and left shipping instructions, then headed out again to tackle the transit system.

The first train went smooth but once again I got messed up on the transfer.  We got on and then quickly off the south bound train and then I walked in circles trying to figure out what I was missing.  Finally realized we were on the wrong side of the tracks but didn’t know how to get there so we stopped to ask for help.  Then it was pretty smooth sailing on our way uptown.  

Did I mention it’s 95* outside and what I never realized in the movies is that the subway tunnels are SO much hotter.  Oh my - we both had sweat dripping off us.  

When we popped back up on the street level, there was a Starbucks calling out to us.  We stopped to wait for our order… but we didn’t mind.  They had air conditioning and free samples.  

Then we went back to the hotel to cool off, relax a bit and get cleaned up - we were a mess!

After a little rest time, I asked Sammy how she’d like to spend our afternoon.  She got a little smirk and I knew I was in trouble.  How might one decide to spend their free time in NYC?  Sammy chose to return to the movie theater and watch the same movie we saw yesterday.  So, because it’s all about enjoying our time together (and I’m a sucker for that smirk) we headed out to the theater once again.

We arrived a little early but decided to grab a snack for lunch.  We split some chicken strips and mozzarella sticks and played some Five Crowns while we waited.  The movie was excellent … even for the third time!

After the credits, we headed downstairs and walked over to the Gershwin Theater.  We stepped into a McDonalds to grab a drink and wait in the cool air.i. Then it was on to Wicked.  This is one of the hottest shows right now on Broadway.  The Gershwin seats 1933 people and frequently sells out.

The show was amazing.  It was Sammy’s first time seeing it.  The costumes and sets were incredible but the vocalists knocked it out of the park.  Really excellent show!  

We had a fairly long walk to get back to the hotel when we got out at 10:15 pm.  I noticed some drops of rain on the vehicles and knew that if it started raining, we’d never get a cab.  So we grabbed a rickshaw instead… and travelled through Times Square in style :)

Once we got back to our room, I ordered some pizza for supper so Sammy and I enjoyed a selection of pizza flavors in bed tonight.  Now it’s time to unwind and snuggle in.

Tomorrow is our last full day here… but we don’t have anywhere to be til the afternoon.  So no alarm for us! 

Day 3 - A Different Kind of Theater

We decided to sleep in today… no alarms.  It was great.  Once we woke up we stayed in bed and watched some TV and snuggled til we decided it was time.  Realistically, I think we were just getting hungry.  I asked Sam what sounded good for breakfast, and it just so happened that she had had an idea… what if we had Krispy Kreme Donuts (she saw a sign in Time Square apparently last night) and then a Starbucks for drinks.  So we decided to pull on our clothes but not even wait for makeup.  We headed right into the craziness and got our breakfast, well actually two breakfasts - donuts from Krispy Kreme’s plus sandwiches from Starbucks.  

Brought it back to the hotel and ate on our bed.  The bad news - so many calories (they don’t count on vacation - right?)  the good news - we were so full we didn’t need to think about lunch!

Today we didn’t have any reservations.  The plan was originally to spend some time biking Governor’s Island or exploring Central Park.  However, it was forecast to be quite warm today and so we decided to find a cooler indoor activity.  

And it just so happened that there were several movies currently in theaters that Sammy has been hoping to watch.  So, we scheduled Sammy’s first ever double feature at the AMC Theater.   

So a little before noon we headed toward the theater, just a block from Times Square.  First, we stopped by Target to grab a few items that our neighborhood Walgreens didn’t carry.  It’s so fun to see how architects handle putting the large department stores (and theaters) into high rises with real actively small foot prints.  I continue to be blown away by the ingenuity it takes to make a busy city like NYC work.

After our shopping, we ran across the street to the theater for a 1:00pm showing of Elemental.  Now, Sammy has already seen this movie - but she LOVES it.  Technically, I saw it too, although I fell asleep within 10 mins the first time we went so I’m not sure it counts.  Anyway, it was lovely.  But, you should know we shared the theater made for 120ish patrons with what I can only describe as a day care field trip for delinquents.  Lol.  I’m not even kidding… and because of assigned seating we were literally surrounded on all sides by talking, kicking, popcorn throwing, obnoxious kids.  

Luckily Sammy had her noise cancelling headphones in and it didn’t seem to bother her until she removed them to watch the previews… couldn’t hear them due to the commotion around us.  I honestly wondered where the video cameras were cause we must be being punked - the only possible explanation.  Nope.  So just before the main feature began, we moved down on the floor and away from the sea of craziness.  It helped a ton to be able to focus… even if we were craning our necks to see.

Overall, it wasn’t that bad… but we laughed about it!

As soon as the movie finished, we headed out to the theater right next door and found our seats for Barbie at 3:15 pm.  This was new for both of us… And, ironically its story line is very similar to our play from last night.

The movies wrapped up around 5:30p and we headed out.  On the way we passed the wax museum who just happened to have a statue of Dwayne Johnson on the sidewalk… one of Sammy’s favs!

We had decided to grab Shake Shack on our walk back to the hotel so we made our way east a few blocks to grab our order to go.  Back to our hotel room for dinner in bed (noticing a theme?)  

We took it easy most of tonight.  We ran across the street to Walgreens for some ear drops for Sam.  Otherwise, it was showers and bedtime.  We have an early morning planned for tomorrow! 

Day 2 - Theater

Full disclosure… the pillows were awful last night.  The issue has been corrected for tonight but sleep was not as good as I was hoping.  :)

We woke up around 8:30 and get ready for the day.  We decided on breakfast at McDonalds with drinks at Starbucks (both on the same block as our hotel).  After we finished eating, I looked up the address for the Museum of Broadway, our first stop of the day.  Lo and behold, the museum is literally two doors down from our hotel.  Hehe.  Needless to say, we arrived much earlier than our reservation time but they accommodated us and let us get started sooner.

It’s a three story experience with so much history, props and costumes regarding all things theater.  It was fabulous!  We both really enjoyed our time here and spent much longer than they had estimated.  

  

Afterwards we stopped at the room and then decided to head down to our next reservation in hopes they could also get us in earlier than our scheduled time at the Encanto Experience.  (A walk through interactive exhibit based on the Disney movie Encanto). We walked up a block and then caught a cab.  It was a 30 minute ride down 5th Avenue. We got in on the tour scheduled for noon and enjoyed the exhibit.  In all honesty, the program is designed for younger children but Sammy and I really appreciated the sets and props and enjoyed our time together.  

We started walking back… and made it only a few blocks before the heat became a problem.  So we grabbed another cab and headed back to the hotel.  Before we went up to our room, we grabbed some snacks from Walgreens and then spent a quiet couple of hours in bed.  The timing was perfect because a decent storm blew through while we were inside.

After we got cleaned up we walked over to Olive Garden in Times Square and enjoyed an early dinner.  We played Ticket to Ride on our phones while we waited for our food to arrive.  Then we visited the Disney Store again.  We have tickets to a show tonight at the Marquis Theater, which was only like a block away, but the show wouldn’t start for a little over an hour.  So we decided to head to the theater anyway, and found a quiet spot to sit down and play Five Crowns.  We had a great time. 

Tonight we have tickets to see Once Upon A One More Time, a musical neither of us have seen before.  It’s based on the fairy tale princesses and is set to music from Brittany Spears.  The show was excellent!  It was a lot of fun… the music and dancing were amazing!

We walked back to our hotel to climb into bed and finish our game of Five Crowns.  Then it was time for Sammy to work on her drawings again while I updated the blog.  I’m hoping to get some sleep tonight!

We really did have an excellent day… I just love spending time with my girl.

Day 1 - Welcome to New York!

 It was an early morning for me as the alarm rung just after 4:00 am.  I was up and ready to bring Tyler to church at the crack of dawn.  The church vans pulled out just after 6:00 am.  Then I wrapped up a meeting at church and headed home to finish packing.  Sam was up already.  

We headed off to the airport just after 9:00 am.  Everything with check in and security went smoothly.  I was pulled for a random search so that was something!

We hung out at the gate… Sammy has been drawing some characters for the book she is writing, so that filled her time well.  I wrapped up an email for church which felt so good to get finished.

It was a smooth flight direct to LaGuardia - pretty bumpy on approach but otherwise uneventful.  Only 5-6 people from our flight were staying in NY so the baggage claim was pretty empty.  It took a bit for our bags to arrive so we grabbed some snacks because we were pushing 2:00 pm and still hadn’t had lunch.

Our driver Raj was waiting for us and whisked us away for the 30 minute drive to our hotel right by Time Square.  Our room is at the Hyatt Centric Time Square… the same hotel we stayed at 4 years ago.  GREAT LOCATION!

Our room was ready early so we brought up our bags and then ate our snacks.  Sammy wanted a little quiet time so she continued drawing while I took a short nap (honestly, the 4:00 am alarm is coming back to haunt me)

Then we headed out to find an early dinner and settled on Chick-Fil-A!!  We headed the short two blocks and on the way were stopped by a homeless man lying on the sidewalk.  Sammy was drawn in like a moth to a flame.  She is so compassionate!  He asked if we could call him an ambulance.  Clearly he wasn’t in immediate medical need, so I probed a bit to find out more.  Apparently he had a bad itch in a private area, so I told him I would call someone for him.  As we finished our walk, I looked up a non-emergency line and made the call.  A medical response team would arrive within the hour.  

Grabbed our nuggets and shakes and headed back to our hotel.  We climbed into bed to eat and watch some shows.

After dinner we headed over to Time Square and did the loop to check out the sights and see some fo the closer Broadway theaters.  

Then it was back to our room to call it a night.  8:30 pm and snuggled into bed - a perfect way to end our first day!

The Plan - Mother / Daughter 2023

I’m so excited for some mother / daughter time with my girl.  Tyler’s headed south on a hiking trip with the youth group so we have an extended amount of time to plan a great adventure of our own!

Sammy opted to go back to NYC this year, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m super pumped about it.  We had such an excellent time in 2019!  I cannot wait to top it in 2023.

The plan is to leave Monday morning just after the church vans pull out and fly home on Saturday before they return.  That’s 6 whole days in the Big Apple!

We did some planning ahead and have some fun things scheduled - Museum of Broadway, Cake Decorating class, Pottery class and tickets to two broadway shows!  And even with so many reservations, we still have some free time for last minute adventures.  I cannot wait!

Day 6 - South to Grand Haven

We had some rain move in around 5:30 am... which always makes for great sleeping conditions... so we let the kids sleep in again this morning.  I made eggs, sausage and toast for breakfast and then we started to clean up.  Since its our last morning, we spent a little extra time to pack our clothes and dirty linens to save time later.  Once finished, we prepped to go.

It was 10:40 am when Tyler and I headed out to untie the lines, just as it was starting to sprinkle again.  Its a little cooler today at 62* with overcast skies and 4 mph winds from the North.  We passed the pier around 10:55 am and found 1-2' waves so we were able to speed up to get on plane at 31 mph for our ride home.  

Because of the drizzle and cooler temps, we kept the boat mostly closed up for the ride.  Tyler and I turned on some reruns of the Office and giggled as we made our way.

Around 12:45 pm, we slowed as the pier off of Grand Haven came into view.  What a welcoming sight!  We took our time coming in as a large ship was just heading out.  

As we came through the channel and made our way to our marina, Jen and the kids went to work packing up the kitchen and prepping the trash, etc. 

Tyler tied us off in our slip at 1:15 pm while Sammy and I started to load the truck.  We were all loaded up and heading home by 1:26 pm.  Definitely our quickest unload EVER!

We made a couple stops for lunch at Jimmy Johns and a Starbucks and were pulling into our driveway by 2:40 pm.

It was a great trip on the boat! We really enjoyed visiting new marinas (Manistee, Pentwater).  Scott and I also had fun visiting familiar marinas (Ludington, Frankfort, Leland) and found ourselves remembering our past trips.  

Its so much easier taking a trip like this now compared to years ago when the kids were young.  Tyler has learned so much about the boat and his knowledge comes in handy so often.  Plus he's quick to help with lines and electronics whenever needed.  Sammy has gotten very comfortable onboard and is quick to help me with the chores in the kitchen and with Coco.  

As I reflect on our week, I'm not sure there is a favorite stop or memory... but so many snapshots of our time together.  I'm certain our kids wont forget these memories.  The feel of excitement and adventure as you pull into a new place from the water.

A huge thanks to Scott for being such a great captain!  Its a lot of work being on the water but he does such an amazing job, it looks easy!

We are already making plans for future trips.  I cannot wait to make even more memories from the boat!

Day 5 - South to Manistee and Pentwater

Today was incredible!  

The kids slept in until it was time for breakfast... egg sausage English muffins.  Then we cleaned up and prepped to head out.  Its only 28 miles to Manistee so if the weather cooperates, we plan to take our time and enjoy the ride down at a relaxing pace.  

At 10:30 am, we pulled out of our slip and repositioned to the fuel dock to add 150 gallons of diesel and get a pump out.  As we pulled out around the pier of Frankfort, the waters were quite calm.  Under one footers.  It was 63-65* and sunny with a 4 mph N wind.  PERFECT!  

So we set our route and adjusted the speed to 11 mph and took our sweet time heading south.  I love to travel this way.  We spend time relaxing on the bow, Tyler takes a turn at the helm, Scott gets to relax.  Its so much fun!  We continued this way the entire trip to Manistee.

Around 12:45 pm, while we were passing Portage Lake, I pulled out snacks for a charcuterie lunch.  On the way, we started talking about the remainder of our trip and I shared concerns about what a busy day Sunday would be because of a prior commitment we have in the afternoon.  We talked through different options and wondered if we should try to make it home Saturday instead of Sunday, changing our plans one more time.  Unfortunately both of our last two spots are new to us so we had no way of choosing which we'd prefer.  So we decided to stick with the plan and check in at Manistee and then decide based on how it looked and how we felt.

We arrived to the Manistee channel at 1:32 pm and tied off in slip 26 of the Municipal Marnia around 2:00 pm.  We haven't visited here before so we were eager to see what the town and waterfront had to offer.  It didn't disappoint. 

We took Coco for a walk through town and found a Dairy Queen for a mid afternoon treat.  While on the way, I got a call from our marina in Pentwater confirming our stay for tomorrow and I asked if he had room for us Friday instead.  He said he did.  So just like that, we decided to get a little further south today to stay over in Pentwater.  

We finished up our walk, stopped in to check out with the confused office staff, and then untied.

We pulled out of our slip at 3:10 pm and by 3:26 pm we were rounding the pier and on plane at 32 mph.  The weather has slightly changed... 70* with 7 mph winds out of the WNW.  The waves were still under 2 feet and it was very comfortable.  We travelled the 37 miles to Pentwater, arriving at 4:30 pm.  Made our way up the channel, found the Snug Harbor Marina and were tied up in slip 7 by 5:00 pm.  

The kids were hoping for some down time to just relax so they hung out at the boat with the dog while Scott and I took a walk through town.  We were on a mission to find supper... something we hadn't had yet this trip.  We checked out the supermarket, various restaurants, and finally decided on the very well reviewed Pentwater Pizza & Grinders where we ordered grinders, chicken wings and Fred Bread. Yum.

After dinner, we turned on Captain Ron - an older but now favorite movie of ours ever since our trip aboard Heavenly this past winter.

Then the kids did their showers while Scott and I relaxed on the back of the boat.  Another beautiful evening!

I'm so grateful we got to see both Pentwater and Manistee.  Both are fabulous towns that we will certainly return to enjoy!