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 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!

Girls Day 4 - Painting and Central Park

It was an alarm clock sort of morning, but not til 8:00 am.  Then it was a long wait at Starbucks so we had to eat while we walked to the American Girl Store.  We had a painting class at 10:00 am.

 

The instructor began with a simple instruction... “Draw your pumpkins on the canvas”... no further direction or advice on how to make authentic looking gourds.  Within 5 mins, Sammy whispered that she was frustrated and with tears in her eyes, asked for a break. So we stepped out of the classroom only to be smacked by the crazy busy noises of the cafe.  We quickly ducked down the employee entrance to the kitchen and asked a waiter for advice on an escape.

A manager found us a quiet space, brought us drinks, and checked on us regularly.  As I held my girl and reassured her that her pumpkins were fine in quality and value, I became frustrated with myself for missing the signs... for not realizing she was upset before it got to this.  Ugh.  I guess in some way this trip has tricked me into forgetting what a struggle adventures can be... which in and of itself is incredible.  For four days, we haven’t had a single issue or even hiccup.  I dried my own tears and decided to be grateful instead.  It took almost 30 minutes to calm down but even then I could tell my girl was fragile.  I set her up for success in every way I knew how and we re-entered the paint class.  The teacher approached and told me that the manager had found a quiet place for us to paint together.  And so we were escorted to another room with couches and end tables fully draped in plastic and our very own little paint studio.  Oh thank you American Girl.

 

We painted around 45 minutes and when the final glitter was added, we headed out for lunch in the cafe.

  

We wrapped up a little before 1:00 pm and headed back to the hotel. The route we usually take along 6th Avenue was completely transformed into a street market... over 6 blocks of vendors of food, clothing, and all things for the tourist.  It was actually really cool.

After a quick rest time, we headed up to Central Park.  We walked it since this was an area of town we hadn’t seen yet.  And along the way we found Donut Project... a small bakery I had read lots about so we stopped in to see what the hype was all about.

It was a little hole-in-the-wall place with amazingly large donuts of all sorts of creative flavors. Seriously we took one of the “Black Gold” to share but I wanted to try them all.  We crossed the street and found a bench in the park to enjoy it.

 

We had almost an hour until our carriage ride was scheduled so we decided to head over to the playground but on the way we saw these amazing rocks that you could climb and decided that was a much better use of our time.

 

  

How fun!  I could have stayed for hours!

We got to the carriage ride a little early and Peter got us loaded up and whisked us away with Bazooka at the lead.

 

  

The tour was great!  And Peter pointed out so many iconic spots and views in the park from movies, history, etc.  I really enjoyed it.  We did have a stop about halfway where we met a photographer to take some shots of the two of us.  But those pics wont be ready for a few weeks.  As we wrapped up the tour, Sammy was snuggled in enjoying her movie.  We both had a great time!

By the time we had wrapped up, I was feeling hungry... so I suggested Ruth’s Chris for supper tonight.  I mean, how many chicken strips can one eat in one 4-day trip?  Sammy loves steak so I knew it was a plan.  We called for a table and walked the 6 blocks to the restaurant.  Yum!

On our walk home, we passed through Rockefeller Center and considered ice skating until we saw the crowds gathered so we decided to watch a bit instead.

My feet were getting pretty sore by now, so we took a pedi-cab (rickshaw) back to the hotel.

We snuggled in bed to watch a movie... and I hate to admit it but this Mama fell asleep for like 45 mins.  My sweet girl woke me as Ice Age 4 was wrapping up to see if I wanted to get a snack.  So I placed an order at Starbucks and we ran across the street to pick it up.

Back in our room, we put on our PJs and settled in for another movie.

What a great way to wrap up another excellent day!