New York City

June 11th

We left our house 4:00 am to be able to catch our 6:05 am flight. Keith's sister, Sarah, was nice enough to make sure we got there on time. Just as they were starting to board the first class passengers an announcement was made that our flight had been cancelled due to hazardous weather conditions in Dallas, TX (where we had a connecting flight to NY). In fact, they had closed the entire airport. We spent about 2 hours in line and on the phone trying to get a new flight out that day so we wouldn't have to go home again. Lucky for us we were put on a 1:15 pm flight out to Chicago. Now all we had to do was wait.

FYI, if you're ever stuck for hours on end at the airport in SLC, there is a free shuttle that takes you right to Temple Square. Keith and I ate breakfast at the Nauvoo Cafe' inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Who'd have thought our vacation would start visiting there? The missionaries who drove the shuttle were very nice and fun to talk to.

We made it back to our gate to catch our flight....that had been delayed another hour which meant we would most likely miss our connecting flight in Chicago. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I think at this point I just wanted to turn right around, go home and get some sleep. After we landed at O'Hare International Airport I found the nearest restroom while Keith headed to the AA desk to sort out our next flight. I had barely made it to the women's room when he called me on my cell....they were doing a final boarding call for our flight. We hadn't missed it!!! My bladder would just have to wait!

Finally at quarter to 11 New York time we landed and got in a taxi headed for our hotel, the Millennium Hilton on Broadway. All day long I had suffered from a terrible case of motion sickness and being in the backseat of a NYC taxi was about all I could take. I about lost it as we pulled up in front of our hotel. I thought all the bad luck was behind us. We were there, we had made it...and because we had checked in so late they had given our room with a king size bed away. I couldn't believe it. We talked to the manager and were given free breakfast at the hotel restaurant for our whole stay. It turned out to be a pretty good deal. One, I found out I could still handle sleeping in a smaller sized bed with my hubby :) And two, it was a full buffet every morning with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, cereal, etc. and normally cost $20 a person. It was a good thing, too. We hadn't had our first experience of paying for food in NY yet!

We collapsed onto our queen-sized bed at about midnight, just grateful to have made it there.

June 12th

Our first full day in NYC!! After a good nice sleep Keith and I were ready to get going. Our plans had been messed up a little bit. We had planned on doing some sight seeing the night before, so we had to make a few adjustments. The Millennium Broadway Hotel was on 44th St. between 6th and 7th Avenues. After some discussion we decided to walk up 5th Avenue and check out all the different shops.

First we came to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was gorgeous with such awesome architecture and colors. I was impressed that even though there were hundreds of people inside the huge building that there was still a measure of reverence. The people, some tourists and some there to worship, all spoke in hushed tones and acted respectful to the purpose of the church.

Now, for any of you who know me well, I am NOT a shopper. I am one who knows what I need in a store so I can get in and get out. I still enjoyed going in and out of the endless concourses of shops and stores along 5th Ave. We stopped at the American Girl Dolls store to check things out because Rachael has requested one for her 8th birthday. I did walk into Tiffany's just long enough so I could say I'd been there. My favorites had to be the NBA store (yep, I'm still a tom boy) and FAO Schwartz. There's no way I could let the chance pass by to play the famous piano made popular in the movie "Big." People have asked me what I played and for some reason the first song that came to my mind was "We Thanks the O God for a Prophet," go figure!!!

As you reach the north end of 5th Avenue there is Central Park. By then we were starving so we decided to grab something from a street vendor. We spent $14 on 2 hot dogs and 2 waters, OUCH! Keith had wanted to go rowing while in Central Park so we made our way to the lake and hopped aboard our rowboat. It was fairly quiet and peaceful for a park inside one of the biggest cities in the world! The best part was, I never had to row! We took our time floating on the lake, then realized we'd better head back so we would have plenty of time to change and eat dinner before we saw Wicked! So, we took our first subway ride. Note to any of you who ever plan on visiting NYC. By an unlimited pass for the subway for the time you are there. You may not think it will be worth it, but it is and we learned that the hard way. Friday night was our one and only fancy dinner in the city. We were lead to a place called Bond 45 by the hotel concierge. It cost $90 for a plate of smashed chicken parmigiana and Chilean sea bass. And you had to pay for water unless it was from the tap, which was nasty tasting. I was very unimpressed. Still I didn't let it get me down. I was on my way to see a Broadway show, something I have wanted to do since I was a little girl. It was what I had been been the most excited for since we started planning this trip. I was not disappointed. It was unbelievable. The cast was so talented and I was surprised at how comical the show was. The Glinda (Galinda) character was amazing. I was so grateful to Keith for letting me choose to see Wicked even though it wasn't his first choice!

June 13th

Saturday morning we had set aside time to attend a session at the Manhattan Temple. What a unique experience!! No fancy temple grounds, flowers or acres of landscape. You walk right off the loud, busy streets into a tranquil peaceful world. I wasn't aware of it, but the building not only houses the temple, but the ward building for the area as well. The 4th, 5th, and 6th floors were dedicated and used for the temple worship and the 2nd and 3rd floors contained the chapel and church classrooms. Just a little different but the spirit sure felt the same.

We had planned to try and get 1/2 priced tickets to a second Broadway show and so after the temple we headed down to Times Square to see what the pickins was like. There were so many different choices! There was Chicago, Phantom, Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Shrek the Musical. How do you choose? Well, I didn't have to, it was Keith's turn. And after much deliberating, he decided on Guys and Dolls! There was about an hour until showtime (it was a matinee) so we decided to grab some lunch at a deli called Roxies. Again, we were shocked at the prices! I am just a cheap person and could not handle putting out $25 for a turkey sandwich or a salads. They even added on an extra $4 if you shared a plate, so we decided to order dessert instead, we're on vacation, right? Just so you know, it was the BEST cheesecake I have ever had...peanut butter fudge. I can almost taste it!Guys and Dolls was fabulous. Our seats ended up being 4th row center. I couldn't believe our luck! Keith liked this show even better than Wicked. The production was amazing. The orchestra was on stage behind the cast on a 3 story building. They were hidden during the performance. I was a little disappointed in the actor who played Adelaide. Many of you are familiar with Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls...she just didn't have the singing or dancing ablility you would expect someone in a Broadway show to possess. Still it was a blast to go see! Later that night we got a little lost on our way to Greenwich Village. It was a little frustrating. It had started raining and I personally was ready for the day to be done! We had an awesome slice of pizza and headed back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation.

June 14

Attending church in a Manhattan ward was a little different then I had anticipated. The chapel was packed and a member of the high council spoke who looked younger than Keith. Speaking of looking younger, you would not believe the number of people who we talked with that thought we were young college students or on our honeymoon. We'd tell them where we were from and they always asked if we attended BYU. Imagine their surprise when they learned that this trip was for our 10 year anniversary and that we have 4 kids! Still, you gotta be flattered.

Later that day we headed out for the Empire State Building. Talk about lines in that place. There's a line to go through security, a line to buy your tickets, a line to ride the elevators up to the 80th floor and once more to the 86th floor. Then you have employees trying to sell you little extras while you wait, such as maps, postcards, fast passes. Still, the view from the top was worth it. I felt like Debra Kerr and Cary Grant, only with an extra hundred people or so. Oh, and did I mention, this was the only place where you had to wait in line to get out, back down the elevators. We also decided to fit in a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry. Man can they fit a lot of people on those boats! We got a great view of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty! Then we got right back on to head back to the mainland. I hate to admit it, but by the end of everyday I was beat. So much to do, so much to see!

June 15th

The last full day in the city! It was dedicated to 3 things, the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island, Ellis Island and collecting the souvineers we wanted to take home.

I learned a lot visiting Liberty and Ellis Islands. We took the audio tours at both places and there are many interesting facts that I never knew. For instance, did you know that in most places the Statue of Liberty is only as thick as two pennies? Or that once the immigrants got off at Ellis Island they had to submit to a number of tests and requirements like having your eye pried open with a shoe button hook to look for a certain disease? I sure received a change of perspective while visiting.

Last thing was back to Times Square to get a few things for our kids. There are quite a few amazing stores there as well. The biggest toy store in the world, which happens to be a Toys R Us was a popular attraction! It is three stories high with a ferris wheel inside the building, not to mention the full size Barbie dream house, a life size T-Rex and multiple life size figurines made out of legos. Our kids would have been in toy heaven! And for those of you who were wondering, I did get my hoodie from New York :)