{Spring Break} Cousins, VPs, and Crossing the Mason-Dixon Line!

After a l-o-o-o-o-o-n-g day in New York City yesterday, we took it easy this morning and slept in...

We had originally planned to get the bulk of driving (back to South Carolina) done today, but severe storms up and down the east coast kept us cautious.

Once we got on the road, we headed straight to Hastings-on-Hudson, NY to visit with family, Hubby's brother, his wife, and their 2 children. The kids had fun playing tag and climbing trees...

before we came inside and celebrated a couple of birthdays...my sister-in-law's (last week), her mother's (next week), and mine (tomorrow)!

From there, we continued south toward New Jersey and Pennsylvania to visit a couple more Vice Presidents, but before we could do that, I had to do this!

Wait...what?!?!?

A little background... I don't drive in Manhattan... Like, my good friend will go to extremes to route me around it in a very "out of the way" manner in order to make sure that I do NOT have to drive in Manhattan when heading to her house in Connecticut (when driving through the upper tip of Manhattan IS the fastest and most direct way)...

I did it once (out of necessity) and continue to be very proud of myself for making it all the way in to my brother-in-law's (now former) apartment on the Upper West Side...

But, anywho...back to today...  Make that TWICE now that I've driven into Manhattan...and no, I'm not looking for any "three time's a charm" business here...  Happy to leave it at TWO!

AND after that, I drove over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey...just like that... 

Phew! From there we continued to Paterson, NJ to visit the grave of Vice President Garret Hobart...

Garret Hobart served as the 24th Vice President of the United States under President William McKinley...

From there, we continued on to Philadelphia, PA to visit the grave of Vice President George M. Dallas...

George M. Dallas served as the 11th Vice President of the United States under B's favorite, President James K. Polk...

Loved passing by these hydrangeas on the walk back to the car...

Loved even more crossing back into Virginia and feeling a bit closer to home...

What a fun, whirlwind trip! Planning to be back in South Carolina tomorrow...

{Spring Break} A FULL Day in "The Big Apple"

This morning we caught one of the first trains into the city (around 5:45am)…

and arrived at the Today Show Plaza bright and early...

We got to meet Al Roker...

and 3 generations of the famous racing dynasty, the Andrettis…

Mario...

Michael...

and Marco...

Plus, we got to talk a little bit with Craig Melvin, too!

From there we grabbed a late breakfast at Bouchon Bakery and explored the shops at Rockefeller Center before taking a trip to Top of the Rock!

It's probably my favorite for catching a good bird's eye view of the city... 

It's not only centrally located, but offers one of the best unobstructed vantage points...

 From there, the girls got to experience their first Uber (B is already a pro!)... 

as we headed down to SoHo for lunch at Black Tap...

  

My falafel burger was delicious...

but the kids really loved their shake!

 After we left Black Tap, we set out to meet up with my good friend, S, and her twins, B & R, to walk The High Line...

On the way, we gave the newish, DO, a try (as if we needed anymore dessert!)…

and strolled through Washington Square Park...

before finally making our way to The High Line!

 

After walking most of the elevated trail, we headed back downtown and caught up with Uncle B for just a bit as he was leaving work for the day...

before grabbing dinner at my favorite, El Vez, with S and her kids...

I mean, these tacos...

I love them so much!

Oh, what a day! Continuing south again tomorrow...

{Spring Break} A Roller Coaster Morning in Massachusetts, but Ending the Evening on a High in NYC

First of all, did we just drive up to Maine and back yesterday?

Yes, yes, we did...

Phew!

Today, we spent the morning in and around Boston, MA and the evening in New York City, NY!

First stop, the grave of Vice President Henry Wilson in Natick, MA...

Henry Wilson served as the 18th Vice President of the United States under President Ulysses S. Grant...

From there, we headed over to Quincy, MA to visit the graves of both President John Adams and his son, President John Quincy Adams...

While we toured their birthsite homes at Adams National Historic Park the last time we were in Quincy, we missed their graves altogether. So glad that we were able to see them today!

We had a WONDERFUL guide...

We got to sit in The Adams Pew while learning a bit about the church...

and got to visit the family vault in the basement, as well...

With these 2 complete, B only has 4 more presidential graves to visit!

As we walked back to our car, we took a minute to pose with John Hancock, too!

The biggest disappointment of the day was our visit to the Massachusetts State House...  It was beautiful, but it was all locked up! I've never seen a state capitol building so uninviting!

This is B's 45th state capitol building, and we are so used to seeing a welcoming lawn with people wandering the grounds, picnicking with their families, running the sidewalks, and of course, B running up the front steps...

But, nope, not here... He was super bummed...

Based on my research, I knew that the gates were locked after business hours, but thought that they were open when the building was open, but sadly, no...

So, we ran up as many steps as we could...

   

We did get a picture on the side steps, so I guess that counts, but oh well, we really tried...

 

From there, we walked over to the Public Garden...

to see the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture!

 which was all decked out for Easter! 

Oh, how I love these 3 so!

 

 From there, we continued on our trek south, and made a stop at my good friend, S's house before catching the train into New York City, NY for some evening fun (because sleeping is so overrated, right?)!

After arriving at Grand Central...

we headed straight for the NYPL at its iconic location on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street...

 {L was also super excited about seeing the lions, which she is familiar with from reading her beloved The Land of Stories books}

to see the real stuffed animals that belonged to Christopher Robin Milne, son of A. A. Milne, the creator of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories...

You can really see the resemblance to the characters he created based on his son's toys!



From there, we continued up to Rockefeller Center to take in the sights...

and explore the new FAO Schwarz store...

Everyone left with a bag full of candy and a smile!

NOTE: Can you believe that in FAO Schwarz, we ran into a family from our hometown? Not only were they from our hometown, but they LIVE ON OUR STREET and their son is in M's 3rd grade class! Whoa, what a small, small place our world can sometimes be!

On the way to dinner, I gave the kids a little preview of where we'd be in the morning!

We continued on to Times Square...

and grabbed dinner at Junior's...

before making our way back to Grand Central...

But, alas, we got held up because we happened upon a situation (some call it "Anna Kate's World") where we ended up in the right place at just the right time...

We saw a line forming and saw this sign for Burn This (and I quickly realized that I just might get myself in a situation to meet Keri Russell and Adam Driver)…

So, we waited...

And, YES!!!

Oh my word, I LOVED her on the show, Felicity...

and him, well, I'm not a Star Wars fan, but B is...so this was cool...

Oh, hey there, Kylo Ren!

and this is where the stars really align in "Anna Kate's World"...

The guy in line next to us was so excited to meet them (he'd come back to wait in this line after seeing the afternoon show) and offered me one of his extra programs (he always grabs extras), so I was able to get it signed…

What a day!

Heading back late, ready for another FULL day tomorrow!