The Ambitious Odometer

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

{TEEN Trip} New York City - Day 1

What a day!

We got up early and drove up to Uncle B and Aunt E's house in Hastings-on-Hudson to leave our car. Then, Aunt E ran us over to the train station, and we were off!

After a quick stop in the main area of Grand Central Terminal, we set off to find our hotel and drop our luggage...

before paying a little visit to the lions at the big New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street...

From there, we booked it for about 12 blocks up to the Museum of Modern Art...

We were starving, so we grabbed a quick something in the Terrace Cafe...

and set out to enjoy the museum.

Some of our favorite pieces were by...

{Though Water Lilies is the big, famous painting in the room, L & I really loved Agapanthus, too!}

Jackson Pollock...

and Andy Warhol...

From there, we continued north a few more blocks, and just look what we found...

{It's actually LIM College, but its logo sure does look a lot like "LM". We just had to grab a pic!}

We arrived at Serendipity 3 for a sweet, birthday treat...

and it did not disappoint. L chose the Frozen Hot Mint Chocolate, and it was yummy...

With full tummies, we decided to explore Central Park a bit...

and L even found some time for a little jog!

We ended up at the Imagine Mosaic up near 72nd Street, but my phone died... Ugh! So, here is someone else's photo that I found online...

{not my photo, but isn't it a great one???}

From there, we took our first subway ride of the day (we'd walked from E 41st Street clear up to W 72nd Street) and officially checked into our hotel where we charged my phone and relaxed a bit before walking a few blocks down to the Empire State Building!

It may not be the best or the fanciest view, but it's an iconic one for me...

{looking S toward the World Trade Center & the Statue of Liberty}

{looking N toward Central Park, etc.}

We continued walking from there down to dinner at Black Barn...

The food was great...

and I ordered my very first Ranch Water, but the service was not so great.

I'll just leave it at that...

The National Museum of Mathematics is right next door, and it has pi door handles...

so Black Barn does have that going for it... Ha!

After logging nearly 25,000 steps (and with light rain starting to fall), we decided to take a much-deserved Uber back to the hotel!

Day 1 Step Count - 24,878

{TEEN Trip} New York City - A Walk Down Memory Lane (NYC Style)

Houston, we have another TEENager!

How can it be? Our "middle little" will actually be 13 1/2 next week...

{September, 2021}

For some time, I've planned to take the children on a special, solo trip to NYC when each turned the big 13. We took B back in January 2019, and though her trip was postponed a bit due to that darn "C(OVID)" word, now it's L's turn!

While L has been to NYC a handful of times before, it's always been with both her brother and sister in tow...

Over the years, we've visited a few sites here and there...

Fall 2010 - lunching at the American Girl Café, grabbing a cupcake at the original Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker, taking her first subway ride, and visiting (well, snoozing through most of) the American Museum of Natural History, while in town for the weekend to hear Aunt E preach...

Spring 2013 - playing in Riverside Park, paying respect at President Ulysses S. Grant's Tomb, lunching at the New York Junior League, touring President Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace, becoming a cab riding pro, and exploring Central Park...

Summer 2013 - ferrying over to Staten Island, visiting the Statue of Liberty from afar, taking in the view from atop the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge, riding the tram over to Roosevelt Island, exploring under the Queensboro Bridge, meeting Cousin A, and enjoying dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner...

Summer 2015 - saying goodbye to the iconic FAO Schwarz store on Fifth Avenue with Cousin A and taking a late night taxi ride...

Spring 2019 - visiting both the real Winnie-the-Pooh and friends stuffed animals and the famous lions at the NYPL's iconic location on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, hanging at Rockefeller Center, saying hello to the NEW FAO Schwarz store, now located at Rockefeller Center,

walking through Times Square, enjoying dinner at Junior's, checking out the Today Show Plaza, taking in the views from the Top of the Rock, experiencing her first Uber ride, devouring milkshakes at Black Tap and cookie dough scoops at DO, strolling through Washington Square Park and having fun on The High Line...