NYC favorites: things we did

1. Riding the Staten Island Ferry.
We all enjoyed riding the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan over to Staten Island and back. It was great because: 1. you can see great views of Manhattan, 2. great views of the Statue of Liberty, 3. it is free! Last time we went to New York we took the ferry that actually lets you off at the Statue of Liberty to walk around and get closer, but we got close enough to see it really well from the ferry.

Manhattan behind us.




Lady Liberty




From Battery Park looking out to the statue of liberty.

2. Exploring the city.
Last time I had a list of things I definitely wanted to do and see. I had a list this time, but wasn't going to be heart broken if we didn't get to them all. It was fun just being in the city, going out for coffee every morning, and seeing a completely different lifestyle than our own.


Greenwich Village was fun to explore and be in a quieter place.




3. Rockefeller center.

I'd rather hang out around here than Times Square. Times Square is a must see, but so busy and touristy. It is also very touristy here, but a little less. We sat out by the skating rink one night and had cupcakes from Magnolia. We didn't go up to Top of the Rock this time, but I highly recommend it if you go to NYC.




4. Cold Play at the Today Show.

The today show is pretty much the only thing I watch on TV, so I loved seeing it in person. I had seen that Cold Play was going to be in concert so we went on that day. Last time, we got up at 4:30 to go to Tim McGraw's concert, and there were tons of people there already. We opted to not do that this time, which meant not getting as close, but you could hear the band from several blocks away, and we could still see really well.


Here's a short clip:


5. FAO Schwartz
This toy store is amazing! Luckily Isabella is not old enough to ask us to buy her things! :) You could spend hours in there. She loved playing on the Big Piano.





She cried as Michael carried her away. :(

6. Dylan's Candy store.
Fun music, fun candy, and close to Serendipity if you have a wait there.






7. And, of course, Central Park.
The park is massive and is a haven away from the bustle of the city. You could probably spend a couple of days exploring and not see it all.






Isabella was fascinated by this man's bubble performance. I, luckily, did not see the man my sister saw performing in the park with a rat on each shoulder and one on his head *shudders*.


Love the boat house area. I would love to take a boat ride here someday- but not with a one year old.


This day we went to a grocery store by our hotel and got food for a picnic in the park. Michael was a trooper walking a long ways, as I scouted out the perfect spot for our picnic. As I told him, making dreams come true can be hard work. ;)


Loved all the changing leaves.

We did some other things too, but those were my favorites. It was a fun way to celebrate our 30th birthdays!