Central Park!!

When Hugh and I went to NYC last year, walking through Central Park was high on our itinerary. But, the day we were supposed to go there, it was POURING. We walked through the park anyway, and we got SOAKED! This year, it was windy but very sunny and it was as beautiful as I thought it would be. We were walking through the loud city, but as soon as you get into the park, all of the honking and sirens fade away, and it was very quiet. People were ice skating in Wollman Rink and there were hundreds of others enjoying the park. One of the things I really wanted to see was "The Mall" - which is a straight stretch of the park that is seen in a lot of movies and pictures - and Bethesda Fountain. We walked all the way to the fountain, and guess what? No water. They were doing some renovating so there was no water in the fountain at all. To crush my heart even more, some parents were letting their out of control kids climb on the statue in the middle of the fountain!!! Some people....I swear. Anyway, it was still beautiful. I wish we had more time there, but we had to make it back to our hotel so we could get our bags (a lot of bags!) and head to the airport. So, the next time I'm in NYC, I will be spending much more time in the park.

A few others pics

Grand Central Station, The Chrysler Building, Radio City & the ice skating at Rockefeller Center

View from the Top

We went to the Top of the Rock - which is the top of Rockefeller Center. It was SO windy up there, I thought we would fly off! But such great views! You could see the Statue of Liberty from up there! If you look south, you see the Empire State Building, and if you look north you see Central Park! Breathtaking!

My hubby's initals!

I took this for Hugh. This store could belong to him!!

Times Square

A very strange thing about NYC is that everything is so close together! Tracy and I were walking down 42nd Street, past the library and Bryant Park, heading for the subway, and all of a sudden we look to our right and we realize we are in Times Square! A highlight of this area was the Hershey's Chocolate store, which sold the BEST Reese's Peanut Butter Cups I've ever had. I swear, they made them right there in the store. Delicious!

St. Paul's Cathedral

One of my favorite places in downtown Manhattan is St. Paul's Cathedral. This church was built in 1766 and is the oldest public building still being used in Manhattan. This church is directly across from the WTC. When the buildings came down on September 11, a very large sycamore tree shielded the church from any damage. Not a single window was broken. After the attacks, it became a place where rescue workers could come to rest, get medical care, have a meal, and be comforted. It is now a place where visitors can reflect on the events of September 11, and give thanks to those who risked so much during the days after the attacks, and remember those who lost their lives that day. What I loved is the amount of respect and reverence that is shown by those who walked through the church. It is very peaceful there.

Downtown Manhattan

Here are a few pictures from our day downtown.

I Love New York

I just got back from spending 5 days in New York with my very best friend, Tracy. Tracy and I met when we were 14 at WHS, and have been friends every since! We started planning our trip last summer, and it seemed like to took forever for it to get here! We left on St. Patty's Day, and had 4 full days of walking and sightseeing. We saw so much. All of the downtown area, which included the WTC site, seeing the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Federal Hall (George Washington took his oath as President there), and we ended that day with pizza in Brooklyn, and then walked back to Manhattan on the Brooklyn Bridge! We also saw Chinatown (quite the experience!), and toured Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, the vast subway system, and everything in between. We also got to spend a bit of time in Central Park, which I loved. We saw "Wicked" and I would suggest that everyone see it if you are a Wizard of Oz fan. We also went to dinner with my friend Barton, which was a highlight. It was a great trip. I love it back there. The history, the people, the shopping...I loved it all!

Caitlin turns 9!

On March 11, my BABY turned 9! Hard to believe! We had a week of different celebrations which included having the family over for dinner, going out to Ah-So for dinner, and taking Caitlin and a few of her friends to Justice for "make-overs". She had a great week!

How can you not love these two guys??

It's hard to believe that these two are not actually blood related brothers. They are both such goofballs you would swear that they had to be raised together. This is Kolby in the front, and his brother-in-law, Karl on the back.