New York City Extras

Here are some more fun pictures of my trip to New York City with two of my cousins. These are pictures from my cousin, Angie's, camera. I couldn't resist to share them with you all!!

 I'm hanging with the Subway Queen! Aleigh knew which train on which side and which letter/number to take to get us everywhere!

 With our cute cousin Joseph at his Baseball tournament in upper state New York.

 Walking around the Smith Farm in Palmyra, NY, here is Rick with 3 of his 4 sons. Future missionaries. Future leaders. Awesome!

 While shopping in SoHo we, I mean Aleigh, couldn't resist the store DASH. Here she is modeling like one of the Kardashian sisters. She fits in perfectly!

 On our way to our FIRST Broadway show, Lion King, in Time Square.

 On one of our many Taxi rides! So fun!

 Taking a little rest in Sprinkles while I wait for my cupcake order.

 Walking under one of the many bridges in Central Park.

 It sprinkled on and off that day, which was fine because it kept us all nice and cool and we hiked all over the island that day.

Ground Zero

 Friday morning we took the subway straight to Ground Zero. We knew this would be a definite highlight of our trip to New York. I've seen so many photos, video clips and news specials about what happened on September 11th, Ground Zero, the memorial, and Freedom Towers... but I knew it would be a whole new experience to see it in real life. And man it was!

We headed straight to the gift shop ticket store (we reserved tickets ahead of time, which are free, and a great idea if you are planning a trip in the near future!) The store is pretty small but full of photos and memorabilia of the Twin Towers. Instantly the photos and stories tugged at my heart and the tears began to flow. 
This piece of metal came from the rubble after the towers crumble down and the artist turned it into something extra special.

 Here is a huge photo of a fire fighter than had this image tattooed on his back to commemorate his fellow fire fighters that died on that tragic day. Not something I would do, but it was very impressive.

Here hung a huge material flag with all the names of the 3,000 people that were killed that day. There were also many huge posters of other countries mourning our loss a few days after September 11th. I don't remember seeing that on TV, so it was a nice reminder.

 We walked a couple of blocks away to where the self-guided tour began. There were two Memorial Pools in the exact spot and size of Towers One and Two. The  cascading water fall was beautiful to look at and to listen to. Around the perimeter were all the names of the fallen people of that fateful day.

 Across from one of the pools was this really cool modern building that will be the new Memorial museum. It was supposed to be completed by early 2012, but they were still working on. That will be a museum like no other, can't wait until that is completed.

 Here is the Survivor Tree which stood less than 30 feet away from the South Tower. It was the only living thing that survived after that day. Fire Fighters found it among the rubble and it was only an 8 foot stump. They moved it to a park and nursed it back to health and it grew to over 30 feet tall. After the North and South Pools were built they moved the tree back and it is supported by temporary wires until the roots take root again. When I touched this tree it was powerful, truly it was. Again, I was brought to tears. A silly little tree with so much meaning.

 On either side of the pools they are currently building the Freedom Towers, which will soon be the tallest buildings in the world.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit this site and show my respect to the almost 3,000 people, their families and New York City.

NYC Extras

Here are a few tidbits I didn't know about NYC or things that caught my eye while waddling (literally) around the city of dreams...

1. There are NO drinking fountains anywhere...Really! I think this is so bazaar!When you ask a New Yorker about one they look at you like you just spoke gibberish to them! (We ask about 5 different people!) I have to mime what I;'m talking about to them.

2. It's not as dirty and smelly as I heard. Las Vegas is much dirtier! But, every once in a while while walking down the sidewalk you get a huge whiff of something stinky!

3. Taxi's communication is strange. So much honking, which I knew there would be, but why? We've asked all three of our Taxi drivers more questions about this but they have all not given us an answer.

4. Buy most of your souvenirs on the street, you can barter with them and find one great deals. When you are wanting nicer stuff, then yeah go to a store or shop for that!

5. Waddling around NYC people don't stop and stare at me as much here. I guess I look like any other freak cruising the streets. Two people have asked if I'm pregnant (Hello! 8 months!!) And I tell them yes...with my 7th. Then I get that look. Yes, I am a freak!

6. So many different accents here. The Jamaican, for some reason, is the hardest for me to understand. Cute Angie totally understands and interprets for me and Aleigh!

7. We were out past midnight last night and there were just as many people out and about as there were at 12 noon! Truly the city that never sleeps!

8. While walking home from Max Brenner lat night this guy was on a cell phone screaming at his girlfriend and shouted, "No, you don't want to talk to me. You would rather play Apples to Apples!!!" I think he may regret screaming that, but man was it funny. So the next time you and your spouse are arguing (probably not screaming...) Tell them you'd rather play Apples to Apples. It's so random and quit funny!

9. We met a guy who after we told him we were from Utah said he's seen the show we tape there. Big Love. Umm, no! We explained to him that there is none of that where we're from. More of that in California than in Utah. :)

10. People don't talk to you, unless you talk to them first! We would chat with bus drivers, police officers, waiters, cab drivers...And they were so nice to talk to.

NYC, obviously, has huge tall buildings but overall it's much smaller than I thought. Even the entrance to the subway's are small. The streets are small. And Time Square. It's been a wonderful few days! A must trip for everyone to place on their bucket list. 

Most beautiful building in Manhattan

 Early this morning we went to see a taping of the show Live with Kelly, what a fun experience that was! I requested tickets 3 months ago, but never heard back from them,. So we decided to go and be in the stand-in line. We got up early and headed to the upper west side. We ran inside, being 10 minutes late or so, and they said they were full. I stayed inside while Ang and Aleigh went outside to wait. About  15 minutes later he said they could put us in, yeah! He handed us tickets with The Chew on it. Hmm...We walked inside and there were more pictures and information about The Chew. Umm, I think we were in the wrong place! Finally we asked and yep we were. It was the next door down! There were a ton of people standing there in line. Angie worked her magic by explaining we went to the wrong place over an hour ago. There were two different sections and they had us stand in the smaller section. We started to walk in and we were on the floor level! As we were walking in they were filling the back first, but I asked if we could get the seats right in front and she said yes! So here we are, with no tickets, late, in the front row! HELLO!
The studio was tiny but awesome. Gelmon cam out and a few other works that looked pretty neat. Then Kelly and Brian came out and we went wild! All three of us did our family yell that is pretty unique. If you watch the show you can totally hear us!

 Jenny McCarthy, Miss America and a cooking gal were there. After the show they taped another beginning segment and several short clips for upcoming promotions. It was pretty cool. During one of the commercials I told Kelly I was almost due with my 7th boy and she was shocked. The audience cheered! It was pretty cool!

 Kelly is TINY. She is cute as a button. She is a little more risque when the cameras are not turned on. Someone asked her what her tattoo meant and she said, " It's a symbol of my stupidity!"

 Right around the corner was the Manhattan Temple, the most beautiful building in New York City. Truly. We went inside and found out that half is the temple and half is a regular ward meeting house with a chapel, Primary rooms and basketball court with stage. It was amazing! We decided to do some baptisms and confirmations. Actually we all participated in the confirmations and Angie and Aleigh did several baptisms each. Right when you enter the building you can't hear New York at all. It was peaceful and beautiful. I am so thankful for the experience of today.
That same afternoon Elder Walker was in town doing an interview with Barbara Walters. So, after the temple work we were headed back to the chapel area. I walked in the elevator looked to my right and noticed I was standing next to Barbara Walters. I said, in surprise, "Hello Miss Barbara Walters!" She just stood there and looked at me for a second and said "Are you a Mormon?" After saying yes with confidence she then asked, "Do you believe in heaven?" Yes again was my answer and I could tell she was staring at my belly.  The elevator doors opened and I told her I was expecting my 7th boy. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment. We began a conversation about this crazy fact. She asked me their ages, if I am happy, if it's my choice and why would I choose this. She asked if I have any help (as in nanny's), what's it like to have so many. I was interviewed by Barbara for about 8 minutes. It was pretty neat.

 Elder Walker came in and thanked her for coming and handed her a CD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They went into the small chapel and a small handful of people went in to witness the interview. I was one of them. Cool! Barbara had a special several years ago about several different Churches and their views on heaven. It was the most watched interview she has ever done and the Mormon's weren't interviewed then. He answered confidently, with pose and the spirit. It will air July 6th!
After they walked in front of the temple several times to get some "walk and talk" shots. Several people stopped on the street and snapped some shots.

 We rode the subway for the second time with a little more confidence and it was much better than last time and super fast.

Here we are walking across the street to our hotel. It was 5:30, rush hour. There were so many people and it was so congested.
Another full day. Another great day. Another day we were able to do and see many different things.

The Upper East Side

 

What a day it was! We walked over 10 miles all around the upper East side and around Central Park. By the time the evening came I was waddling and in some pain, but it was totally worth it! It was low 60’s, overcast and sprinkled a little which was perfect for me so I was never too hot!

We went to AFO Shwarts, Bergdoff Goodman, Tiffany & Co., Dylan’s candy shop, Sprinkles, Barney’s, Apple store, Juicey, Louis Vuitton,  Gucci, Prada, Trump Towers, Bloomingdale's, Michael Kors...and many others!

 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity!

 The Met was closed, but it's still on  our list to see a different date. (We bought the City Pass, which has been totally worth it!!)

 We walked around the park and saw so many beautiful sites, the fountains, the bridges, trees...We sat on a bench and ate some of our Sprinkles cupcakes. Aleigh did the Phoebie run which was hilariuos! I couldn't see of hear the hustle and bustle of the city, it was pretty amazing! We also went to the Museum of Natural History, which was also amazing! The early evening we headed to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center). The views were amazing!

We ended by having dinner (waaaay too late) at the Shake Shack. Here's Aleigh with her darling new umbrella her awesome cousin Belle got her!
We took a taxi home and seriously thought we were not going to make it. He was the craziest, fastest most inpulsive driver ever. I had white knuckles for the entire drive. It was pretty crazy!

We later found out President Obama and Clinton were both in town doing a fundraiser together and then catching a Broadway show! Pretty cool!

The Big Apple - Day TWO!!

Day two of my trip to the Big Apple…Wow, what a day! We saw a little of everything today! In the early am we were off and running and ready to be one of those crazy tourists who roam the streets. We went to Hell’s Kitchen a huge flea market that is supposed to be awesome, it wasn’t. It was beyond lame. Next we were in the theatre district and Times Square. I was able to see where the New Year’s Eve ball drops!  

It reminded me of Las Vegas on steroids. The NYPD were out in full force and it was fun to chat with several of them. 

We toured NBC studios, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music hall, St. Peter’s Cathedral and several stores and shops on 5^th avenue.

I bought the kids some t-shirts and other fun NYC trinkets. We saw Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig filming a movie! It is called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

I took my first, and probably last, subway ride. It wasn’t scary or anything, just super confusing. I am terrible with directions and had no idea where I was or which train to take. Okay take the 1, 2 or 3 red line. But, which way?

I really need a personal guide to navigate me through this city! We have been planning this trip for over 3 months with maps and spreadsheets and even added TripIt to my iPhone, but again, terrible with directions!!

The absolute highlight of the day was seeing the Broadway production of Lion King.

Wow, it was beyond incredible! After the first song was belted out, I was in tears. It could of ended there and I would have been okay. Of course, I am glad the entire show was performed though! It was incredible. The gal who plays Rafiki was amazing and literally had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I especially enjoyed the song “He Lives in You”. So inspirational and powerful. I first thought of my darling boys and their incredible dad. Then I thought of me and my Savior Jesus Christ. It you haven’t heard this song, download it or check it out from the library! Totally worth it!

For dinner and some dessert, we were off to Max Brenner’s Chocolatier. Oh. My. Goodness. Dinner was goooood. Dessert was mouth-watering delicious!

What a FUN time I am having here in NYC with two of my sweet cousins. I am so thankful we can all be together and share this experience together!