New York

I am tagging this post under "family traditions." In hopes that this amazing trip, or any 5 day get-away with my fabulous husband is repeated yearly for the next 55 years. A tradition worth sacrificing for!

Here is Part 1 of our trip: New York City

Peaceful plane ride

That means nothing to you, unless you have traveled with 3 small children. For me, sitting in my seat, sleeping for 2 hours, smiling at the mom across the isle with her chubby little baby...it was perfect. Although, every time I watched this young mother squeeze her daughter close, I ached to kiss the squishy cheeks of my little ones.

Accommodations
For our first trip alone, in 10 years, we decided to go all out. Fabulous luxury hotels, delectable restaurants... Our room in NYC on the 37th story of the Marriott Marquis at Times Square was perfect.

The views were breathtaking, and the bed enveloping. Uninterrupted sleep. A blessed occurrence. Below is sampling out our window.


Literary Connections
The girls and I recently finished reading James and the Giant Peach...of course I knew they would want a shot of the Empire State Building where the infamous peach was skewered.


Another photo-op for the girls....a newsstand in Times Square. This time in honor of Chester, Harry, Tucker and the Bellini's, from A Cricket in Times Square, our current read. I am trying enrich their reading, and help the stories come alive. They lit up when they saw this picture of a newsstand and pictures we took of the subway station. Tonight we listened to Strauss' Blue Danube, Mozarts Little Night Music, and Come to Sorrento sung by Pavorrati, in honor of Chester cricket and his concerts, which included these songs.


Battery Park in Brooklyn, and the Staten Island Ferry

Flashbacks from Brent's LDS mission 15 years ago! Street meetings and Spanglish. I had to say I was impressed, he seemed to know all the neighborhoods each of our cab drivers hailed from.

The weather was gorgeous in NYC. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and Brent reminisced. I'm pretty sure he wore hats, shades and designer jeans on his mission too. Yeah.

On Broadway

Out for Thai food before Wicked. The play was fabulous. We got all dressed up (including shopping for me, and a brand new suit for Brent) and had a great time. Although Brent wasn't "moved" like Les Miserables, he appreciated the underlying themes....the crafting of history by a select few, the misinformation of the media, the "dumbing down" resulting from loss of liberty... clearly, these are things both of us feel strongly about now, so timely.

The Temple

Brent looking dashing is his new suit, outside the Manhattan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple. We were able to serve in the temple while we were there. It was a sanctuary of peace and tranquility. The artistry was superb, including intricate stained glass mosaics and serene landscape murals.

Central Park

We finally snagged a foreigner to snap a shot of the both of us in Central Park. The park wasn't quite what I was anticipating. The Scientist in me, enjoyed seeing the massive exposed bedrock all through the park (we are sitting on it). It was fascinating to learn the skyscrapers can only be built where they are bolted into the bedrock.


A self-portrait, semi-decent! I do have to say, the city wore on me. It was thrilling but claustrophobic for me. My legs itched for the mountain trails I run to from my house. My eyes searched for the wide vistas, and majestic overlooks. My skin yearned to be warmed and shaded by the sun, clouds and trees, not flourescents, skyskrapes, and ceilings.

The World Comes Tumbling
It just so happens, the UN was in session while we were in New York. Oh hooray. The world is saved. Hopefully we will soon start paying carbon taxes to the World Government controlled by the ultra-elite, masked as the UN. Thank goodness someone is here to save America. Hopefully you soaked up my dripping sarcasm. Somehow my picture of Brent looking very sinister outside of the Federal Reserve Bank, turned up missing. Possibly it would have been to risky to put it on the blog...they might figure out we are on to them!

You will never catch Brent and I bowing to the infamous "Bull" of Wall Street. Wasn't it a golden calf the Israelites prayed to when things got a bit tough in the wilderness. Ironic. It was wrong then. It is wrong now. I think our tour guide even said "pray for the bull." I think our prayers could be better directed...

I just can't buy it happened the way the picture has been crafted for us about the events of September 11th. So much innocent blood was shed on that fateful day. Where has our country gone...who have we become because of it? Regrettably, in panic, the Patriot Act was passed. While the people were in shock and mourning, without time to understand the ramifications. The infringement on our civil liberties are astonishing. We are watched, listened to, imprisoned without a reason, banned from transportation, demeaned in airports, prisoners are tortured...all in the name of safety and protection. It is about control. And from the horrifying events of that day, the government tentacles wound tighter.

Panic again. The economy is collapsing. Quickly we pass legislation giving unprecedented authority to the government and the private Federal Reserve Bank. Billions of dollars to elite bankers...and where is the country left? The tentacles wound tighter. Citizens demanding the government take care of them. What is left of the American Dream is slipping.

One Train Ride Away

Two great days in NYC and we pulled our bags to Penn Station and caught a train to Boston. So long New York and Hello....