Day One NYC

We had a very early flight and were up at 5am. It was pouring down rain like I've never seen before. We quickly loaded up the car and headed to the airport.We were in such a hurry, that we totally forgot about Noah's glasses. Oops. We didn't realize it until we were on the freeway. And with the weather so bad, we just kept on going. It was a white knuckle ride all the way. The roads were bad. Thankfully, we made it to the airport on time. Our flight to NYC required us to change planes in Chicago. We had to literally one from one terminal to the next, and were the last ones to board that flight! We made it just in time for takeoff. Whew!

Now this should have been a cue of how wonderful Noah would tolerate things. Normally, he becomes very anxious before a trip. He will rock back and forth before boarding and will be down right miserable. But this time, there was none of that. He talked non stop all the way to New York, so happy and content.

We arrived at our hotel in New York City about an hour before I had anticipated. But to our surprise, the room was ready for us.

The Manhattan at Times Square

The hotel seemed nice enough. The lobby was spacious and clean. 

Our room

When we got up to our room, we quickly realized that the room could use some updating. But it was clean, and the hotel was in an excellent location.

The start of Times Square was just across the street.

The view of the New Years Eve ball from the front of our hotel.

So for us, a room that needs some updating was not a problem. We arrived in the middle of a heat wave, so having a clean, air conditioned room close to the attractions was well worth it. 

The first thing we did was head out to Rockefeller Plaza. We were starving, so decided to eat lunch first. Based on my research on Trip Advisor, I picked Bills Bar and Grill. The food was pretty good, and we spent $75 for the four of us. Not too bad.

Our first meal in NYC.

After lunch, we headed for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). From 4-8 on Fridays, the museum is free. When we got there, we were greeted by a very long line that wrapped around the block. We figured we would get in line, but were prepared to leave if it was too much for the kids.  But the line moved so quickly, we were inside within a few minutes.

The museum was packed with people. Apparently we aren't the only family who appreciates a bargain. Now, there are some pretty famous paintings inside MoMa. Picasso, Matisse, Rivera. But here are some works of art that we found interesting.  

If a painted door is considered to be a work of art, then we have plenty at our house.

Black smudge on glass. Noah does this to our storm door all the time.

Creepy naked dude.

The kids spotted a picture and said it looked like Luke carrying Yoda on his back.

Hey, it really does look like Yoda.

Angry clown. I love this painting.

High priced apartments across the street.

Annoying apple?

Video games inside an Art Museum?

I think this was their favorite "work of art."

Like I said earlier, the museum was pretty packed. We walked around a couple of floors. After that, the kids were getting anxious to move on. They wanted out. I think it was just too crowded for them. 

Next up was to head to the observation deck of Rockefeller Plaza. Known as Top of the Rock, the tour allows you to go up to the 67th-70th floors of the building. There, you get an unobstructed 360 degree view of New York City. The building is beautiful. 

There was so much to see, that it was hard to get the kids to focus on the camera.

Where the Today Show is filmed.

Next up, the long, long, long way to the 70th floor. We're headed up to the to of this building.  To be continued...