NYC

I’m going to start of the year by backtracking a bit to 2015…

This trip happened a while back but I have taken quite a long break from blogging.  Our trip to NYC happened a couple months ago, and we actually flew out October 23.  We had a 5:00 flight that Friday so that we could enjoy a full weekend, then flew home at 6:00 AM Monday morning.  This insured we had two full days to enjoy NYC.  Both my brother and sister live in NY and Joe’s grandparents live in South Amboy which isn’t far from the city, so we knew this trip would be filled with family time.  My sister had her second baby, Jasper, right before our trip to Bali so we were incredibly excited to meet Mr. J for the first time!  We arrived in NYC around 7 and my brother in law was picking us up since they live in Jersey City and we flew into Newark.  Once we found him, he let us know he was having some issues with the car!  Nothing like adding some excitement to the trip, especially since he had Jasper in the back seat.  After trying to turn the car on, and then weighing our options, we knew the car needed to be towed and we didn’t need to risk driving it back to Jersey City.  Joe called AAA while my sister booked a rental that I went to pick up.  The tow truck was supposed to arrive in 45 minutes, but after I got the car and swung back around to pick them up, Joe had received a call that they are backed up and it will take 2-3 hours before the tow truck came.  Since it had already been an hour and a half and Jasper was awake and hungry, I took the car and Jasper and drove to Jersey City to drop him off with mommy!  I headed back to the airport, and shortly after arriving back the tow truck finally came.  After getting the car hooked up we were off to drop the car off at a mechanic.  We were not aware that in New Jersey all the lots are closed at night.  So, we finally agreed to go to Pet Boys which the tow truck driver knew had an open lot.  After making it to the location and calling the tow truck to see where he was at he informed us we were at the wrong location!  So, off we go to another location about 15 minutes away.  FINALLY we get the tow truck taken care of and make it to the house about 4 hours after landing!

Sunset as we landed in NYC

My sister and brother in law live in a beautiful high-rise with windows overlooking the city.  We had some dinner and gave Rose some hugs before heading to bed after a long day.  In the morning we were woken up by Rose ready to play!  We enjoyed breakfast at my sister’s house before heading to the park to play.  Joe loved chasing Rose around the park and going down the “big slide” with her!  After some time in the park Joe and I hit the road to South Amboy.  It was a quick 40 minute drive and we arrived at his grandparent’s house.  We enjoyed some snacks and wine and loved catching up with them.  It had been well over 5 years since Joe had visited (I had been multiple times due to work) so it was nice for him to be back.  We enjoyed some time with them before heading back to my sister’s place where they made tacos for dinner.  After dinner it was time for Rose to get showered and go to bed and Joe and I watched GT beat FSU in what was one of the most exciting games in the history of Tech Football!!!  After the game we headed to bed.

morning views

 

Early in the morning we got up and got dressed the Joe and I headed into the city to explore a bit and then meet up with my brother.  We started at the 911 memorial and wondered around  there since Joe had never seen it.  From there we went to the water front, walked along there, explored Wall Street, and walked under Brooklyn Bridge!  It was a lot of walking but the weather was nice so we loved exploring and just wondering around the city.  After that we walked to Chinatown where we met up with my brother and went to Red Egg for lunch.  This was  a recommendation by my sister’s brother in law and it was amazing!  We ordered form the ala cart menu and my favorite was the soup dumplings!  We had spring rolls, dumplings, potstickers, and so much food!   After lunch we wondered around with my brother.  We walked into some of the boutiques where Bosco (http://www.thebosco.com/) has photo booths set up.  We took some photos, of course, and I drooled over the clothes that I could not afford!  We then wondered the streets west village and a couple of the other villages around.  Once we reached the High Line we said goodbye to my brother, walked the high line for a mile or so, and then headed back to Jersey City on the train.

 

 Once we got back to Jersey City it was time to take a walk.  We walked to the water front and enjoyed the sunset as Rose threw rocks into the river.  On the walk back we went to the rooftop where we finished watching the sunset and saw the Statue of Liberty from afar. Then Rose showed us her playroom in the building before heading back to the apartment.  After dinner it was time to make cookies!  I had promised Rose I would make cookies with her and she loves baking, so we tackled cookie making before she had to head to bed.  Everyone helped out making the cookies so it was such a fun bonding time.  After the cookies were done we all headed to bed since Joe and I had a 6 AM flight to catch.  We woke up early in the morning, and before we knew it, the weekend was over and we were back to work!  It was such a lovely weekend spent with our family and we cannot wait to go back and visit and explore more of NYC.