Day 36 - Manhattan, NY

The morning starts early (before 6am) for the boys as we sneak out to see Rob Thomas (from Matchbox Twenty) perform at the Today Show's summer concert series. We only have to walk 2 blocks to the studio at Rockefeller Center, but the line to get into the tiny recording area is already wrapped around a couple of blocks. We spent the next 3 hours squished like sardines with a view of only the head in front of us. I don't care, and Jeremy doesn't seem to mind - but I feel bad because adventurous Christopher thought we were going to be doing something fun. As for the "concert", he performed about 3 songs ("Lonely No More" he repeated several times). Kate said she saw us on TV ... Did you?

Finally the concert is over and Christopher bursts through the doors of the Nintendo World store just as they unlock them. They each buy a new DS game, and get a handful of free stylus pens.

Kate, Grandma and Daddy join us and we hit the American Girl store. You’re not going to believe this, but Jeremy said he could spend the day there – playing on the 4 floors of escalators. Of course Kate is the real reason we are there, and she gets to leave with their newest (historic) doll, Rebecca. She loves her new baby!

Next we walk 1 ½ miles (down 5th Avenue) to the Met. Christopher gets to go on the Pharaoh tour (with Grandma) while the rest of us wander aimlessly around looking at misc. artifacts. Jeremy and I laugh at all the really, really old statues that are missing heads, arms, and other unmentionable body parts (that Kate is quick to notice).

We get our token vendor hot dog, and spend the rest of the afternoon meandering through Central Park. It is a beautiful, relaxing day to spend enjoying the massive, famous park. All of my visits have mostly been in the winter snow, so I’m esp. enjoying the city’s summer feel. The boys sail a model sailboat in the lake, Greg’s sunglasses fall into the slimy lake (just out of reach), and Kate rides the super-fast carousel. We spend quite a while at its largest playground, Heckscher Playground.









After a delicious dinner at a church converted into a pizzeria (John’s), we walk through Times Square to Macys, and Jeremy finally gets his shopping fix (buying a new pair of jeans). We stare at the festive red-white-and blue Empire State Building, and walk back through Bryant Park. We’ve put some miles on our shoes today!