New York Summer Trip - Farewell

Our flight was late enough in the day on Sunday to squeeze in a bit more sightseeing.  We cabbed it over to Rockerfeller Center.  

There was a big LEGO store we checked out and it had a LEGO version of the Atlas statue.  

Then we went around the corner to the front of the building to see the real statue.

Across the street is one of my favorite buildings in New York - St Patrick's Cathedral.

What's this?  One last slice of pizza in Penn Station before we take the subway to the Airtrain to the long flight home?  Of course it is.  

New York Summer Trip - Saturday Pool Party on Long Island

Saturday had us heading back to Long Island for a pool party with Sal and family.  

Here's the crew in the pool - (clockwise from left) Caitlin, Tom, Sal, Serafina, Leo and Matthew. 

Caitlin got Harley the dog to successfully float on her boat.

My tired loves heading back on the LIRR.

Here's the view we had every night of the Empire State Building from our room.

New York Summer Trip - Friday Touring

Friday we had the day to ourselves - no family visits or plans with friends.  

First up was a trip to Mood fabrics (featured on Project Runway), which was one of Serafina's top to-dos while in New York.  It's in the heart of the garment district which was pretty close to our hotel.  It isn't really a tourist destination so we poked around for just a little bit.  

Then it was on to Central Park via the subway.

It was hot and there was some complaining already starting to happen but moods changed when we spotted this park.

It had quite the backdrop.

They love a tire swing.

And regular swings.

Three carousel rides in one week?  You betcha.  Can't pass up the Central Park carousel.  

I would have loved to explore the park more but it really was too hot and humid for park strolling, so we headed to another highly desired destination - Shake Shack.  This is pretty much your standard burger joint with very thick custard-based shakes but it's not on the west coast so the kids wanted to check it out.  We went to one on the Upper West Side and the dining area was in the basement.

The kids enjoyed the meal and took their shakes out on the street where we admired some beautiful brownstone buildings.

After lunch it was on to the American Museum of Natural History.

Tom booked some special actiivities while we were there.  First up, the planetarium.

Then a 3-D IMAX about the ocean.

And a special T-Rex exhibit.

We were able to do some exploring between and after our special events.  Serafina and I checked out the Hall of Mexico and Central America.  Here she is in front of the Aztec Stone of the Sun.

We were able to take the subway from the basement of the museum back to our hotel.  After a rest, we headed back out to the West Village for dinner at an Italian restaurant.  

It was lovely inside and I really liked my pasta dish but the kids were only so-so about the meal.  

After dinner, we walked to Washington Square Park.

It was a happening spot on a warm summer Friday night. 

Since the kids didn't love their dinner but weren't whiney about it, we rewarded them with delicious dessert at the iconic Tick Tock diner next to our hotel.

Leo got a chocolate mousse mouse.

Serafina got the Oreo pie.

Tom and I shared a piece of unphotographed apple pie al a mode.  Everything was delicious and a great way to end a fun day.

New York Summer Trip - Thursday in Brooklyn

Thursday morning we were right back at our favorite starting point - Penn Station.  This time we boarded a subway train to Brooklyn.  

The view across the East River to Manhattan is quite nice.  

We took in the view while we waited for our friends to join us.

 Once we were together, these kids stomped the Brooklyn streets like they owned the place.

Our destination was the ferry so we could go from Williamsburg to the DUMBO (Down Under the Mahattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood.

Here are the kids on the boat - Sofia, Millie, Serafina, Leo and Franny.

We got to pass under the bridges and it was very cool.  Here's Leo, Sofia and Franny with the Williamsburg Bridge in the background.  

I'm not a fan of boats, especially small boats that rock a lot.  Here I am sitting in the fresh air on the top deck talking myself out of getting motion sickness.  I'm happy to say, I did just fine.

My kids in front of the Brooklyn Bridge.  

The historic Jane's Carousel in DUMBO.

Right on the river.

With seating in the shade for people who don't want to spin around in circles and possibly barely survived a boat ride just shortly before.  

My handsome husband in front of the Manhattan Bridge.

Serafina and Millie swinging the day away.

We stopped at a big food court for lunch with lots of different types of cuisine.  Something for everybody.  Tom ordered a Japanese style salmon salad and these two girls took it over and polished it off.  They couldn't get enough of the fish, kale, pickled radishes and more.  Don't worry, Tom still had plenty to eat.  

After lunch we hopped back on the ferry to Williamsburg.  We grabbed an ice cream treat and then headed to Beyond the Streets, a large exhibit dedicated to street art.

Serafina, Leo and Sofia in the elevator.  

Checking out some art.

Experimenting with the turn tables.

A large part of the exhibit chronicled one of my favorite bands - the Beastie Boys.  

It was a super fun day in Brooklyn with friends.  After some Penn Station pizza for dinner and a rest in the hotel room, we ventured back out to Koreatown to try a gourmet churro.  It was light and delicious but I'm more partial to a traditional Mexican churro.