NYC Day 04: Museums and Lights

After a late start to the day (photos to download and a little sleep in), we hopped on the subway back to Manhattan and took a stroll through Central Park, grabbed lunch at a street cart and wandered around the Natural History Museum. There were many displays of animals, biodiversity and dinosaurs but one of the coolest things was a large 75:1 scale model of a mosquito. We had a spare hour until the city Christmas lights bus tour, so we went to Spy: The Exhibition. We arrived at the bus stop to quite a long line of people but still managed to get on the second bus and enjoyed some of the spectacular store light displays. Harry Winston, Cartier and Bvlgari buildings were decorated beautifully,

but one of the most spectacular things to see was the UNICEF snowflake which is strung between buildings and is 23 ft wide by 28 ft tall and covered with 16,000 crystal prisms. During the tour we got to stop at Grand Central station which was also amazing. After the Tour we made our way back to Time square and on the subway to the Hotel.

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NYC Day 03: City Sites

Took the NYC Water Taxi from Battery Park Terminal to 84th Street with a photo opportunity stop at the Statue of Liberty. It was here we spotted a celebrity; he was at the back of the boat having his photo taken. We approached his travel companions and camera crew and they asked if we’d like to have our photo taken with him. We were pretty excited to meet the famous Travelocity Gnome - who was just starting a world tour. After the water tour we headed to Rockefeller Centre to see the tree and take the elevator up to the observation deck for a spectacular view of Central Park and the city skyline. We grabbed lunch at Juniors but the portions were so large we needed to go back for their famous cheesecake. We did a portion of the Downtown Tour on the open top bus but after several stops we were too cold to continue and found a Starbucks to grab a hot chocolate and warm up. We made our way to check out Ground Zero - 911 memorial center. The site is still under construction and partially closed due to Hurricane Sandy. The memorial was amazing/shocking all at the same time. Next we were off to Time Square to check out the action, lots of bright lights, people and of course cheesecake for dessert. We waited until dark to head up the the 86th floor of the Empire State Building and take in the city lights. Afterward we explored the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum which was full of oddities.

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NYC Day 02: Rockefeller Center

We headed into Manhattan to pickup our New York Passes (3 days of bus transportation and attractions). We opted to activate the bus passes and do some tours as the weather was good (sunny but cold). We jumped on the Uptown Tour and saw the sights from an open top double-decker bus. It was pretty chilly but we stuck it out. Tour guide was very entertaining (the best we had) singing and interacting with the passengers. We learned historic information, where movies were filmed and where the stars lived. We got off the bus at the Plaza Hotel (where Home Alone was filmed) and headed over to FAO Schwartz to check out the big piano where Tom Hanks danced in ‘Big’. After freezing our butts off on the tour we decided more layers were needed for the tree lighting so we headed back to the hotel to layer up. We arrived back at Rockefeller around 6 for the 7 o’clock show start and ended up on a side street without a view of the tree but we had a great view of the monitor broadcasting the show.
We stood for 2 hours and ebbed and flowed with 500,000 other people who also wanted to see the tree. At the end of the show we were told to come back tomorrow to see the tree – WHAT? There was no way we were leaving the area without getting a look at the tree. Security was tight and we were turned back from a few different entry points but a simple ‘Yes, we are with them’ as we tagged along on the coat-tails of a couple who had a pass got us through security. After photo-documenting our success, we grabbed a hot chocolate and jumped on the subway.

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NYC Day 01: Arrival

Made our way down from Niagara Falls, checking out the US Falls and then on to Buffalo airport returning the rental car and to catch our flight to NYC. Flight was uneventful, arrived in New York 7:30, got our subway passes and with a couple of wrong turns to start out we managed to find the best way from JFK to our Hotel in Brooklyn. Google Maps had a little problem predicting damage from Hurricane Sandy :). Two subways, 162 steps later (determined on a night when our feet just couldn’t take anymore steps) and we arrived at our Hotel. After a few hiccups with our reservation, we ended up in a queen room with a view of Manhattan. Relaxing evening and too bed early getting ready for the next 5 days.

Toronto 2012

Arrived Friday night around 10 pm. A relaxing evening and morning with some shopping and exploring on the Subway. Second night in TO we headed to Blue Mountain Ski area. We left sunny, brisk TO and headed north into cold blizzard conditions. It was a bit of a dicey drive but we had a professional at the wheel and arrived safely. The plan was to hit the Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain then go for dinner, apparently everyone else had the same plan and we were put on a wait list and told to call back in an hour. We checked in at the resort and headed for pizza at the Firehouse, ironically it was closed due to a fire. We had a delicious Greek meal instead then headed for a soak in the pools. Unfortunately we didn’t have the camera so here’s a link to the website. A few different hot pools, a cold pool, relax areas, sauna and steam in a forested setting. Then it was back to the room for a rousing game of Cranium where Gary and Amanda dominated the Green and Blue deck, Mark and Vicky dominated the Red ending in a draw at 1 game each. Next morning back on the road, a quick stop at the outlet mall then on the subway for Raptors vs. Spurs Basketball game. So exciting, double overtime then disappointment as they lost. Thanks so much for the tickets Amanda. We walked back to Eaton Centre and took a few pictures of the Christmas decorations, shopped a little and spent a mellow night in, catching the end of the Grey Cup. Final day in TO we slept in and had a relaxing morning.
Headed out in the afternoon with a mission to find Vicky a winter coat and make our way to Niagara where M and A were meeting us after work. Explored Niagara on the Lake, Niagara Falls and an amazing Christmas light display along the boardwalk around the falls. Met M and A and checked into the Sheraton on the Falls, our room had an amazing view of the both falls and was a great place to spend a 40th bday (thanks to M and A). A great dinner at the hotel and most of you have already seen the kids playing for the rest of the BDay night. :). An action packed 4 days. Had such a blast, can't wait until the next adventure.

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