Welcome to the jungle!

We took a bus trip to NYC during thanksgiving break. It was the boy's first trip to the big city, so we chose to do touristy things. 

The bus let us off at Times Square, and had over an hour to kill before lunch.  We checked out the Disney store and tRu and rode the Ferris wheel there.  Outside we saw these characters, and I exclaimed "look, it's Mario!" and the poor kid got accosted by not only Mario but also woody and hello kitty!  We didn't know we had to tip them and woody kept making "more!" gestures. I was annoyed since we only wanted Mario's picture but didn't know better. 

(Look at the joy on his face.)

Then it was lunchtime and we ate at Hard Rock Cafe. I would have preferred a hole in the wall or a good Jewish deli but the kid is super picky, and I thought he'd enjoy the atmosphere. He got chicken fingers and this huge ice cream brownie sundae that we helped him devour.  He loved eating there.

The boy wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, so we took the subway down to battery park. He was disappointed that we couldn't actually visit it ( no time, plus it was freezing that day) 

Selfie at battery park. 

A peek of the freedom tower. I want to visit the 9/11 memorial someday.  Apparently one needs a ticket to visit, and since we didn't know when we'd arrive in the city, we scrapped that plan. 

We took the subway back to midtown to visit the Empire State Building. It took over an hour to get through the lines for the observation deck. It was an overcast day but we still had a pretty good view of the city. This is looking south...

The boy was a bit nervous being so high up. He was also frustrated that he couldn't see the Statue of Liberty (it was tiny but visible. He just didn't know where to look).  

By this time my feet were hurting me, and we had several blocks to walk to st Patrick's cathedral. I hailed a cab (I actually hailed a cab!!!) to take us there instead.  When we got there, this is what greeted us...

The was a remodeling going on, and the interior was covered in scaffolding. I did get a couple shots of the alter, and lit some candles in memory of loved ones. No wedding this time, unfortunately

We then walked up fifth avenue to fao Schwartz.  There was a line to get in the store.  I couldn't believe it. And the store was so crowded, and didn't have what we wanted anyway. Boo. The boy wasn't as impressed as he was by tRu. We didn't even get to see the piano from Big.

So we walked back to our bus drop off, passing the Plaza, back to Times Square. We wanted to go back to the Disney store to get presents, but The boy and I were tired from walking. Supper was a pretzel and water from a street vendor, with a view of radio city music hall...

Walking back to the bus, I stepped on uneven sidewalk and fell down.  Twisted both ankles, stoved both wrists and bashed up a knee. Interestingly enough, my leather pants didn't even get a scratch from the fall. I felt like a fool, but people did come to my rescue when I fell. Who says New Yorkers aren't nice?!

Driving away, a view of the Empire State Building at night, its lights blue and white for Hanukkah. 

We actually brought little home in the way of souvenirs.  I got a couple of books for the kids at fao Schwartz, and the boy got a really cool interactive map at the Empire State Building. 

It was a long and tiring day, but we had a good time. The bus trip is sponsored by my folks' church, and we plan to go again.  Next time we'll take in a show since it won't be necessary to visit the touristy spots. Hubby and I talk about planning a small vacation there, staying in New Jersey and taking the train back and forth, and taking in a show, visiting the museums and Central Park. I so wanted to see strawberry fields, but time was limited. Ah well. It was a fun day, and I'm sure the boy will never forget it.