Summer Vacation in New York City

Last week I used some of my New York City vacation snapshots to compare my cell phone images with images from my canon mark to basically see if my cell phone is the only camera that I need for things like vacation snapshots.  It was a pretty interesting experiment if I do say so myself.

So this week I thought I would share a few more of our adventures in the Big Apple.

I mentioned in the previous post that we have family that live just outside of New York City in New Jersey.  I love how close they are.  Yes, it makes for lots and lots of people in a small area and lots of crazy driving.  It also means that we can visit the city and not have to worry about food and hotels (which are so so expensive).

New York City has always been magical to me.  I can still remember the first time I was out visiting my husband and his family when we were dating.  We were headed out to a movie and when we came to the top of a little hill in his neighborhood, you could see the New York Cit skyline.  To this day I get excited when we pass that same spot.  The first few times he took me into the city it felt very surreal and I couldn’t figure out why.  It was very strange as we walked down the blocks from Rockefeller Center to Central Park and then it hit me.  Everything felt familiar even though I hadn’t been there before.  After some time, I realized it’s because you see so much of the city in TV shows and the movies.  It becomes familiar territory even to the most unseasoned tourist.

We took two trips into the city during our vacation in NYC.  The first was just a quick visit to see Times Square after checking out a show.  The second trip was more of an all day, sight seeing visit.


Sightseeing in NYC

Before starting a trip into the city, make sure that you have a big breakfast and enjoy some reading material.  We highly recommend a bowl of Trix with the daily comics.

kids at breakfast table, lifestyle photography

After breakfast, you are ready to head into town.  Tackling a trip to NYC can be a very daunting task, especially with 2 small children.  Over the years, we’ve done a few things here and there but not a full-on sightseeing day.  This year, we were ready to try some real walking.  First up, we visited the Discovery Museum in Times Square and checked out the Marvel AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N exhibit.  If you have people in your life who enjoy the Avengers and Agents of Shield, this is a really cool exhibit to check out.  There you join the SHIELD agent training program as a junior agent and go through various activities that have to do with each of the Avengers- Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man.  There’s a great mix of real science and just fun activities in each area.  My favorite parts were in the Iron Man section- getting to test the Iron Man suit simulation was really cool.  Sadly, no pictures were allowed so you’ll have to just make a trip to check it out yourself.

Times Square

After our museum stop, we had a little picnic lunch back in Times Square.  This is a perfect time to people watch.

Times Square, minions, New York City

Times Square is such a wild place, with so many people from so many places.  You see all kinds of costumes (including those without costumes- ie the naked people) and hear all kinds of languages and it seems to me that just about everyone is excited to be there.  It’s colorful and loud and you can almost feel your heartbeat faster just being there.

little girl signing I love NYC

“I love N Y C”

While I was snapping my own shots of the area, the little girl wanted to show some NYC love- I, ♥, N, Y, C

After lunch, we headed up to Rockefeller Center and walked around there for a little bit.  We made a quick visit to the Lego Store (and managed to get out without a single souvenir) and then had the wacky notion to walk up to ANOTHER toy store- FAO Schwartz.  On our walk up 5th Avenue, the little girl and I checked out the store windows, oohing and aahing over fancy, sparkly dresses.  I pointed out Tiffany’s to her even though she has yet to learn about Audrey Hepburn.  The boy recognized all of these places from playing his video game, Lego Marvel Superheroes because it’s set in NYC.  He would tell us what villains and battles took place in the different spots.

Central Park

After drooling over more toys and games, playing the large floor piano, and seeing both Spiderman and Iron Man we headed to Central Park for a snack and a quieter, cooler walk.

NYC Central Park summertime

boy and girl sitting on the big rocks in Central Park, NYC.

And of course, how can you walk through a beautiful spot like this and not do an impromptu photo session!  It’s just not possible.  Luckily, I have some pretty agreeable models.

little girl in a pink top and glasses sitting on a tree stump in Central Park, NYClittle girl and boy playing the the large rocks in Central Park, NYC. Tall buildings are in the distance behind them.

We did lots of walking and lots of playing on the rocks before heading to the subway and taking the train back to where we parked in Times Square.  I think the kids had fun.

And I have to take one moment to publicly thank my awesome husband who is undaunted by this city.  Every visit he gets us safely in, around, and out of it and I’m amazed!

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Hi there, it's Jodi!

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