The second part of our spring break adventure started off early on Thursday morning as we left the house by 7 to hit the road towards NYC. The Rays were taking the train while we were driving, but surprisingly we arrived to the hotel within 5-10 minutes of each other.
Our drive from Maryland to New York was smooth. We never hit much traffic until we were just outside of the city. We were able to get through the Lincoln Tunnel and navigate through downtown to our parking garage without much issue. I had expectations of the traffic being much worse than it actually was.
It was rainy all day on Thursday. After meeting with the Rays at the hotel and dropping off our luggage, we grabbed some food at a nearby restaurant. It was called Burger World. Although it had good Yelp reviews, it was probably a mistake. Adelie and Briggs were so turned off by the place, they only each got a smoothie (that they didn't even drink.) Not the best start to our day.
The rain made a few of our options less desirable, so after our meal, we decided to just do a little walking tour of the Times Square/Theater District where we were staying. There were plenty of recognizable and iconic places we were able to see in the few miles of walking we did. We saw the billboards and lights of Times Square...
NBC Studios and Radio City Music Hall,...
the New York Times building,...
FAO Schwartz (where we stopped to dry off and play for a bit)...
and Rockefeller Center.
We grabbed some Starbucks inside Rockefeller Center, rested from our walking, warmed up a bit, and then headed back to our hotel to get ready for our evening out.
Our hotel room was tiny (as were the beds and the bathroom and the elevators and the hallways). The kids discovered that they could peer right into the office building next to us, so they began naming all the people they could see in the building (like 'white sweater gal' and 'green cap guy' and 'leaving'). We also had a very nice view of an alley full of trash.
We got settled in our room and got dressed up for a night on the town.
Everywhere we went in New York was busy and crowded and full of people. We stopped at Chick Fil A for a quick dinner before heading to the theater and were lucky enough to find places to sit.
The highlight of our time in New York was seeing Wicked on Broadway. Although our whole family had seen it before (except Briggs), we were all excited to see it again. It was a first for the Rays. And the girls were excited to be seeing an official Broadway show. It was fantastic!
After the show, we found the stage door and were able to meet the actor who played Boq in the show. Unfortunately, a bathroom break before heading out meant that we had missed a few of the other actors/actresses who came out before we got there, much to Staley's chagrin. But one is better than none.
Getting autographs by the stage door is apparently a quintessential part of seeing a Broadway show.
After a not-great night of sleep in our hotel, we got up, had a very good hotel breakfast, and then had some help figuring out the subway so we could head down to catch the Staten Island Ferry.
The ferry ride was a free, quick way to see the Statue of Liberty, so we opted for that. The views of Manhattan from the ferry were very cool. I do love a skyline view of a city, especially from the water.
The kids were able to see the Statue of Liberty as we took the ferry to Staten Island and then again as we immediately boarded again and took it back.
You can't go to NYC without seeing the Statue of Liberty, so I'm glad we got to check that off our list. After our ferry rides, we grabbed some pretzels and drinks to snack on and then saw a motorcade and the Marine One helicopter (presumably with the president inside as there had been a fundraiser in NYC the night before with Obama, Clinton, and Biden all in attendance.)
We then walked to the 9-11 Memorial, passing Wall Street on our way. Zach had said the 3 things he wanted to do in New York were to see the Statue of Liberty, go to the 9-11 Memorial, and get out without being mugged or murdered. So after checking the first 2 things off his list, he thought it was probably time for us to go.
Zach does not generally like cities, and he really didn't care for New York. It was loud and crowded and dirty. He found having the children in the heart of the city stressful and found himself constantly on alert. Although we had a few more things we had talked about doing before heading out, he was just ready to leave. Leaving in the mid-afternoon also gave us a better chance of getting home the following day so we could be home for Easter.
The Rays were staying one more night, so we rode the subway back towards our hotel with them before saying our good-byes and going our separate ways. Riding the subway was another of Briggs' favorite vacation activities.
We grabbed some New York style pizza at Little Italy Pizzaria (so good!!) before going back to our hotel, grabbing our luggage, getting our car, and heading out of the city.
I had expectations of horrible traffic and difficulty getting out of the city, but we got out of the city pretty quickly and easily. (The traffic coming into the city as we were leaving was CRAZY though.) We were able to make it right to the PA/OH border before stopping for the night. Our dinner at the Dutch Pantry restaurant in Clearfield, PA was surprising good. I think just having a relaxing meal with small town hospitality was even more appreciated after our time in the Big Apple.
One of the surprise blessings of our trip home was the GREAT Holiday Inn we stayed at in Hermitage, PA. While at dinner, we were looking for a place to stay and this one had a full 5 stars in all its reviews. And it was well deserved. It was one of the nicest, cleanest, most well-kept hotels we've ever stayed at. It also had a garden area out back with a waterfall, gazebo, and putting greens. The room was huge (and felt so much bigger after our NYC room), the beds were comfortable, and we all slept so well.
After a top notch free breakfast, we let the kids swim for a bit before getting on the road for the final stretch of our trip. Since we had driven 6 hours after leaving the city, we only had 8 to go to get home. The leisurely breakfast and swim was kind of a nice last hurrah to round out our trip.
When we got back from our trip, I was talking with my mother-in-law, and she asked if our trip was just perfect. And obviously it wasn't. The weather wasn't perfect. Our plans weren't perfect. The food wasn't perfect. The accommodations weren't perfect. The kids weren't perfect. The adults weren't perfect.
I reflected on her question a bit and can honestly say that, of all the wonderful trips we've been on over the years, none of them have been perfect. Perfection is not my expectation, which I think is the key to my love of traveling with my family. I feel like I can enjoy our trips more knowing that things won't go perfectly. That as much planning as I put in, there will be things that just don't go quite right. Sometimes those things are in my control and sometimes they are not. But the moments when things don't go right just helps me appreciate all the more the things that do. And sometimes the unplanned things are the best things.
On our trip, the rainy days were a bummer. But the rainy days helped me appreciate the blue sky days. And the kids LOVED having a rainy day of indoor fun with their friends that made their list of highlights.
The not great meals and hotels helped me better appreciate the good ones. And the kids now have stories to tell about the tiny hotel room they stayed in while in downtown NY.
The plans that didn't quite work out made the plans that did all the better. And the unplanned fun that the kids had, like making up dances and naming ducks and making bracelets, might be memories that outlast seeing a building or memorial in a city.
And every opportunity I have to explore new places with my family leaves me grateful...for the time and resources we have to do that. For the fun we can have together. For the memories that we are making.
And for the friends that we can share those imperfect memories with. Our trip wasn't perfect, but I'm so glad we went, and I can't wait for our next imperfect adventure!
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