Past the point of no Return...

Not sure who is reading this but I'm writing this mostly for me so I can remember the NYC experience. Still feel free to read my rambles. So today has been another packed day of fun. I'm so tired I can't sleep so I'm blogging at 1am...again. We started the day with a party at Madame Tussauds. So much fun! We saw realistic wax figures of TV, music, political, historical, sports stars and more! They had it set up in a party atmosphere and encouraged picture taking. I stood by Elvis, Superman, Nsync, George Clooney, Johnny Cash, Lucille Ball, Louie Armstrong, the Spice Girls, Rachael Ray, and so many more. What fun!

Today we also got a full tour of the Radio City Music Hall. We even met Emily, one of the 200 Rockettes. We also window shopped on 5th Ave, stopped in Build-a-Bear, went in the American Girl Store (can you tell I'm hanging out with a 9 year old??), saw Rockefeller Plaza, waved at NBC studios, walked 10 miles (not really, but it sure feels like it), ate chocolate at M&M World and the Hershey store, and played in Toys R Us.

The highlight of the day was seeing Phantom of the Opera. It's the longest running show ever on Broadway. I've seen it before but this was my first time seeing it on Broadway and I'm past the point of no return...I'm hooked on Broadway! The special effects were simply amazing.

Riding home on the train and bus gave me a lot of time to think, especially since we had some delays when the train kept stopping. I felt a little out of place when we boarded the bus at midnight in Queens after coming up out of the subway station, we were the only white people in sight. I've felt like that before, I remembered when I went to the emergency room in downtown LA, Cali in the middle of the night...but that's another story. My adventures here continue tomorrow!

I'm not in Kansas (oops, Utah) Anymore

I went walking after midnight in Queens, NY...not my smartest venture but there is so much to take in! Today was my first full day in New York. I came with my sister and niece. We arrived yesterday afternoon. The trip was uneventful, except for me wondering why airlines have forgotten the definition of complementary. Seriously, I asked for a pillow on the flight (yes, I was that desperate) only to be informed I could have an inflatable one for only $7! So I went without the pricey inflatable. Last night we ventured out into Manhattan to try out the subway system. We made it in to the city and ate dinner at Planet Hollywood which was tons of fun! I even saw actual outfits used in the movie Twilight, I took pictures for a certain friend
(you know who you are!)

After a few mistakes, several learning experiences, and a 2 hour train ride we arrived back at the hotel around 1:30am! We learned our lesson because today we used the city bus and it cut our travel time in half.

We've packed a lot in today. We rode a ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands. At the Statue of Liberty we climbed 156 stairs (about 6 flights according to the guide) to the base of the statue. What an amazing view!

Today we also saw the Bodies Exhibition which was simply fascinating. Our bodies our truly amazing. We also walked on Wall street, did a little shopping in China town, and enjoyed the lights on Times Square. All leading up to the climax of the day which was seeing the musical Wicked at the Gershwin Theater! It was my third time seeing the show and I was still amazed by my trip into Oz!

Tonight I felt blessed. We didn't have to wait too long to get on a train headed to Queens and we were lucky enough to have it be an express train. Walking up out of the subway I'm sure we were a site...the only 3 white girls in sight, surrounded by several men offering taxi rides in questionable looking cars. We walked quickly to the bus stop a block away and got there as the bus pulled in! Only to realize we didn't know where to get off. Basically we got off way too early and enjoyed a walk after midnight (really closer to 1am) on a deserted street through Queens. I know we were protected by a loving Heavenly Father in more than one way.
I feel so blessed for all I have, especially seeing so many homeless people here. I felt bad when I woke a man up when I stepped on his "house", aka a cardboard box. I'm glad he just rolled over and didn't come after me. There is so much more I could write and I'm only on the first full day of my vacation!