This trip was half fulfilling and half crazy. We only had two full days to get a feel of New York City. Our must-see list consisted of the Statue of Liberty, the temple, Ellis Island, a Broadway play, and the Rockefeller Center. This was the fulfilling part. The crazy part was Niki getting side-tracked Saturday morning. Oh my goodness I met Louis Vuitton....the store that is. Never heard of the place before, but boy I sure eyed a pair of sunglasses that I really liked. The salesman also catered to me like never before. This caused a slight disagreement between Aaron and I. But you must know that my husband told me I could spend 600.00 on clothes and shoes because I compromised to drive down versus flying (we saved 600.00 because we drove and he said I could spend the savings on shopping in New York)...but when I chose to purchase a pair of sunglasses instead of clothes and shoes, all of a sudden it didn't sit well with him. The glasses of course were 480.00. He said No, No, No. And I had to walk out with nothing but a business card from the salesman. I then browsed around Tiffany's just to watch him sweat a little with worry, and I walked right back on out after realizing I couldn't get much there either.
The people are literally everywhere and in a hurry, just like in the movies. It was crazy. We took a double-decker bus tour of the city and enjoyed viewing unique buildings and architecture. Saw where John Lennon was killed, the Trump Tower, Glenn Close and Kevin Bacon's "apartments", the most expensive apartment in New York (for sale at 47 million), and the LDS Temple. Later in the evening we saw Mary Poppins on Broadway. It was SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS and we would recommend that to anyone over the other choices of plays. The next day, we took a ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty. It was so wonderful. I have a great love for America and I was so anxious to see this beloved statue. With all the downturn in the economy, it was comforting to see a symbol of hope, peace and freedom. She stands facing east, much like the angel Moroni a top the temples, waiting for the Lord to come again and fulfill His promises. We toured Liberty island and Aaron ate the best sandwich of his life - a Cuban sandwich...MMM...MMM. We took a second fairy to Ellis Island and toured the facility that was used to register immigrants years ago. It was humbling to see how little they had when they arrived, but how much they looked forward to making a better life in America for themselves and their families. You can research ancestors and the various ships they arrived on. I found an ancestor that arrived from Switzerland at the age of 19...guess I'll have to talk Aaron to taking me there so I can continue the research:)...someday. Back to New York, we rode the subway to China town and loaded up on all the goods. World Trade Center Memorial site was next, followed by some frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity3. This was a fun little restaurant. We also enjoyed french toast and music. Last, but not least, we went to the Rockefeller Center, also known as radio city music hall. We viewed the New York skyline at midnight, then headed home. Thank you Aaron for taking me on a much needed vacation! I don't ask for many material things, but I did make him promise that at my funeral, he would make sure I had those Louie Vuitton sunglasses on before they closed my casket...that way, in the next life, he'll be sure to find me.
