Lady Liberty

I grew up in New York. I have never gone to the Statue of Liberty. That's not unusual. When you are not a tourist you don't do tourist things (and yes, I know, the Statue of Liberty is more a historical event but it is a huge tourist destination). It's not like I never saw her. I have seen her dozens of times from the car on both the Jersey and New York side and when I have flown in and out of the area airports. I never felt like I was missing something.

However with our friends visiting New York with use, we thought it would be an exciting educational opportunity for the kids.  We opted on the Circle Line's hour cruise. We didn't need to get off and spend hours walking around. Havana is still to young for a long outing with lots of talking by a guide.  Getting up close by the boat would be good enough.

To be honest, I was more excited about the boat ride and while I did enough seeing the Lady up close; she was quite impressionable, the boat ride did turn out to be the highlight, at least for me. The boat guide told us alot about the history of Manhattan and about the Jersey side as well. I love history so that was quite enjoyable. I also loved seeing the city from the water. Remarkable views. The girls got to see the Statue of Liberty, which was important and they loved it. They were quite impressed. They even spontaneously posed like her for photos! My kids are funny. So while I tend to steer from touristy things in New York, I was quite glad we opted in for this one.

Ellis Island.

Lower Manhattan with the new Freedom Tower on the left.

Knock off Handbags, Mock Dock, Foot Massage and Crowded Streets (Chinatown, NYC)

spoiled little divas. 

Chinatown, NYC. We had to visit! We joined our California friends, along with NY friends to check out the sites.  We are in the mist of a heat wave so we were already starting to cook at 11 a.m. A first stop for bubble tea made helped as we made our way from Mott Street to Broadway. I had read about a hundred year old Chinese department store, Pearl River Mart, that would be closing this year. It was too intriguing to not visit.  Through the heat and crowded streets we went. The walk was not far but those two factors made it seem longer. When we got to the store however, we were met with a/c inside a store filled with bright colors and all sorts of unique items, which made it stand out from the tourist shops that line Canal Street. We all left with something to take home.

Lunch at House of Vegetarian and then a foot massage topped off our day. We were relaxed but spent from the heat as we said our goodbyes and headed out.

Thank you Chinatown, NYC for more memories, photo ops and a great new knockoff purse!

With my friends Donna and Michael

Noelle & Nancy looking checking out the goods in the one of too many shops that sell all the same stuff!

Mike, Havana, Noelle, Juliet, Amara, Nancy, Donna & Eric at House of Vegetarian. My favorite veg Chinese place.

Noelle is pregnant and her feet swollen, Nancy's feet just plain hurt her and I just love a foot massage. This was the perfect rx for all of us!

After we said goodbye to our friends, we found Chinatown Ice Cream Factory next to where our car was parked. I had heard about it but never had stopped before. With 90 degree humid heat, a stop for ice cream hit the spot for the girls (although it melted too fast!). 

                             

Vegetarian inna New York Style (Chinatown, Queens)

When I was planning our trip to New York I talked with my friend Barbara about Chinatown in NYC. She informed me that Flushing Queens had a great Chinatown and suggested we go check it out. I was game. With a little help from Google I learned that there was a vegetarian Chinese restaurant so with that as our first destination we headed out to Queens to explore an area of New York I was not that familiar with.

Divine timing was in play as our friends from California pulled up at the exact time we arrived. After introductions we sat down to break bread. New friends and old; together we had great food and great conversation and the girls all kept Jonah (who has the patience of a saint!) entertained. I don't think I have had such a peaceful dinning out experience with the girls since.....never...It was awesome!

After a delicious meal meal that both vegetarians and meat eaters enjoyed, we made our way down Main Street to explore more of the area. One thing that stood out was the lack of tourist shops that line Manhattan's Chinatown. I enjoyed being in this type of neighborhood. We all did. It was another lovely adventures with friends who are close to our heart. Doesn't get better than that. 

Nancy, Barbra, myself, Havana, Juliet, Noelle, Amara & Jonah. 

Coney Island

I hadn't been to Coney Island since I was a little girl about Havana's age and I don't remember much of it. Still, I thought it would be fun to head out there and let the girls and their friend Juliet (who is in NY with her mom and grandmother as well) enjoy the beach and boardwalk. So on Sunday morning we all piled in our friend Barbara's car and off went.

The day was hot (very hot) when we headed out to meet our California friends along with some other New York friends. We ended up skipping the beach in favor of Nathan's famous french fries and lemonade and then hitting the rides. It was a fun Sunday adventure which wore us all out. We left with smiles on our faces and new memories in our minds and in our hearts.

Planting Fields Arboretum

The girls and I have safely arrived to New York. Our long planned trip is now officially in progress! And while we are only a couple of days in, we have already had some fun adventures.

One of the things I most love about traveling is being in the moment and embracing whatever pops up. That is exactly what happened on our first morning. A bit jet lagged, we grabbed (Real!) bagels (yes, that's a jab at California!) and with our dear friend Barbara headed out with her on an errand.

Here on Long Island, the landscape is green. No signs of drought. As we headed towards our destination, we were in the mists of some beautiful scenery. At one point, Barbara pointed out Planting Fields Arboretum which, she told the girls, "has a a mansion in there where the original owners lived." Havana, who was more tired couldn't care less but Amara, she asked us (repeatedly) if we could stop on the way back. And so we did!

The 400 plus acre  form estate of the Coe Family, turned State Park was the perfect place to stop, explore and just be. The rolling lawns and places to explore were too much for even tired Havana. Soon they were both running all about the place.

The mansion itself was quite magnificent (well other than the stuff dead animal heads in the Sporting Room). After travel and photography, the thing I love most to do is see homes and their unique styles.

It was a bit challenging to take it all in with two little kids who were so excited by the grandeur of it all and ran from room to room like bumble bees but it was still fun. I enjoyed learning some of the history of this uber wealthy family and taking a peak into what was their life in the early 20th century. It was a bit fascinating really.

While the house was quite remarkable, the grounds were what stood out. There are green houses and gardens throughout with rare and beautiful plants and flowers. We only caught a glimpse of some of them but it was clear that this was a well cared for place.

I didn't bring my camera so I was unable to take many photos but thankfully with my cell phone I was able to capture a few of our spontaneous first adventure in NY.

For more information on the Coe Mansion or Planting Fields check out this link; http://www.plantingfields.org/