We are headed to the Big Apple for Thanksgiving!!
This Sunday we are headed to NYC. Lord willing, we will actually get there this time!
This will be Britt, Cam and Carlie's first trip to New York. The kids have never been to a city bigger than Atlanta. They are going to be so amazed at the landscape of Manhattan!! Britt has been to Chicago, and Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. But he's never been to NYC. I went in January about 5 years ago on a girls' trip with my mother in law and Britt's cousins and aunts. It was cold, but we had a fantastic time!
I am so excited about taking them through the city. I can't wait to show them Central Park, and Top of the Rock, and Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty! Since we are now going in the fall instead of summer we get to ice skate either in Rockefeller Center or in Central Park! But it's going to be much cooler!!
I'm honestly a little nervous about the weather. I mean, we live in the Deeeeeep South! In a previous life, I worked for Wachovia. I spent one week a month working in Stewartstown, PA. From November until February I thought I was going to die from hypothermia every day walking from my car into the office!! But I had on a suit and heels. I can dress myself to be much more comfortable walking the streets on New York City! I worry the most about the kids. They've traveled a good bit in their 9 and 7 years, but never to the northeastern US in the wintertime! I think they'll be fine walking around, but I'm worried about the standing and waiting for the Parade to begin.
After our last scheduled trip to NYC didn't happen (thanks to some car theives in Atlanta) it took us some time to decide if, and when, we were going to try again. Obviously, we decided to go. We looked at our schedules and realized we had a couple of options. Since I was a little girl I have always wanted to see the Macy's parade! So I was thrilled when I realized we were going to have the opportunity to be there for it!
We did our homework, and selected a hotel on the parade route. Just in case our poor little southern children got too cold waiting to see the SpongeBob float! It's no surpirse, given our recent "luck", that for the first time in 83 years the parade route has changed!!! It now bypasses Times Square completely! So we are going to bundle up and hunker down with the rest of Manhattan at Central Park West to watch the parade!
We have reservations for lunch at American Girl. Our kids can't wait to ride the ferris wheel in Toys 'R' Us. Cam wants to go to Nintendo World. I want to eat dinner at The View on top of the Marriott Marquee. We are going to see a show....we just aren't sure which one yet! Oh, and did I mention that Bon Jovi is performing on the TODAY show Wednesday morning?! I don't know who is more excited, me or Britt! Probably me!!! It should be a fun filled week!
I've got to get started packing. That's the part I dread. And packing winter clothes is never fun. They are so bulky and take up so much room. Our suitcases will be heavy with boots, and coats. I usually prefer to go someplace tropical when it's winter in the US. There's nothing quite like packing swimsuits and sundresses in the middle of winter, then going somewhere to lay on the beach for a week! But this year we are going to brave NYC, in not quite the middle of winter...more like late autumn. But it'll be cold nonetheless. And I am just not a cold weather girl! Britt has been wanting to go to Colorado on a ski trip forever. This year his extended family is all going to Steamboat right after Christmas. That's the one trip I just can't give in to. Not yet, Carlie is still too small (by my standards). Skiing is alot of work! I want to wait and go when Cam and Carlie can dress themselves in all their ski gear! I'd love to go watch the snow fall in Colorado, as long as I don't have to touch it or stand out in it long periods of time! God didn't build me for cold weather! That's why I'm stressed about NY. I don't like being cold. Hopefully with all the walking and moving around we will stay pretty warm. The 3 hours waiting for the parade will probably be the worst, but I'll have on about 6 layers of clothing!!!
I keep checking the weather for NYC. It is going to be about 59 on Sunday when we arrive, and the temperature drops all week. The "Real Feel" for Thanksgiving morning is around 35 degrees. But I guess it could be much worse!!
My parents are coming to stay at our house and take care of our "baby", Bentley. There was no way I was going to put him in a kennel for a week! He will be just as spoiled, if not more, with his Gramma keeping him! I won't worry about him a bit with her here! And my mom always picks up around my house when she's here! Which is awesome, because I tend to make a mess the day we leave. I tell myself time and time again that I'm going to clean up before leaving, but I'm always running late. Between packing for four people and taking care of day-to-day tasks, and making sure we've taken care of everything for the Sonic, and school, and home I am always exhausted. By the time I get packed and the car loaded I don't care that there are Barbies all over the playroom floor! So yay for moms! I may come home to a clean house!
So we're getting ready. I've been laying out clothes to pack. And making lists of things to pack or carry on. I can't wait. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share when we get back! I'm hoping to take our Christmas card photo somewhere around NYC too! Let's just hope we don't freeze to death!
Oh, and we are planning to eat BEFORE we get to Atlanta this time!!!
it sounds like the trip will be very memorable! i've never been, but its something that i would like to do one day. we are opposite about the weather...i love the cold and needing to bundle up in all the fun winter accessories! are you going to make a sign for the today show? "from alabama, and proud of it!"
ReplyDeletehave fun-trisha
As long as you bundle up you should be fine. Let me warn you that once you step inside a building those layers will be coming off fast!
ReplyDeleteI went on the scouting trip 2 years ago or so to Chicago in the winter. I think it was late November or was it late December? I don't remember. I just know it was cold. Well cold for us. We passed some kids that were wearing t-shirts! T-shirts! I was amazed. They looked at us like we had just stepped off a alien ship or something. I remember the people saying it was only in the 40's which was warm for that time of year. Only the 40's? Yeah, that just screams warm! NOT!
We did a LOT of walking. It wasn't that bad when you were moving. I just remember going in buildings and having to shed all my layers before I had a heat stroke. So don't over do the layers, but do wear layers. It will be awesome I am sure.
I just wanted to share some words of wisdom. Layers are great just don't go layer crazy especially if you will be visiting a lot of places in a given day. It is not worth putting on all those clothes to have to take off layers every five minutes.
Have fun! Take a ton of pictures. I am a little jealous. I want to go to NYC so bad. Thankfully I still have time. So many places I want to visit in my lifetime. :)