happily ever after

Our original plan for our 2017 Fall Break was to go to Japan with the kids. We had other friends that were going as well and I knew it would be such an amazing trip! However, with our kind-of--unexpected #3, traveling international was now out of the question. We toyed around with the idea of going to Hawaii as well, but all I could think of how BORED I would be sitting on the beach without being able to have a drink. Haha! We finally decided on NYC because 1) the kids had never been 2) there's much to see and 3) we had a many many points to cover our hotel and airfare. We literally decided a month before the trip (this pregnancy has made me super indecisive!)

Day 1 9/23

Early Saturday morning flight. Kids were really excited. They are so easy to travel with now. We took a Lyft from Newark airport. It took forever with the traffic to cross the bridge! It was already the afternoon by the time we checked into our hotel.

We stayed the week at the Hyatt Centric off Times Square. Main reason for choosing this hotel was the good points conversion, and they had 2 Queen beds (vs. 2 double beds that most other hotels had). I need my space! We paid for one night Deluxe and used Hyatt Reward points for 6 Regular rooms. I was keeping my fingers crossed for the right outcome -> 7 nights of Deluxe rooms. Whoohoo! Katelyn's favorite thing about hotels is taking baths since we never have time (or the need to waste water!) at home.

Spent the rest of our first day just walking around Times Square, and grabbing a delicious dinner at Danji, a Michelin starred Korean restaurant! Thank goodness we got there early enough that they could squeeze us into an hour time slot since we didn't have reservations. The food was delicious!

I had booked a Big Bus Tour for that night, but didn't expect the line would be so long! It was worth it though, we all enjoyed the tour of Manhattan at night and the funny tour guide.

In reading about NYC in our tour books, I must have mentioned the M&M store in passing. Katelyn had zoomed in on this and it was her #1 thing to do on this trip. I'm totally serious. She was VERY happy when we stopped by and let her fill a bag. Is it crazy that my bag was even bigger than hers? Haha! The store was right next to the Big Bus Tour line so it was perfect to go while Will waited in line.

Afterward we walked around Times Square and just soaked up the craziness.

And lastly, a quick recap of the first day! Love these short little recap videos!

Day 2 9/24

Woke up ready to start the day! I had booked two 2 hour tours for us that day (free!). The first was a tour of Grand Central Station at 10am, and then a tour of MidTown at 2pm. We had our walking shoes on and we were ready!

We started by walking a few blocks over to Bryant Square Park. My original plan was to check out the New York Public Library - but they were closed. What!? I could have sworn I read that they opened at 8am. We still got some nice pictures at the park though.

We grabbed a quick breakfast across the street from Grand Central Station. It wasn't too spectacular but it was quick and convenient.

Hello Grand Central Station! Really an amazing place to see and learn the history of.

This area is interesting in that you can whisper something in one corner and the acoustics of the hallway allows someone on the other side of the room hear you clearly!

Even managed to grab some cupcakes and custard for lunch downstairs!

After the tour, we headed to num pang to pick up lunch. The kids were not big fans but these Cambodian sandwiches were delicious!! We headed back to Bryant Park (where the next tour was starting from) to eat lunch and people watch. It was hot. The amount of walking was starting to wear us down...

2pm started our next 2 hour tour of MidTown Manhattan. The kids were definitely waning, so Will took them to the Apple Store in Grand Central for a break while I continued on with the tour. I am a crazy tourist, I know! The break was perfect for the kids. They came back refreshed and in better spirits.

After the tour, we headed to the Nintendo World store to escape from the heat. The kids could have stayed in there the rest of the day just playing on the electronics!

I'm feeling the love here between the kids. Amazing what some air conditioned video games can do to their spirits. We walked around Rockefeller Center as well - brought back memories of visiting so many years ago with Will!

On the walk home we caved and let the kids get ice cream from a corner stand. It really was THAT hot and humid. I may have overscheduled the amount of walking we did that day.

Back in the hotel, we all washed up and took naps. By the time dinner time rolled around we were too tired to go out. Uber Eats to the rescue! We ordered some delicious Thai food straight to our hotel and ate in the hotel room. It was wonderful and chill!

Planning the day for tomorrow. Can you tell I did a lot of planning for each day? Everything is better with some Magnolia banana custard pudding! This was the beginning of a LOT of custard consumption.

Lastly, a recap of Day 2!

Day 3 9/25 Happy Bday Will!

Ready for another full day! We started with Trinity Church in lower Manhattan. The kids were super excited since this is where Alexander Hamilton, Eliza and Anjelica Schulyer, and others are buried! Seriously, who would ever have thought a Broadway musical would get the kids so interested in history!

Afterward we walked around and visited the 9/11 Memorial. I think its still hard to explain to the kids clearly what happened here.

Then we checked out the Federal Hall. This was pretty cool, it had lots of history, and even the balcony where Washington stood when he was inaugurated as the first president of the US.

Can't check out Wall Street without seeing the iconic Bull and the Fearless Girl statue! She's about the same size as KK!

We made our way down to Battery Park to board the Staten Island Ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty. I was too late in booking tickets to be able to go up to the top of the Statue of Liberty, but we were able to get tickets to the podium. It's probably a good thing we couldn't get to the crown- its a LOT of steps!

We had to toss our just-purchased-coffee before we got on the ferry. :(

These are actually live photos on my phone, but it shows KK excitedly running up the last step of stairs to the podium. Tyler and I took the elevators but KK insisted on the stairs (she's a little step-obsessed with her Fitbit!). At the last minute she trips and falls! Not funny at the time, but the live photo I caught was kind of funny to watch later. So mean I am, I know!

After touring the Statue of Liberty, we stopped at Ellis Island and walked around as well. So much to see and learn about!

Back on Manhattan we walked over to Fraunces Tavern. My feet were pretty tired at this point! KK was extremely excited since this is where Alexander Hamilton met with his comrades as they prepared for the revolution! They even had a special Alexander Hamilton Scavenger Hunt in the museum!

After the museum, we took a Lyft over to Brooklyn for a late lunch/early dinner at Peter Luger. This place did not disappoint on their steaks (and surprisingly their burger too)! Perfect birthday meal #1 for the birthday boy!

We hit a little snafu since this restaurant didn't accept cash and Will's ATM card hadn't been used in so long it was getting declined! Hah! The bartender kept the kids entertained with tons of chocolate coins while Will was on the phone with BofA to get things sorted out. Then we headed back to the hotel to take rest and take naps!