The Last Day of Their Visit

All week long the Nielson kids had been wanting to go to the big toy store on 5th Avenue....FAO Schwarz...the oldest toy store in America. Little did we know that this flagship store closed on July 15, 2015 due to rising rents and ultra-luxury retailing!  :(   It has been a fixture in NYC for 145 years. 'Word on the street' is that they are looking for a new location. Let's hope!

So...we did the next best thing. The Nielsons headed to the big Toys R Us located in the middle of Times Square.

They found some cool things...especially this gigantic Hulk made out of Legos!

Times Square is a crazy, crazy place to take anyone....especially kids.

After a few pictures at this most famous spot in NYC, ice cream was in order....and wouldn't you know, a McDonalds was just around the corner. 

It was so fun having this family come visit. We love this city and were very excited to show it off to those we love! Have a safe trip home....and we will see you in 2 months!

911 Memorial and Intrepid

Saturday we found ourselves at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

The kids in front of one of two memory pools built in the footsteps of the original twin towers.

Inside the museum, they could feel the magnitude of what happened there 14 years ago. Having studied the event in school, they were able to see for themselves some of the destruction that was done.

Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Above: In front of the WWII Aircraft Carrier...the Intrepid...which houses most of the museum.

On top of the Intrepid Aircraft carrier amongst the many planes that are displayed there.

The boys loved this one that was painted like a shark!

Also part of this museum is The Growler, the world's only tourable nuclear submarine. Showing how close the quarters can be on a sub!

There was a  'hands on' section in the museum that enabled kids to use astronaut gloves to work with tools, to use large signal paddles to help a plane land on the short airstrip on the top of the aircraft carrier, and make digital satellites and many other interesting things that were all 'touchable'.

The Nielson kids loved this museum and could have stayed all day. The parents, however, were worn out so we made our way home. A very full Saturday!

Spending Time in Central Park

Darik and Emily headed to a Broadway play and we were in charge of the rest of the family. What better place to go than Central Park!

We decided to check out the row boats. Since only 4 people were allowed in each boat, we rented two of them. Grandpa, Lexie and Brock were in one...

...while Parker, Ty and me were in another.

Grandpa was a natural rower and left me and the boys in the dust.

Good thing Ty had just gotten his 'Rowing' merit badge at Scout camp. He was able to help me maneuver through the see of boats.

Even Brock was able to do his part!  Row, Buddy, row!

Yes, I look a little tired. I've decided that it LOOKS nice and relaxing...but it isn't!

After all that rowing, ice cream treats were in order.

We ended up at Central Park a few times during the Nielsons' stay. There is always something to do and see here....like these cool rock bridges.

Central Park was a favorite of everyones.

There's nothing like playing a little baseball at the end of the day in Central Park.  Only in New York City.

Empire State Building

We got up early this morning to get to the Empire State Building early to avoid the very long lines. The icon is open at 8am and closes at 2am every day. This is the lobby of this favorite tourist attraction.

Seeing New York at the top of the Empire State Building.

All the kids were glad we came....

...were impressed with the sights and the fact that we could hear the taxis below us.

This is one of Grandpa's favorite spots in New York. He was thrilled to show it off.

The view!

On the way home, the girls stopped in Macy's so we stopped and got fresh watermelon at Time Square.  We observed that a few minutes before this stop we were at the top of the building behind us.  Quite a city.  Quite a great family.

Baseball games and other activities!

Thursday night, the boys found themselves at another baseball game....this time the New York Mets were playing the Dodgers.

Believe it or not, Ty AND Brock each caught a foul ball! (Well, Brock actually sat on one!) That meant that each boy went home with a souvenir ball from a professional baseball game.  How often does that happen?  You go to a game and never get a foul ball, but to get three fouls balls in two nights at two different stadiums.  Wow!
So what was Lexie doing during these baseball games?

For starters, we went to The American Girl store.

While the boys were at the Yankees game, Brock came with us and we visited Dylan's Candy Bar...3 levels of candy, candy, candy.

We ended up eating dinner under a festive cupcake!

Lexie also did a little shopping where she found the perfect bag!

The night of the Mets game, Lexie, Emily and I attended a Broadway play....Matilda! The set was unbelievable and very clever. It was a great night! I love spending time with my granddaughters!

Statue of Liberty

Thursday morning was another very early morning for the Nielson kids.

Today we were seeing the Statue of Liberty. On the boat taking us to Liberty Island.

In front of 'Lady Liberty'. On high tourist days, crowds reach up to 15,000...and only 350 of those visitors are able to make the climb to the crown. Guess who did? They loved it!

The original torch was made up of individual panes of glass. When the statue was first erected, there was an effort to have the torch function as a light house to guide ships into the harbor. Efforts failed and this torch was replaced with a solid gold leaf flame.

The museum inside the pedestal is full of interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty. Shown above is a replica of Lady Liberty's foot....full scale.

Ending with a browse through the gift show where you can find the Statue of Liberty on anything!

What to do on a Hot Day in NYC

The heat was pretty  bad today, so we took off on the subway to find a place to cool off.

 On the Red 2 to 110th Street (or Central Park North) at Malcome X Street...in Harlem.

This is a city pool which is free. All you need to enter is a swimming suit, an adult and a lock. (Even if you don't have valuables, you need a lock to enter.) Strict rules! But it keeps the 'riff-raff' out!

This pool is HUGE....capacity 1800 people!

There are no slides or diving boards....the entire pool is no deeper than 3 1/2 feet.

Another view of this GIGANTIC swimming facility!

Even though it wasn't deep, it did the trick, though. Everyone was able to cool off.

The Police arrived to tell everyone to get out. The pool was ready to close.  It was a memorable event!   We walked home through Central Park.  Found a few bathrooms for some emergency stops.  Had pizza and enjoyed Manhattan.

Nielson kids make it to New York

The temple is closed for 2 weeks for maintenance. It was a perfect time to have visitors...

...and the visitors came! Ty, Lexie, Brock and Parker (and their parents)  have come to visit us in New York. The first place we head is to The American Museum of Natural History located a short walk from our apartment on Central Park West.  Above, they are viewing the 10 ton blue whale....impressive!

Visiting the dinosaur fossil collection...one of the busiest parts of the Natural History museum.

The kids enjoyed looking at the dinosaur bones...one of the largest collections in the world.

Having a seat next to Theodore Roosevelt in the Memorial Hall....a tribute to the legacy of this Conservationist and 26th President of the United States.

That night, Stan, Darik. Parker and Ty found themselves at a Yankees game where the Yankees were playing the Baltimore Orioles. They loved the game and Parker even caught a foul ball!