That's right, Part 1, because we have a ton of pictures from our trip a couple of weeks ago. So, here goes...
My mom's roommate from college, Michael, was here visiting in November. He is an actor in New York, who recently finished his tour of Phantom of the Opera, so he was heading home. He mentioned that we should come up and visit him now that he's finally home, and that he would be happy to have us stay with him. Ha! Little did he know we would take him up on it and invade his apartment a few weeks later. I'm kidding, he was actually really excited to see us again (I think).
I was super scared of the plane ride with Ethan being a lap child and all, but he pleasantly surprised me. We had to bring along the car seat because Michael was picking us up from the airport, so we thought to bring it to the gate and just see if we could get an actual seat for E. We got lucky and got one, so he slept on the plane for about 2 hours, and spent the rest perfectly happy in his seat. I actually got to read a magazine and have a soda in peace, it was truly amazing. However, I did have to deal with a few side-eyes from other parents as they paced the aisles with their kids while mine slept like an angel. Eh, I got over it pretty quickly.
We arrived and headed out to dinner with Michael after getting settled. The first thing Ethan did?
Why, he found a stick, of course.
The weather the whole time we were there barely topped off at 33 degrees. Freaking cold I tell you, but we were sufficiently layered and no one complained too much. Ethan spent the first half of the week being worn in an Ergo I borrowed, and the last couple of days we broke out the stroller. I think he preferred being worn more, and the bonus to that is he's been extra snuggly with us ever since.
Mom and I have been to New York several times, but Cory had only spent a day there in his teens, and of course this was Ethan's first time, so we did a perfect mixture of touristy stuff and regular hanging out while we were there.
I'll try to tell the rest in pictures, and hopefully you don't get too bored.
Cute row houses in Harlem
Bethesda Fountain in Central Park
Michael, Me, Mom, and Ethan (asleep in the Ergo).
Cory, me, Mom, and E in front of the fountain
Strawberry Fields
Ethan taking a stroll in Central Park. It took him awhile to get used to wearing all those clothes. He stumbled for the first few minutes after being let down.
The Dakota, where Lennon once lived (and died in front of). Yoko still lives there, as well as Jerry Seinfeld and other richey riches.
Cory had the best cookie of his life here. Cookies are very important to him, so this was indeed a highlight of the trip.
In Times Square.
Still in Times Square.
Grand Central Station, where we also had great NY pizza at Two Boots.
Empire State.
In front of Macy's. I'm a big fan of Christmas, so I have been dying to see NYC at Christmas. Beware of lots of Christmas decor pictures to come.
Inside Macy's.
Columbus Circle/Time Warner Center.
Huge snowflake in the middle of an intersection on 5th Ave.
Pretty, huh?
FAO Schwarz, which I prefer far more than the huge ToysRUs in Times Square. We bought Ethan a great (stick) wooden push toy.
Ethan in his new Pea Pod. We needed something easier to haul than a Pack n Play, so Cory found this on Craigslist. I was skeptical, but Ethan fell asleep in this like a champ. After the first night, he even fell asleep while we were like 10 feet away watching TV and talking. In the morning he would just pop his head up, peek out the window, and say "Mama" to wake us up. Too cute.
Strolling in Riverside Park.
Leaves are fun.
A playground in Riverside Park. It was deserted being 28 degrees and all, but E didn't mind the cold at all.
Me and Micheal in front of the Washington Square Park Arch.
My favorite building, the Chrysler.
Grand Central and it's HUGE wreath.
Of course, we saw the Rockefeller Tree, but more on that next time...
Walking up to the tree.
Back the other way toward Saks, where they do a beautiful projection on the store front along with music.
Ethan was enamored with the angels (which my grandmother thinks have been there since she lived there in the 50s. I should check on that, because that would be crazy cool.)
The tree.
My mom, E, and I.
More decorations on our way back to the subway.
It took us a long time to get this picture. We had to fight a whole tour bus of people, but thankfully, a lot of them preferred to get a picture with the other end of the bull. (????)
The Flatiron building.
Just beginning.
The view.
Family shot from the middle.
One with Nana.
One more shot, almost at the end.
We actually decided to let E walk across instead of ride, and he loved it. He made it the whole way, and loved looking at the cars underneath. He was pretty popular too, being the only toddler walking across that day.
