I posted about our first day - and before I could finish posting about our trip, we headed to the hospital. Then Thanksgiving and a birthday. I'm back on track - I hope - and will try to post the rest of the trip in the next day or so.
We decided to spend all of the second day in the city. After eating breakfast, we once again headed into the city by bus - this time with all 5 families. This was the day that we planned to see and experience some things from our Five in a Row books! We all use the same curriculum and have been meeting to do a co-op together with Beyond Five in a Row for several years. This trip came out of our study of A Cricket in Times Square.
We took the bus in and when we saw the newsstand ... we had to have a picture. This is the main scene in the story (Cricket in TImes Square). Though it was in the subway and not the bus station. We thought it was close though.
Then we headed out into the city. Our plan was to walk the city and see as many sites as we could.
And there was a lot to see!
Loved the ad for this movie that we are so excited to see!
A stop in "Herald Square" where we saw this statue.
Which was adjacent to Macy's. There is construction work going on there, so not the greatest photo.
From here we had a close view of the Empire State building.
We walked closer but decided not to go up. (It was kind of pricy and we wanted to do other things.)
We walked from here towards Grand Central Station. A fun view of the Chrysler building.
An interesting statue along the way.
Grand Central Station in the background. We were not quick moving through the city with a group our size, but we managed to stay together pretty well.
I loved so many details about the Station. Clock outside.
Our family on the inside.
More details. The clock.
The windows and arches. I didn't get a good shot of the ceiling, but it is painted like the night sky. And the stars light up at night.
All just looks to be built in a different time. When things were more elegant. It was really pretty.
I just liked the detail work on this building.
A reminder of a hard time. A reminder not to forget.
The Chrysler building up close. Hard to see the distinctive shape from this angle.
The New York Public library.
Home of the lions found on the dedication page of the book Andy and the Lion. The lions have had several names over the years and the ones on the dedication page of the book are no longer what they are called.
Had to get a group photo though.
And a stop inside to find a bathroom which took some work. Again, what a beautiful building with details and elegance not found in many public buildings today.
And there was a wonderful exhibit there that we enjoyed visiting on pushcarts! We read a delightful story (actually listened to it) called The Pushcart War. It was fun learning more about how they were invented and what things were like during that time period.
Check out the slang for various things to eat.
Being silly.
Trying to make a meal from a little bit of money. An exercise based on the average amount spent by a family and what they might be able to purchase.
One last visit before heading off to our next stop.
Walking down 42nd.
To the subway. My boys were so excited about riding the subway from reading about it in a book.
Waiting while the parents purchased tickets.
Roger had a time getting through the turnstiles. Seems he was able to find all the ways that it wouldn't work. He was able to work out all the kinks though.
The ride was fun.
We even saw some breakdancing on one of the rides. (No pictures)
It was really steep going up the escalators to get back onto the streets!
We headed north and emerged in a section of town we weren't familiar with and by this time were very hungry. A very nice man saw us consulting our maps and came over to ask if we needed help. We asked about a place to eat. I also asked if there was anywhere that served any gluten free food. He said sure and lead us to the restaurant! So very nice!
This was our view walking down the street. Can you see what is in the distance (especially if you are a FIAR mama)?
Some of you may recognize this bridge. Its "great" and "gray". :-) (Hint, hint)
This was the restaurant and I highly recommend it!!! The food was amazing! Homemade pasta and sauces. Everyone commented on how fabulous the food tasted. We weren't sure if it was due to all of the walking and we were all really hungry - but truly it was fabulous!
We sat at a number of tables - and I have pictures of everyone, but since there are soooo many pictures in this post, here is just one. Great service and delicious food!!!
After eating, it was time to go to our destination in this part of town. Here is the "Great Gray Bridge". And after walking around and trying to find the path, we did eventually find it. (I had been told that it was hard to find, and everyone was right!)
Under the bridge is the Little Red Lighthouse.
This is a dearly loved book in our Five in a Row curriculum. I think its probably Daniel's favorite! (The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge). We came on the
one afternoon a month that it was open. We were so very excited about this. Even though we arrived before 4pm (closing time), the rangers told us that the last tour was already in place. We were very disappointed in this. My advice is to arrive well before closing time if you want to visit. We asked nicely, but the rangers told us that they had already been there since 1pm and were ready to close it up. *sigh* It was still fun to see it!
Group photo. Families that have loved this book and were all excited to see it in real life.
Daniel and I have read this book since we visited and it was so neat to remember being here. I loved this site!
I was surprised at how small the light house really is.
The rocks at the base and adjacent to the Hudson made a fun place to play and explore.
There was a lot of green space and parks around the river. We explored and played some before heading out again.
We tried a different route this time. (We should have stayed with what we knew. LOL)
We did make it back to the subway and this time headed toward Central Park.
Just a fun building near the entrance to the park. (Well, one of them.)
We were trying to go from one side of the park to the other. Look at this map with all of the winding paths. I took a photo of the map and we used this to help find our way through the park. (Along with a GPS on someone's phone.)
It is a hilly park that was huge and lovely. I was really amazed that someone had the foresight to plan this much green space in the middle of the city!
We made it to the other side, but unfortunately the garden we wanted to visit were already locked up for the day. We then headed back to mid-town via subway.
We walked up 5th Avenue and once again went to the Lego store. (It was closed the first night we were there.) Isn't this a great lego creation? It is huge!
And this is the lego replica of the real statue that we saw on our first night there.
We tried to locate a good bagel shop, but had no luck. We settled for a cafe. Then found this spot near the bus station.
Schnippers. We should have just waited and eaten here, but we didn't know. Fries were great. I would definitely go back here.
We packed a lot into one day, didn't we! It was a lot of fun and by this time we were worn out! Back to the hotel for some rest and then more fun the next day!
Hope you enjoyed this fun day with us!
Blessings
Leslie
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