New York Minute(s)

Oh. My.

How does a girl describe it? Two days coming and going, and then three completely packed days in Manhattan. Exhilerating, breath-taking, smelly, romantic, fast-paced, relaxed, awe-inspiring....Magical. Seriously. We took a ridiculous number of pictures. Mostly for the kids--only partially for this blog. Here are some highlights and then, if you wish, indulge yourself {or, rather, me} and sweep through a NYC slide show below... Our hotel, smack dab in Times Square, was above the Hershey Store.

Harbor Cruise passing Lady Liberty herself.

{And me, wearing my NYC scarf that I bartered for in Chinatown--great story. Ask me sometime.}

This is a mural that we saw on our Double Decker Bus Tour. Wow, right? The tourguide said to take a picture 'cause it is soon going to be painted over. {And if you'll notice, the two towers that are in the middle of N}

Top of the Panic Attack Building, aka Empire State Building. {Chrysler Bldg behind us}

We rented bikes and rode through Central Park--best decision. We LOVED it! We found this gorgeous arch somewhere in the hidden paths of the park, and an obliging Aussie took our photo.

Belvedere Castle in the Park. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel..."

"Dum-Dum want Gum-Gum." Night at the Museum, anyone? We will not soon forget the uproar of screams from our kids when they saw me in this picture. I am famous.

Manhattan LDS Temple across the street from Julliard and the Met. It's quite a sight, in the middle of the hustle and bustle.

Our First Show ON BROADWAY!!!

"Phantom". We'd both seen this one years ago, in other cities, but there's something special about it here.

There were tears.

Enough said.

This is the ceiling of John's Pizzeria {thanks for the tip, cousin Becca} where we ate before Phantom. The restaurant used to be a church. Honestly? I'm dying.

Yes, I played a stirring rendition of "Heart and Soul" that will echo through the corridors of FAO Schwartz for years to come.

Couldn't stay away from Central Park--we went by way of horse and carriage on this day.

After the ride with our Irish driver, Steve exhibited his fine one-armed-extension-photography-skills while capturing us, statue at the edge of the Park and the Plaza Hotel. Nice.

This lovely little haunt was on my Top 3 places I wanted to go in New York--Serendipity. This place was sweet...and so was their famous Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate.

Mary Poppins on Broadway--exceeded our already high expectations. Wow. I want to cry just thinking about it...

Dinner in Times Square at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company--

Steve's personal dream come true. Can you see that part of the menu is on a ping-pong paddle? It's all about the details.

The final show of the trip--the Broadway revival of West Side Story. Did I mention there were tears?

Back with our kiddos, and not a moment too soon. Time away makes us love them even more.{They're holding mini-Statue of Liberty's--per specific request. Trevor still thinks that New York made these just for them.}

In the carriage.

Steve, you are a rock star in my book. Thank you for taking me to this magical place and for the memories we made together. And, bonus! You're really fun to be with 24/7. Let's do it again sometime.

Click HERE to see the slide show.