Philly & NYC

When TJ first started med school, his classes were so demanding that he had no choice but to study non-stop. As soon as he came home from classes, he ate dinner and then studied for the rest of the night, and every weekend was filled with non-stop studying as well. For two and half years, TJ did nothing but study and I did nothing but keep the kids quiet. Therefore, when TJ's classes ended with the close of 2009, we were ecstatic. And we've been taking advantage of every free day since. So, when TJ found out he didn't have work at the "clinic" on Monday and Tuesday this week, we grabbed the kids and the camera and hit the big cities.

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First stop: Philly on a Monday

Kickin' it at "LOVE park" with the tourists.

Local musicians were playing at "LOVE park," too.

Lunch was at Mickey D's....city style.

Chillin' on the Trolley.

A spontaneous splurge to the Children's "Please Touch" Museum.

The old memorial building was spectacular!

"Waterways" to explore.

Making music with their feet.

Looking for Rumpelstiltskin.....

Exploring with Alice in Wonderland.

Feelin' BIG...

Strolling down the "streets."

Checking the X-rays.

Flippin' faux-burgers.

Sittin' in "bricks."

Driving the bus.

Traffic town.

Outer space place finished off the tour. We were there for hours and the kids LOVED it!

Back on the trolley. Nathan took advantage of a little nap time.

But he was wide awake again by the time we got to Franklin Square Playground.

Trever was still going strong.

So we made our way to Philly's Chinatown for cake and Bubble tea.

Trever had a Chocolate Bubble Tea and Snowflake Cake. YUM!

I LOVE bubble tea! It has little tapioca-like balls at the bottom that you slurp up through an extra large straw and you can choose from all sorts of different fruity juices...my fave is the honeydew with milk. It sounds strange, but it's delish!!!

We had a fun day in Philly!

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Second stop: NYC on a Tuesday

After an accidental detour into Harlem (ooops!) we quickly found our way to Times Square! haha

Tuesday was a great day to visit, since there were fewer weekend tourists.

TJ and I have visited NYC a few times before on separate occasions, but this was our first trip to NYC together. Awww....

This was also our boys' first time in the "big apple."

Times Square in the afternoon.

Broadway billboards.

A quick stop into a nearby cathedral.

A happy Nathan after TJ rescued his ball from falling into the fountain at the Rockefeller Center.

Lunch on the curb. New York Hot Dogs for me & TJ...

...and monstrous New York Pretzels for the boys.

Then a scenic stroll through the lovely Central Park.

With a little rock climbing, too.

Isn't it beautiful?!

Nathan and TJ playing catch in Central Park.

The noisy subway was our mode of transportation all day.

Luckily, there weren't many crowds on a Tuesday afternoon.



A subway musician playing Kenny G. When the trains weren't screaming past, the subway echoed with this beautiful music playing. I caught this quick clip, but it doesn't come close to capturing the full effect--especially since a train zoomed in and spoiled the song. But hearing him play was one of my favorite moments in NYC.

The soothing music was like a drug, and as soon as we sat down on the train, the boys went fast asleep.

If you squint, you can see the Statue of Liberty. We were originally planning to take the Staten Island Ferry for a closer view, but the boys weren't that interested in seeing a close up, so we enjoyed it from a distance. It really is pretty though, and it was much clearer to see in person than to capture on film.

Before we left, the boys enjoyed some big green apples that we bought from a street vendor. Trever thought it was hilarious that they were eating big apples in the "big apple."

I had to catch a shot of the pigeons, since the first thing Trever said when we got to NYC was, "This is a fun city...it's got lots of pigeons!!!"

Our next stop was Canal Street in Chinatown---with all the handbags, scarfs, watches, jewelry and other bargain-priced items that you can imagine. I could have spent a LOT of time there...haha...but my boys were not about to let that happen.

Of course, a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts on Canal Street sweetened them up, and I got away with a few fun finds after all.

By 5:30 pm, the boys had their fill of the big city. There really is no way to describe how huge this city is, except to see it in person. And there was no way we could see everything in one day, but what we did see was outstanding.

The kids were fantastic, the weather was perfect, and the city was amazing. What more could you ask for? We love NY!