A month later...better late than never.
We wanted to have as much time as possible so we left J-
vill at 6:30 a.m. and got into New York by 9:30 a.m. However, our shuttle service did not get us to our hotel until almost 12:00. Let me just say, driving rules in NY are nothing like everywhere else I've been. Blinkers don't exist, the white lines on the roads are merely suggestions, and brakes are only used when necessary. It was scary yet fun!
Day 1: We checked in. Our hotel was the Marriott Marquis in Times Square so it was fun to be right in the middle of it all. Times square isn't really all that big - it's just tons of advertising and famous stores squished into about 3 blocks. Neal surprised me with bouquet of 10 beautiful roses.
We did the Broadway/downtown double
decker bus tour of NYC. It was fun to see all the famous sites and getting the background info on them.
For the evening events we tried to get into see a Broadway play. We heard that you should just buy your tickets at the
TKTS booth. Remember I decided to wing this trip. We really wanted to see Wicked, but tickets were $115 each so I thought any play will do, let's just wing it. Well the
TKTS booth was INSANE - long and nothing really good to see. I had also heard if you go to the theater then you might get seats directly from them. Off we went to the Gershwin Theater where Wicked is produced. We got there just as they were nearing the end of a lottery for the front row seats - 20 seats total would be sold by lottery. We patiently waited and lost. I was walking away, but Neal starting talking it up with people who won and one couple graciously sold us their tickets - $26.50 each - front row center! It was awesome (the price and the play!).
We had enough time after the lottery to grab some dinner. That is Neal's dinner - Pastrami on Rye. The food in NY was great - we didn't eat anything we could eat here in J-ville. But one thing I didn't plan for was the cost. We never ate for less than $65 - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Seriously EXPENSIVE.
Day 2: We di
d the NBC/30 Rock tour which was cool. We saw the sets for MSNBC and Saturday Night Live. Neal was the helper out of the au
dience and practiced using a teleprompter. We also did the Rockerfeller art tour. The view from
the observation deck was wonderful.
Oh we ran into George Clooney. He asked me to marry him to which I of cou
rse responded - I'm a happily married woman. The wax museum was a little creepy! Neal would stand still and then start talking when someone else came by him. It was quite funny!
Then we had a romatic d
inner at Tavern on the Green on our anniversary night. The ambiance was nice. Afterward we headed to Serendipity a restaurant made famous from the same name movie. We both picked a yummy dessert and enjoyed the eclectic nature of the store. Neal surprised me after dinner with a "proposal" with a love letter tucked inside a ring box.
(For those not aware, I lost my wedding ring on a trip to SLC and was lucky to get an early 10 year upgrade, which is beautiful!) At Serendipity he put a bride and groom on my ice cream. Such a romantic guy!
Day3: We went and did a session together in the New York Temple. We try really hard to visit Temples when we are on vacation together. And one day we'll have an RV a
nd just travel around the US visiting all the Temples. We had lunch right near the Temple and Neal ate a quail egg and prosciutto pizza (different for sure!)
Thus far the weather had been a
nice and tolerable mid to high 70s. But one this day the high was g
oing to be in the 50s. We did bring jackets - but Florida jackets aren't that heavy - especially when riding a double dec
ker bus, i
n a dress and heels with no hose on. We were freezing, but making the most out of our bus tour of upper Manhattan/Harlem/Central Park. My toes were so frozen when we got to the stop closest to our hotel it felt like I was walking on nails.
Once we changed out
of Sunday clothes we headed back on the bus and stopped to check out Canal Street. Canal street is where you go to buy fake purses. It was an experience. We got dropped off around 5:00 p.m. and were told to get back by 6:00 for the last bus. I did get me a Coach and Kate Spade purse in that quick time frame. After dinner, we went to the Empire State Building to see the city at night. It was FREEZING. And everyone up there goes up there to make out. So we didn't stay to long.
Day 4: We had most of the day to finish up things we didn't do yet. Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Grand Central Station, shopp
ing. The Statue of Liberty was smaller than I thought it would be. Ground Zero is now built up to the street level a
nd there is so much construction that barricades and fences cover up anything you might be able to see. I am drawn to it due to my connections with Sept 11th, but until they complete the memorial, it was nothing more than a construction site covered by fencing. We did see some of the make shift memorials on our bus tour. Grand Central Station is grand. We rode the subway a lot this day b/c our bus pass was only for 3 days. It was interesting trying to navigate the rail system and then to actually find the Grand Central Station seen in movies was another challenge. But the architecture and lighting was beautiful.
We had a wonderful time. We love spending time together. We did lots of fun things, but we didn't even do 1/10th of what NY has to offer. But we got the basics covered and enjoyed our anniversary together. All I have to say is....
Christmas Eve we have a tradition we started years ago with my Grandma Alder....breakfast with the Alder family. Nineteen of us gathered bright and early - 7:30 a.m. to meet for breakfast (unfortunately a few had to head off to work so we meet early so no one is left out.) I think it's something we all love to do. It's tradition!
Christmas Eve night we gather with the Chandler's (my mom's family) and exchange gifts and play a fun and lively game of White Elephant gift. Bring a nice $35 gift and leave with a nice $35 gift (hopefully!) The gift can be stolen 2 times before it's frozen. I won a $25 Publix gift card and a $500 gift certificate for $25 at Publix every month for the next 18 months. I think I lucked out on that one. Neal got a cool small indoor remote control helicopter.
Christmas morning we started in our own home. Our tradition is 5 presents - Santa brings one, dad, mom, and the 2 siblings give one. It keeps it simple and not overwhelming. I really like the tradition we started. It makes you think long and hard about what the one gift will be.
Christmas brunch is spent with the Steinhour's. We gather together - all 33+ (10-12 adults and 21+ kids under the ago of 15..give or take a few depending on who's in town). It's actually pretty mellow. The kids get along very well. We exchange a few small presents and just spend time visiting with each other.
Check out the pictures on their website: 
