I Made It There, and Back

We are back in the sleepy city after being in the city that never sleeps. Yeah, that was lame, I know, but I'm tired today, so bear with me. Our trip to New York was glorious, filled with eating, and walking, and looking, and eating, and pointing, and walking, and even more eating. We didn't stop moving for all four days we were there, and still only saw maybe a third of what the city has to offer. Oh, and we only ate at a twentieth of all the places I wanted to stuff my face. Really, I cannot decide if I would be really fat if I lived in New York because of all the great food, or really skinny because of all the walking. Maybe I would have really great calves, and a gigantic gut. Yeah, I know, I'm digressing, so I'll just stop talking, and show you some pictures.

We started our trip by heading to Times Square, where Ryan and my brother in law Dave were disappointed by the lack of whores, and people selling ninja stars. Damn Giuliani. Luke, of course, was drawn like a tractor beam to the enormous Toys R Us on the corner of 44th street. when we stepped in the door he said "we have to come here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next." So we did. He was pretty well restrained though, getting just one toy a day. I saw people walking out of that place with bags that were bigger than their children, and the kids were still throwing a fit that they didn't get everything they wanted.

The theme of ill behaved children was continued when we hit the U-S-S Intrepid on the second day of our trip. The place was swarming with boy scouts, and all of them were half crazed. Even better than watching the scouts run wild was watching their parents try to control them. One woman started by screaming just her son's first name: Joshua. Then she added his second name: David. Then she delivered the best line I heard the entire time I was in New York: "Joshua David Anderson. Three names. Do you have any idea how much trouble that means you're in?" For the rest of the weekend I used the same line on Ryan, occasionally adding in a fourth, made up name when I felt he had really crossed a line.

We, of course, went on the Staten Island ferry, which is good because it is free, and you can buy beer on it. I love raising a cold one to Lady Liberty while the wind whips my hair, and seagulls try to poop on my head. I also love to walk around the decks and see just how many tourists are humming "Coming to America" under their breaths. There are always at least two. I didn't catch my Mom doing it, but I'm sure she did at some point.

My favorite thing that we did was take Luke to central park. Ryan and I both love the park anyway, and seeing it with a kid who had never experienced it before was fantastic. What wasn't all that great was how absolutely filthy he got. I swear, the kid picked up half the dirt in the place, and would have brought how a six foot long "walking stick" he found had not convinced him it was against TSA regulations. He and Ryan hunted dragons all throughout the ramble, searched for gold at Belvedere Castle, climbed almost every rock they saw, and raced in the dry fountain at Bethesda. I really worried that one or both of them would refuse to come home. I was finally able to lure them both out with promises of pizza and cannolis. Those two, and Dave, really bonded over their love for cheese filled pastries.

On the way back from the park Luke was tired and crabby, and complaining that his feet hurt, but he was also elated. We were going home that afternoon, and you could see him reviewing the trip in his head as we rode on the subway. "You know what," he finally said, "I really like New York." I couldn't have said it better myself. And I have the blistered on the bottom of my feet, and the resturant credit card slips to prove it.