Journeys with the Johnsons: NYC Trip

Financial District Skyline from the Statue of Liberty Ferry.....the new World Trade Center building is under construction - it's the tallest one.

My sister, Shauna, and I recently went on a weekend trip to New York City. We had a great time in the city together! Our trip was actually a surprise gift from our parents. My dad originally came up with the idea, but Mom was immediately on board and they were both excited to tell us what they had in store for us. Yep....our sweet, thoughtful parents sent us on an all expenses paid trip to NYC! On top of that, they even gave us shopping money!! Without a doubt, Shauna and I were beyond excited and thrilled.

Our parents' main objective for the trip was for Shauna and I to be able to get away and spend some one-on-one time together. Since we live about 5 hours apart we don't get to see each other often enough and when we do we're typically busy with our Mommy duties so it leaves little time for us to simply hang out together.

So....off to NYC we went and we didn't waste 1 single minute while there. On Friday we visited the Empire State Building. We got the "Express Pass" ticket up to the observatory and it was oh so worth it! We were treated like celebrities with those passes. The view of the city from the observation deck was impressive. It was nice to see the entire city without obstructions.

Next, we did some shopping. We went to Joe Fresh, H&M, and Century 21. The crowds in the stores are incredible and the fitting room lines are crazy long. You pretty much have to shop the whole store (like 3 different levels) and just do one big try on session or you'd waste a ton of time waiting in line. After shopping, we went back to our hotel and got ready for dinner and the show. We stayed at The Westin in Times Square and it was a lovely hotel with a great location!

That evening, our aunt, Denise, and cousin, Gaines, who live in PA met us for dinner and the show. We ate at Robert Emmett's and saw the Broadway musical called Memphis. The show was AMAZING! The talent of the singers was outstanding. We all really enjoyed the show. Later, we walked around Times Square to see all the lights and some street shopping.

Saturday morning, we took the 1st ferry to Liberty Island so see the Statue of Liberty. The ferry ride was one of our favorite things - it was so peaceful and offered wonderful views of the skyline and bridges. The Statue itself was beautiful. Due to renovations the inside is currently closed so I'd like to go back one day to go up in her crown!

We spent the day working our way back up to Times Square.....hitting Chinatown and Little Italy on our path. Chinatown was the only area where we felt slightly uncomfortable. It was definitely different from the other areas we visited. All the illegal street vending was a bit sketchy.

I enjoyed a tasty slice of New York pizza for lunch. This was Ben's only request of the trip......that I have a piece of pizza for him ;-). Later that afternoon, we visited Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral. The cathedral was being renovated and we came during a service time so we weren't able to do a complete tour.

We used public transportation while there and found it to be quite user friendly. We rode on 3 different Subway lines, didn't encounter any problems, and felt safe. I was proud of us for never getting lost! We took 1 taxi (from our hotel back to JFK on Sunday) and our driver was also very friendly. He was from Africa and explained to us that once you live in the city you never want to leave. I have to say that I was absolutely impressed with the hospitality we received in the city. Everyone we interacted with was warm and pleasant.

Ben took off of work on Friday and kept the kids all weekend. He did a great job while I was gone. He did Bailey Beth's hair twice (with a bow ;) and took the kids to buy a goldfish. He made several yummy meals for them and even did some cleaning!!

Shauna and I had a fabulous time seeing the city together and spending time with each other! Thanks Mom and Daddy!!