And we’re off!!

Grammy and Poppy brought her down by my office (thank you!!) and then we headed to the airport.

The obligatory Indy picture, dinner at Shake Shack, and plane snacks at Natalie’s Candy Jar!

There’s so much room for activities!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of…

Headed to our hotel

First look at Times Square and the ball, a loooong line to buy pajamas (she accidentally left them beside her bag when packing!) and some famous New York cheesecake from Junior’s to cap off the night!

Cheesecake review: “mmmm that might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten”

Good morning from Times Square! \240Breakfast at the Brooklyn Diner!

Radio City Music Center and Rockefeller Center!

Top of the Rock has awesome views (we assume, on a clear day 😂) but we can confirm they have awesome hot chocolate.

Our “preppy” (apparently not) rain shoes are coming in very handy, and saw the first ever Shake Shack from the Uber. Next up - the Museum of Ice Cream!

Museum of Ice Cream! \240So much fun and so much ice cream!

Shop til we drop! \240First stop - Aritzia in SoHo. Her two personal stylists were waiting for her in the private lounge (with a couch and latte for me - smart people) with clothes already pulled.

First outfit, first yes!

LOVED the museum of ice cream had so much fun!!

A few things didn’t go quite as planned… our Uber to dinner went from 2 minutes away to over 20, so we cancelled it. Called another, and the time went from 3 minutes to 18 so we cancelled it and decided to walk because the rain wasn’t terrible … until we were stuck with one umbrella and it turned into a torrential downpour. We looked like we just took a shower in our clothes. We ran between overhangs and finally got to the Hard Rock Cafe. The staff was laughing (and feeling bad for us) because of how horribly wet we were. We went to get a table, but by then it was 6:15 and doors opened for the show at 6:30. We didn’t eat lunch until around 3, so we decided to eat after the show. We had fruit snacks and pretzels and popcorn during the show, and decided after we were just ready for bed. The show was cold but so good it made up for it!! And since we needed them, we got a blanket and a sweatshirt for Kayleigh that are fun souvenirs! \240As Kayleigh told me after the Top of the Rock, “even though we couldn’t see anything, it was so cool that I was actually standing in a cloud.” \240I guess sometimes the silver lining is the cloud!

After our shopping trip, we dropped off our bags and headed for Madame Tussaud’s.

Caught an Uber, but he got a little confused and we ended up in the Lincoln Tunnel. Welcome to New Jersey! \240You can see how this could happen… (don’t miss the blue dot in the top left corner - that’s us!)

The Lion King was absolutely amaaaazzzzzing. Unbelievable set and puppets and acting and singing and the actors use the whole theatre coming up and down the aisles through the show (and Kayleigh had an aisle seat!!). After the show, the first people to donate to a charity got a backstage tour LED BY ONE OF THE ACTORS! Other people can take a tour, but not with an actor and didn’t get to go as many places. Ed the hyena (so funny) and a stage tech took us through backstage, into the wings, showed us the costumes, puppets, sets and told us how it all works. So much has to happen to make the Lion King work, and a ton of it is manual with people pulling ropes, dragging around huge set pieces, wearing 50 pound costumes and more. Next we got to see the “quick change” rooms where each actors name is above their many costumes as most of the ensemble play many roles. Next up was the stage!! We were on the stage and they told us how things fly in and are lifted up or dropped down and how much work has to be done to keep everyone safe. Then through the other wing where we learned how quick makeup changes were done and saw the amazing Mufasa mask and giraffe costumes. The giraffe actors have to walk on all fours on stilts! Seriously amazing. Then we got to go under the stage, where only 2 people per day are allowed to go. We saw how pride rock gets lifted up, how set cues are received, and got to see the orchestra pit! \240We walked out with the crew and actor, and got to go through the stage door. I just hope Kayleigh had as much fun as I did! 😄

Early and cold start, but so worth it! \240Breakfast at Friedman’s at the Edison. After yesterday’s sugar overload, Kayleigh went for granola and yogurt. I had avocado toast for the second day! Very good.

Our museum tour was great!! Our guide, Dan, was a science teacher and today, he was Kayleigh’s personal teacher. He customized the tour to her, and asked her questions about what she already knew and built on things she’d learned in school. \240Very cool and we both learned a lot!

Was also cool to see all the things from Night at The Museum!

After that, we stopped by Levain Bakery for what is touted as the best cookies in the world, but saved them until after lunch at Tavern on the Green! \240It was fantastic.

Spyscape was very fun! \240We did personality, agility, intelligence, surveillance, encryption and other assessments to see what job we would have if we were spies.

I was an intelligence analyst, with top traits of analytical, inquisitive and determined. She was a spymaster! \240Top traits were leadership, strategic and empathetic. They nailed it!

After Spyscape, we had some more flexible time, so stopped in a few shops around Times Square, and got some dippin dots. We headed back to the room to change clothes and drop things off, then went to Macy’s on 34th street. Macy’s had their flower show going on, and it was beautiful! \240We especially loved Dior’s addition to the show, which included smelling some of the individual floral elements that go into perfume. After that, we headed over to Mac in Macy’s and Kayleigh got a makeover. We were a little worried it might look over the top when we saw the makeup artist, but it turned out great!!

While I still hate the Knicks from the Reggie/Spike Lee years, it’s always fun to watch the home team win!! Great game, close for a long time, and a full dose of crowd “experience.” \240The girls behind us were ridiculously loud and banging those loud sticks in our ears, but after someone else threatened to pop them (Welcome to NY!) it calmed down a little. Our view was amazing and we were right across from an actress from “The Summer I Turned Pretty!”

After the game, we dropped into the worlds largest candy store that is next door to our hotel, then time for lights out!

Headed out this morning and walked past Good Morning America while it was taping, Bryant Park, The NY Public Library and then into Grand Central Station.

We went next door to the MetLife Building to grab some bagels that were very highly rated - and a little overrated. From there we went back to Grand Central, got Starbucks, and figured out where to buy our tickets. We got on the 4 Uptown to the Bronx which was pretty quiet and easy that early and we even got seats. Doubt that the way back will be quite that quiet!

We were at Yankee Stadium early (we didn’t want to miss our tour because a subway car was delayed), so we sat in McDonalds for a little while, then headed to the stadium.

The pre-game tour was awesome! \240First, we didn’t have to wait in the crazy lines to get in because doors opened for us an hour early! \240We were showed Heroes Hall, the Yankees Museum (check out the captions!), monument park, and finally watched batting practice! \240

While we were in the museum, NY has a 4.7 magnitude earthquake. It was fine - I actually thought the rumble was the subway trains going by - but another first for Kayleigh (and only the second for me!)

During batting practice, a security guard came over to Kayleigh and told her he had baseball cards for young fans - with dirt from the old Yankee Stadium laminated right in!! He said, you probably don’t know Chuck Knoblauch but this is a good souvenir. I said, her dad is a big baseball fan, he’ll think it’s awesome. And he said, “you can’t give him yours!! Hang on I’ve got more somewhere…” and gave her an Andrew McCutcheon card too. Then she turned around to take a picture of the cards while watching batting practice. A ball headed our way, Ian Hamilton caught it, then turned around and threw it up to Kayleigh!! \240

After that we went to the store for a while, then found our seats. We went back up and got Nathan’s hot dogs and fries that definitely hit the spot, and Kayleigh got some popcorn. What a day at the ballpark and the game doesn’t even start for another 30 mins!

We were cold so we both got new sweatshirts and I got some gloves. Our seats were great and the game was very fun, even if the lack of sleep is starting to catch up with us. A little ice cream in the 6th inning helped. We also had to play the 50/50 - it was $110k! \240Imagine the shopping we’d have done tomorrow! The game was 0-0 until the 7th when the Blue Jays hit a homer (we were out at the ice cream stand). The had two more runs, and the Yankees ended up losing 0-3. But it was still a great time! Kayleigh also got her first subway experience. She handled it like a pro and we even got seats both ways, but she says she prefers the distracted awful Uber driver. Or the soaking wet walking in the rain. Same, kid. Same.

After the game, we and 2000 of our closest friends headed back to the subway and Manhattan. The train was pretty quick and easy and we even got seats, but Kayleigh still said she prefers walking in the rain or riding with an Uber driver who takes us through the Lincoln Tunnel accidentally. But back at Grand Central we got to try Magnolia Bakery (famous from Carrie Bradshaw frequently visiting). Kayleigh had a cupcake and I tried their famous banana pudding which lived up to its reputation.

We went to Spin for dinner and it was great. We played 6 games of ping pong and I managed 2 wins. She beat me once at cornhole, but I bested her twice at Connect 4. Oh and we ate nachos in between playing the games 😁.

Next up was “The Ride” which is a really unique NYC tour. We would highly highly recommend it. It’s a bus with stadium seating inside and floor to ceiling (and through the ceiling) windows so you can see everything as you pass by including the tops of the skyscrapers.

The two guides were awesome, informative and hilarious. It started with them asking for a Julie who was celebrating her 60th birthday. Kayleigh says that was when she got nervous, and sure enough, the next question was “and do we have a Kayleigh on the bus?” \240That was fantastic. They asked if she’d ever been to NY and where she was from. When she said Indiana, they said, oh right in Indianapolis right? Then went on to say “Well folks Kayleigh’s had quite a trip. She’s been to the Knicks, Yankees and the Lion King and now best of all she gets to go on the Ride. And yes, Kayleigh, we’ve been stalking you for days now.” \240As we went through the streets, performers kept popping up in various areas, and they too incorporated Kayleigh into the show, including the entire bus and some of the on the street performers singing happy birthday to Kayleigh and Julie.

The tour was so, so good, and Kayleigh loved it. After the tour, we made another stop at ItSugar next door, where Kayleigh wanted to get a 4 foot long, 3 inch diameter gummy worm.

After Ellis Island, we headed back to lower Manhattan and walked to Trinity Church, saw Alexander Hamilton’s grave (and Eliza’s), saw the bull, fearless girl, and the New York Stock Exchange. Then we headed over to the 9/11 memorial. This was very moving, and emotional. We saw the Survivor Tree - the one tree that made it through that day. The type of tree it is isn’t known for heartiness, and normally only lives about 15 years, but the Survivor Tree is still alive, and obviously over 23 years old.

At the reflection pool, our guide explained that every unique line of water represents one life lost that terrible day. Around the edges are the victims names, and when it is their birthday, a white rose is placed on their name.

After 9/11 memorial park, we went to the Oculus building. This is a huge train station and mall built to resemble a peace dove from the outside. This was our last stop with our tour guide, and so we got ready to head to our next stop.

We thought we had about 30 mins for a 20 min walk, but we were supposed to be there at 2 for a 2:30 ticket, and I thought it was be there at 2:30 for a 3:00 flight, but they still got us right on the helicopter!! We flew up and down the coast with awesome views of Ellis Island (which we now understood), the Statue of Liberty, Yankee Stadium, Central Park, the Edge at Hudson Yards, the Empire State Building and more.

After the helicopter, we walked over to the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge for a few pictures. Kayleigh really wanted to see more of the 9/11 history, so we headed back over to the museum. It’s moving and sad and so well done. Kayleigh said she learned a lot from the audio tour. It’s obviously a pretty heavy experience.

Next up was dinner. We went to Fraunces Tavern where George Washington gave his farewell speech to the troops and frequently dined. Awesome spot and good food.

Then, we ubered to Summit One Vanderbilt! This is an immersive experience with three floors of rooms all with different themes and experience. I think our favorite was the room with all the floating silver balloons.. They also had a ledge you could stand on and take pictures from that was glass and open all 92 floors down to the street!

Our last activity for the day was attempting to pack all of the stuff we bought this week. We got it all in… once we added a new suitcase. 🤣

It’s been a long, busy, great day! \240We started with bagels in the room and Ubered downtown to the financial district, where we met our guide for the next 5 hours - Luke. First stop - Statue of Liberty!

Between torrential downpours, lightning on the Statue, unseasonably cold weather and an earthquake, I thought we had covered all of the weather phenomena for this week, but it started hailing while we were on the boat.

We had crown access tickets so we climbed the 352 steps all the way up to look out of the crown. Such a cool experience, and we thought it was easier than advertised.

We learned a lot about Lady Liberty, such as that Alexandre Eiffel designed the inside - which looks a lot like the Eiffel Tower! \240That’s also the only structural part of the statue - the part you see is just for looks and only the thickness of two pennies!

Next was Ellis Island, which was also riveting. We learned a lot and also had some opinion vs fact discussions 🤣 on some of the things the guide was presenting.

After a delicious breakfast at the Westway diner, we walked over to Hudson Yards and I told Kayleigh what our plans were for the morning and showed her some pictures in case she’d rather not do it. She decided to try it, so off we went to climb a skyscraper. The views were unbelievable unobstructed, and the weather today is so much better than it has been.

We started by getting on our climbing gear. They had five or six staff climbers at every getting ready station to ensure everything was just as it should be. \240We left everything that could be loose in the lockers (even little earrings had to go!) and got into our jumpsuits. Next up was harnessing. One person put your harness on, and then another crew member came over to double check it was right. This was all on the 100th floor where the cliff out over the city is.

Then we went up a few more floors. There, we were attached to track that’s attached to the building. 2 more harness checks by two separate people, and we were ready to go. There was a staff climber at the front and the back, and a third staff climber to take pictures, and 4 other climbers like us. When we first stepped out the height was pretty shocking, but then we started heading up the staircase and it didn’t feel so bad.

Kayleigh was very nervous to lean out over the edge for the group photo, and I and the main guide both told her she definitely didn’t have to and she had already done the hard and impressive thing just by getting up there. But she decided to try it anyway, and she was a rockstar! She did the group back lean, her own back lean, and even the forward lean out over the edge looking down on the city!! \240The entire group cheered for her that she was so brave.

After that, it was time to change gears completely. We scrambled back to the hotel, changed clothes, grabbed our bags and were off for tea at the Plaza Hotel with a friend of mine and her daughter. The food, atmosphere, and experience were fantastic. Kayleigh liked the Monte Christo sandwich and I liked the egg sandwich best. We both thought the salted caramel was the best of the sweet options.

And now… to LaGuardia to start the journey home! \240Goodbye, New York! Until next time!

911 museum