When I realized our schedules weren't going to line up to host Ryan this winter, I pulled an audible and made plans for Thanksgiving in NYC. Turned out to be a really fun adventure! New York was busy but not its usual oppressively busy self. On Wednesday we took a very early flight and had the whole day to explore. After dropping our bags at our Manhattan hotel, we hit up the Lego Store, saw the tree going up in 30 Rock, did some window shopping, walked through Central Park (the leaves were gorgeous!) and then did a walk through of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons as they were being inflated along Central Park West. We enjoyed a delicious late lunch in Midtown and were re-energized for the walk back to the hotel, which included a trip through the Nintendo Store. It was an amazing day!
On Thanksgiving morning, we slept in and grabbed Starbucks for the walk to brunch. I made us reservations near Central Park with the idea that we would see some of the parade route. The parde moved much faster than I expected, so by 10:30, most of it was past the restaurant (on 55th) and we could watch the coverage at 35th on the TV at the restaurant! On our walk from 43rd & 5th to 55th & 7th, we stopped to see parts of the parade and even had to cross the parade route at a designated spot. The walk back after breakfast was crazy to see an empty 6th Avenue! One of the strangest things for me - besides empty streets - was that the street light poles had to be opened like a gate to allow the balloons through.
Thanksgiving evening was a fabulous dinner at Ryan and Tarek's. The food and company were superb. We enjoyed seeing the guys, their cats, and several friends - some new, some we hadn't seen in awhile! And what family event would be complete without a few rounds of Exploding Kittens?!
On Friday, Ryan joined us on a Statue of Liberty Tour. It was the first time for each of us. We took the ferry from Battery Park to Liberty Island for the pedestal tour. It was a blustery day, so those face masks were serving dual purpose! While we were inside the statue, we went through the museum there, so only did a quick run through the other museum. Then we reboarded the ferry (getting hot dogs and chips for the ride) to Ellis Island where we spent time reading the various exhibits before returning to Manhattan. John and William were most intrigued by the construction of the statue. I was most intrigued by the stories of the people through Ellis Island.
