This was a great trip seeing the highlights of New York and spending some time with Gloria and Dora.  On Monday we packed up and had last round of bagel breakfast before we headed to the airport.  We then started getting airline updates to report our flight being delayed.  I was worried that I would miss my connecting flight.  The airline had issued me a seat in a later flight just in case, but I was still trying to be hopeful.  Finally I had to accept the situation as our flight was more than 1.5 hour late.  I was sad that I would not see the kids as they would be in bed, Stuart had to fend for themselves for yet another meal and I had 2-3 more hours to kill at the Denver airport.  Once we arrived at Denver, I said goodbye to the sisters and finally decided to go sit at a cantina.  Having a drink with chips and salsa while blogging was actually a good way to pass the time.  I really enjoyed the trip but I was definitely ready to go home to see Stuart and the boys.  Here are the album pictures of my trip.

     After two days of warm weather, it was quite chilly on Sunday. Our plan was to see Central Park and to check out the Metropolitan museum of art.  We made a mistake by deciding to walk there. Even though it was nice to walk through a different part of Times Square and seeing how beautiful the park was, by the time we arrived at the MET, we were tired.  We had planned to just check out part of the museum since we had already walked a lot, but we managed to see most of what we wanted to see inside.  There were definitely lots of incredible pieces from all over the world and it was fascinating.  Toward the end of the tour, Gloria’ s feet were killing her, so after Dora and I checked out one last exhibit on our own, we called a Lyft to return to the hotel for our nap break.

     In the evening, Gloria decided to stay in so Dora and I headed out and walked toward the famous Serendipity restaurant.  We had a sushi dinner first then we had the delicious frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.  Since it was the final night, so we took a bit longer walk to the 5th Ave before heading back toward the hotel.  On the way, we had a chance to check out the Rockefeller Center and shopped for some more souvenir as well.  This was another 28k step day and it was again too late to talk with the boys on Skype.

     Dora had planned to run 16 miles on Saturday as it was on her training schedule, and she had mapped out her route to circle Central Park.  Dora had already been to the World Trade Memorial, so Gloria and I decided to visit there in the morning on our own.  We rode the subway and walked part of the way to our destination.  The memorial with the pools were made beautifully and seeing everything was quite touching.  We decided against going into the museum, and we just bought a souvenir.  Later we took a walk to the nearby Chinatown and had a dim sum lunch.  When Gloria and I returned to the hotel, Dora was rested, so she and I headed back out.  We walked to check out the Chrysler Building and Grand Central station which was beautiful inside.

    After a nap break again, for the evening we had purchased tickets to see Wicked.  We headed back out to Times Square, and it was even more crowded on this Saturday night.  We failed to find a place to eat without a long wait time, so we just grabbed some pizza to eat up on the outdoor bleachers.  It was a hot day but had finally cool down enough to be quite comfortable sitting there.  It was always interesting watching the crowd in this big city.  Finally it was time for the show.  We had nosebleed seats but we could see fine and were more freed sitting in the back. The show was funny and the singing was incredible.  The 2 and 1/2 hour entertainment went by quickly and we all loved it.  It was a late night and by the time we walked back to the hotel, we were exhausted with 28k steps.  I did not get to talk with the boys or Stuart before we went to bed.

     We awoke early and went out to have a great tasting bagel breakfast, then we figured out our way via the subway to head to Battery Park.  It was still early and foggy to see the Statue of liberty, so we decided to walk around first.  We ended up taking the free ferry over to Staten Island just for the ride; on the return trip, we had a nice view of the Statue of Liberty.  Afterward, the fog had burnt off; we purchased tickets and hopped on the cruise to go the Liberty Island.  It was amazing seeing Lady Liberty up close and hearing the touching history surrounding her.  After lots of pictures and finishing up the audio tour, we were tired and headed back to the hotel for a break.
After a nice nap, we trekked our way to Times Square.  It was fascinating to finally see this place in person, and it was crazy how many people were out there. We did some shopping and had a delicious Italian meal for dinner.  The area was full of energy but at certain point, we were tired and had to make our walk back to the hotel.
     Back at the hotel, I had a chance to get on Skype with Stuart.  The boys talked with me for a bit and said hello to the aunties.  They also showed us how they were playing with the hand spinners.  This was the first day with more than 20,000 steps and all 3 of us had a much needed good night sleep.

     I had to leave very early on Thursday to catch my flight and I could only say goodbye to Stuart and not the kids.  I met up with Dora and Gloria at the Denver airport, then we were on our way to New York.  The flight and taxi ride went smoothly and we arrived at our hotel in Manhattan.  Quickly we unloaded and walked around the neighborhood.  There were people everywhere and it was fun walking and checking out the area.  Gloria picked ramen for her birthday dinner; we all were very hungry for the soupy meal.  We then picked up a few things at a store and turned in after a long traveling day.

     Last Wednesday was Stuart’s birthday.  Since Stuart’s work had been busy, he did not take the day off, and we waited until after work to go celebrate.  Normally Connor loves to do the countdown thing before any special days, but lately his mind has been preoccupied by playing two squares with the neighbors, Stuart’s birthday just crept up on him.  He suddenly remembered and was worried not having time to decorate. He managed to clean up and quickly decorate the game room before we went out for dinner.   We went to eat at the restaurant where Stuart liked their beers and we all enjoyed the dinner.  When we came home, Connor led Stuart into the game room to show him the present and the decoration he and Logan did.  Then we sang and enjoyed our usual favorite ice cream cake with lots of yummy fudge on it.