Spring break '14! NYC day 1

Spring break this year started out pretty normal - lovely weather for a scooter ride at the park!

However, it soon became a little out of the ordinary when we loaded the car and started driving north:  final destination, NYC!  On the way we stopped about halfway in VA and had some Cafe Rio that we were craving.  Their burritos are the best!

We stayed in a vacation home on Staten Island.  It was an older place but quaint and great for our needs - lots of rooms and beds everywhere.  After checking it out when we got there we headed to the ferry station to catch the free ferry to the city.  It was getting dark by then - this is a view from the one we were on and looking at the other that was heading back.  We also got a first view of the Statue of Liberty on our left which we got to see every day on our way to and from the city.  Pictures to come!

We hopped on the subway, but not before meeting Marsha, who told us all about how we should navigate the subway with kids from that point on.  She gave us some pretty good advice that saved us quite a bit of subway fare:  have a kid or two go under the metal bar before or with a paying adult.  Aaron and I were a little nervous to try it, but we did it, and it soon proved to be very doable for the rest of the trip.  She got on the train with us and talked to us the whole time as we figured out the best route to the Rockefeller Center stop.  She was a little gruff and dirty, but very friendly and definitely a New Yorker! The kids weren't sure at first, and even asked whether she was a boy or a girl after we got off at our stop :)

Before buying tickets and going to the top for a view of the city, we stopped in at a small NY pizza place and had a huge, thin slice!


The top of the Empire State building was blue that night in honor of Autism awareness, so that was fun - the color and the connection to Tyler!  It was a fantastic night view of the enormous city, all lit up and sparkling!  It was too cold and windy to get a picture of us outside, so here we are next to one of the windows...

Another entertaining, blue detail were the lights in the room at the top of the Rockefeller Center.  It was soooo late when we headed home and we were exhausted, but so glad we made the effort to go because it we did have a great time!