Easter Weekend in the City

1.  I'll start by saying the weekend wasn't all we were hoping for, but turned out ok.  We started out having a plumber over on Friday to deal with the hot water heater problem.  Ironically, he was telling me about trying to adopt from China for the last 3 years.  Then I dashed around packing and we got to the train station with not too much time to spare.  We got to the city and took a taxi down to the Marriott Downtown/Financial District.  We got checked in and then went out for lunch nearby.  We then walked down to the Staten Island Ferry and realized we didn't have time to take the ferry over and back and then get back to get up to MoMA.  So, we went back and relaxed for a bit and then took the subway up to Times Square and walked over to the museum.  We had decided to go there because on the first Friday of the month Target offers free admission, which would save us 40 bucks.  Well, we saw a long line and kept walking to see if it was for the museum.  We found out it was, indeed, the line and followed it around and around the building.  The line almost completely went around the entire building, which covered over 2 blocks!!  Rich, of course, was angry and said we'd never use a coupon or try to get a deal again-he'd rather pay full price.  So, instead of waiting in the massive line, we took the girls to the American Girl store, which wasn't too far away.  They always have a good time browsing.  I can't stand how crowded it is and how the items are placed too high for Lola.  I have to carry her all around so she can see the dolls.  Ugh!  We had a reservation at Johnny Utah's for dinner.  We got there a little early and had a good table right up front-right near the mechanical bull!  I thought it would be fun for the kids to see some bullriding.  We got there before 6 and were warned that we'd have to vacate the table by 8 for another reservation.  I actually thought it was nice the hostess told that to us up front instead of kicking us out later, as that's happened to us before!  We couldn't imagine being there that long that night, though.  The menu was very limited, but the service was great.  The bull turned out to be broken and the guys were busy working on it for a long time.  We waited and waited and finally it was fixed.  We waited some more and noone rode him.  So, we finally left, disappointed.  We took a taxi back to the hotel.  The kids did pretty well that night and slept in a big bed together.  I had bought glow sticks for the circus and let them have two for nightlights.  We all had a decent nights' sleep.

2.  The next day we had to get up by an alarm so we could get down for breakfast and get over to the circus pre-show.  The breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant was great and included with our room.  We croaked when we got the bill for $87 and quickly made sure that we weren't supposed to be paying this.  No, we just needed to sign for it.  Phew!  We walked over to the subway station to find that the station was closed due to changes.  We walked back over to the hotel and just got a taxi to Madison Square Garden.  We got there with time to spare and wait in line.  When we got in we realized the floor there was a lot smaller than other arenas we'd seen the circus in.  It was a lot tighter and more crowded, but Grace still managed to get quite a few autographs in her program-one of her favorite things to do.  Lola loved seeing the elephant paint a picture.  She loves elephants.  We then headed up to our club suite.  The tickets we got were from a vendor at Rich's work and were free to their box.  That was exciting to be in a box with food, beverage and a clean bathroom!  We knew a few of the people there and had a nice time.  The problem with the box is that you're so high up that you don't really feel engaged with the entertainment.  The kids watched some, but were happier playing around.  The food was pretty mediocre at best-hamburgers, chicken fingers, etc.  The bathroom toilet got clogged up and I won't even mention what I had to do about it.  Ick!  After the circus we took a taxi back to the hotel to rest.  Later we went down to the ferry and did take the free round-trip to see the Statue of Liberty.  It was funny to get off in Staten Island where everyone had to disembark and then see most everyone getting back on for the return trip.  It's one of the best free things to do in the city!  Don't be alarmed when the boat tips-everyone is sitting on the statue side for a view!  We then walked over to Southport Seaport and ate at Red for dinner-Mexican food, yum!  We walked back and the kids took baths.  But, they didn't get to sleep til very late for some reason.  Poor Lola has a cold and had a hard time breathing and was coughing throughout the night.  It was a rough night!

3.  Today we woke at our leisure and got up and went for round two of buffet breakfast.  We checked our bag and headed for Chinatown.  Grace wanted to get a parasol.  She had bought one in Boston that had broken and she wanted a new one.  We went in the first store we saw and she ended up getting two rings and Lola got a Chinese coin and lucky money envelopes.  After looking for a while we saw that we'd paid too much for these things-we just needed to walk further in.  We went to find the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and then went to the Buddhist temple.  The kids loved the temple and were fascinated by the offerings and the incense.  A man there gave them clementines and told us they had lunch in the basement.  We weren't hungry yet, but were intrigued to see the monks eating.  For some reason after this Grace got very emotional, but wouldn't tell us what was wrong.  The day seemed to be shot after this and we headed back to the hotel.  Grace finally perked up and we got back to the hotel.  We decided to go to Grand Central and get snacks for the train and home.  We got a pretzel and Grace dropped one of her new rings and lost it.  We searched for a while, but couldn't find it.  She was very upset, needless to say.  We also got the requisite Zaro's black and whites and got on the train.  I was happy to get seats facing the way we were traveling, not like the previous trip.  We finally got home and the kids were playing and Lola somehow let her new coin go and it went rolling under the range.  We haven't located it, either.  It was a tough weekend, but we made it and were happy for the nice weather.  Now I'm hoping for a good night sleep!