NYC!!

Joe and I got back from our trip to NYC last night and although we had a blast, there's nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed and waking up to the sounds of your kids laughing in the next room.

We loved NYC and we can't wait to go back! I hope next time we'll get to see the beautiful Christmas tree and ice skate at Rockefeller Center!

I took, literally, hundreds of pictures, so I'll keep them to a minimum and give you the highlights. :)

We stayed at St. Giles Hotel on E. 39th and Lexington Ave. This is the living room of our suite.

The bedroom

The beautiful Chrysler Building.

The gargoyles

Grand Central Terminal is a beautiful building complete with chandeliers and ceiling murals. It is, still to this day, the largest train station in the world.

This celestial mural, painted in 1912, was once completely obscured by tobacco smoke. It was restored to its original state in 1998.

One of the many chandeliers that hangs in the terminal.

The New Year ball. It actually stays up year round.

Time Square

You are being watched!

Joe in Time Square.

Statue of George Cohan "the father of Broadway".

Now that's what I call a candy shop!

There's not a whole lot of greenery in the city, so I though this would be a cool shot with the trees against the buildings.

Radio City

Rockefeller Center

Atlas

The beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral

This is a beautiful and enormous church! I wanted to take tons of pictures, but they were getting ready for mass, so we didn't have much time. On top of the time restriction, I didn't have a tripod and the church is quite dark. It's really hard to hold still long enough to get a decent picture in such a dark church, but we got a few. This is one of my favorites of the beautiful ceiling!

LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana.

NYPD presence is definitely felt in the city. They are everywhere you look and practically the concierge of the city.

This McDonald's looked so fun even I wanted to go in!

The Brooklyn Bridge

Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry. It was pretty foggy out, so I couldn't get the pictures I wanted, but it was still a great view of the city!

Passing another ferry.

Lady Liberty

The Sphere once sat in the plaza in front of the Twin Towers as a tribute to world peace. It now stands in Battery Park as a memorial to those lives lost in the tragedy of 9-11.

Joe in Battery Park.

Trinity Church

The New York Stock Exchange.

Musicians in the subway.

In the subway station.

Uptown from Central Park.

This picture was taken about mid-way through a 10K bike ride in jeans. This was not the best thought out plan!

John Lennon memorial.

The Dakota - site of the John Lennon assassination. Yoko Ono still lives in this building.

The Eldorado

So, all in all, we had a great time. We went to the King Tut exhibit, but there was no photography allowed, so there are no pictures. :(
I learned lots of new things while in NYC, some of them being...

1. When the walk signal comes up on the crosswalk, you WALK and you walk fast!

2. When on the escalator, you are also expected to walk.

3. Lanes are just suggestions on where to drive. You are in no way expected to stay in them.

4. When you think the train is full, you're wrong. At least 10 more people can fit on there!

5. Honking is a way of life!

6. You don't block the coffee pot!

7. Central Park is actually a NYC beach.

8. Don't go to Canal Street... just don't.

9. You can get lost in Macy's... and not in a good way!

10. And last, but not least! Knock before entering any co-ed bathrooms! Just trust me on this one!