We [heart] New York

If you don't count a few 24-hour tourist blitzes during the time we lived in Boston, and a trip Kelly took as a one-year-old with his parents, we really had never visited New York. We definitely did not have anything close to "the experience." But life is a funny thing, and we ended up spending the bulk of December in the big city due to a work assignment for the local electric utility. 

With three weeks in NYC, we can't claim to have anything close to an idea of what the place is really like, but the following is a compilation of first impressions from what turned out to be a memorable stint. The first adjective for the experience is "cold," followed closely by "awesome" and "really fun." Here is Asher gazing in wonder at the bright lights of Times Square.

A lot of people have asked where we were staying. Since I'm a nerd, I'll just embed this google map and you can see for yourself. The place was a long-term executive hotel (basic services provided, new sheets every couple weeks, buy your own groceries, etc):

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We loved being so central to so much fun stuff: Madison Square Park (including Shake Shack), Downtown and Midtown access, Fifth Avenue shopping (yeah right)...

The hotel had a little patio on the fifteenth floor, which came in handy when it was time for our little California boy to experience his first snow.

Being December, the weather was pretty cold (especially hard on us after we have grown "soft" since leaving the East Coast).  Take below-freezing temperatures, wind chill, rain, ice and snow, coupled with a family unit that is accustomed to traveling by car everywhere, and throw in one or two naps a day, and you end up spending a lot of time in the hotel. 

Fortunately, the 1-bedroom unit provided by my company worked out pretty well. Asher's crib fit snugly into the pantry next to the kitchen, which ended up so dark and isolated from his older brother's morning routine that he was sleeping several hours more per day than normal.

When the ~500 square feet just didn't cut it, the boys had a great time running the hallways of the 19th floor. After about 37 reminders not to bang on any doors or scream, this became a decent release for everyone.

And when they were not out in the hallway, Bennett and Asher were sure to get every possible ounce of fun out of their surroundings. This couch was not only a wrestling mat, but also a pirate ship, spacecraft, fortress, and bed. And toilet one time (Asher ran away from a diaper change...gross).

So we got nervous soon after our arrival when we found out how difficult it would be to navigate the city and the cold with two small children. (Every time I write this, I think of the moms that somehow live in Manhattan and pull this feat off on a daily basis.) The prospect of getting in enough fun seemed daunting. In a moment of exasperation early in our stay, I saw Kim mouthing the words of a silent prayer. I took the boys out into the hallway to let her vent in peace, when to my astonishment I found our neighbor from a few doors down, stay-at-home mom, transplant to NYC on temporary assignment, and even Mormon, coming off the elevator. We have come to refer to this fortuitous encounter as "The Miracle on 24th Street." And it really was a miracle. We not only had some friends in a strange place for communal "Office" viewing,  pointers on the city, and general camaraderie, but we also had baby monitors and a clear signal. This meant swaps, and we really took advantage of the situation. Each couple went out four times over the course of a couple weeks, giving us the chance to see shows and visit shops and try restaurants and just enjoy New York nights at Christmastime. We had a blast, and still feel so fortunate to have met our new friends David and Bonnie.

The best date ever involved a carriage ride through Central Park...

I kept thinking about the Seinfeld episode with the Pork-n-Beans, but the park was really nice and the falling snow made it all very quiet.

...the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and Ice Skating Rink...

...and lots of other things. We stayed out for something like 4 hours, walking around under a light snowfall the whole time. Here are some highlights:

• Trying a randomly selected restaurant and finding it to be delicious
• Visiting a large and beautiful Cathedral

• Checking out the coolest Apple Store I've ever seen
• Late night peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks (literally on every block in Manhattan)
• Famous Serendipity desserts, including the oxymoronic frozen hot chocolate
• And a quintessential "yellow cab" on the way home.

As if one fun date wasn't enough, we went a couple days later to see the Little Mermaid on Broadway. We're no connoisseurs, but we both agreed it was a really fun show. The costumes and sets were unbelievable.

On the Sunday before we left, we took a subway across to Brooklyn and then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. The photos don't do it justice in the least bit, but it was a nice view as we walked toward the illuminated downtown area and looked out over the East River and the harbor. But definitely cold again...

We took advantage of the free ferry ride to Staten Island and back. Despite the "crazy eyes" and the eery, yellowish glow of the vessel's lighting, the ride was fun and we got an up-close (and free) view of Bennett's favorite attraction, the Statue of Liberty.

Someone at FAO Schwartz is paid to construct Lego models of Chewbacca. I might be in the wrong profession.
The picture at the big foot-piano was mostly out of obligation. The boys didn't know about the 1989 motion picture "Big," and they didn't have the courage to go far from Kim. Plus it was naptime.

Santaland at Macy's is another of those "Christmas Miracles" in that it's amazing anyone has the time and willpower to put together room upon room of intricate holiday decorations - model trains, scale villages, singing bears, life-sized murals, exuberant elves, and even Santa Claus. Actually, four Santa Clauses. Bennett was timid but followed through with his plan to ask for legos; Asher was terrified.