Day 2 - NYC

Day two started off early with our attempted appearance on the Today Show.  No go.  We were standing next to the Marines & Sailors that you may have seen frequently between segments... but no Wilson girls!

Matt

Natalie

Anne

Rockafellar Plaza

 Then we headed up to the Top of the Rock (70 floors high)...

 Okay, okay... enough playin'...

 Check out the view!

 

This photo op was a fun one... and one of our first 'professional' photos of the trip...

 

We took our serious photo, then we got to take a "falling" photo... and we were ready! We had talked about it, planned it out.. and just went for it....

This interesting looking shopping cart was at the bottom of the Rockefeller Building... we were totally going to take a fun picture with it... but the guys at the information desk across the lobby hollered "Don't Touch That!"  So we stood behind it.  (boring.)

St. Patrick's Cathedral

 

Next stop... Radio City Music Hall

We took the guided tour... the place is amazingly beautiful!

Our tour guide was "Cassy"... short for Cassin.

She definitely made the tour, well, entertaining... well, we made it fun too...

 Here we are posing for a picture in the women's lounge...

At one point during the tour, we went into a hallway with a life size cardboard set up with four rockettes.   Our tour guide, Cassy, said to our group, "This is the point of the tour where you can run up and pose with these Rockettes".... and at that instant, my sisters and I were already halfway up there... ready for our moment.... and WOULD YOU BELIEVE that NO ONE ELSE wanted to get up there to take their picture???? I guess they couldn't follow such an act like ours!  

The lovely "Cassy" showing us the model of the music hall that was actually used to present their vision for the Radio City Music Hall!

 

Later on during the tour, we actually got to meet a real live Rockette.

Unfortunately, the height requirement to be a rockette is between 5'6" and 5'10 1/2" tall.... so none of us would have made the cut... however, when I commented about our height, she did say we could still be in the ensemble... so there is hope for us YET!

We said our goodbyes to our dear guide, Cassy, who I am sure will not miss us at all, and headed toward the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)  It was here that Angie and I saw Samuel L. Jackson!!! Sorry, no photos or autographs, it was a brief sighting of him walking the other direction in the museum.  But it was still exciting!

The only story I have for you here, is when we were in a lower level exhibit, where there just happened to have been 3 sets of headphones for people to listen to some rockin' music... so Mom took our picture... then we immediately remembered NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY... then shortly after that we realized it was a NO PHOTO exhibit.... so we ran out of that area...

even though we were the only ones down there at the time.

 

From their, we walked over to the Chrysler Building...

And then a quick walk through Grand Central Station

Then it was back to our hotel for quick naps.... yes, I said naps...

And then on to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum...

(which deserves a post all of it's own)

New York City- Day 1

My mom and my two sisters decided to take a trip to New York City for a girls weekend.  I flew up from DC, and they flew in from Des Moines and we met at the airport!

Mom thought the difference between my sister Angie's suitcase (aka carry on) and my huge luggage was hysterical.... Sorry, I've got to have options!

 

 We started our trip with our maiden voyage in a Taxi!

 

We checked into our hotel, the Marriott Courtyard on 40th Street.

 We were on the 30th floor, and this was our view... office buildings!

 

We headed out to Time Square to check out the area...

...and we stopped to get a bite to eat at a great little diner called USA Brooklyn American Grill

We had a great waiter who told us the ins and outs of NYC... and recommended some great food:

 

Then we walked around some more and stopped in M&M World...

Later on we got dressed up and headed to a show on Broadway.

"The Million Dollar Quartet"...
or as Angie referred to it... "The Magic Million Dollar 5"

It was very entertaining!!!

Afterward, we headed to an Irish Pub for a night cap...

 We had delicious Cappuccino Martinis...

when we returned to our hotel, and got to our floor, mom said to us.. "Why don't you each stand in front of an elevator door and I'll take your picture"... but we got a little more creative with that... that's all I'll say about that.

It was a good day!

Memorial Day 2011 - Arlington National Cemetery

We loaded up the kids and headed up to Arlington National Cemetery to the Memorial Service this morning... along with thousands of others.

It was a gorgeous sunny, and very HOT day! (102 degrees)
We took a shuttle to the ceremony...

The amphitheater was full by the time we got there, but soon after, they let 500 more people in for standing room only... we made it!

And if you ask me, I think our seats (or standing area) was better anyways because we were out of the  sun!  HOT!

 Trevor and Addison found some 'seats'...

We were right across from where the First Lady sat...

 and thanks to my zoom on my camera, had a great view of the President.

After the service, we stopped by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers...

Trevor & Addison

On our way back, we laid roses on the headstones of the service members who gave their lives for our freedom...

Nick took a minute to help the little ones understand what all these white headstones meant, and why there were so many....

It's very humbling standing amongst all the headstones. 

I hope you all have a beautiful Memorial Day.  Please take a minute if you haven't already, to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us!