You probably haven't noticed, but I've been a bit absent from the blog over the last week or so. And for an excellent reason! I just returned from a whirlwind trip to New York City. Neither my husband nor I had ever visited The Big Apple, so we jumped at the chance to check it out. Even better, we got to see it with our 17-year-old daughter, who is finishing up her year of service as one of The United States' five 2019 National Student Poets. Her excellent performance at Carnegie Hall was the highlight of our trip (notice the photo of U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith listening to our daughter recite an original poem—squee!), of course, but we also hit a lot of NYC's tourist attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center (we weren't on the Today show, but we did get a blurry picture with Al Roker!), the 9/11 memorial, Grand Central Station, the beautiful 5th Ave/42nd St. branch of the New York Public Library, etc. Our favorite visits were to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side (interesting and moving) and to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Manhattan temple, which is a beautiful oasis of peace and tranquility in the middle of a crowded, noisy urban jungle! The temple itself is not open to the public, but there is a family history center in the same building that anyone can visit. 
We did manage a stop at one NYC bookstore—The Strand. It boasts that it houses 18 miles of books, which I totally believe! Their shelves are soaring and crammed full. I firmly believe that you can never have too many books in one place, but when you combine The Strand's packed, but very narrow aisles and its constant crowd of customers, it can make even the non-claustrophobic feel a little anxious. The place isn't quite as family-friendly as I hoped it would be—if you take young kids for a visit, you might want to cover their eyes until you get them safely to the children's section. I've never seen the F-word printed on so many tote bags before in my life!
I'm a small-town girl at heart, so I have to admit the city was a little much for me. Too expensive, too many people, too much noise, etc. Sleeping in our Midtown hotel was impossible without earplugs! I'm glad I went, but I'm not gonna lie—I never need to go back. Been there, done that.
Blog-wise, I'm going to be playing catch-up over the next week or so. I'm behind on reading, scheduled reviews, commenting on your blogs, and everything else there is to be behind on. Oh well. My kids are out of school for the summer, so in between their cries of "I'm bored!" I'll be getting caught up on both life stuff and BBB stuff.
Have a great week!
P.S. The photo of The Strand is not mine. I found it here.
I love NYC but in moderation only I think! It gets a little much for me too. Sounds like a wonderful trip and how exciting for your family! Your daughter looks so poised. Good luck getting back into routines. Sometimes I feel like I need a vacation after my vacation!
ReplyDeleteShe was amazingly poised! I would have been shaking in my boots :)
DeleteFun! I'm jealous you got to drop in at The Strand. And congrats to your daughter. That's an amazing accomplishment. :D
ReplyDeleteThe Strand was crazy. It was so crowded that it was tough to really browse and soak up the atmosphere. It was fun to see it, though.
DeleteWow! Your daughter is amazing. What a wonderful reason to visit NYC. I grew up in Brooklyn and still live near the city, so I am familiar with all those places. The 9/11 museum broke me. I am glad I went, but could never revisit. Too emotional.
ReplyDeleteThere was a huge line for the museum, so we actually didn't go into it. I've heard it's a very emotional experience. Maybe it's good that we didn't get to go in :(
DeleteWow, what a great week. I can only imagine how proud you must be of your very talented daughter. What a thrill that must have been.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you worked in a bookish stop or two among your stops around the city - that tenement museum really sounds good; I've seen pictures and a short vide presentation on it and would love to see it sometime.
She really is amazing. Talented in many different ways.
DeleteWe all enjoyed The Tenement Museum. It's an interesting place to visit. They're still working on developing the building, but it's worth the visit as is.
Ah, NYC. I love it and am always glad to leave when it's time. It sounds like you did all the right activities; I've heard really good things about the Tenement Museum.
ReplyDeleteI was definitely glad to leave, but I am glad I went. It was cool to see all the places I'd only ever heard or read about.
DeleteThe Tenement Museum is a great place to visit. Our neighbor raved about it to us, so we went on her recommendation. I learned a lot from it and will now be able to clearly picture a tenement building when I read about them in books!
What a great reason to take a trip, Susan! Know you are so proud of your girl and congrats to her! NYC - well, I've never been - my husband has gone there on business. Eh, for me, I'm OK to skip it. Give me the mountains any day. I'm content to read about that particular location.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Congratulations to your daughter, what an amazing accomplishment and great way to see all her hard work pay off!!! And how cool for you that you got to get away for a bit and see something new- especially since it made you happy for what you have at home. Those are always the best kinds of getaways. I lived in Connecticut for five years and only made it to NYC briefly, so I don't have much of an experience of the city. I'm more of a suburban gal anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! :)
I would have jumped at the chance as well! How fun and huge congrats to your daughter!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I'm glad you got to go and explore the city and support your daughter! :D
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing experience for the family. I have never been to New York City, it is on my bucket list. You must be so proud of your daughter. That is an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations to her. We all have to take time for ourselves and family, so take you time catching up.
ReplyDeleteWow -- congratulations to your daughter on her achievement! New York is quite an experience.
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