The Big Apple (Days 2-5)

The rest of the trip in NYC was much dryer than day one...actually we had gorgeous weather! On Sunday, we were able to sleep in (I don't even know what that is anymore!) and then had to meet in the hotel lobby and take cars from Staten Island to Manhattan for a meeting at the main NY election office. It was on this trip that we came through the Battery tunnel and ended up right at Ground Zero. This was my only venturing to that area...due to my own personal feelings about respecting what happened there and those who lost their lives. We arrived early for this meeting so we were able to walk to a local deli and grab a bite to eat. I loved the atmosphere of all the little delis we'd encounter; very citified and New York! The meeting was to go over policies & procedures for the primary on Tuesday, which was good to know, but what was incredible was that we were on the 10th floor of this building and they had some amazing views from all sides of this floor. My new camera (hehe) actually has a setting for taking photos through windows so I tried it out and it worked wonderfully! We could see where the trains come in & out on one side, and more awesome views of other buildings in Manhattan. The meeting lasted about 4 hours and after that we were on our own. One of my work colleagues and I took the car back to the hotel and chilled out for a bit then went from the hotel to the Ferry again, grabbed the Subway, and met another colleague near 42nd & 3rd avenue for dinner at a Tex-Mex place. You might not think NYC can do Tex-Mex, but it was really very good and it was laid back, which I liked. After dinner, we went to a local drugstore/novelty shop which was fun to look around in and then we headed back to the subway to head back to the Ferry and hotel. On the walk to the subway, we passed a corner market that had all these beautiful flower bouquets for sale...the colors were really popping! We also had a great view, when we looked up, of the Empire State Building and it's colored lights (yellow on this night), and a really neat church with outside statues illuminated by spotlights. Getting on the Ferry could probably be likened to how cattle feel being herded into one of those big transport semi-trailers...you know you have to get on, the next thing is to just try and find a decent spot. For this traveler, of course, my goal was to find a spot that presented the best photo ops! I did get some great pics of the Manhattan skyline, the Bridges and of the Statue of Liberty all from riding the *free* Ferry! And, as I digress, let me just say that it was really nice to have a couple of days where I got to watch the TV I wanted, could take longer showers, have a bed to myself and just be a little less responsible however, I adore Zoie and missed her very much. Ok, so on Monday, we had to visit the election office of our respective burrough, which was supposed to take all day, but we were only there for about 2-3 hours and then had the rest of the day free again! So, it was back to the hotel to drop off stuff and freshen up and then back to the Ferry to head over to Manhattan again - this time sans rain & umbrella drama. My colleague, and now friend, Su, was with me and we walked and walked and walked! We went to the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, the Fashion District (it was NY Fashion Week while were there so while I didn't see anyone famous that I know of, I did see some great fashion - even on one unsuspecting trend setter with the bright blue tights!), Avenue of the Americas, Times Square (had a dawg from one of the vendors), and near Battery Park, where the Ferry docks are. We were originally going to meet up with the rest of the group and take the same ferry back, but we were both kind of done and we had to be up very early for election day so we went ahead and caught the Ferry back...and I am SO glad we did because the sun was setting over the harbor and city. I got some of my most favorite photos of this trip on this very last Ferry ride. Su & I went to a local bar on S.I. for wings & beer then went back to the hotel and retired for the night. The next day was election day so we actually had to do some work on our business trip and Wednesday we flew home (another direct flight!).



So, that's the story of New York City...apparently things were as peachy in Nebraska at this time as they were in the Big Apple with Grandma & Zoie! I think Zoie wasn't too happy that Mommy left...she would tell Grandma to stay out of the bedroom, telling her that it was "Mommy's room...leave it alone!" She also through one heck of a tantrum for Grandma so I'm not sure who was happier to see me when I got there! Zoie's eyes just got really big and she said, "Mommy..are you HERE?!" Then later she told me to not leave anymore, just to stay there. That is the hard part of this job, but it's necessary, and the time apart is good for us both! Enjoy the pics...