NYC - Day 4 (Concert day), and Day 5 (travel day home)

 Today, we got up and decided to try out the subway.  It was WAY more complex that I had realized.  You don't just walk down the stairs and jump on the tram. Nope. It is this complete underground, multi-level network of mazes to navigate.  If you're more than 2 stories below ground, your GPS doesn't work and. you're just wandering in a direction, hoping it is the correct way to head toward. We found the one we wanted, and hopped on board.

Because the GPS doesn't work that great underground, we ended up getting off too early, so we waited for the next tram to show up, this one was much more crowded than the last, but we made it work ok. We have both decided that the subway system is just not for us HAHA.  Noisy, crowded, smelly (many mixtures of weird smells going on in there) - it depletes the "peopling battery" pretty quickly! We made it to our destination and as we ascended the steps to the open air, we had such a beautiful sight awaiting us.

It was such a breathtaking sight to behold.  It was much quieter here than where we are staying, it looks cleaner, smells, cleaner and was the recharging moment we both needed. We decided not to hop on the subway again after that.  Since we were just over a mile away from our hotel, we decided to just wander back and see what we could discover along the way.  We saw Central Park, some beautiful architecture, passed a few libraries and dance theaters.  It was just a pleasant walk to experience. One thing we saw that we laughed about was the police vehicles gathered around the donut/bagel shop. LOL

I asked Tyler if he wanted one of those smart cars - he didn't think he'd fit in it very well LOL

We went to the pizza place again and grabbed lunch before heading back to the hotel for practice #1.

Afterward, we got ready for Carnegie Hall and walked over there for the final practice before grabbing a light snack before concert call time.

They didn't allow much by way of video and photography, but I managed to grab a couple of sneak peaks. I walked Tyler to the backstage entrance and then made my way around front to wait for the other parents - I was put in charge of the tickets for everyone that wasn't participating in the choir.  We were granted access and found we had amazing seats for the performance!

All the participants from across the US did such an amazing job! It was a treat to listen to. I am in awe of all of these kids! I managed to sneak another couple pics during the intermission, just before the start of Tyler's group.

I was messaging my family during the practice earlier, and we kept reminiscing over what Tyler has accomplished.  We had a therapist tell us (in the beginning, before he started talking) to not "expect much from him, that kids like him don't do much or go very far in life so don't get your hopes up." Here he is, not even 13 years later, singing at Carnegie Hall!!  I was a mess, overcome with joy and just a mother's pride while I watched him.  Guys, he's so amazing! I can't tell you how proud I am of him and his hard work!

We went to the after party across the street after the performance, and ate a light dinner before decided we had been people'd out again, and left the party early. 

We slept long and hard after all that excitement! What a wonderful experience it has been!  We are so ready to go home now, though. Before we leave the Big Apple, we just HAD to visit Carlo's Bake Shop (the guy from Cake Boss). That is just around the block from where we stayed!

SO DELICIOUS!! What a great send-off treat!  New York City - it's been fun, but we're so ready to go back to the slower paced life of ours in the West. Time to head home!

NYC - Day 3

 Hello all! I know, I know, two posts in one day! CRAZY, right?! I just happened to have time this evening to post about the day, so I'll take up that chance when I get it!

Today, we got up and headed out for breakfast and off we went to Rockefeller Center. We had tickets to go up to "Top of the Rock" observatory. Along the way, we passed bills posted for many different Broadway musicals, but I had to grab a pic of my favorite one, since I can't go see it this go round, I can at least say I stood outside it haha

We passed by Radio City Music Hall, and saw some beautiful box gardens across the street from it. Springtime is so pretty!

We got to Rockefeller Center just as 3 tour busses showed up.  There was a bit of a line to wait in, but as we waited, I looked up at the skyscrapers and felt very small, all of a sudden. Ha! I know, I'm weird, it's ok. 

Once we entered the building, it was stunning! Oh my goodness, look at that light fixture! (just humor me and admire the beauty with me lol)

We were given access to the balconies and waited in line to board the elevator.  Once we were inside, our guide told us the lights would be turned off and to look up.  There was a glass ceiling and we were able to watch a light show on the way up. Since I still struggle with uploading videos on here, I tried a new way, let me know if it works or not!

We made it up to the observatory decks and, guys, just look at that view! Central Park, Statue of Liberty, the harbor, New Jersey, the ocean...oh my goodness!!

They also had different photo opportunities that you could recreate. One was simply sitting on this beam that is safely anchored to solid flooring.

The other was by buckling into some makeshift (but secure, mind you) chairs on a beam and being hoisted up from the second level deck to the height of the third level deck. 

Tyler and I opted to keep our feet firmly planted on the floor, thank you very much LOL We did, however, go with the first photo option and had some fun with it

We also managed to spot the New Years Eve ball from up high, AND then again as we were walking back to the hotel.

Tyler had practice again this afternoon, so another one of the moms and I decided to gallivant our way over to Ground Zero - the Twin Towers Memorial (the kids weren't as interested in going there as we were).  It was so beautiful and peaceful there.  Both of us are pretty emotional people, so we opted not to to inside the museum this time, but we did meander our way around outside and then in to the World Trade Center Station, which has quite a few shops and kiosks in it.  We grabbed ourselves some gelato and kept on moseying our way around the area. We had a good laugh at some of the art sculptures we saw across the street from the memorial area and, over all, had a great time sans kids for a few.

Here is a Marco Polo video I sent to family. We made our way back to the hotel and found we had more time to relax than we had originally thought! SCORE! After practice was over, we gathered up our crew of kiddos and headed over to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

We had so much fun looking at the pictures and random movie quotes they had up everywhere.  We got a window seat and were able to watch some dance competitors showing off their moves in Times Square as well.

The food was delicious - even if you're not a seafood fan (*raises hand*), they have so many delicious options!

On the way back to the hotel, we passed by the Hard Rock Cafe, NY. The front of the building where the entrance is was SO crowded, so we snuck around to one of the side windows and managed to grab a picture, just to say "we were there" LOL

We had so much fun today, but time is catching up to us, for sure! We're tucking ourselves into bed early so we can get enough rest and see what kind of fun we can have tomorrow!