Tuesday, November 27, 2012

NYC & Canada Day #8: Back in New York

NYC & Canada Day #7: Final At Sea Day
NYC & Canada Day #6: Saint John, New Brunswick

NYC & Canada Day #5: Halifax, Canada
NYC & Canada Day #4: First At Sea Day
NYC & Canada Day #3: Boarding the Disney Magic
NYC & Canada Day #2: Wicked!!
NYC & Canada Day #2: New York Yankees

NYC & Canada Day #1: Exploring New York

When I last left off, we were finishing up our last At Sea Day on board the Disney Magic and were headed back to port in New York.

While doing  research on this trip, I was told time and time again, make sure you wake up early enough on your return day to see the bridge/statue lit up at night.

At 4 a.m…..YES, 4 a.m., I dragged myself out of bed and waited on the verandah for the landmarks to pass by. I was not disappointed!

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The bridge and the Statue were breathtaking!

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I couldn’t get a really clear picture of the statue but it really was gorgeous! I went up on deck (in my pajamas…klassy) to see the statue and not many people were out and about. I wasn’t surprised, it was 4 a.m. after all!

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I love the New York Skyline at night!

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We were sad to say goodbye to the Magic. :0(

After breakfast, we waited on our color tags to be called, then we began the process of searching for our luggage. Customs was really quick to pass through, then we approached this….

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…..the taxi line. With NO taxi’s in sight.

The suggestion was given that we walk back to our hotel (yes, once again pulling our luggage behind us)….and I’m always up for walking….so off we went!

By the time we reached our hotel, I was drenched and my arms were killing me. Yuck.

We decided to book a double decker bus tour so after putting our luggage in our room and changing clothes, we were off! (We booked the 48 hour package which included unlimited rides of the Uptown/Downtown/and Night tours.)

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I loved this thing! Seriously, if you are taking a trip to NY and want to see all of the city in a short amount of time, a bus tour is the way to go!

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Our first stop was at the largest Macy’s in the world!

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This place is freakin massive.

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The old escalator kind of freaked me out a little….

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They even have a McDonald’s, a Starbucks on every floor, and several other food establishments inside! It’s crazy!

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This was my view on the escalator as we approached the 8th floor. I could hear the angel choir singing!!!

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I was in heaven! I may have bought an ornament or two…

After Macy’s we decided to stop at the Empire State Building.

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My husband is such a goofball!

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It took a LONG time to get up to the Observation Deck – at least an hour even though the sign said 15 minutes. We first waited in line for an elevator that took us up most of the way, then we got off the elevator on a deck that was set up to show how the building was built, the price, etc. After looking around that floor, we waited in another line, then boarded another elevator for the top. There might have even been another elevator thrown in there somewhere….but like I said, it took a full hour.

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Finally made it!

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The view was incredible!

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I spy the Magic!

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This place is incredible.

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Just to show you how big Macy’s is….see that red sign in the left corner? That’s where Macy’s starts! Crazy!

We stayed at the observation deck for about 45 minutes, then we decided we were hungry for lunch!

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We found a hole in the wall pizza joint (those are the best anyway!) and we absolutely loved it!

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We hopped back on the bus and completed our Downtown Tour….(that’s what’s nice about the busses – you can pick up right back where you started on your own time.)

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Tall buildings everywhere!

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I thought this building looked neat!

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Really? A McDonalds that delivers?

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Chinatown!

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We returned to Times Square to check out Broadway tickets at TKTS. We wanted to see Phantom, had not yet purchased tickets……and we were in luck! Tickets were still available! Yay!

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We changed clothes at our hotel, then snagged a cab for the Majestic Theater.

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The longest running Broadway production of all time! Pretty neat!

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I do have to say (and I’m sad to say this), Wicked was WAY more polished to me than Phantom. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Phantom, but it is (by far) not the best Broadway production I’ve seen. I did like it but I would recommend Wicked over Phantom any day. I guess it all depends on your style, too!

My favorites in order: #1: Wicked; #2: Les Miserables; #3: Phantom and Lion King are tied.

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After Phantom, we ate dinner at TGI Friday’s, then attempted to walk over to Ellen’s Stardust for dessert. We were too late – they were closing. Here’s where a REALLY small world story comes into play – the guy who met us at the door at Ellen’s (he worked there) recognized Jason! We were all the way in New York from Louisiana and someone recognized my husband!! Apparently they were in college at the same time (separate colleges) and they were both in the same fraternity – which means they didn’t even see each other often! Crazy, right?

Up next: World Trade Center and our final day in New York

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