It's Up To You NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

We just got back from our trip to New York yesterday. Joe and I agree that it was an amazing vacation. Unfortunately, Gunnar was not able to come with us since he has school. I must say, while I thoroughly enjoyed visiting New York, I'm glad to call Chicago home. Chicago 2 New York 0. We were not impressed with the food. Chicago Pizza definitely outscores New York's pizza. I'm not supposed to eat hotdogs while pregnant, but I've been dying to try a Nathan's hotdog. So, I allowed myself this one hotdog since it will probably be many years before we get back there. I was disappointed that I wasted my one hotdog on a New York frankfurter when it could've been a good ole Henry's hotdog right here in Chicago. They don't offer YELLOW MUSTARD in New York! How can you not have yellow mustard for a hotdog? It was all the brown mustard, you know like Mr. Mustard?!?! You'll have to ask Joe about the onions! Ask Laura about the pickles! We all have a story! Below are some pictures we'd like to share with you.

This is Giovanna's first airplane ride! She did very well. We were a little nervous about how the flight was going to be, but she did just fine.

We visited Ground Zero on our first evening there. At first, I was a little disappointed because it's just one big construction zone. They have huge fences and barricades, so you can't even see what is being built. Then we rounded the corner and came to the firehouse that we think was the first to respond to the scene. Engine 10 Ladder 10. That is where it felt like Ground Zero to me. On the side of the building, people still put flowers and candles as a memorial to the fallen firemen. I started to get teary eyed when I saw it. There was a poster with all the pictures of fallen firemen from that day. There was also a HUGE bronze plaque with the scene from 9/11 with the planes crashing into the Twin Towers, and all the people working to help others escape the fallen debris. It was very touching.

The next day we visited the Statue of Liberty. It's difficult to see, but we are standing at the bottom of the wall, right at the corner! Ya we look so teenie tiny! It was awesome seeing the majestic statue.
When we finished taking pictures of the statue, we let Giovanna run around on the lawn. She had so much fun. I think this picture is precious of her pointing towards the statue.

There was also a great view of New York's skyline from the island, so we took a picture!

The following day we went to Coney Island for a Nathan's Hotdog! We all agree that they are hyped up more on tv, but tasted ok. Again, the no yellow mustard thing really bothered me. Laura asked for pickles and they questioned, "Do you mean raw pickles or relish?" Joe asked for tomato on his hotdog and he must have stunned them because they asked, "What did you want on your frankfurter?" These pictures are our first bites of our Nathan's Hotdogs!

Times Square was awesome! It is so much bigger than I imagined. There is so much activity going on. Between all the monitors and people walking around, talk about over stimulation!!! Oh, and we saw the "Naked Cowboy!" My favorite part about Times Square is that they blocked off the streets and setup tables. So, you can sit and have a drink, or eat a muffin, and just watch what's going on around you. Very cool place to be.
Finally, our last full day there we went On Top of the Rock! A friend at our step-class recommended that we visit Rockefellar (not sure if spelled right). We went to the viewing deck, and THAT was so cool, I can't even come up with a word good enough to describe the experience. You actually go outside on top of the building! The view is amazing. It was an extremely windy day, but so cool to see the city from this view. We also went to Central Park. Again, I did not fathom how large that park really is. We only spent an hour or two there, and you can easily spend an entire day. That'll have to be for next time!