New York!!!

Here we are in New York, looking at Manhattan. Justin, Kate, and I went and had a great time! We managed to brave the cold and the rain and do most of the touristy things we wanted to. Yes, I know, but when you only have 4 days you have to pack everything in. If we ever get back we'll do less touristy things. For now, we had a great time, touristy or not.

We ate dinner at the Planet Hollywood and I was so excited that they had Bella's prom dress (the actual dress she wore in the movie) on display there. So, I had to have a picture!!

This was the only time at the Empire State Building that Kate smiled. She screamed the whole time. She wasn't impressed, but we really liked it!! It's a little nerve racking to be 86 floors up, but the view is fantastic!!! Oh...little miracle happened there...Kate was screaming so I was trying to tickle her and play with her, and she knocked my contact out of my eye. As you can see, it was very dark, very windy, and there were hundreds of people walking around. I did not think we would ever find it. I figured she had knocked it into the wind and it had blown somewhere and had been stepped on, or maybe dropped to the street below. But I took out my phone, opened it so the light was on, and started shining it around. I found it!!! It was sitting on the concrete ledge right by me. Wow! I was sooooooo happy!!! I think it was a definite miracle.

This was my favorite part of the trip. I loved the Statue of Liberty!!! The boat ride was fun, but the feeling surrounding the Statue was incredible. You could sense the relief of the immigrants as she came into view. You could feel the history. It was amazing!

This was where the twin towers once stood. Having never seen them in person, I can only remember seeing them on that dreadful day, crumbling to the ground. A little somber, but I think it's good to see and good to remember.

This is the site now. I was amazed that almost 8 years later there is still no memorial, just a big hole and construction. And it is a huge area!!

This chapel is across the street from ground zero. Nothing happened to it when the towers fell. It became the place where the firefighters and rescue workers stayed and slept. It has a peaceful feeling, and it is a beautiful memorial.

This flag has the names of all those who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

This is a memorial where people have put pictures and notes to those they lost. It is really touching and so sad to see, but once again, good to remember.....

To end on a happier note, this is our cutie. She did a pretty good job, besides screaming all through the Metropolital Museum of Art and the Empire State Building. But, we totally threw her off schedule and she did not get all the beauty sleep she apparently needed. So, we'll blame it on ourselves. She was the love of all the New Yorkers. I don't think they see many babies. So many people came up and talked to her, rubbed her arms (not my favorite), wanted to hold her (um, no, sorry), but they were just enthralled by her. I have to admit, she is pretty darn cute!!!