Parting thoughts

Overall the trip was lots of fun, but I do wish we could have spent more time seeing family and sightseeing. Seeing family was fun, but one of my cousins whines a lot. For example, he doesn't like riding in cars too long, doesn't like waiting for anything, and he doesn't like walking anywhere, which is a problem in New York where everyone walks. He is 12 and his older brother is 15 and they argue a lot. My other cousin is 11. She is an only child like me, and we get along better because neither of us whine as much. She lives on the highest mountain in New Jersey.

A couple more things about The Lion King play, because I was so tired from everything we had already done for the day I ended up falling asleep for about 20 minutes of the play. I sat next to a Native American from New Mexico who had quite a trip getting to New York. At the Memphis airport, where he had to fly through, there was a big storm -- the one that created tornados last week. It made my trip look easy.

Lion King

Last night we saw The Lion King on Broadway. Now this was a musical/play so there was lots of dancing and singing. A little after the beginning there was a lady who was acting as the baboon and she clicked her tongue after everything she said, which was in an African language so we could not understand. She was hilarious.

Rafiki in The Lion King. She cracked me up!

My Mom and me waiting for the play to start.

 
I will have to write more later because we are about to take a subway then a train to New Jersey.

One busy day with more to come

My cousins from New Jersey came to join us in our busy day. We started off going on a Circle Line boat tour around Manhattan. In the middle of the trip we got cut off by sailboats twice but we did see the Chrysler building, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and a lot of apartment buildings. Only 1% of these apartments are vacant even though the rent costs a minimum of $3,000 per month! We did not just see Manhattan. We also saw Brooklyn and Queens. One of three bridges we saw was built in the early 1800s and the measurements were done with only paper and pencil. The guide on the boat told us a lot of really interesting stories like this. Afterward we rode the subway, which was very loud and packed with people, to Ground Zero. I was expecting to see more but they had the area fenced off for construction. I did get to see the new Freedom Tower being built. It is half done. We then rode the subway to Times Square and ate at an Italian restaurant where I got a Caesar salad and penne to eat.

A plaque welded to a steel beam in the shape of a cross near Ground Zero

Freedom Tower...halfway done

Going to see Lion King at the theater tonight. More on that later. It should be fun.

What I like, do not like, and interesting things

New York City has its ups and downs. There is lots to see and do, like there are lots of places to eat and apparently the pigeons like it because they are the fattest pigeons I have ever seen. Also the pigeons orange feet look like they have gloves on. I also like the variety of people. Some are quiet and some are loud. On our way into Manhattan a man got out of his car and started yelling at a traffic cop, and some people talk to themselves. The bad part is some places smell like rotting garbage and there is lots of traffic. The drivers cut each other off and in the process use bad language. Some other interesting things are that many people wash the sidewalks outside their homes and businesses each morning and the view of the city with all the tall buildings. I wish I could stay longer but the weekend has its limits.

Central Park

We just went to Central Park. We looked at only a small part of what is a really big park. Also, there is a small water park near the entrance along Broadway. There were lots of kids all over the place, on it and around it. There were also people riding bikes, walking, and riding horse-drawn carriages.

My Dad and me in Central Park

First hours in New York

My airplane flight was like all the other flights I have had.We took a car service into Manhattan. The car was driven by an orthodox Jew who told me about his faith and about being Jewish.We are staying at the Crowne Plaza on Times Square which has lots of people going into large shops with even more people and cars and taxi's honking their horns. We also ate lunch at a Italian place called Daniela's, it was one of the best restaurants I have been to. When we were their I ordered spaghetti and meatballs the plate of pasta was the size of your head and the meatballs the size of your hand. As well we were one of the only ones there.

Times Square, right outside our hotel

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

My family is headed to New York City on Friday, that's uh...May 27. We are going to visit my grandfather and cousins and see lots of really cool stuff. This is not my first trip to New York, which is why it's very exciting. I know some of the great stuff to see already, like Broadway and the world's largest toy store. I am not looking forward to all the traffic and the crowds, but it's worth it.