New York City- Day 5
On Top of the World
Thursday, April 13, 2023
This was BY FAR my favorite day of the trip!
Yankee Stadium HAS MY HEART!
Morning
After a late night in Chinatown we got a great night's sleep and were ready to tackle what would end up being our favorite day of the trip. We grabbed our morning breakfast in the hotel, which was once again, near perfect for our needs. We then left our hotel to walk towards the One World Trade Center for our 10:30AM observation deck appointment time. It was only 9AM so we knew we could take our time getting there.
As we got out of our hotel and started walking towards the One World Trade Center, we noticed a lot of commotion, people, large crowds and eventually we noticed cameras. As we walked closer we started to ask locals what was going on and one told us "Donald Trump is coming in for his arraignment today and passing by soon". We thought this was cool so we waited a bit to see if we could see him.
Our first view of the madness on Maiden Street.
This group of people were absolutely CRAZY.
Yelling, cursing, mob mentality... Everything you'd expect!
We are here to see what happens!
The one lonely Trump supporter!
This turned into about an hour of waiting and watching to see if President Trump was going to arrive at the NYC Courthouse. The people who were protesting were INSANE. They were yelling and mocking him and honestly just acting like a bunch of idiots. It was quite comical. In fact, at some point there was a photographer who kept trying to take our pictures but we would turn around to not allow him to get our faces. We stayed close enough to see what was going on but far enough to not really be involved. Like President Trump, or not... I don't care but I do not want my name or face anywhere near this type of media ordeal. We ended up walking west one block and waiting with the "Inside Edition" crew as they reported about Trump arriving in NYC.
Our view from further west on Maiden Street.
President Trump has arrived...
There were CHOPPERS EVERYWHERE!
We survived the mob and this experience!
This was a "once in a lifetime" type of ordeal but once President Trump's motorcade passed by and went into the NYC courthouse parking garage, we walked away. Overall we stayed at this location trying to get an idea of it all for about an hour. We did arrive in time for our 10:30AM arrival time and we were on our way to the TOP OF THE WORLD!
She gives me all the feels every time I see her!
I had been inside the Twin Towers in summer of 2000 and had been on top of the North Tower with my family. Growing up, when we visited large cities, we would ALWAYS go into a Skyscraper as one of our daily attractions in the new city. I have been to buildings like the Sears Tower (Chicago), Empire State Building and World Trade Center (NYC), CN Tower (Toronto) and Space Needle (Seattle). These are just a few of my favorites from growing up. I LOVE skyscrapers and I was so excited to share my all-time favorite (The World Trade Center Twin Towers) successor with my family!
I am ready... Let's do this!
Luke really enjoyed reading about the limestone beneath the earth that the OWTC is built upon! SOLID ROCK!
Immediately upon checking in, I got goosebumps and started tearing up. It just hit me differently having been up to the North Tower before. Much like the Empire State Building, the elevator ride to the top of the 100th floor and the start of the observation deck. This starts with a brief visual and audio ride through SEE FOREVER THEATER which describes the World Trade Center and it's impact on NYC and America. The tears would NOT stop here... As the movie ended, they lifted the screens and you saw the Statue of Liberty live in the Hudson River. WOW... Just wow! This was absolutely INCREDIBLE and I was just in awe of it all!
After the video presentation you could meander through floor 100 before going up to floor 101 and getting 360* view of New York City and surrounding areas from atop of One World Trade Center. Hands down, this was my favorite observatory of the trip and is now my favorite Skyscraper I have been to. The nostalgia and historic aspect alone is enough to make this rise to the top but they did a GREAT job with this observatory inside and out. I do like the outside deck of ESB and Top of the Rock but overall I liked the OWTC better. I highly recommend NYC visitors as a MUST DO while in NYC. TIP- I got discounted tickets off of Groupon for $18/ per person which is about half of the regular $42 cost.
The VERY first thing you see when they lift the screens... GUT WRENCHING!
I LOVE THIS!
Ellis Island
A view of Midtown Manhattan
Isn't she a beauty!
I LOVE NY!
I loved getting to share this with my kiddos!
New Jersey from above!
Hey... We've been there (Statue of Liberty)
Battery Park and lower Manhattan
Looking towards Brooklyn and Queens.
The Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges
The Oculus... Such an architectural phenomena.
WE LOVED THIS SO MUCH!
Luke loved this skyscraper as well!
Be still my heart!
Maybe a Christmas Card picture... Be on the lookout! HAHA!
LOVE THIS!
This was funny because Natalie was wearing teal blue pants and I was wearing teal blue shirt so on this "green screen" you could not see our pants/ shirt!
Love this guy and this picture!
Thank you Chris for sharing all of this with me!
One final view of NYC... I LOVE THIS PLACE SO MUCH!
I LOVE THIS PLACE! Check it out for a FULL WALK THRU!
Afternoon
After we spent about 2 hours at the Top of the World Trade Center, we went back to the Oculus to get a coffee before getting on a PATH train to New Jersey. We wanted to get Chris and the kids another state to their "Bucket list" and this allowed us to do that. We paid $2.75 per person, each way and arrived in Hoboken, NJ about 30 minutes later. Once in Hoboken, we walked down to Pier A Pergola to get a spectacular view of Manhattan. TIP- This was and INCREDIBLE view and worth the $6 (RT) fare ALONE! The kids and Chris touched grass in NJ and crossed off another state on their list!
We are SO EXCITED to get to Jersey!
Hello grass... We have officially arrived in New Jersey!
#27 for CHRIS!
What a view... This place is AWESOME!
Family selfie time in Jersey!
Thank you Chris for taking me!
After enjoying the view of Manhattan in Pier A Pergola, we walked to downtown Hoboken to grab some lunch. We landed at Sticky's Chicken which prided themselves on being the "Best Damn Chicken" and while it was good, we were not really that impressed. We think Raising Canes is much better but we enjoyed trying a local favorite.
Sticky's Menu options!
We all got the nuggets/ strips! It WAS filling but we still prefer Raising Canes!
After lunch we rode the subway back to the Oculus and the World Trade Center subway station so we could have an afternoon at the reflecting pools. This was such a special and emotional moment for us to be able to walk the base of the original twin towers and read all of the names of the lives lost on that tragic day on September 11th. Even the kids were able to reflect upon this day and it's meaning to our country. We were also able to see the Survivor's Tree, which was in bloom and gorgeous! Next time we come to NYC, we would like to go to the 9/11 museum. We were not sure if the kids would be able to handle it at this age but Chris and I want to come back and get the whole experience.
Be prepared for all kinds of emotions.
They did this memorial SO WELL!
May we NEVER FORGET...
Even looking at this now after the fact, it makes me tear up!
The survivor tree
This was done SO WELL... May we NEVER FORGET!
Once done at the reflecting pools, we walked the few blocks back to our hotel and the boys took a quick nap while Natalie and I got a $15 smoothie nearby our hotel. We all got changed and then made our way back to the Fulton Street Station to ride the subway to Yankee Stadium!
We are ready to go to the Bronx... Let's GO!
Fulton Street Station... Getting ready to go to Yankee Stadium!
Evening
We rode the train all the way from Fulton Street to 161st Street and Yankee Stadium. The subway was crowded but not near as crowded as it was the day before or on Monday on our way to Citi Field. We arrived around 5PM and the gates were not open yet so we wandered around the stadium. We got in line around 5:30PM and while in line we saw Steve Schirripa from the Sopranos and Blue Bloods going into the game!
My heart started racing the moment we got off the train! I LOVE THIS PLACE!
I was SO HAPPY!
Greatest Baseball Stadium EVER!
Once in the ballpark, we immediately went to section 210 to get in line for the Judge #99 Burger. This is a one of a kind WAGYU beef burger made fresh to order inside Yankee Stadium. They only make 99 PER GAME (although we later learned they now make 199) and we wanted to ensure we got at least 1. We waited in line to order for about 30 minutes and were able to snag #62 and #63 Judge Burgers for the night! About 45 minutes later we got our two FRESH Judge Burgers and they were INCREDIBLE! I realize paying $20 PER BURGER is kind of insane and the wait is INTENSE but this is an experience we wanted to have and it was WORTH IT! In fact, it was worth every minute and penny! The kids DESTROYED their 1/2 burger and we wished we would have gotten at least a third if not a fourth.
The line for a Judge #99 burger when we arrived.
30 minutes later we were at the front of the line watching them make FRESH burgers with WAGYU BEEF!
We were # 62 and 63!
THIS WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY AND EVERY MINUTE!
After our burger, we continued to walk around the concourse and then make our way to our seats in section 420 right behind home plate. We really enjoyed these seats and while they were high up, they were very centralized and had GREAT views of the game. We paid $72/ ticket, which is OUTRAGEOUS but it fit in our budget and worked out really well for us!
This boy was in HEAVEN... He loved this Stadium too!
This is what it is ALL ABOUT!
I promised Luke when he was a TODDLER I would take him to Yankee Stadium for his 10th Birthday! We were about 10 months late but we made it happen!
Happy 10th Birthday Luke
Happy 40th Birthday ME!
Just 3 more stadiums to go!!
(Dodgers, Angels and Oakland As)
She loved this Stadium too!
Life doesn't get much better than this!
I had been waiting for this for 13 years...
I have always wanted to take MY family to Yankee Stadium and it was PICTURE PERFECT!
A view from our seats!
The perfect evening!
This was PERFECT!
The 7th Inning Stretch and God Bless America in Yankee Stadium...
ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!
The game was a BLOW OUT and the Yankees lost 11-2 against the Twins and Carlos Correa hit 2 home-runs! Unfortunately, Judge struck out twice! My heart was SO HAPPY and I was right at home. Yankee Stadium has ALWAYS been a favorite of mine and NEW YANKEE STADIUM did not disappoint. It is in the TOP THREE of my favorites of ALL TIME! This turned out to be MY FAVORITE day of the whole trip!
This day was PERFECT!
Our night at Yankee Stadium!
As the game continued to go south for the Yankees, we decided to leave at the bottom of the 8th inning in hopes of having a less crowded train back to Manhattan. Boy were we WRONG! This train was loaded SHOULDER TO SHOULDER but provided some of the best entertainment of the entire trip and Luke did SO WELL!
A classic NYC subway ride... This was SO COMICAL!
We got back to our hotel at 11:30PM and we were EXHAUSTED but had a GREAT DAY!
Whoa... I didn't even break 20K? How?
Up Next... our LAST full day in NYC and another evening spent at Yankee Stadium!
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