Happy Canada Day! It was a slow morning. I actually slept until 7:30 am. That is unusual for me. Kristen had originally wanted to go to a taping of Good Morning America. If we all went, we would have had to get up around 5 am to be ready and catch the subway. Amy, Misha, and I weren't all that thrilled about going, Chris was willing to take Kristen though.
Last night, she decided that she would skip going since it was a lot of extra effort. I don't think anymore minded being able to sleep a little longer and not rush so much. We took PATH to the Empire State Building. Up close and personal it is just another building. You can't see much of the spire. The girls were happy to find some mementos, and of course, we took pictures.
Yesterday as we walked through Little Italy, Kristen spied a store that sold post cards at 10 for $1. Since we were on the tour, it wasn't easy to stop and get them. So when we walked across the street from the Empire State Building, Kristen was thrilled to find a tourist shop that sold post cards 20 for $1. Does one really need 20 postcards of New York? No, but they were 20 for $1!
We weren't too far from the New York City temple, and made our way there. The security guard there let us go upstairs to the third floor to the meeting house under the temple. We stayed for awhile enjoying the peace that enveloped us and created a stark contrast with the noise of the city.
Chris' navigating skills must be instinctive. It was almost the end of our stay, and I was still confused by the subway system. We were all grateful and willing followers of his leadership skills.
We were just a couple of blocks from Central Park and spent the next couple of hours meandering through the park, discovering hidden pathways, and exploring. There were lots of tourists on foot, some on bike, others making use of the pedicabs, and a few others relaxing in a horse-drawn buggy.
We stopped for snacks of cashews, beef jerky, and power bars. An impromptu lunch of sorts before seeing Belvedeere Castle, the Alice in Wonderland statue, Bow Bridge, and the Old Shack. As we came upon a small pond, the girls were quick to see the remote control boats on the water. Chris surprised them all by renting one of the boats for a half hour. Kristen and Misha worked together on steering and directing the boat for 20 minutes and then Amy had a turn for the remaining 10 minutes. Kristen played at the water's edge successfully catching some of the tiny minnows.
The forecast had predicted rain later in the day, and the skies did not disappoint. It started to rain as we left the park. We took the B-line on the subway and then transferred to PATH to get back to Jersey City. Amy was able to enjoy her first decent nap of the week. That girl seems to need/crave a lot of sleep.
We walked back to the Newport Centre Mall for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory followed by a little shopping through the mall. Not much though since we really just didn't have room for too much extra. We stopped in at a ShopRite for some snacks for the airplane ride on Saturday before heading back to the hotel to call it a night. But first, we packed up suitcases as we had to leave around 8:00 am on Saturday morning.