New York City 2012 - Day 5

Leah and I left the hotel at 6:20 to go freeze our buns off at the Today Show. Since today is President’s Day, Matt Lauer, Ann Curry and Al Roker had the day off so it was a lot less exciting since I had no idea who the news anchors were. We found a place along the barricade and watched the makeup artists and hair stylists work on Savannah Guthrie in the studio via the monitors outside. The show started at 7:00 and finally, an hour later, just as they were coming back from commercial break, the camera panned by and I caught a glimpse of us on the monitor. I now consider myself a celebrity, and I’m considering moving to Hollywood to pursue a career in the industry.

Leah and I at the moment we rose to fame.  Sorry, Leah ;)

We saw a family at the other end of the plaza with a sign that said, “We’re from Olympia, Washington” (they were actually interviewed by Stephanie Abrams if you happened to watch.) As we were leaving I stopped to talk to them. The lady pointed at Leah and said, “I recognize you.” It took less than a minute for her to realize that she knows Leah from The Blueberry Farm. Their family picks berries there every year. Now, I get teased a lot for striking up conversations with complete strangers everywhere I go, but this is exactly why I do it. Because in the middle of Manhattan, we ran into somebody familiar. It just took a quick conversation to make the connection. And we are all connected in one way or another, it just takes some digging. And I like to dig.

Something I don’t like to do, is turn into a human popsicle, and that is what was happening as we stood in the 32 degree weather trying to become famous. By now it was about 8:15, so we walked back to the hotel and woke up the rest of the family who finally got to sleep in.

They got ready in a hurry and we went back up to Rockefeller Plaza to check out Kathie Lee and Hoda’s hour of the Today Show, but they had the holiday off, too. So we hopped on the tour bus and rode up to Central Park. There was not one cloud in the sky. It was bright and sunny but it was COLD.

This tour guide was actually really great, but we were only with him for about 10 minutes before we got off the bus. We entered Central Park in front of The Plaza, and bought some hot peanuts that weren’t hot. But they were SO delicious. We walked by Wollman Rink and meandered through the trails of the park. Chad and I noticed that in the 5 days we’ve been here, we have not once seen our kids as deliriously happy as they were running and climbing in the park. It was like watching prisoners who had been locked up for 20 years, finally getting a taste of freedom. (If the prisoners screamed like little girls and put their hands in the air and spun in circles, which is what our kids did.)

We made our way up to Central Park West and entered The American Museum of Natural History. Bad decision to go on a holiday! It was packed beyond comfort, but we got right in with no real wait - just lots of dodging other patrons, and trying to squeeze between people in order to view exhibits.

We started in the African Mammal Exhibit, then moved on to the Northwest Coast Indians. I was completely intrigued by the woven baskets on display. I could’ve stared at them for hours. Which took me by surprise a little, because I don’t think of myself as someone who would enjoy staring at baskets all day. But I found them mesmerizing.

In the North American Forests exhibit we got to see one of my favorites: a cross section of the Mark Twain tree. The tree was a giant sequoia that was felled in 1891. It took 2 men, each with an ax, 13 days to chop it down. Again, I don’t usually love looking at tree sections, but I am just really fond of this particular tree. Maybe because of its enormity, and the fact that it started growing around 500 A.D.

There was just so much to see on all 4 floors that we could’ve spent a week there. We moved quickly and still only saw one floor’s worth of exhibits. We missed the dinosaurs entirely, but nobody cared much. One of the biggest hits, of course, was the Hall of Ocean Life that houses the enormous model of a Blue Whale. This part of the museum kept Chad busy taking some amazing photos and the kids ran all over looking at the dioramas. The clock was ticking and so we had to make some decisions on what the last exhibit would be. We chose the halls of meteorites and minerals. Ashley was going nuts over the idea of an entire hall of gems! We got to touch a 31-ton meteorite called “Ahnighito” that fell from space and landed in Greenland thousands of years ago. After hours inside, and only a fraction of the museum covered, it was time for lunch and no one wanted Museum Food Court fare.

We popped into Café Frida for some delicious Mexican food. It was such a great departure from the Mexican restaurants in Olympia. You won’t find sombreros and cheesy Mexican décor in this place. It was delicious and fresh and new. We were there for brunch, and the only “so-so” dish was Ali’s corn pancakes. A little too odd for her liking, but she loved the fruit salad with toasted pecans. Once we had re-fueled, we were back on the sidewalk, walking toward Central Park.

We caught the tour bus for The Uptown Loop and this is where the funniest part of our day began. First let me explain how these tours work so we’re all on the same page. The downstairs part of the bus is just a regular bus, the upstairs is open-air seating and the tour guide sits in the front row on top with a microphone. The guide can be funny, or boring, full of information, or full of less desirable stuff. You just never really know what you’re in for. I’ve experienced a lot of different types of tour guides, but I have never experienced a guide like Gail. As we boarded the bus, she was up top with her microphone yelling. She sounded exactly like Joan Rivers and it turns out she was yelling at us! She was yelling at us to stay downstairs and to not come up because they were going to let people off. She was so angry and barking orders at everyone. We were all nervously laughing at first. I kept wondering if this was part of an act, like maybe some over-done jerk New Yorker lady. Nope. That was just who she was.

She continued to yell at everyone on the bus for everything from talking to standing to being from Boston. But you know what? She was the most informative and knowledgeable tour guide I’ve ever seen. She asked everyone what they thought was a “must eat” meal in New York. Some guy answered, “hot dogs?” She yelled, “Whadya tawkin’ about hot dog? Get off my bus.” It became funny after awhile, but we were completely terrified of her. If she told us to take a picture, we took a picture. Whether we wanted to or not. If she told us to sit, we sat.

She singled out Jackson with the following question: When the Dutch came to America what name did they give it? My heart stopped because I was scared what she might do to him if he answered wrong. And God knows he was going to answer wrong. “The Lakers?” was his reply. Of course. Oh dear, I began calculating how quickly I could scramble over the seats and protect my son from this livid New Yorker, but instead, she invited him up to be her assistant tour guide. He did a fantastic job When Gail found out he had 2 sisters, she invited Ashley and Ali up as well. Ashley was shy at first and didn’t want to go, but she finally conceded and ended up staying with Jackson and Gail for the whole tour. She announced our arrivals to the following locations: Riverside Church, Grant’s Tomb, Smithsonian National Museum of Design, Jewish Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park Zoo and Children’s Zoo and Park Central Hotel. She was marvelous! We were impressed by her clarity and annunciation. I could’ve never done it. After her first announcement, Gail said, “uh oh. I’m gonna be out of a job when we get back!” Jackson announced these stops: American Youth Hostel, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Guggenheim Museum, Central Park Conservatory Gardens, Frick Collections and Whitney Museum. Surprisingly enough, he took his job seriously and didn’t let one joke slip. He was great.

Ali’s experience was a bit different. Ali didn’t want to do this. Not one bit. Not only was Ali shy, she was mad! She does NOT like being put on the spot, she does not like attention and she does NOT like tour guides who yell at people. Ali took the microphone, announced our arrival to the Apollo Theater in Harlem, handed the mic to Gail and marched back to her seat with laser beams shooting out her eyes. I got a video of the whole thing that I will never EVER show anyone for fear of being put to death, but trust me. It was HILARIOUS. *I obtained Ali’s permission to write this and she has proof-read it in its entirety.*

This is Gail.  I was frightened to get this picture taken.

We finished The Uptown Tour, knowing more about New York than we thought possible, and ready to do exactly what Gail told us to. Which was go straight to Junior’s and try their cheesecake. We picked up a few slices and brought them back to the hotel. It was some of the best cheesecake I have ever tasted in my life.

Once back in our room, I slowly started helping pack things up. I cannot believe we are leaving tomorrow afternoon! Didn’t we just get here yesterday? Or this morning? I’ve lost all perception of time. Leah took Jackson to see Sister Act (AGAIN!) so they’re at the theatre. Chad, the girls and I are having a night in. Tomorrow is yet another full day and we haven’t even BEGUN to do everything I want to do! Yikes!


“When you get caught between the moon and New York City. I know it's crazy, but it's true…”

The Niemeyers