November 30 - Day 6

Today was our pizza tour day. We started in Manhattan at Lombardi's Pizza, certified as the first pizzaria in the United States. After a slice of yummy pizza we boarded the pizza bus & our guide Scott took us to Harlem for our 2nd pizza stop.

Here is our pizza bus and our tour guide, Scott. Scott did a great job describing the history of pizza and the many different ways it can be prepared.

Patsy's (left) in Harlem was our second stop. Very good pizza on a very thin crust cooked in a coal-fired brick pizza. Rizzo's (right) in Queens was our third stop and we had square pizza instead of round, prepared in a gas oven.

Our last stop was at Forino's in Brooklyn. More excellent cheese pizza prepard

in a wood-fired brick oven. This was my choice for the best pizza we had.

The weather could have been more cooperative, as it rained all day, but we still had a great time and I can highly recommend Scott's pizza tour of New York City.

November 29 - Day 5

This morning we boarded a ferry to view the Statue of Liberty and visit Ellis Island. The ferry ride to the Statue was smooth and very quick.

We climbed the 150 steps in the base of the statue to get some wonderful views of the skyline.

The Statue is truly a beautiful, amazing sight to see. You cannot get up to her crown any longer, only onto the pedestal, but the views are amazing. In 1985, I sent money from my first paycheck to the restoration project of the Statue. In the visitor center, there is a computer where you can search for your name if you made a donation. I did the search and sure enough, found my name (maiden name)!

From the Statue, we went to Ellis Island and to the immigration reception center. It was fascinating to view all of the relics and learn about what immigrants had to go through to be admitted into the US.

The views from both the Statue and Ellis Island were beautiful and we were able to see the sun set on Lady Liberty.

We also visited the site of the World Trade Center. Unfortunately, it was dark when we arrived, but we could see the construction on the memorial. After paying our respects here, we took a ride back to the hotel in a New York taxi....always an adventure!

November 28 - Day 4

Today is the infamous "black Friday"...the busiest shopping day of the year and I believe it! Lacey & I got to Macy's at about 9am and it was truly a zoo. No, a zoo isn't enough to describe it...I have never seen that many people crowded into a store before. The line for the escalator extended the length of the store, which is a New York City block long! Needless to say, we left. Victoria's Secret across the street wasn't any better so we took the subway to the Upper West Side and went to Bloomingdale's. Much better there. It was busy, but not too much more than your average weekend crowd. We had lunch at a great deli and then started to walk back towards the hotel. On our way back, Lacey found the Dooney & Bourke store.

Dinner was at Virgil's BBQ which was quite good. Lacey, the vegetarian, found the macaroni & cheese to be quite good. Here is a picture of Cody enjoying his ribs.

Lacey & Cody went to see Spamalot so Barb and I continued our pursuit of the best cheesecake in NYC. So far, Hurley's has the best, followed by Junior's and then the deli we got some at tonight comes in a disappointing third.

November 27 - Day 3

We were out on the parade route by 8am and it was already packed. We ended up on the corner of Broadway & 47th Street. The parade made it's way down to us around 10am and we saw many great balloons.

After the parade, Barb & I went to fulfill a dream I've had since I was a little kid....I've always wanted to skate at Rockefeller Center in front of the Christmas tree. The tree won't be lit until December 3, the day after we leave, but it is up and it is beautiful. Cody came down and took some pictures of us.

Dinner was at Hurley's and it was great! Traditional turkey, stuffing and cranberries. It was yummy and we were stuffed.

After dinner, we walked to the Empire State Building and went up to the 82nd floor observation deck. It was amazing to see the city at night.

November 26 - Day 2

We slept in a bit today and headed towards Radio City Music Hall for a tour and to see the Rockette's Christmas show. Breakfast was found on food carts...here is Cody buying a hot dog from a cart.

Here is a shot of Lacey & I in front of Radio City Music Hall

Next, we took a tour of Radio City Music Hall and got to meet a Rockette. Here is Cody with Scarlett, the Rockette.

After the tour, we killed some time by wandering around Rockefeller Plaza. The tree has not yet been lit, but it is up & decorated.

The Rockette's Christmas show was amazing! Unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures inside, but it was a great show. After the show, we headed in search of a New York pizza restaurant. We found a great little place about a block from our hotel and got to enjoy real New York pizza. We wandered around a bit afterwards, taking in all the sights.

Barb & I then went to see the balloons being inflated for tomorrow's parade. We took the subway up to the Upper West Side and what a zoo! There were so many people, it was difficult to move. We ended up seeing just 1 street of balloons and I managed to get one picture of Sponge Bob.

We decided to skip seeing the rest of the balloons, so we hopped back on the subway and went to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street. Wow, what a place! 9 floors of shopping!!! Here is an interior photo of how the store is decorated.

Tomorrow is the parade and after the parade, we are going to make our way to Central Park to wander around. Our Thanksgiving dinner will be at Hurley's.

November 25 - Day 1

After a year of planning, we finally arrived in New York City to celebrate Lacey's liver transplant. We took a red-eye flight from Los Angeles and arrived in the Big Apple around 7am. It was raining from the time we landed until around 1pm, so no pictures of the trip from JFK to the city. Here is a picture of Lacey, Barb & Cody taken in the limo that picked us up from JFK.

We were able to check into our hotel early, so after freshening up a bit and getting some breakfast, we were off to go shopping! Our first stop was World of Disney.

Lacey loved this "little Mermaid" dress

Our next stop was Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue. Cody & Barb weren't interested in the wonderful 6-story Tiffany's so Lacey and I amused ourselves there for quite a while while Barb & Cody went onto FAO Schwartz. Lacey & I met them there after we were done having fun at Tiffany's. By now, Lacey & Cody were pretty tired, so they took a cab back to the hotel. Barb & I ventured on to do more shopping at Coach and the local Harley-Davidson shop. After that, we took the subway back to our hotel which is right in Times Square.

Tonight we are going to see The Little Mermaid play which happens to be playing right across the street from our hotel.