Marcus Takes Manhanttan

I am pretty certain I remember why I fell off the blogging wagon.  It had everything to do with setting up expectations that were way to high for myself on the types of blogs I would write and the frequency.  I needed to remember the purpose of the blog, it was, all along, to have fun and create some memories that I can read through later and enjoy.  No stress- don't worry about sorting through the well over 1000 pictures from our trip to NYC- just breathe and have fun.  So with that in mind.  I am going to call this blog:

Marcus Takes Manhattan

In August we went on a family trip to NYC.  It was great.  It was Luke, Marcus, me, and my niece Micci and we all had a blast.  Here are some of the highlights.  In no particular order.....

We spent a ton of time riding around in a double decker bus.  We rode it all over the island and even did a Brooklyn tour.  I can stay it was not the most efficient means of transportation but we got to see lot in the process.  For the most part, Marcus loved being on the bus. - As funny as it is, this is one of the few family pictures from the entire trip.

One of the days of the trip we walked a ton, including a trip through little Italy and China town.  We found some Italian food to eat and it was amazing (we were also super hungry).  I learned for certain that I do not like cannoli.  I have wondered for years if I didn't like or I just had bad cannoli-  yep I don't like it so the mystery is now solved!  The food was great and we loved walking around that part of town.  The next time I am in New York for fun I intend on spending a lot more time wondering around checking things out. 

When we finished eating we walked all of the way down to see the Statue of Liberty.  For me, this was one thing that I was totally looking forward too.  We planned ahead and got tickets that allowed up to walk up to the base.  This is a LOT of stairs and Luke was super daddy when he carried Marcus up most of them.  You start off by taking short boar ride over to Liberty Island-  Marcus loved the boat!  Then we checked in and made our way up the Statue of Liberty.  If you want to get these tickets- you need to plan in advance as they sell out super early.

This is my favorite picture of Marcus and Micci from the trip.   The view was amazing from the top of the pedestal.

After spending some time at the top, we headed down and really just enjoyed the walk and the views- they are great.

Luke and Marcus at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  See Marcus still smiling and waving at Mommy.

 We got to the bottom and claimed Marcus's stroller and within a few short minutes-  he was out!

Marcus at the Statue of Liberty

I swear he really loved it.... and he still talks about it today but he just couldn't stay awake!

We must have totally warn Marcus out because he slept through the boat ride.

And the visit to Ellis Island...... Which is one of the coolest places I have ever been.  I really want to go back, get there earlier in the day. 

Sights around the city

Here are some more random pictures from the trip.  

Every time we saw a play ground we stopped so that Marcus could get out of the stroller, run, and play for a while.  He really like this slide.

The Brooklyn Bridge 

One of the other adventures we took was walking on the famous Brooklyn Bridge-  this is another photo op where Marcus fell asleep!

You can tell how fascinated he is with the architecture.

 Riding on the bus

Visiting Central Park 

Alice in Wonderland Statue

The Castle in the Park

Marcus was excited to get a smoothie after all that wondering through the brambles in the park.

The Museum of Natural History

Marcus was a really big fan of the museum but he did think that some of the dinosaurs were kind of scary.  

The Metropolitan Museum

Marcus loved the water fountains outside the museum

 The museum is huge and so amazing.  I want to spend a lot more time there.  Marcus wasn't quite as impressed (although he LOVED the Egyptian art section) and quickly passed out.

I think he fell asleep reading the brochures.... too many words.

Random New York Photos

This was pretty much Marcus's normal pose in NYC.  Lots of stroller time with Penguin tucked in right next to him.

On our first boat ride.  Marcus loved it but didn't even sit still for a moment for a picture.

 Marcus's first trip on the subway.  We took it after our bus no-showed after the trip to see the Statue of Liberty.  I am happy to say that it all went very well and we even got off on the right stop.  It was much faster than the bus ride back would have been.

Marcus had the amazing ability to nap every where on this trip.

A few more random bus photos

Time to go home!

 Even on the flight home Marcus wasn't over New York-  he loves playing with his double decker bus!