Wow, another amazing day! I think we walked another 15km and biked several km aswell. Here is a recap of what our day looked like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was soo tired lastnight that I passed out before 9:30pm. However, my 4:30am I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. That is when I decided to start up my blog. By 7:30, I everyone was still sleeping so I I started drying out our shoes from our rainy adventures. We had piled them all up on the air conditioner which helped but I spent 90 minutes in our bathroom with the hair dryer trying to get 10 shoes less damp. My efforts were somewhat successful because by 9:00 they were all at the very least just a little damp but not soaking wet. And I can tell you, it did not smell pretty. I think we will be bringing home a hint of the New York street smells with us :P.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 9:00, Tavis had woken up and made himself some coffee. He also got some work done. We decided to venture out into the streets to find some breakfast while the kids could get themselves up. We found a grocery store a few blocks away and bought some plums and nectarines. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a street vendor and purchased 3 donuts. When we got back to the room the boys were up and we had to get Ayva kick out of bed. I just told her that we only bought 3 donuts so if she wanted one she had to come get it… that seemed to do the trick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the time everyone had eaten and was ready to go, it was almost 11:00am. We set out to find Unlimited Biking to start our next adventure. Almost 3 months ago I purchased a groupon for a 4 hour bike rental for the 5 of us. It was $39 which I found weird. When we got there I discovered that they charge an additional $1 to your card to make sure your credit card works incase there is damage to the bike… Now it is an even $40 which is a great deal. We opted out of the insurance which was a little concerning because every single person before us had paid it. I also had to leave my drivers license with them. We quickly collected our helmets and bike locks and picked up the bikes they had waiting for us. The website says they have the best bikes in town but I think it was just marketing because the brakes where very squeaky and my seat was at the lowest position and could be raised. It is a good thing we are all excellent bike riders though. We finally rode off at 11:15am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone why knows our family is probably already aware of our biggest challenge that we faced… How did you keep up with Addison? I can honestly tell you, it wasn’t easy! While on the streets to get to the park, everyone rode in a line and it was going great. We all stopped at the lights and stayed together quite well. However, once we got into the park, the boys took off leaving Tavis, Ayva, and I in the dust. When they were nowhere in sight I realized maybe it would have been a good idea set ground rules. Luckily we found them resting at the top of a hill and I reminded the boys that we were in New York and we needed to stay together. I thought I did a great job at remaining calm and collected, but according the boys I simply freaked out at them. Either way, It helped slow them down a bit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 20 minutes later we had a repeat of the previous incident. This time, I reminded the boys this wasn’t a race and the idea was to explore the park. That is when I took off down a trail to view The Pool. It was a beautiful little area near a (not so beautiful) green lake that reminded me of Quamichan. However, across the trail there was a little area with a bridge, trees, and a meandering stream that looked quite peaceful. Everyone begrudgingly got off their bikes so we could enjoy the scenery and take some photos. Before I knew it we were off again chasing the boys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our next stop was at The Lake. We decided to lock up the 5 bikes next to a tree along the side of the road as we walked around the lake to the Bay Bridge. I am not going to lie, I was a nervous wreck because we didn’t pay for the insurance and I had visions of people in a truck coming and throwing all ur bikes in an unmarked truck and driving off with them. We were told the bikes were worth $650 each but after driving themI seriously doubted that. Anyways, after leaving the bridge, those fears lessened and when we walked to my favourite tunnel, I was actually enjoying myself. There was vendor playing the Titanic song on a cool blowing pipe thingy which sounded so peaceful. We were probably gone about 15 minutes and on the way back there was a neat little structure on the lake that Ayva wanted to take photos at so us girls went down there for a photo shoot while the boys went to get our bikes ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next we set out on mission to locate Strawberry Fields which was actually across the road from where we locked up our bikes :P. We did make it back though. Our last stop was above the tunnel where there was another monument. Tavis and Addison went to check it out while the rest of us we mesmerized by a guy blowing the largest bubbles I’d ever seen. I took some very cool photos as inspiration for Nicholas and Zachary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From there we decided to venture out of the park. While in the park none of us wore helmets because it was about 35 degrees out. But at this point it was no longer optional. I mean, it is totally safe to ride on the busy street of New York with crazy honling and bumpr to bumper traffic as long as you are wearing a helmet, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was interesting because the boys were way up ahead and several times we got caught at lights that they made it through. For the most part they stopped and waited when they realized we were no longer behind them. We first made our way to the Empire State Building. Wow, it is huge! We got some photos and continued heading the same direction. We eventually made our way to Madison Square. As everyone got off the bikes for a short rest and to figure out where to go next, Ayva and I went to get some photos. We spotted a Shake Shack and decided it would be a good idea to cool down with a snack. I hindsight, this was a bad idea. I asked the cashier how long it would take and she informed me about 5 minutes. They had a water station so we filled the water bottles and looked around a bit while Tavis stayed with the bikes. I went to bring him water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After 35 minutes of waiting, and after Ari already asked once, I finally lost my patience and demanded that they give me a refund or my milkshakes. The guy apologized and grabbed the 2 milkshakes from the counter that had been sitting for after 20 minutes. I told them this was warm milk and not what I had paied for. Within 2 mites, they handed us 2 shakes that were not the flavours we ordered but were close enough. This was most definitely not the best first experience of a Shake Shack… but the milkshakes were cheap and very tasty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At thins point it was time to make our way back to the bike rental place. We arrived about 5 minutes before our 4 hours was up, which was a good thing because if you are late, they charge you $1 for every minute your late. As we arrived there was a kid arguing with his mom because I think she was worried about the late fee policy. Overall, it really was an amazing experience and I am so glad we did it! You cover a lot of ground on bikes and there are bike lanes all over so it really isn’t that bad. tavis only had a few instances where he was very close to cars turning left but he never actually got hit so it was all good! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After dropping off our bikes we needed a place to cool down. We couldn’t think of a better place than the Apple store so we headed that direction. That is when I spotted my favourite building in the city. There is was on teh same block as Apple, a huge stack of luggage!!!! I took some photos but you really have to see it to believe it. The detail was incredible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we made our way down the spiral staircase into Apple, you could feel the cold air blasting you. Wow, this store was huge! It made our stores look like tiny little mall venders. Wer also got to clean up in the washroom and fill our water bottles again. They had a guy giving a free tutorial on the new iphone which I found very informative. Ayva and I learned how to use our phones while the boys went and explored. After a while the guy giving the speach asked if anyone in the audience had pets. Someone on the other side of the store said he had 2 dogs, I put. up my hand and said we had 2 dogs. They guy thought it was crazy we were the only 2 people willing to share and we both had 2 dogs… Then I realized Ari was the other guy and we all had a good laugh when we both realized at the same time. At that point we decided to leave. Ari had made an appointment to demo the ViionPro at 9:00pm so we were prepared to come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next we made our way toward the tram to Roosavelt Island. We were close to where Tavis and I stayed so we decided to take the kids to the diner under that apartment. To our surprise, we recognized it right away, Ritz Diner. The owner and staff were all sooo nice. The kids were beside themselves because they were in a “real live diner”. The food was excellend and prices were good. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal, but that could have also been because it was after 4:00 and all we had eaten was fruit, a piece of donut, and a few sips of a milkshake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From there we used our credit cards to pay for the tram. It was $2.90 each and it worked the same as the airport tram. We could tap up to 4 people on a card. The tram was a neat experience as it took us over the bridge of cars and you got a great view of the city. It was totally packed but there seemed to be AC once it started moving which was nice. On the little island we walked through the university campus and took the kids to the park. We passed a cat sanctuary and the old dilapidated Smallpox hospital which looked really cool with all the vines growing around it. Then we made our way up teh stared and past the lines of trees to the tip of the island where there was a huge Roosavelt head and a famous quote that talks about how above all else is the freedom of speech. What happened to our society that that is no longer our freedom?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At this point I was a little nervous because my cell phone was dying so we made our way back to the hotel for a well deserved rest, a water refill, and the opportunity to charge our devices. Tavis and I also caught up on some work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We ventured back out at 8:00. We first made our way to Grand Central Station which never fails to amaze me. The detail of everythign is so vivid. It looked exactly how I remembered it. Next we found a monument of PanAm which was very important to Ari. So much infact that he asked a security guard where we could find it. After taking photos, we then started making our way to the Apple store. Addison and Ayva wanted to check out Times Square again so we gave them my phone and Tavis’ credit card so they could buy some souvenirs. I know… this could have gone horribly wrong but have a lot of trust in the kids and to this point we have always felt very safe in the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Apple store, we checked in and Ari asked if Tavis could also do the demo even though he didn’t have an appointment. They were super great and make it happen. This was probably one of the coolest experiences we had in New York. They took tavis’ glasses and scanned them to get his prescription. Then they measured they heads and we waited a few moments while someone from the back took all the measurements and created the sets to personally fit Ari and Tavis. They also had them sync to an ipad so the salesperson and I could see everything they see and he was able to guide them through the demo as they explored what the funny looking headset could do. They were told to navigate by using their eyes, not their hands… CRAZY! I wasn’t even wearing them and I was impressed. Just watching them and listening to them was exciting. This is an experience that Ari will never forget. In the end, although the technology is amazing, it is still in its infancy and it will be exciting to see what this will transform into over the next 5-10 years. It is quite possible that computers will be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was after 10:00 by the time we left the store. We phoned the kids who informed us that they were at Times Square so we made our way there. Along the way, a cockroach ran infront of us and scared Ari. He justed and started dancing. It was so funny, although he didn’t find t nearly as humorous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we got close, Find My was not that useful so Tavis phoned again and eventually found them in a 3 level store called Grand Slam. Ayve had purchased a baseball cap and they were looking for a shirt for Madison. We were ready for bed so Ari, Tavis and I made our way back to the hotel. We stopped in another store along the way and Ari found a t-shirt which was nice for him to have a souvenir, and a shirt without holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we got back everyone took turns showering which I caught up on a bit more work. Ayva and Ari messaged asking if they could buy a milkshake at Hersheys which we told they they could. By the time I showered and got ready for bed it was 12:30am. I passed out almost immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In summary, New York was a great experience. The vendors we encountered we all so friendly. We had a full New Ork experience from taking in the sites, the sun, the storm, the bikes, and even the bugs. We experienced more in the last 2 days than we could have imagined. We are going to miss New York but we are ready for the next adventure. Tomorrow, we are on our way to Washington, DC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wow, another amazing day! I think we walked another 15km and biked several km aswell. Here is a recap of what our day looked like. I was soo tired lastnight that I passed out before 9:30pm. However, my 4:30am I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. That is when I decided to start up … <\/p>\n