Welcome to New York City!

We're here!

We had a very early morning flight out of San Antonio and into Minneapolis. We were flying on Northwest. After having purchased the tickets, several people told me how much they disliked that airline. So, I wasn't expecting much. However, everyone that we encountered, from beginning to end, was wonderful.

We particularly appreciated the steward, who was very attentive to the kids. When he found out that it was Vincent's first flight, he came back later with a "First Flight Certificate" that he had the captain and the flight crew sign. Vincent also got a set of wings.

We arrived in Minneapolis and the girls debated on whether this trip to Minnesota "counted" as one of our states. We like to keep track of all of the states that we travel to. However, considering that the closet thing we saw to Minnesota was the tee shirts in the airport shops, so it didn't count. I guess we'll have to go back someday!

The kids were great. Even Vincent slept most of the time. On the flight to New York, one woman commented to me that we had the best behaved children that she's ever seen on a plane - including her own. That is always music to a mother's ears!!!!! Thankfully, the girls have always been outstanding travelers. I love seeing them wheel their carry-on baggage through an airport. Vincent was an angel, too - he slept the whole time.

We flew into La Guardia, and Gina gave up her window seat so that Mary Teresa could see New York first. Mary Teresa has been looking forward to this for YEARS. The last time that we were in New York City was when I was pregnant with her. So, she likes to say that she's been, but she says that "it was dark" and she "didn't get to see anything".

The highlights of this trip for her are going to be the Statue of Liberty and the "Vampire State Building". As long as there are no vampires.

We saw a lot from the air. Gina spotted the Statue of Liberty, but Mary Teresa could never see where she was pointing. The Empire State Building was an obvious site, and Mary Teresa was so excited when she FINALLY saw it. It's all that she's been talking about for weeks. I was saddened not to see the twin towers, which used to dominate the skyline so elegantly.

Our cab ride took us through Harlem, and then up to Washington Heights, where my sister lives. This is a lovely area, very neighborhood-like. It is a Dominican neighborhood. (As in, people from the Dominican Republic, not the nuns. I guess the Catholic in me wanted to clarify that.)

Cathy was on the steps waiting for us with open arms. Her roommate, Brennan met us at the door. They proudly showed us around their apartment. The entryway features marble walls and mosaic floors. ("Features" - I have been writing a lot of real estate descriptions lately. I guess that word comes naturally!)

The apartment is very cute, a size up from the matchbox that they used to live in on the Upper East side. Believe it or not, six of us fit pretty comfortably, in addition to Cathy and Brennan.

Starving, we decided to order some food. When Cathy and I are on the phone, she always seems to be eating Indian food, and then telling me how GOOD it tastes. Well, I was ready for some of that! She pulled out the delivery menu, and I was SHOCKED at the prices. I really expected New York prices here, but dinners were starting at $5.95. Cathy explained that since this isn't a tourist neighborhood, they have normal prices.

The food was DELICIOUS - very authentic, and I am certain that we are going to have our fill of Indian food while we are here. The girls tried it for the first time, and they liked it. Mary Teresa, my carb addict, only ate her na'an. Then, she wanted dessert, and reluctantly ate her chicken vindaloo so that she could have it. It's not that she didn't like it - she did - that girl is just stubborn, though, and wants to eat on her own terms.

After dinner, we walked to the grocery store. The girls saw a taste of something that I'd described about New York - people selling items outside on tables. On the walk to the store, we saw a table with someone selling rosaries and Buddist incense sticks. Across from that, there was a person selling Guess shoes. Claire and Gina have saved their money for this trip, but were concerned that New York prices would be too much for them. I told them that the street tables are the place to buy knock-offs for less. I bought a Hard Rock Cafe tee shirt for $4 on the street 20 years ago, when the official ones inside were $26. They were really excited to hear that.

The neighborhood prices continued to hold in the grocery store, as prices really weren't much higher than I'd pay at HEB. We had packed all sorts of snacks and cereal just in case, but I saw that it wasn't necessary. (On the Upper East side, cereal is $7 a box!) Oh, well, now we'll have lots of room in our suitcase on the way back.

I took a stroll down the pasta isle, and was pleased to see several kinds of pasta that I'd never heard of. Gina and I were drawn to the kinds of pasta that are good in soups. I bought a few boxes of TINY tubes - about the size of an ant. And, even smaller than that, Gina bought a box of pasta stars. I guess our suitcase won't be empty after all.

We played Scrabble for the rest of the evening, and Gina and Mary Teresa colored pictures of everything that they want to see.

Today, we will be going to a high Mass at Mount Sacred Heart, and they spend the rest of the day in Central Park hanging out. Cathy's friend, Kevin, whom we all went to York Catholic School with, will meet up with us. I haven't seen him since he and Cathy ran for student council and Rob and I stayed up late making campaign signs for them. (Yes, our grassroots politicing wasn't always presidential.)

We have lots of plans for the trip, but no set agenda. We'll see where each day takes us!