Happy Thanksgiving (from NYC)

Happy Thanksgiving! It was a wonderful day.

Alison and I got up way too early this morning to get a spot for the parade. We met Blake across town in an area outside his hotel and staked out our spot. We were there hours before the parade even started. It was definitely worth it. I was really worried time would drag, but it really didn't. We had fun talking and the time passed quickly. A little bit before the parade started the entire crew came down and joined us (except for Debbie and Skylee, it was pretty cold for a toddler) - fortunately, there was plenty of room for everyone.

The parade was incredible. We just loved it. The marching bands, the balloons, the clowns, the performers, and the floats - the whole thing was magical. It was one of those experiences that fills you with wonder. If this was the only thing we did the entire trip it would have all been worth it. It was so fun to watch everything go past. We cheered and yelled. A lot of the performers would yell back and wish us "Happy Thanksgiving." We loved everything about the parade. Our favorite balloon was Snoopy and Woodstock. When the American Fork marching band went by we cheered extra loud and made sure everyone in our section knew we were from Utah. During the entire parade, we joked and laughed and had an amazing time. The coolest part of the parade was when Santa Claus came down the Avenue of the Americas. He was preceded by a marching band playing, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and then there was the big man himself. It got us right into the Christmas spirit. It was a great beginning to the holiday season.  

After the parade, we headed down to Battery Park. When we were planning this trip we wanted to get tickets to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. The only day they had tickets available still was Thanksgiving. We figured that climbing the Statue of Liberty was a pretty American thing to do on Thanksgiving day. We had a little issue this morning when we realized we couldn't find one of the emails confirming our tickets. For a little while, it looked like half our group might not be able to go to the crown. We had a minor Thanksgiving miracle and were able to get all of our tickets. We were so grateful it worked out.

The Statue of Liberty is such an important symbol of freedom and in many ways embodies the spirit of Thanksgiving. It symbolizes the promise of America we are blessed to enjoy. I love the poem:

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 - Emma Lazarus

As we spent time today in and around this great monument I was struck by how grateful I am to live in this great country and to enjoy the freedom and bounteous blessings. America is a land of opportunity and has afforded us a truly wonderful life. 

I have never been inside the Statue of Liberty before - it was a lot of fun. We rode the ferry over to Liberty Island and got through all of the security. Then we climbed up to the pedestal. We got some pictures before we headed up the crown. 

The trip to the crown is kind of crazy. You walk up this very narrow winding staircase. To get to the top you walk up over 200 narrow steps. Once you get to the top it isn't any more spacious. It is pretty cool to see inside the statue. While we were at the top we learned from a park ranger that the copper that makes up the statue is really pretty thin - there are a couple of layers, but each layer is only a couple of pennies thick. At the top, we took pictures, looked out the windows (they are tiny), and learned more about the history of the statue. Then we headed back down the stairs, which was even more treacherous than the journey to the top. 

This is the inside of the face of the Statue of Liberty

Outside the statue, we had some incredible views of the NYC skyline (it looked really cool in the fog).

#Nielson's in New York

We headed back to Manhattan and at this point we were hungry. We made reservations at Molly's, which is an Irish Pub. A few of us had eaten there before and had a good experience. Although it was a little strange to eat Thanksgiving dinner in a pub with a baby (we felt a little out of place, especially since we weren't drinking) - it ended up being a lot of fun. We all ate our Thanksgiving dinner (some traditional and some not so traditional) as a family. We went around and shared what we were grateful for. The thing I was most grateful for was that we are so adventurous and find things like today to enjoy as a family. 

This was Alison's Thanksgiving dinner

After dinner, Alison and I went on a little tour of NYC with Jake, Meg, and Bret. We took the subway over to Grand Central because Meg had never been there. It is one of my favorite places in the city. The hustle and bustle and majesty of it really capture the spirit of New York. 

We then walked up Fifth Avenue. The stores have put up lots of Christmas decor, which made Alison very happy. It was beautiful. We also walked over to Rockefeller and saw the Christmas decorations there. The tree was there and it is huge, but it isn't lit up yet - unfortunately, they won't light it until after we come home. We got the family together to grab some cheesecake before we decided to call it a night and to bid farewell to this memorable Thanksgiving.