The one with Day 2 in New York.

This was probably our longest day in the city our whole trip.  We left the house around 10, and didn't get home until after 11pm.  Luca was a trooper.

Forgive my pictures for being all out of order--I don't know what the deal is, or how to fix it.

We went to the One World Trade Center again in the morning to get tickets to go up to the observation deck that evening at sunset.

We wandered and found some breakfast at the best place we ate at the whole trip--we ended up eating there twice this day, and planned on going back, but never made it.  Its called Panini and Co, and it was just a block or two away from the One World Trade Center, and it was delicious.  They had just about everything, and I wish I had taken pictures, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway.  They had a salad bar, burgers, panini (obviously) breakfast, sandwiches, pasta, everything.  And everything was soooo good. It was all so fresh, which is what I loved most.  You could taste it, and see it.  Yum.

We ended up borrowing Jocelyn's stroller for the rest of the trip, because it was better for naps, and had a basket at the bottom to hold our bag.  It was the best thing ever, we were so grateful they were willing to let us use it.

^^That is how Luca tourist-ed.  He just popped his head out of the stroller when he cared to people  watch.

We spent the day around the harbor so we could make it back for our 6 o'clock reservation for the Observation deck.  We headed down to wall street, and saw the bull--along with all the asians in Manhattan.  Jose wanted to take the stupid ridiculous and disgusting picture with the bull but I said no.  I can't imagine how many gross hands have been on this bull--I didn't touch it.  

See-- I told you, they were all there.

We headed down to ride the ferry over to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Luca ran his heart out while daddy got our tickets, and while we waited for our time to board.

Pretty much you have to go through security lines for everything in NY now, sadly, so we went through here, just to get to our line.

^^Our unsuccessful family picture once the ferry was moving.  Contrary to what Joey says, they go faster than like 5 miles an hour.

Luca didn't care much about the statue this time, but that will change later.  We didn't even get off the ferry to see the statue--which I now obviously regret, but there were hundreds and hundreds of people we didn't want to make our way through, or carry the stroller down the ferry steps.

So we let Luca run wild before the next set of people got on with us.

We did get off at Ellis Island, and again, Luca went rogue around the whole place.

^^Hes telling me to stop with the pictures.

While we were in line waiting in with all the disgusting selfish smokers of the world that can't walk 10 feet away and not take days off all our lives, we busied Luca with M&Ms.  He had to turn every one over to the "M" side before he could eat them.

We still had time and we passed the Tribute center for 9/11 so we went there for a bit.  Luca was done at this point, but Jose handled him.

Those are all missing persons fliers.

I have more pictures of this tribute center somewhere, apparently they didn't make the cut for this post.

We headed back to the trade center, stopped again at panini and co (seriously pretty much the only thing we spent our money on was food), and then wandered the mall across the street from the trade center--that would even put city creek to shame with its high end stores--we didn't go in any--and then went back over for our trip up to the top.

In the elevator up they had this virtual movie of the city growing--where we started was underground on land that was like millions of years old, I can't remember (I thought Jose was recording so I could know--but once we got to the top he realized he wasn't recording at all, ha). Anyways as we went up it showed the city being built up from nothing--and it was cool! Once we got to the top they did a little presentation and then opened the windows for the view--only for a second and then we went out onto the actual observation level.

Luca was beyond done--sooo tired by this point, no nap--it was fun.

Luca and I wandered into the gift shop and he spotted this bear from forever away and fell in love--I showed him a million other ones but he just wanted this guy.

It made him so happy, so of course we got it for him, we needed the peace.

After showing the bear everything down below "Vroom vroom!!" he got in the stroller and crashed.  That was beautiful.

We decided since he napped so late, and wouldn't go to bed if we went home anyway, to head over to the Empire State building and go to the top observation deck there too--so we could see the city during the day, at sunset, and at night.

We got on the train to go, Luca woke up, and fell asleep again, or pretended to sleep-- can't remember--but he was happy so its all good!

We got off right by the Macys at 34th street!!  We went in there a few times after, mainly for bathrooms, but I even bought the socks I am wearing there--I actually needed some because the ones I brought were awful and kept sliding down my shoe--but now I can say I actually shopped there!

Now again for the movies that make things look so easy when they aren't.  Sleepless in Seattle is WRONG.  You don't just get in the elevator inside the lobby and go right up.  You go up one level, and then like 80 or something, and then go through a whole museum like thing, I assume its just incase the line is really that long, to occupy people, and then up another elevator.  Probably one day it was just one elevator, but its not anymore, it took us at least an hour to get to the top from when we walked in, if not more.

But the views were of course worth it.

I offered to take a couples picture that seemed to be struggling on their own, so they took one of us, I didn't want the flash--again, for obvious reasons, but whatever! At least we got one!

We walked over to madison square gardens after that to find the shake shack for dinner.  The line was ridiculously long, and it was ridiculously late, and Luca was ridiculously done, so we just went in the fast lane and got shakes and headed home.

This is when he showed his bear all the cool things he could see, tucs, vroom vrooms, and I am sure they had a full conversation.

Luca has turned into quite the little model for pictures.  Every once in a while we have to use a bribe, but usually he just smiles away! Its my favorite now because we get good pictures!