New York, New York Sept 2009

Wow! What an amazing Labor Day Weekend Trip the Ferguson Four had! It was a last minute decision, but it turned out perfect! Our original plans for the weekend were to fly to Missouri to see Kiera's family and especially her new little Zion. We had standby passes on Frontier Airlines to get to KC, MO but unfortunatly thier flights were all booked and we had no way to get there. We debated what to do and decided that since we all had the time off already and we had free flights, that we would go play in New York for the weekend. TJ and Stevie opted out of this trip. Stevie had the great opportunity to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Ferguson in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone Wyoming. That weekend turn out to be the perfect choice for him. He got to spend some great one on one time with Grandma and Grandpa and see things that any 9 year old boy would love. TJ spent the weekend with Greg and Jill's family down at their family property in Cedar City. He had fun being outdoors and on the four wheelers. So it worked out for all of us.

Late Thursday evening, Brooke, Madi, Shawn and I headed to the Airport to catch the 11pm flight to JFK. We almost made it, but unfortunately it was a very full flight and they were one seat short of getting all 4 of us on the plane. So we headed back home and got a few hours of sleep before we were back at the airport the next morning. Early Friday we caught a flight to Long Beach, CA and then spent 3 hours at the airport before our flight from Long Beach to New York City. It was a full day of travel but it worked out well. Because we got in so late Friday night, we stayed at a hotel near JFK. First thing on Saturday we headed to out to find our Hotel. We took the subway, but didn't realize that some of the lines were down for repairs and others weren't running because of the weekend, so it took us about 3 hours to get to our Hotel across the river in New Jersey. It was a really, really hot day and we had to do a lot of walking but it didn't slow us down too much.
The magnificent Trinity Church was our first stop. It was was so amazing! We spent about an hour looking around at the architecture, sculptures, stained glass windows and the old, old cemetary. It was really fascinating to all of us to see such beauty and history.

Madi made it clear, right from the beginning that the only thing that was an absolute "must do" on this trip, was a visity to "The Cake Boss" Carlos' Bakery. The Bakery just happened to be on the same street as our hotel! So as soon as we dropped our bags, she was pushing us back out the door. But this time we were all so hot and tired from all the walking just to get to our hotel, we grabbed a taxi to go the mile and a half up the street to the bakery. The girls spotted the Bakery immediately. Madi was just bouncing with excitement.

Buddy's mom was in the bakery, loving every moment of the crowds and celebrity recognition. The bakery was hopping with crowds and exitement. We bought a small box of pastries that were delicious. The cannolis and the chocolate dipped strawberries were a hit.

They were actually filiming the show upstairs while we were there. The rest of the trip would just be a bonus for Madi. She had hit her high point at Carlos' bakery! So back across the river we went. The PATH train that goes under the river between NJ and NY took us right past the the World Trade Center. So the first day passed WTC several times. We talked about how big the hole was, how long it has taken to get the rubble cleared and the new structure is finally just rising above ground. The next day Madi asked "when are we going to see Ground Zero?" I said "Madi, we passed it 3 times yesterday." She said, "No, you said that was the World Trade Center." Needless to say we had a little lesson about why it was called "Ground Zero."

This is a sculpture in Battery Park made from all scrap metal from the "Ground Zero" site.

Our next stop was to get on the Statton Island Ferry and cross the bay to see the Statue of Liberty. It was the was great to see the symbol that has welcomed so many of our ancestors to this great country. It was an honor to see this in person, something I have wanted to see my whole life.

Next on Madi's agenda was the Empire State Building. It was hard to tell from the street level that it was the famous building, and it was so tall we couldn't even see the top from where we were standing, but Madi wanted her picture touching the famous landmark.

We got very familiar with the NY subway system. Madi was a pro at purchasing the tickets from the kisoks in the station and she and Dad kept us on the right track (litteraly) with their skills with the subway maps.

Time Square was a hit too. There is always so much to see there and some of the best people watching ever! Brooke took pictures of different signs for her 2D design class. Of course the m & m and HERSHEY signs were our favorites. Dad stood in line to ge us some 1/2 price broadway tickets. We all voted on the new show, Shrek the Musical. It turned out that it was a great choice. The music was fun and of course we all knew the story line as well.

Broadway knows how to do a show! The set and costumes were fantasic and the actors and music were great all the way around.

Monday morning we headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This was a highlight for Brooke, who has taken 3 Art history classes in the last year. We spent most of the time in the 19th and 20th century gallery. There is just so much to see-- it is overwhelming. We all agreed however that Van Gogh and Renior were our favorite Impressionist painters. We couldn't believe we were seeing real origional works of art.

This painting was mounted on a pedistal because Van Gogh had painted on the back too, so they had both sides displayed.

We had to take a picture of Brooke with the beautiful Indian carving. She is taking Art and Architecture of India this semester.

Nope, we are not in Asia in the picture, just the beautiful and serene courtyard inside the the museum.

Our last stop at the museum was the Roof Garden to see the fabulous work by the sculpture Roxi. It was a stainless steel tree that has fallen and has been uprooted. It was huge, taking up the whole top level.

This was our final birds eye view of the beautiful sky line. Exhausted, having filled every moment of our long weeked we hopped onto the subway again and headed out of the city to the airport. We arrived home just before midnight, completly worn out but totally happy knowing we had made a trip full of memories that will last a lifetime. The trip was hard for my almost 7 month pregnant body, but I wouldn't trade the swollen feet, the heat, the round ligament pains for anything. It will be a long time before I can do another "grown up" "whirlwind" trip like this again. By then who knows were Brooke and Madi will be in their lives. For Mom and Dad it was a treasured time to see and experience the city through the girls eyes!