The One With Friday in New York City

 

 

This Friday, we had an eventful day in New York City. This

was our third day in the city, and one that was designed to be busy.

We got up early in the morning and had breakfast in the hotel at a place called Revel and Rye. It had a pretty good breakfast - and a solid oatmeal.

We then went on the Big Bus, which provided a tour of the city, as well as trips to two of the stops that we wanted to go on. The first stop was the Empire State Building. This was an amazing stop. Now, it took a little while to figure out how to get in, but once we did, it was a quick move through the building. We took a few pictures on the first two floors and then went into the overview of the construction of the Empire State Building, which was a lot of fun. We proceeded to take the elevator to the 80th floor, where there was an indoor observation deck. This was a pretty solid view of the city. However, a better one was six floors up (we took the stairs to get their, which did slow Emmie down a little bit with her asthma). However, the views were amazing, particularly from the outside observation deck. You could see the Brooklyn Bridge and even the Statue of Liberty. When it was time to go, we exited from the spot where Will Farrell enters in Elf.

 

We boarded the bus and our plan was to go to the Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty a little closer. However, the plan was a little bit spoiled because we had to detour through the city. The Trump hush money jury selection trial was going on nearby and an incident outside the courthouse had the whole section detoured. So, we adjusted and went to the 9/11 Memorial, which was inspiring!!! We did see the Brooklyn Bridge and got a brief glimpse of the Statue on the way there.

 

We came home and got a quick bite to eat from room service and then headed to The Outsiders. It was amazing (Emmie declared it the best musical she has seen). It has only been on Broadway for 8 days by the time we saw it, and the audience was definitely juiced! They loved it and had a HUGE standing ovation at the end, which was amazing. It was a great musical and an awesome adaptation of the S.E. Hinton  novel. I am so glad we saw it.

 

We ended the night by going to Carmines. It was a restaurant recommended to Emmie by a friend at work. It has amazing portions and was fantastic!!! What day in NYC

The One With Thursday in New York City

 

 

Our first full day in New York City was a lot of fun. It involved a few fun things that we did.

First, we went to Madam Toussad's Wax Museum, which was a short trip up the street. On our way, we found the fun aspect of life visiting Times Square - there are a lot of hustlers out there trying to make some money. However, the Wax museum itself was a lot of fun. It was several stories tall, with rooms set up in a variety of fashions - dance party, model runaway, horror films. And, there were many amazing wax figurines to see, including Scarlet Johanson, Bruce Willis, Steven Spielberg, Charlie Chaplin, Lady Gaga, and others. We actually we able to see a ton of them and got pictures with several....including notable politicians. The way they set it up to be interactive was a lot of fun. They also had figurines of the Marvel superheroes. And, they also had a creative 4D animated Marvel Superhero ride.

When we left, we made our way back to Times Square. As we were getting there, we noticed that one section was blocked off for filming. We scouted it out and found that the TV show FBI was being filmed there. We saw at least one really tall actor on the set. The hired hands were trying to keep tourists from crossing over into the filming - though one intense guy cut across anyway.

After that, we went to Juniors Burgers, a local establishment known for good food and cheesecake. It did not disappoint. The Rueben sandwich I had was amazing - a true New York delicacy. And we all shared an incredible strawberry cheesecake.

We did come home and took a nap - we were exhausted. Then, we went to the Stardust Diner for super. It was a blast. The workers sign amazing songs as they served food. They were so talented, including our server. He sounded great. The place is home to many waitstaff that go on to be in Broadway shows. All and all, it was a great day.

 

 

The One With the Solar Eclipse

 

 

Today was the day. Seven years in the planning since the 2017 solar eclipse. But, this one was bigger and better. We could see it near totality (about 92% where we live).

 

It was the 2024 Solar Eclipse. And boy did it have a big build up. Part of it was the fact that it was going to be seen in the 48 consecutive states. And part of it was because it was it is the last time we will see a total eclipse in North American until 2044.

As a family, we decked out for the eclipse. We got two sets of glasses for everyone. Bri and Kiff took theirs to school. I brought mine as well, as did Emmie. 

 

Schools got into the act. Emmie's school hosted a viewing party. She passed out stickers to families who were enjoying it together. My school actually purchased glasses for students who were interested. We watched a special CNN 10 about it in class today as well as a Discovery Education video that explained that we should enjoy these eclipses while we can because in 600 million years, we will not see them (the moon will have pulled too far away. I also showed students the simulation on the planetarium dome at school as well, where they could see the Venus actually became visible. They also saw that the seven planets were all aligned as well. Super cool.

Viewing it today as a lot of fun. I checked it out from my parent's house before heading home. I stopped on the way home in Lexington and viewed it (the sun was about half covered). I viewed it when we got home a few times with Kif (the eclipse was at maximum) around 3:30. I viewed it when we left for Kif and Bri's track meet, which showed that the moon was now moving. I even checked it out from DHS. It was almost complete (I even viewed the sun when it was totally complete at 4:30).

 

All and all it was a memorable time.

The One With a Happy Easter

 

 

 

 

Today is Easter, 2024. Sure, it might still be March, but we definitely had a memorable Easter weekend.

 

Friday - Emmie and I has the day off like usual. We had many errands to take care of - car drop off, making sure to schedule the door installation, going out to breakfast, a visit to Putnam Pantry, and movie night (seeing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which was great).

Saturday - Bri had a competition, while Kiff had track practice and dance. Busy day. Bri's winter guard team came in second place in their division.

Sunday - Easter - we had our usual brunch. It was delicious. I went to mass. We opened baskets and went to Endicott for a walk. Emmie, Bri, and Kiff even hit the hot tub. We will finish the night with a nice roast and Peter Rabbit.

All in all, a great Easter.

The One With The Spring Concert

 

 

The students had their annual spring concert tonight. And, it was the first time the Kiff and Bri were on the same stage for a spring concert. And it was a treat.

 

First, Bri appeared on stage as part of the flute ensemble. They did a fantastic job performing a collection of songs from Zelda. After the ensembles performed, chorus did. We were able to see a some students that our kiddoes know really well...which was fun. They sounded great.

 

Then it was time for Bri and Kiff to perform with concert band. They sounded AWESOME!!! They performed three songs and sounded fantastic. Although we could not see Kiff - the trumpets were in the back - we definitely could hear them. Bri was first flute and more visible up front...even if the track light above her was out, creating a dark spot on stage.

The show got a standing ovation from the audience, including the superintendent, who sat next to us, and said, "You must be really proud..." which was cool to hear.

All and all a great spring concert!!!

The One With Love Lies Bleeding

 

 

Today, was a divide and have fun day as Emmie and Bri went to Boston to see the Boston Ballet version of Cinderella. Kif and I ventured to Framingham AMC to see  Love Lies Bleeding. 

First and foremost, this was the first time we took Kif to the Framingham Theater. It brought back memories to me, which I shared with him - playing Area 51 with Prasad, waiting in line for Phantom Menace to start with people dressed up, and even seeing the Patriot there. 

Seeing Love Lies Bleeding is a new entry into my memories at the AMC. But, before I say something about the movie, it was fun to go to the theater because this is the first time I have been there since they did the Dine In theater. This is where they bring the food to you. That was pretty awesome!!!

The movie itself was pretty mediocre. Although entertaining - and a bit messed up in spots - it essentially told the story of a family business of selling weapons and drugs illegally, as well as problems that stem from it. The story line was a little ragged, though riveting in spots, but went a little overboard as roid rage took over one of the characters in an unbelievable way. This was followed by a jump the shark metaphor moment when two characters suddenly became giants (a moment which was alluded to by a Gulliver's Travel cartoon earlier in the movie).

Overall it was weird, but not bad. Emmie and Bri had a lot more fun we are told during their foray into Boston. But, it was a memorable day.

The One With the College Meeting

 

 

Tonight, Bri, Emmie, and I attended Junior College Night at DHS. The night was a one hour presentation about the college application process for juniors.

 

The night was interesting. There was a ton of information, as well as a QA session involving admissions employees from UMASS Boston, UMASS Lowell, UNH, Suffolk, and Endicott - colleges that students from DHS often apply to.

 

The night was informative, but also overwhelming. However, it marks another milestone as we begin to look at colleges.