New York City 2018: Day 4

Saturday was our last full day in NYC. Time was flying and we couldn't believe it was already almost time to go. Not gonna lie--I was kind of excited because I was SO ready to see my babies. But I was also excited for the day we had planned!

 We hopped on the subway and headed to China Town and Little Italy. My mom really wanted to see the court house and the police station right by it because they're both on her favorite show ever--Blue Bloods. She's a hardcore fan and was SO excited to be there. She's the tiny brown dot at the end of the stair railing!

  Just a few blocks later, we were in China Town. This MIGHT have been my favorite part of our trip! It was so fun and there were so many little shops. Granted, they were all selling the same touristy stuff, but the atmosphere was bustling and fun! We got stopped every few feet by women whispering in our ears, "You buy purse? Michael Kors, Coach, I have. You come look." We had to just keep on moving or we wouldn't have made it anywhere! I picked up a cute stocking cap for myself and more junk souvenirs for the kids.

 After looking around a bit, we stopped for lunch at Big Wong's. Because....where else would you eat in China Town? It was delicious!

 After lunch, we shopped some more and then made our way to Grand Central Station. My mom and sister wanted me to see it. To be honest, I wasn't really sold on the idea and thought it would be boring. But I'm so glad we went! It was beautiful and there were so many little shops and SO many people.

 We had to get a snack at Melissa's Bakery (of course). I chose the coconut cake that was just as good as it looks and Brooke had cheesecake. We sat and ate and people watched for quite awhile.

 On our way out, we stopped in the whispering room. It's amazing! It's a huge room in the middle of Grand Central Station that has a domed ceiling. If two people stand in opposite corners and whisper directly into the wall, you can hear what the other person is saying! It's very cool in person--kind of hard to explain on here. Grand Central Station was LOUD. I could barely hear what my mom and sister were saying when they were standing next to me. But you can whisper and as long as you're facing the corner, the other person can hear everything you say!

We went to our room for a bit after that to rest. Then we decided to go to another movie. We picked Downsizing (WORST. MOVIE. EVER.).  My mom slept during most of it and we seriously considered leaving in the middle of it but decided to stick it out since we paid $17 to see it. 

After the movie we decided to grab a few slices of pizza from 2 Bros. My mom went ahead of us to the hotel and when we got there, she was just sitting in the lobby. We asked her what she was doing and she delivered THE most annoying news. 

The elevator was broken.

Now....in hotels I've been in in the past, that wouldn't have been THAT big of a deal. But in New York.....every building is skinny and tall. REAL tall. 

We were staying on the 29th floor (insert worlds biggest sigh here). 

We stayed in the lobby for a few minutes before we realized the elevator wasn't going to be fixed any time soon. The lobby was tiny and everyone was waiting, so it was crammed full. We finally decided to climb ALL 29 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS. 

I have nothing nice to say about that, so I'll just summarize and let you know it took us about 20 minutes and we were sweating by the time we got to our room. SO annoying. And we carried our pizza with us the whole time! Because we're THAT dedicated to pizza.

Once we had finally gotten settled in our room and we weren't panting from climbing all those stairs any more, we started packing up. It was sad, but I was glad to know I was a few hours closer to seeing my kiddos! We had a bit of an issue checking in for our flights the next day, but Brooke finally got everything figured out and we had a car service lined up to take us to the airport the next day. I prayed and prayed that night that God would go before us so our flights would go smoothly and safely.

 Here's our last picture in New York...

 Our car came on time and we got to the airport WAY earlier than planned. Thank God, because when we walked in, the line for security was inSANE. Like.....500 people in line.

 We started to get a little worried that we would still miss our flight. But after we'd been standing in line for about 10 minutes, Brooke looked at our tickets again and noticed that we were TSA prechecked! Say whaaaaa?!? That meant that we could basically skip the long security line and go through the MUCH shorter (maybe 10 people in front of us) TSA precheck line!! We were so thankful! Our flight showed up on time and we got boarded to head HOME.

 Those two fell asleep while I tried reading to pass the time. Luckily, all of our flights were super short--2 hours or less.

Mom woke up in time for our "complimentary snack." It was our favorite one we'd been given, so I had to snap a picture. Those little things were DELISH. Brooke was still sleeping, so we voted to eat hers for her. Oops.

 We had a layover in Chicago for a few hours, so we grabbed a bite to eat there. We all called home to touch base with our families. Nick ended up having to go into work unexpectedly, so he was SUPER irritated, but promised that he'd be there when I got to the airport! Michael picked up the kiddos and brought them with him to get Brooke.

When we boarded our flight from Chicago to Wichita, I realized it was the worlds SMALLEST plane. I'd sat by my mom or sister on each previous flight, so I was super bummed to have to sit by a stranger on the way home. My claustrophobia and introvertedness made for a sucky last flight. We also sat in the plane on the tarmac for about an hour before finally taking off. But before I knew it, this view was out my window....

And my heart got all fluttery and excited! Because as fun as it is to see new places, there is NO place like home! As soon as we landed I got this picture on my phone....

Uncle Michael said they were excited to see me and I was SO excited to see them! It seemed like it took forever for us to get off the plane and grab our luggage. But once we finally did, it was SOOOOO good to see their little faces and hug my hubby! Tessa just kept saying, "Mommy! I'm SO glad you're home!"

I was only gone for 5 days, but it felt like an eternity. Once we pulled into our driveway and I stepped out into the fresh air, I couldn't help but think how quiet it was compared to NYC and how big and open it felt! Everything was so busy and cramped there and to be home in the middle of open pasture with green grass and trees felt weird, but amazing!

Overall, I'm so glad I went. The time spent with my mom and sister was the best part of it all and I'm glad I got to see NYC and all the fun and beauty that it holds.

What an adventure!