It's Always An Adventure

Well, it is Labor Day and with it comes the unofficial end to summer. Soon the weather will be turning cooler, the sun filled days will shorten, school will start and schedules will need to be followed. And while I have to admit I am very much looking forward to the promise and excitement of new adventures to come in the fall, I am always get a wee bit sad at the end of the lazy, hazy days of summer. Luckily we managed to jam pack tons of NYC adventures in to this past weekend and I feel like we did our best to have a rockin’ good time saying bye to a fabulous summer =)

My brother was in town this weekend and it inspired us to do some exploring and galavanting around Manhattan. We started the day off on Friday morning by taking the Staten Island Ferry over to SI and back. We waved at the lovely Statue of Liberty and took in the breathtakingly beautiful sunny views of downtown Manhattan from the water.

Well, hello there Lady Liberty

Hopping off the boat we made our way to the World Trade Centre site, amazed at the awesomeness of the Freedom tower and taking a moment to reflect at the memorial for those who lost their lives on 9/11.

The Freedom Tower

We will not forget

We continued to South Street Seaport where we had lunch and took in the views of the Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO. The kids even convinced us to let them stop and play at one of their favorite parks- The Imagination Playground.

Paul, Andrea and the girls with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background

Can't you just feel the sibling love?! 😉

View of downtown Manhattan from the pier

For a change of scenery all together, we jumped on the subway and headed right into the heart of Times Square. The girls wanted to show Uncle Paul some of their favorite places which included ToysRUs and of course, The Disney Store. By this time we had already but in a long day and we soon realized the crowds and chaos of late afternoon in Times Square on a Friday, was something we had very little patience for. Cool drinks back at the apartment were the perfect end to a jam packed touristy day.

Hanging out with a new friend at ToysRUs

Gotta appreciate the honesty... oh Times Square

On Saturday we spent the day doing a whole lot of walking. We ventured from one side of Central Park to the other and then we made our way to Chelsea where we had a deliciously late brunch at Dos Caminos, sampled some treats at Chelsea Market, got yelled at (me) for taking a picture at Hogs and Heifers (where I had to do penance shots and BARELY left with my bra), eye balled some crazy behaviour at the Standard Hotel (gotta love those windows) and strolled along the beautiful HighLine park.

Wall of bras from Hogs and Heifers- Meatpacking District

Street view from the Highline

Yesterday was truly one of my best days in NYC, it was my first NY Yankees game! What a thrill, it was an awesome time. It really is hard to describe the feeling you get when you enter the stadium among the sea of blue and white jerseys. The air is filled with excitement and the die hard fans are ready to cheer on their team. We had a blast! It was an exciting game and fittingly they were playing my old home town team the Toronto BlueJays. Don’t worry we were cheering for the Bronx Bombers as they easily defeated the Jays. There really is nothing better in the summer than sitting in a baseball stadium in the afternoon, sipping on a beer watching a great game.

On the subway on the way to the game...

Yankee Stadium

The view from our seats

My little Yankee family

And today, well today we decided to hang out at the park and go for a walk with Dopey. (Bogie wanted to stay home in the air-conditioning). It is supposed to rain tonight and the weather is going to cool off. I am already getting organized for the first day of school for the girls on Thursday. Shopping needs to get done, activities are scheduled. Yep. It is that time of year again. But right now, I think I am going to cherish these last few hours of summer and the weekend by chilling out on the couch with a good book and a cold drink. I am sure I can convince someone to join me 😉 I am raising a glass in your general direction- “To Summer!!”

Saying goodbye to the lazy, hazy days of summer