New York Day 2

We had been told by numerous people to get to Times Square early for discounted musical tickets. So, Thursday morning we woke bright and early, ate a quick breakfast in the hotel and made our way there. Unfortunately, all those well-meaning friends didn't realize the ticket booth is only open at 9 am two days a week. Thursday was not one of them. (Try Wed or Sat, otherwise it opens at 3.) We made a note to return at 3 and headed off to check some sights off Greg's list.

We walked through Rockefeller Center and checked out the ice rink. We visit Bryant Park and the public library. I love libraries, but this one is a work of art. High windows, light streaming in on gorgeous painted ceilings and old marble staircases. I fell in love with the Rose Reading Room. If I lived in NY, I would live in that library.

Next we looked up 5th Avenue and made Greg's traditional visit to Nike. I discovered the American Girls store along the way and had fun looking at all of the dolls and crazy accessories.

We found a classic I Love NY onesie for the baby. We decided we'll always bring him/her something back from our travels. We might not always bring him with us, but we'll bring him something back! ;)

We had lunch at Roxy's and waited in line for musical tickets, scoring sweet third-row seats in the New Amsterdam Theatre for Mary Poppins.

While we waited for the show, we headed for the top of the Empire State Building. We had purchased Express Passes—on the recommendation of my coworker—to get us to the front of every line, so as to avoid wasting precious time. We had no idea there would be no one there to enforce the express, and when we asked about it, we were told to politely ask people to move out of the way. What?! We had to squeeze past people in narrow passages, or else waste the extra $$ we'd spent on the passes. So, we made our way to the front, feeling guilty and looking it, too. But it did save us time. And no one challenged us. They just gave us bitter looks. They should really think about creating a separate line for Express Passes, like Disneyland does. It only makes sense.

Anyway, we went to the 102nd floor first and enjoyed an awesome view through the plexiglass before descending to the 86th floor for the real show. Wow, were there a lot of people up there! I guess everyone had the same idea, watching the sun set over the city. It was beautiful. Cold, windy and beautiful. We especially loved the lights when it got dark. Amazing. Seeing it in the light and the dark was great. I highly recommend it.

My feet were killing me!!

Finally, we grabbed a delicious hot pizza snack on the way to Mary Poppins, had an awesome time at the show, then enjoyed a very late dinner on restaurant row (46th St, recommended by a local). We can't remember the name of the restaurant. The first place we went to was closed. Honestly, before 11 pm in New York City, this place was closed. We were shocked. But the second place we visited served some delicious crab cakes and pasta, so we were happy with our choice. We went home thankful that Friday would be less eventful and we could finally sleep in!