what a trip! (part 2)

Monday morning we were still in New York and we had a full day of touring ahead of us. We drove into the city and took the on/off trolley for a tour. I was so happy we did that because we got to see so much of the city and learn all sorts of cool information about the buildings and the history of the city. Plus, it was a double-decker bus, so we were able to sit on top and see everything. Elsie loved it because she got to be outside! It was so cool to see all these things that I've seen on TV and in movies...like Times Square, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Plaza, plus all sorts of other things. We got off the trolley in a few spots. We did a little shopping on Canal St. (where you can get knock-off stuff for really cheap) and at Battery Park (where you can catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty). We decided not to take that ferry, though, because the wait was too long and they were almost sold out of tickets to actually get on the island where the statue is. Instead we took the Staten Island Ferry, which gives you a great view of the statue. It turned out to be perfect...and free! That evening we had the privilege of going to CRU, the restaurant the Mitch works at. I was so nervous to take Elsie with us because it is a super nice restaurant...I mean SUPER nice! She was amazing, though. It's like she knew that she had to be on her best behavior. I was so grateful. We were there for almost 3 hours. The food was amazing and we were treated so well. It was fun to get spoiled! After dinner we drove to Philadelphia for another full day of fun.

In Philadelphia we did a walking tour of Historic Philadelphia. We got to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the U.S. Mint, the Constitution Museum, Betsy Ross' House, Ben Franklin's Grave, and other things I'm sure I'm forgetting. Everything was really close to each other, so we were able to walk the whole day. It was absolutely gorgeous weather, so it was very enjoyable. We made sure to get a Philly Cheese Steak for dinner and made a quick stop to the "Rocky Steps" at the Philadelphia Art Museum. We ran up them (there really aren't that many) and took dorky pictures. It was great! Then we had a long trip back to Connecticut that night, but Angie did a great job driving...and we did manage to keep ourselves entertained by singing (see my previous post!).

Elsie and I headed back to Boise on Wednesday. I was excited to get home and see Aaron. We missed him very much...and I know he missed us! I am so grateful I got to go on this trip with my family and see this part of the country. Now, I've just got to figure out when I'm going to get back there with Aaron!