New York 2016–Ma & Chad Trip

The Chad, Ma, and P New York Adventure 2016

The adventure began earlier than usual this year—this time during Spring Break! Even though Chad has been to New York several times (5? 6?), there were things he hadn’t experienced or seen that Ma and P wanted him to experience and see.

The trip began very early on Monday morning, with Daddy taking us to Hobby Airport for a non-stop SWA flight to LaGuardia Airport.

One of the things that Ma insisted on was light packing. Chad bought into it, knowing that he would have to wear clothes more than once, and he got a week’s worth of clothes and “stuff” in one small roller bag and a backpack. (It was so nice not having to wait in line for our luggage to arrive and not having to find a cab that would hold huge suitcases. Ma will make a traveler out of him yet!!!) It was cold and rainy when we arrived, and Chad was a pro at standing in the taxi line.

We arrived at Uncle John’s apartment, unloaded, and walked to Grand Central Station to have lunch at their food court. What fun! There were lots of people going from place to place, and we were able to go into the track area and examine a couple of the commuter trains. Since we had been up for many hours, we all decided an early bedtime was in store for us.

Tuesday morning, we took a cab to Pier 86 to explore the Intrepid aircraft carrier, the Growler submarine, and the space museum. It was really fun to see all of the different aircraft on the Intrepid and pretend to steer the ship, then crawl through the Growler and try to imagine life living below sea in such close quarters. The space museum had many exhibits, and we were treated to an informative and interesting lecture about life on the Red Planet (Mars).

Chad wanted Chinese fried rice for dinner, but we persuaded him to go with us to a Thai food restaurant down the street from Uncle John. Chad was not a fan of “Thaineese” food.

Uncle John had promised Chad that he would take him to Legoland and American Girl, so that was on the schedule for Wednesday morning. Since we were right in the middle of Rockefeller Center, we watched the skaters. Chad wanted to ice skate, and since there was absolutely NO LINE, we were able to get him on the ice immediately with very few skaters. He was hesitant at first and held onto the side rail, but it wasn’t long before he was twisting and twirling in the center of the ice rink and acting like an old pro.

After a “hearty lunch” at McDonald’s, Uncle John went back to work while Ma, P, and Chad walked over to the Lunt Fontanne Theater to wait in line for “Finding Neverland.” Truthfully, that was the only time we ever had to stand in line the entire time we were in NYC! We had front-row, center tickets and sat right behind the conductor. The only bad thing about sitting so close is that we weren’t able to see what was going on in the back of the stage. (We did get an extra seat pillow so Chad was higher on his theater chair.) The good thing is that we were able to make eye contact with the actors, including Kelsey Grammer (of Cheer’s and Frasier television fame). He locked eyes with Chad several times and waved at him. The music was fantastic, the story was about how the Peter Pan story came into being, and it was just “adult enough” to make it interesting for the parents and grandparents in the audience.

Since it was a beautiful day, and since we couldn’t find a cab, we walked back to Uncle John’s place. Of course, Chad found someone to “conversate” with on the way—a statue on 42^nd Street.

That evening, we decided to go on the hunt for a real Chinese food place. No luck. So, we got chicken strips and macaroni and cheese at what Chad called a “really gross chicken place” and took it back to Uncle John’s. He and I didn’t think it was too bad, but P agreed with Chad. So—two strikes for Ma and her food picks.

Our last day, Thursday, Chad wanted a healthy breakfast, so we went to the Dunkin’ Donuts place across the street from Uncle John’s building.

Then, we hailed a cab and headed south to the One World Trade Center, where we had reservations to go to the 100^th floor observatory and see a 360 degree panoramic view of the city! We saw New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty, Staten Island, the bridges across the East River, and much more. The weather was clear, and we could see “forever.” Chad was even able to serve as an assistant to the guide who was telling us all about what we were seeing. Then we ate lunch at the restaurant on the 103^rd floor. Don’t know whether that particular experience was worth $80, but at least we are able to say WE DID IT. (Chad did like the hamburger, so that was a positive.)

After lunch, P stayed to tour the 9-11 Museum, while Chad and I took the subway and headed for Chinatown for an ice cream and FRIED RICE to take home for dinner. (Finally! Food he liked!!!!) We explored the many sights, sounds, and smells of Canal Street, including the fresh fish market with live turtles and snapping crabs, durian fruit (also known as the “stinky fruit” in Singapore and Malaysia), and toy displays at the open air shops.

Friday morning arrived much too soon. Our week was over almost before it began. What wonderful memories we built, and we hope that Chad will be able to smile at some of our experiences. I know Ma and P will!!!!!!!