Day one started out with the Apple watch buzzing my wrist with the gentle but effective reminder that it was time to get up and get going for the adventures ahead. It's been a year and a half since the entire fambam went on a tour of duty together, and Pam declared that it was way too much time to keep our team from seeing the world. So she loaded us up on the plane and set out sights on New York, New York. After all, we did figure if we "could make it there, we could make it anywhere!"
1. I have sat between the girls before after an early morning wake-up call, and I am fully aware of the consequences that follow.
2. Close quarters are nice for short periods of time, but a three-hour flight can have adverse side effects for the adult in charge.
3. I had my headphones, in-flight movie of Captain Marvel and my very own bag of Gardettos all to myself.
We safely arrived into the Big Apple, grabbed our bags, checked into the Hotel Eddison, and headed out the door. Although the hotel is right in front of Time Square, Pam opted to head down 7th Ave, to take us to Central Park. Maybe she needed some space from the long cramped flight, or perhaps she knew her brood are park people, and she wanted to offer us one of the very best the world has to offer.
The girls were not disappointed as they immediately set their sights on climbing a massive rock for a better view of the city.
Central Park is impressive with all the people, culture, beauty, and street buskers trying to cash in on a buck. I personally like a good cheap act when I see one and AK isn't much different. While D and Pam were playing the Count as Many Dogs as You Can game, AK spied out some street dancers getting ready for a performance. She made her way towards them. Although they were okay at their craft, they tended to talk too much about what they could do, rather than just do it. In other words, it did little to keep my short attention span, and I was off to explore more of the park while I left. Pam, AK, and D to the show. Sure the guy may have jumper over three people and did a flip in the process. But, I still think it would have been much cooler if the three people didn't have to bend down while he jumped.
Pam's motherly instincts had kicked in, and she knew the girls and I were running on low fuel lights. She navigated us back through the park and up the city to land us at Famous Ray's Pizza. Personally, I have never heard of Ray, but evidently, he is well known for his pizza. Being a fine connoisseur of pizza, you think I would have heard of him by now?
We ordered up some slices, said our blessings, and dug in. After a few quick bites, I realized why Ray was famous for his pizza! I gave Ray a nearly perfect score of 4.7 pepperonis out of 5. Pam gave Ray a respectable 4.2 pepperonis. D being the most stringent food critic on the team, came in with a 3.2 with her reason being that Ray still had some work to do with his crust before he was really famous. AK most likely won't be invited back to Ray's dining table anytime soon, and she felt Dominos in Midland was better!
Although it was still early in the day, We decided to head back to the hotel, get some water, and set up camp for our trip. It didn't take long for everyone to pass out on the beds from the early morning departure for a quick nap. AK and D awoke to find out it better to find it is better to finish eating your Milk Duds before you fall asleep!
We headed back out and explored more of the City and found us at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Sure it's home to the Late Show with Steven Colbert, but once upon a time David Letterman was the host, and it brought back flashbacks of my 8th grade PE class when Brett and I would discuss the Top 10 list from the night before.
Since Pam is the Supreme Leader of the fambam and knowing the type of food her crew likes, she took some quality advice from Cheree, and we found ourselves eating at Brooklyn's Diner. I opted for the best chicken noodle soup of my life, while AK and Pam split a cheeseburger and D went for the pastrami and mac-n-cheese. All were pleased with their meal, and we headed to Time Square to find it's not much different that Freemont Street in Vegas. Lot's of people, lots of activity, lots of street buskers, and lots of shenanigans. Time Square is both fast-paced and odd at the same time. There are thousands of people gathered, and apparently, the only reason they are collected there is that it is Time Square.
After a few shops, bumping into lots of people and having to explain to our teenage girls why there was a naked cowboy with a guitar on the street. Pam declared that we had all been up for almost 20 hours and it was time to get some much-needed rest so day two could be as much fun if not more than day one!
