New York

Well we’re getting ready to leave the city that never sleeps and head on over to sleepy Niagara Falls. We’ve had three full days here and it’s been action-packed. We tried to take in a lot of the sights with a mindful eye on what our girls would also enjoy, so we included trips to the Lego Store and Toys ‘R’ Us along with stops at the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

The View from the top of Rockefeller Plaza

I’ve found New York a really cool place to be – it’s busy for sure, but despite outdated reputations, the city feels safe and friendly. There is a heavy police presence all around, and complete strangers have been helpful in giving directions or suggestions.

Kayaking on the Hudson River

One of the best things we did was on the first day we got here, when we went kayaking for free on the Hudson River (put on by the local area kayaking club). What a great experience! All four of us also really enjoyed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and another highlight was High Line Park– a reclamation of an old elevated commercial railway line.

High Line Park

On our last day we spent the day in and around Central Park. Much more developed than Stanley Park in Vancouver, it is nevertheless a fantastic oasis in the middle of the city. We enjoyed renting a rowboat and rowing around the lake (almost getting caught adrift under a bridge – Doug would never forgive me), and we also saw turtle pond, filled with sea turtles (obviously).

Statue of Liberty

Hmmm

New York is probably the busiest part of our trip in terms of packing stuff into each day – I think we’ll enjoy a bit of a slower pace over the next few days. Having said that, it’s been a great time here and I would very much recommend anyone visit if you have a chance. Tonight Heidi said that she was sad to be leaving lots of places – she gets attached very quickly to places and she already misses Miami, Orlando, and now New York.