bluebonnets, b & w

bluebonnets

Out-takes! This is what most of the pics consisted of before 

Mr. Ladybug made his appearance and had the kids mesmerized . . . HA.

 (this is actually a favorite of J . . . this is SO him!)

nyc -- "a three hour tour", part deux

So gorgeous at twilight . . . things change so quickly, it was so vibrant.  These are some of my favorite pics!

(already posted the b&w of Lady Liberty, but I love the color as well. each give a totally different vibe!)

nyc - "a three hour tour . . ."

FREE BOAT RIDE, ANYONE??!

after a long day in the city, lauryn and i hopped on the Long Island Rail Road (me, with a huge slice of pizza i bought at the station . . . nothing like THAT at midnight on the train with a soda!!  droooooool .) and were relaxing. the family across the isle from us caught our eye . . . there were probably 7-8 people total, teenagers to aunts, uncles, parents.  it was a family from Holland and they were having the BEST time. we were entertained and laughing just being near them! finally, we started talking to them and really enjoyed our conversation, ending with taking some pictures (with their camera, i believe . . . i think my phone was dead, i was so bummed).

all of this to say, they remembered they had some spare tickets they didn't use from their sightseeing package - - for a Midtown Harbor Cruise!  lauryn and i were pumped and most definitely took them up on their extras. here is what we got to do (for FREE, people!!!)

NY Harbor Midtown Cruise (through City Sights NY)

the cruise took us around with views of--

-Empire State Building

-Statue of Liberty

-Ellis Island

-Governors Island

-Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg Bridge

-great views of the NY skyline

-South Street Seaport

-etc . . .

We decided to do the evening cruise (started at twilight and was dark pretty soon into it).

The pros of that were that it was way less crowded (the boat the unloaded when we arrived in the afternoon was PACKED like sardines. i almost turned around and left, but lauryn convinced me otherwise!!), it was SO nice to see the city at night, with all the lights, and it was a super relaxing way to end the day.

The cons-- having to leave the piers when it was dark/late (post cruise....before was totally fine) didn't particularly feel like the safest thing we've done in the city. that area of town is just abandoned this time of night and you end up isolated. we hoofed it b/c it was so dark and not many people were around.  we felt much better the closer to the center of town we got-- it becomes almost like daytime because of the amount of people/community around, not to mention all of the lights.  So, i would either recommend a daytime cruise (for safety) or the evening one and just getting a cab 'inland' until you see loads of people again. Then you'll be good to go!

More pictures from the actual cruise to follow . . .

nyc - 2013 birthday trip . . .

here we go again . . . lauryn and i head out tomorrow! can't wait to see Lady Liberty and stroll around her city. kids - have fun with mom and granny! matt - enjoy a little break and i'll see you in a week!

 . . . shipping out . . .

nyc - brooklyn, part three .

all in all, brooklyn is a new favorite spot to visit while in nyc! it is a beautiful, family-oriented neighborhood, that provides a nice breather from the hustle and bustle of the busy city. we loved our little day trip over there  and will probably do it again in the future, when we have some time!

1) the view from the Brooklyn Promenade

2) the merry-go-round by the Brooklyn Bridge

3) Brooklyn Bridge

nyc - brooklyn , part two .

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK .

so after our stroll along the promenade, and through the streets of brooklyn, we finally made it to the base of the bridge near the park . being october, there were all kinds of Fair-types of things going on, including cute little tots walking around in their halloween costumes early -- who doesn't love that??

so we grabbed something to eat as we passed by here (which, incidentally, contained the first Knish i've ever had. WOW. why haven't i had one of these before??? and, yes, the NY pretzels are just as yummy as they look . . .)  --->

 we got the cell phones out, went on a wild goose chase, and finally found lyndsey (lauryn's cousin) and her family! success! so we hung around the Brooklyn Bridge Park (i think?!!) and then headed to the merry-go-round . . . it was so cool.  i tried and tried to get pics of lauryn, lyndsey and her cutie-pie little baby Ava as they whipped by, but i couldn't capture them!!  still practicing with the camera and settings.  i'll throw a few on here that i did get of the picturesque merry-go-round, though!

and the next bridge over from the Brooklyn Bridge (which the merry-go-round is just beside) -- the Manhattan Bridge.

ava, lyndsey & lauryn having a giggle!