A classy Lady!

Today we got to use our Thursday tickets for the Statue of Liberty for the ferry and a tour of the base/monument and displays. Tickets to climb up into the crown are sold out weeks in advance, so we couldn’t reschedule that part. We spent so much time in the monument looking at things that we ran out of time to go to Ellis Island. Maybe we’ll have a chance again someday.

Looking back at Manhattan from Liberty Island

Replica of one of Lady Liberty's feet

The original torch

Looking up from the monument base into the inside of the statue

Liberty's shadow in the harbor

Headed back to Battery Park

After we took the ferry back to Battery Park, we walked over to the World Trade Center site and then over to Times Square to check it out and also have a “real New York dining experience” at a place called Junior’s. Good food, interesting people and classic New York cheesecake for dessert.

Then it was back on the subway to catch the LIRR back to Babylon.

Babylon, oh Babylon!

Here we are in New York. We were among the lucky few who were able to fly from SLC to JFK on Wednesday. Our flight was the only flight the entire day that wasn’t cancelled due to the big Northeastern Seaboard storm the shut down much of Washington, D.C., New York and points in between. Our flight was delayed for an hour, so we actually flew out just before 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, but we weren’t complaining. By the time we reached JFK, one runway was open and roads were being plowed. So things mostly worked out for us.

We arrived at our New York family's home (actually North Babylon, on Long Island) just in time to help finish up with shoveling the driveway. School was delayed for two hours, and the kids headed off to school when we were done.

After some visiting, and phoning to confirm our suspicions that the Statue of Liberty- our big event for the day- was among the many things closed due to the storm, we adjusted our plans and took the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) into the city to take a look at Brooklyn Law School and just get a feel for the transit system. We also took a peek at a little corner of Central Park, stopped in at the iconic Apple Store on Fifth Avenue and headed back to catch the LIRR for the Babylon station.

Hats off and lots of appreciation to Emily, Lily and Jacob. The girls gave up their bedrooms for us and Jacob slept on the floor and let his sisters use the beds in his room. So after over 40 hours on the go, we finally headed to bed for a cozy and welcome night’s sleep

iPhone tip

In a pinch, when it's cold and you don't want to take your glove off, you can work your iphone with your nose. But it's a lot easier if you can use someone else's nose.

Chicago, Chicago!

Here are a few interesting pictures from Chicago:

That's right- our very own photo-op with Carl Kasell! (Eat your hearts out, "Wait, wait..." fans) Great fun. Gotta do that one again some time.


Part of the downtown skyline reflected on a massive scuplture in a park along Lake Michigan. That's me in the middle of the reflection.

Below are some pictures from a snow sculpture contest in another park further down the street. We were there before the sculptors were finished, but it was still pretty cool to see everything they were doing.






There was a dog sled demonstration next to the sculpture contest. The dogs were all so excited and eager to run and pull.

This guy and his dog are Chicago's only Iditerod finishers

It was a fun trip. I liked the part of Chicago where we stayed and I loved, loved, loved the public transit.

Here's a tip

Here's a little tip:

If you're having trouble sleeping, don't turn to a spell-binding mystery novel to help solve your problem.

You'll regret it the next day. Trust me.