USA East Coast

New York 3 (the grand finale!)

May 2012

New York, New Yooooooooork!

Let's Go Mets!

We leave at 6 p.m. and head out to Queens, all the way to the New York Mets stadium!
On the subway: a few fans
In the stadium: one very excited Alex.
OK, it was pretty windy and we got a bit cold, so we called it a night after an hour of the game.
The girls were exhausted. "Wake me up at the end if there are cheerleaders," says Juliette!

Final score: New York Mets 8 – Cardinals 0

Back by subway, changing trains at Grand Central Terminal, New York's big train station, famous for the movies shot there (North by Northwest, Falling in Love, Armageddon, Madagascar, Inside Man).

Statue of Liberty

Off to West 42nd Street (that's "Ouest" for you froggies...), where we board a ferry included in our New York Pass!
We go for the quick 75-minute tour (rather than 2 or 3 hours), and good thing we did — the kids' patience has its limits.
Unfortunately, we won't stop on Staten Island. That's part of traveling with kids too. You often have to compromise!
Alex, Juju and Alice are spellbound by the Statue of Liberty, and it's true, she's especially beautiful.
A gentle face. Her right hand raised. Liberty Enlightening the World.
Unveiled in 1886 and sculpted by the Frenchman (Yeeeeeees!) Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, she was a gift from France, a sign of friendship between the two nations, to celebrate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.

The weather is a bit cloudy, but once again, the sight fascinates us!

Greenwich Village – Little Italy

Chinatown – Mamma Mia!

That's it — the kids are really sick of walking.
It's just not fair (that's Calimero, the sulky cartoon chick, for the uninitiated).
A stroll through Washington Square, in the heart of Greenwich Village.
Lunch stop at the Corner Bistro to try the most famous hamburgers in town. The place is small, simple and friendly. The hamburgers are... really good!
We meet some NYC firefighters on the street. So cool for the 3 little monsters!
Since last night, it's been baseball, baseball and more baseball for Alex.
A nice dad pitches him a few balls, and Alex is very proud and very serious about the game.
He even almost hits a home run (no, just kidding...)
A quick hop by taxi from Greenwich to Little Italy, a short walk around Chinatown.
Then we take the subway back to the apartment. Pool, Jacuzzi (such a hard life, really), then back out to Times Square.
And then, on a whim: we can't leave New York, let alone Broadway, without seeing a musical (mostly because Henri sees Mag's Puss in Boots eyes — she's dreaming of seeing Mamma Mia).
Not much of a line at TKTS, so without a second thought: $350 (ouch, ouch, ouch!). We get 5 seats for MAMMA MIA at the Winter Garden.
There's a problem. We hadn't planned on going to a show tonight. So we're in shorts... And we're the only ones in shorts...
All the guys are in suits... The ladies in gorgeous American evening gowns (sparkly ones).
Splendid, magnificent, the kids were speechless (again) — a real, beautiful musical!
A true American-style show.