#35 - Various New Adventures in New York

It's pretty much impossible to spend time in New York City and NOT experience something new.  But, rather than count multiple new experiences, I'm going to lump them all together as one.  We arrived in New York City on December 20th, and we spent three days in the city before heading up towards West Point to have a couple quiet days for Christmas.  Even the quiet days in the country provided a new experience for me (see below). 

Even though I have visited NYC several times in the past, there is never a shortage of new things to see and do in the Big Apple. Here are some of the new experiences I had, along with my impressions:

• Drove past Carlos' Bakery (of The Cake Boss fame): would have LOVED to go in an sample something, but there was a line that stretched down to the next block.  Christmas is their busiest season, and none of us was in the mood to stand in line in freezing cold weather for hours.
• Ground Zero: very emotional. It is hard not to get overcome by emotion as the images and feelings of that fateful day reply in your mind.  I was also struck by the abundance of construction workers who are hard at work on the new buildings. As a military wife, I am often thanked for our family's service. As I looked at all these workers, I felt that they, too, are serving the country. They are literally rebuilding the hopes, confidence and pride of uncounted Americans as they rebuild Ground Zero.I, for one, appreciate their service to this country. 

• St. Patrick's Cathedral: magnificent, extraordinary, stunning! It reminded me of an old European cathedral. I'm such a sucker for stained glass windows, and these were simply amazing.
• New York Public Library: second in magnificence only to Library of Congress in DC. If you haven't seen either of these libraries, get to one at some point in your life.

• Completed a 2,000 piece puzzle: Yes, of course I have done puzzles before. But, a 2,000 piece puzzle?! No way--never even had the desire to try one.  My sister had been given on as a gift a few years back, and she felt that having 8 bodies in the house for several days posed her best shot at ever completing it.  She was right, although it was pure hell.  It became an obsession, especially since we were working with limited time. If this is the only 2,000 piece puzzle I ever do in my life, I will have done one too many!  Still, it was thrilling to finish that beast.