Our last two weeks in New York City have expanded our view of the many diverse neighborhoods of the metropolis. While we’ve been moving quickly to explore as much as possible, it’s clear that three months will not be enough to see it all! There is so much to do and so much to experience!

We’ve seen two Broadway performances after entering online lotteries. We “won” discount tickets to An American in Paris and Kinky Boots. For $40 each we had up-front tickets to these Tony Award winning productions. An American in Paris is in its final days so we were glad to be able to see it before it ends. The show is set in post WWII France and features fabulous dancing and the music of Gershwin. Dad, you would have loved it!

We finished up our New York Pass with walking tours of SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, and Wall Street. We also did a tour of the fashion windows along 5th Avenue and a food tour of Hell’s Kitchen. Walking tours have been a great way to get to know the neighborhoods of NYC and each guide has given us history and tips that will help us return to each place with a sense of confidence. For example, in Chinatown, our guide Eric suggested great dim sum and dumpling restaurants we’ll visit later.

While in Little Italy we were able to partake in the San Genarro festival. See the pictures below of the food available at this 10 day event.

We finished up our New York Pass with walking tours of SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, and Wall Street. We also did a tour of the fashion windows along 5th Avenue and a food tour of Hell’s Kitchen. Walking tours have been a great way to get to know the neighborhoods of NYC and each guide has given us history and tips that will help us return to each place with a sense of confidence. For example, in Chinatown, our guide Eric suggested great dim sum and dumpling restaurants we’ll visit later. While in Little Italy we were able to partake in the San Genarro festival. See the pictures below of the food available at this 10 day event.

Lunch at San Genarro

The United Nations General Assembly was here last week, which meant increased traffic in midtown and enhanced security and police presence. During our fashion windows tour on 5th Avenue, we were interrupted several times by motorcades accompanied by helicopters escorting heads of state through the area. Secret service agents were posted near the high-end hotels along the route. While the constant sirens and commotion were a bit unnerving, we figured it was probably one of the most secure places on Earth!

One of our goals while in New York is to attend the taping of a few television shows. It’s easy to get tickets through an online service called 1iota and we’ve seen several shows. Last week we were front and center in the studio audience of Good Morning America. Thanks to Eddie Lopez and Kay Wilkinson who sent us screen shots of our national television debut! We also attended a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers and next week we’ll be in the live audience of Live with Kelly.

Steve has been training for the marathon in Central Park and has discovered something new with every six mile lap around the park. Last week he did an 18 mile training run with the New York Road Runners. This week we took in an IronStrength workout with Dr. Jordan Metzl on the deck of the aircraft carrier Intrepid.

On board the Intrepid

Dr. Metzl offers free workouts at various locations throughout the City and over 1,000 people showed up to exercise on the Intrepid. Held at sunset, we did a strength workout followed by yoga accompanied by live violin music. The event finished with giveaways and great views of the night time skyline. Just one more “only in New York” evening!

A visit to New York City would not be complete without a trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Our visit included a trip to Lady Liberty’s Crown, which involved climbing a narrow 354 step spiral staircase. Two days later we hit a highlight for Steve with a visit to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play the Red Sox. Yankees won and we saw the Red Sox’s David Ortiz (aka Big Papi) play his final game in Yankee Stadium and he was honored on the occasion.

Batting practice at Yankee Stadium

One last thing…we have taken one more step toward being New Yorkers by joining the Westside YMCA. We now have a place to workout when the weather prevents us from enjoying Central Park. The facility is incredible, housed in a 1929 building that includes two indoor pools and a running track. We’re looking forward to regular visits over the next two and half months.

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