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What a great and productive trip! I’m so glad we decided to go, most things went well and the highlight was the Total Beauty event on December 11th at Space NK Apothecary in NYC.

The first thing we did on Monday night was go to the Empire State Building, I highly recommend going at night the view was amazing and the best part there was absolutely no line!  There are a lot of maze trails to follow, the staff tries to cut them down but there still is quite a bit of shuffling.  Breathtaking views all over and prepare to pay $1.01 for your pressed pennies.  We got back to the Hotel about midnight which worked out because the kids were actually tired and went to sleep.  The last lift to the Observatory is 1:15 a.m.

Next morning many things went wrong, I had my outfit ready for the Total Beauty party but in the rush with the kids my pristine white shirt suffered an awful orange juice stain and my favorite new jeans were practically soaked from the knee down in the process.

 grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I packed really light so that didn’t leave much, normally I would have just gone shopping but I didn’t want to impose that on the hubby and kids not to mention this was close to 900 and we still had to get on with our tight sightseeing schedule, so I had to stick it out with what was to be my traveling home outfit… oh well. 

We headed to the Central Park Zoo and Children’s Zoo which the kids loved. It is nice and small and compact perfect for kids, the seals were the family favorite as was the Rain Forest exhibit which offered a hot and humid place to warm up.  We ran through the Children’s zoo which was included in the price of the ticket but could have spent a few hours in there feeding the Alpacas or playing on the Spider’s web. 

We walked across Central Park, grabbed some hot dogs, pretzels and more hotdogs for “lunch”.  Continuing on the trek passing Strawberry Fields and the tributary to John Lennon, I tried to explain to boy2001 why John Lennon was so loved but really there is no explanation, I’ll have to get some of the songs and play them for him.  This was quite a hike but easier than hauling a double stroller up and down subway stairs and managing a 6 year old- besides we’re used to long walks.

We got to the Museum of Natural History and had to fight to get the double stroller in, I’m hoping there is an entrance somewhere with a ramp but it’s not obvious from the front.  The kids were REALLY excited because of Night at the Museum movie I told them much of the movie was not based on the actual museum but they still held out hope! 

Next we got on the subway and headed to Times Square where we walked around aimlessly and I looked longingly at the nice Sephora store…  we went to Toys R Us and shopped, very fun, everybody got something nice to keep them busy back at the hotel.  At 5:15 I encouraged DH to head to the 7 train to get back to the hotel, he’s very capable but having all three kids made me really nervous.  I got them through the turnstyles and waved my farewell and then it was off to the Total Beauty Shopping Event at Space NK Apothecary! 

I got on my old friend the N train (I rode this route for 4 years when I worked at the AmEx tower and then while attending Pace University).  Now it’s really raining and my hair’s all frizzy AND I forgot to unload all the baby stuff in my purse/baby bag, I was planning on putting most of this in my husband’s backpack but forgot so I looked like a packmule with all the baby/kid junk I was carrying! I get to the area early so I hung out across the street at the Sharper Image store getting a NICE chair massage.

The next day we checked out of the hotel and packed up the minivan to show the kids my old stomping grounds around Astoria/Long Island City by car.  They were barely interested but it was fun for me!  Then we headed into Manhattan down 5th Avenue and did a drive by on Rockefeller Center, traffic was at a standstill so it was just like walking around without the hefty parking fees!  We got to ChinaTown and  parked the car in our favorite little parking lot.  Everybody walked around and we were all very disappointed.  I did buy a “cashmere” scarf but most of the items were overpriced, the jewelry was uninspiring and there were no trinkets that stood out.  That was it, we were on our way. New York trip December 2007.