so, when millie was about to turn ten years old (about 5 years ago), i convinced adam that every ten year old needed to visit new york city. i must have been VERY convincing because he totally bought it (and by “bought it” i mean financed the trip for millie and i). we had some college girls who went along with us because it was spring break and they convinced their moms that i was a good chaperone for them (lots of convincing going on...)
i remember thinking that ten was a perfect age to show my (seemingly) grown up big girl millie the wonders of new york in march of 2004... broadway, the museums, the hugeness of the city, the architecture, the skyscrapers, the excitement of being in a place where there is something to do every minute of every day...
and she loved it. we saw three plays (my motto is “a play a day”) and spent 8 hours in the metropolitan museum of art and 4 hours in the nyc public library (the one with the stone lions out front). it was a glorious mother/daughter trip and she seemed like such a grown up girl...
maxx’s trip came two and a half years later in the summer. adam and i went with him and he requested that millie went along (and i think she didn’t even bribe him). we all had so much fun and he loved the museum of natural history (the space center part most of all) and the apple store (aah, i love that kid).
and so it was rosie’s turn this winter to turn 10 and to go to nyc. and she seemed to be so much younger at 10 than the other two children. she seems like a baby still to me (and i guess she always will). and of course, the economy isn’t that great for BIG HONKIN’ expensive trips...
but after 4 other trips to nyc, adam and i are kind of experts on nyc on the cheap (of course, adam is an expert on EVERYthing on the cheap and i am an expert on convincing him to take us all to nyc and see a play a day).
we stayed in a friend’s apartment (they were on a vacation and let us stay for a nominal little fee at their one bedroom apartment), so no huge hotel bills (though we do have some VERY reasonable and almost clean hotels that we have stayed in before, but with three kids and two grown ups... that would have been a bit TOO close quarters for us all). we were also able to have breakfast at the apartment and make sandwiches to carry in a bag for later that day. so we only ate out once a day (and at reasonably priced places like lomdardi’s pizza and ollie’s noodle shop, two of our favorite places to eat and not spend a bunch o’ $$$$$).
we walked everywhere that was 20 streets or less away (again, if my husband is to be convinced to see “a play a day” i have to follow his 20 streets or less and we walk it rule) and if it was over 20 streets away, subway transportation. and we don’t go there to shop. we go there to experience... say that to your teenage daughter who sees clothing stores on every corner (we said it about 200 times and every time she said, “i would like to EXPERIENCE some shopping”) ....
we did let her have 30 minutes at h&m (which is a clothing store that is actually very inexpensive) and she spent her saved up clothing budget from january and february in that alloted time. yes, in 30 minutes she spent $99 and had $1 left, and she purchased a nice skirt for church and 4 cute spring tops. that was pretty good for 30 minutes and $100. and then was trying to figure out if there was anything she could spend that extra $1 on in the store... but her time was up.
of course part of the experience is always the broadway plays. i am a NUT for broadway. i love love love love love a musical with all of my heart and sometimes i pretend that i am actually living in one and sing along as i go about my day as if my life was on stage and put to music. really, that is not a joke. i think i may cue the music for the blogging song right now....
so tomorrow i will give you a day by day account of our trip and the shows we saw and some EXPERT advice and reviews of the shows (and by EXPERT i mean me, so not so much EXPERT as overly wordy...)