Christmas Day

Christmas Day this year was definitely unusual.  We headed to the airport around 9:00 pm (thanks to Michael Porter for the ride), and caught the midnight flight to NYC.  We arrived in New York around 6:30 am.  By 7:00, we were in a taxi on the way to Manhattan.  It was cold!! Our restaurant reservations weren't until 10:30, so we took the Subway to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty.  It was closed, of course, since it was Christmas, and also due to damage from Sandy, so we just looked at it across the harbor.

McKay at Max Brenner's

Then, we headed to Max Brenner's for breakfast.  I had a chile pepper hot chocolate with an omelet, but the kids meals were definitely more choco-centered.  Melted chocolate on waffles, hazelnut crepes, can't do wrong there.  I figured it wasn't any worse than the Christmas stocking candy they would have had at home.

We planned to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center, so we took the subway to Times Square, then walked over.  Oops, everyone else had the same idea, so the lines were hours long.  It was fun to watch, though.  We decided to try Central Park, which was just a short walk away.  Long lines there, too.  In the park, though, it was warmer (without those skyscraper canyons channeling the wind), so we hung out there for quite a while.  Central Park is great (thanks, FLO), with lots of rugged boulders for climbing.  It was still chilly, but considering it was Christmas Day, it was gorgeous!

Billboard in Times Square

At Rockefeller Center

Walking to Central Park

Boys climbing at Central Park

McKay was so excited to find the statue of Balto

Had a late lunch at a Korean charcoal BBQ place, then back to the airport.  We would get very used to airports over the next 20 days.