Number
42: check! I’m happy to report that for Thanksgiving this year, mom, dad, and I
flew to New York City to celebrate the holiday with Melina. During that time,
Melina and I were both able to knock off another goal from our bucket lists: attend the Macey’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live! Well, goal
accomplished! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…we’ll start at the beginning
of the trip…
Mama
and papa smurf and I flew on an overnight flight Tuesday evening and arrived in
NYC early Wednesday morning. Melina
was working Tuesday night so we expected to get to her apartment before she. To
prepare for this potentially happening, sissy had sent us spare keys to her
apartment in the mail to let ourselves in while she was still at work. Melina’s
apartment is between a little general store and a Tasti-delight (a frozen yogurt
shop – which I actually found quite amusing being that I live in Provo where
frozen yogurt shops are on just about every other corner). We got to her
apartment early in the morning and essentially collapsed into bed. Melina got
home a few hours later and woke us up to shrieks of joy. After hugs and
kisses, we decided we all still
needed more sleep, so we settled down and snoozed the morning and early
afternoon away. Once we finally got up, we freshened up a bit and then hit the
streets. All of us had experienced New York before except mom so it was fun to
watch her and see / hear her impressions of the Big Apple. It was also fun to
walk around with Melina. She has truly integrated into a New York local!! The
weather was beautiful! I've only
been to New York when it is so bitterly cold it seeps down to the bone. Not
this time; this time, some of the vibrant red and orange leaves were still on
the trees and the weather stayed in the low 50s. It was just perfect, perfect,
perfect! We decided to head over to
Battery Park and take a ferry around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Due to Hurricane Sandy, both islands were closed for repair, but the ferry was
still up and running. As we walked through the park, we got pretzels and hot
dogs from a street vendor. Yes, I have now officially eaten my first New York
hot dog. For someone who thinks hot dogs are merely mystery meat, I found mine
to be quite tasty.
As
luck would have it, the sun was setting as our ferry was going around the harbor. It made for some beautiful
pictures. Mom was telling us about her great-great grandfather who
arrived at Ellis Island way back when. He could not speak English so when
the time came to sign his name on the registry, he simply put an X. Admittedly, I kept referring to Titanic and how sad it was that Jack
never got to stand in front of the Statue of Liberty with Rose. Yes, I know, so typical. Oh well.
The tower under construction is the new Freedom Tower, the building being erected in commemoration of the Twin Towers
It was so gorgeous in the harbor!
By
the time we got off the ferry, it was dark. We walked up and down Wall Street
and the financial district. Gosh I’d forgotten how tall those buildings are! We
tried to see the 9/11 memorial, but it had closed by the time we had gotten
there. When you look up at the massive space that once stood the twin towers,
suddenly you feel a little smaller and your life gets put into a bit more
perspective. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to be where I
stood 11 years ago. We eventually made our way back to the east side and Melina
took us to one of our favorite restaurants, a Turkish restaurant near her home.
I will admit, I was not expecting to have that great of a meal. I ordered the
beef kabobs and they were surprisingly very tasty. But the real delight was
dessert. Now, mom, dad and Melina will laugh at this because when the waiter
set the rice pudding down on the
table, I openly expressed how it looked and had the texture of old gravy. Melina
convinced me to have one taste. Well that tiny taste turned into me nearly
licking the bowl clean. Can we all say yum?? I admit here, I was wrong, Melina
was right because that dessert was superb.
Thursday
morning we woke up before the crack
of dawn and prepared for the trek down to Central Park West to join the masses
for the Macey’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. With hot cocoa thermals in hand, we
hailed a cab who took us as close as possible before being blocked off by
police. We found a great spot next to the curb (super for elevation above the crowd – 3 guesses who I’m
quoting here ;). We had a little less than 3 hours to kill before the parade
started. We met some nice, fun people, we met some iffy people and then we met
some people whom I’m still cursing and spitting their name! Yes, I’m referring
to you North Carolina! Err, there was this lady (all of 5 foot tall maybe) that just crawled her way
through the crowd half an hour before the parade started hoping to get a
descent spot alongside the people who had been there since 5:30 a.m. If looks
could kill…we were all so mad. And then when the parade actually started, she
lied her way through to the very front. I was appalled! Whew – sorry for my
rant. Apparently I am not over her yet. Anywho, on a lighter note, she was gone by the
time the parade started and we made a great friend with a man named Daryl. I
think if we lived in New York or Daryl lived in Draper, he and dad would be
best friends. They were having the greatest time together; just like two peas
in a pod. Daryl is about a 6 foot 5 inch, black daddy who lives about an hour
from the city and was there with / for his 12 year old son, Jordan, who helped
us all out when the celebrities came by and we knew like none of them. Daryl
was quite protective over his son and soon over us and made certain no
one made it past us (including any sneaky North Carolina-ers). We had great
spots and could see the parade generally pretty well. I’m happy I got to go to
the parade. It was fun to see figures such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Colbie Caillat,
Whoppi Goldberg, Trace Atkins, and Jimmy Fallon.
This was about how far away we were from the street. Not too shabby, huh?
We were a little protective of our spot. What can we say - it was good!! So when more and more people started showing up, dad told us we needed to "stay strong" and guard are territory. One of his suggestions was to branch out like a lizard. He kept stretching out his arms and making us laugh.
This man wins "Father of the Year" award. He came at 5 a.m. to ensure a good spot for his two kids; a boy and a girl probably no older than 6. While they waited hours for the parade to start, they watched a movie on the iPad inside their "tent", staying nice and warm. And when the parade started, the kids could see perfectly. Pretty good dad, huh? We made friends with his family. They were darling!
Mommy's Girls
Daddy's Girls too...
And of course, the floats and balloons!
We love Charlie Brown in the Clegg house!
Thought of my favorite Portyr and Maddy when Spongebob came by
Whoopi Goldberg was on this float, dressed in pirate gear and all
"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause"
Santa!!
When
the parade was over, we made our way home to Melina’s apartment. We chose a
quick and seemingly tasty lunch for our Thanksgiving: McDonald's. And in
complete honesty here, every single one of us enjoyed that meal. It tasted really
good at the time. While we were eating, we learned that McDonald’s delivers in New York. I
remember thinking how grateful I was McDonald’s in Provo doesn't because if
that were the case, my friends and I would be elephants by now. Since we had
been up before 4, when we got home we stuck in Miracle on 34th Street (it just seemed appropriate after
watching the parade) and took naps. Much to my surprise, I didn't conk out
until after Miracle was over and we
put in White Christmas. Eventually we
got up and took the subway over to Times Square. Dad found us a really nice
restaurant near there for our Thanksgiving feast. The rest of the family
ordered the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I, on the other hand, am not a huge
fan of turkey and the whole Thanksgiving meal (I’m more of a Christmas girl
[ham, stringy potatoes, rolls, broccoli and cheese…]) so I ordered the mac ‘n
cheese, which in my defense was given 5 stars by The New York Times. It was quite scrumptious and I hold no regrets.
For dessert, dad and Melina got a red velvet cake and mom and I split a hot
fudge sundae. It was certainly the most unique and unusual Thanksgivings I've ever had, but it was a lot of fun. We kept joking around that we were going to
make a twist on the movie “A Christmas
Story”, but for Thanksgiving. I’m grateful for my family. We had a good
time!
We noticed in taxis that they played mormon.org commercials. We were thrilled when we walked into time square and saw a HUGE advertisement. It's no secret, the church is growing; even in places you'd least expect
The "half naked cowboy" joined us in time square as well. Only in New York (and certainly Vegas!)...
Friday
was designated by dad as “my day”. And he was right; I was certainly spoiled by
my family. Melina made us a tasty breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit and of
course, cereal for my papa and me. We left the apartment and took the bus to
central park. As we walked around, Melina showed us some of her favorite spots
to go to when she isn't working. Central Park is gorgeous! I've only been at
Christmas time when things are dead (still beautiful of course with the
lights), but the leaves made it so much prettier to look at this time.
I took this in honor of Sara and all my roommates who love "Friends". This is the infamous fountain the cast play in during the opening credits
This bridge in Central Park has been in SO many movies including (but of course not limited to) "Maid of Honor", "Enchanted" and "27 Dresses"
After
Central Park, we went to Colombia Presbyterian Hospital where Melina has been
working for the last 10 weeks. We are so proud of her! She is fearless. I couldn't imagine flying across the United States, to a place I don’t know and
people I've never met. And yet Melina did! She’s worked hard, explored, learned
and become so much more confident with herself. Sissy, I couldn't be any more
proud. I love you!!
After
the hospital, we went to the very tip top of the island of Manhattan to The Cloisters, an extension of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. Its focus is on Early Christian, Romanesque and Gothic art and
architecture. To my pleasure, The
Cloisters housed my favorite altar piece, The Merode Altarpiece by Robert Campin, subject to many papers and
assignments over the course of my art history education. Yes, I squealed. Yes,
tears came to my eyes. Yes, I stood in front of it for about 10 minutes. It is
more beautiful than I expected.
Playing Cards, 1470-1480
Robert Campin, The Merode Altarpiece, 1425
Unbeknownst to me, Melina was taking pictures of me staring at the altar. My geekiness in black and white. No shame!
"For scale" as Mrs. Hughes would say
After
The Cloisters, we trekked are way to
the Met. We ate in the American wing cafe just to the right of Greek inspired sculptures
(it was lovely!). For my American Art class, my professor said I could do extra
credit if I explored the American exhibit at the Met. That is where we started;
followed by Impressionism, European paintings, a little bit of Byzantine and
then Greek and Roman sculptures. I am one lucky girl! My parents and sister
were kind enough to indulge me on all my squeals and listen to me as I explained
different ideas, theories, symbols, and interpretations. To be honest, it was
quite rewarding for me because it was the first time in a long time that I felt
my education was really paying off. I
am certainly grateful to be going to school at BYU and to have such spectacular
professors.
Gilbert Stuart, George Washington (Vaughn Portrait). I wrote an 8 page paper on this very portrait about 2 weeks ago. I about died...
Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke. My class learned about this and other Cole paintings about 3-4 weeks ago. I immediately knew it was a Cole from the "blasted tree". Thanks James!
Another picture from Melina I was unaware being taken of me ;)
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, George Washington Crossing the Delaware. This thing is massive!
Chatting away about stylistic properties....thanks mom!
Winslow Homer, Northeaster
Madonna and Child
Claude Monet, Rouen Cathedral: The Portal (Sunlight)
Claude Monet, Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies
Claude Monet, Water Lilies. Mom and dad think of Elise when they see "Water Lilies". They wanted to make sure they took a picture in front of this. We missed you Leesie!
Vincent van Gogh, Wheat Field with Cypresses
Vincent van Gogh, Self Portrait with a Straw Hat
It's like she's amused by this or something....
William Bouguereau, Nymphs and Satry. I've studied this picture countless times in classes, but I had no idea it was as big as it is. This picture does not do it justice. It's massive!
Edgar Degas, The Dancers. In honor of my best ballerina friend, Hailey
Kouros, Archaic (Greece)
Old Market Lady, Hellenistic (Greece)
After
the Met, we took the subway over to 5th Avenue and went into some of
the shops and looked at the window displays.
We walked over to Rockefeller
Square, Radio City and NBC Studios. For those of you who don’t know, dad is a very
big “30 Rock” fan. I think he particularly enjoyed the NBC gift store and browsing
through all the “30 Rock” and “Seinfeld” stuff. By this time, it was only
7-7:30 p.m., but we were EXHAUSTED. So, we made our way back to Melina’s
apartment and ate dinner in true New York fashion – Chinese food take out &
delivered right to the door. And I’ll tell you all, it was actually really
good. I can understand a little better why they always depict New Yorkers
eating Chinese food in their apartments now.
This
morning, we got up at 3:30 a.m. to be ready for the town car that arrived at
sissy’s apartment at 4:20 a.m. to take us to the JFK airport. We buzzed right
through security, picked up some Starbucks and waited to board our flight. Now we’re
home, showered, and spending the rest of our Thanksgiving break relaxing. I’m
grateful I got to spend the holiday with my wonderful family. I’m grateful for
my sweet parents and my courageous sister and the example she is to me!
Unfortunately,
Mark, Elise and Jacob were in Colorado, but we’ll be seeing them in less than a
week now and they’ll be staying with my parents for a month. Can’t wait to see
them and show off my favorite boy!
I'm in love with this little Turkey! Can't wait to see him on Friday! :)
Loves!
