NYC!

Our oldest daughter had the opportunity to head to New York City for the week of Thanksgiving to dance in the Macy's Day Parade!  What a wonderful opportunity for anyone.  She loves to dance and she loves the city.  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we were so excited that our daughter got to experience it!  We couldn't be prouder or more excited for her!

She headed down on Saturday with five other dancers from her studio and her teacher.  They took the train to NY and stayed in a hotel just off Times Square.  The girls practiced the dance for hours each day but also got to participate in events and activities around the city.  They saw Aladdin on Broadway which she said was fantastic and very funny.  They also got to see the Radio City Hall Music Spectacular with all the high kicking show girls.  Highlights were the boat tour of NY harbor and the Statue of Liberty and of course shopping on 5th avenue, in Times Square and in Rockefeller Plaza.  They also enjoyed a day of wandering New York's huge Central Park.

We headed to the city on Tuesday morning with my Mom and Mark and her two sisters all piled in one car.  We watched "Miracle on 34th Street" for the first time on the way down and it was a fitting movie for our arrival in NY and our first time ever at the parade.  We did Times Square, went to Ellen's Stardust Diner for dinner where the wait staff sang and performed all through our meal.  We loved it!  We found Kelsey out to dinner with her friends across the way and had a quick visit.  We also did a little sight seeing and got to see NYC all decorated and lit up for the holidays.

Hershey's Chocolate & the M&M store were our first stops!

Way cool! But too expensive to go in the ice bar (thus the faces!)

The next day we got a chance to watch her rehearse for several hours in the grand ballroom of her hotel.  We had heard that it is extremely hard to find your dancer the day of the parade and impossible to see them dance in front of Macy's so we wanted to see the dance and experience it first hand.  Luckily for youtube we were able to find a great video clip where you can see Kelsey dancing the whole time!  (She is 5th from the left at the start and if you watch carefully you can see her this entire clip!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bLvnOl3wuM

That afternoon was a rainy snowy windy mix in NYC.  We went out to lunch and then wandered through the streets buying umbrellas and fighting the wind. We ended up doing a little shopping in Times Square and then headed to the Park to see the balloons blown up.  On the way there we stopped at FAO Schwartz Toy Store which is a must see for anyone with children visiting NY!  So much fun but very crowded on a rainy day! We were about to head off to see the balloons when I texted Kelsey and told her where we were headed.  With all their updates from the group that was leading tours around the city she knew that the balloon blowing up had been postponed because of the wind.  We opted to do a little Christmas shopping and then headed out for an early dinner Rue 57.  Mark tried sushi again and liked it!  We froze our feet sitting by the doorways and had a very rude waiter.  But hot chocolates and coffees at Starbucks after warmed us up for the long cab ride home.  We went to bed early in preparation for the big parade the next morning.

We are fortunate that Rod has contacts in NYC and we were able to get the best parade viewing spot possible.  We hung out in the lobby of a building drinking hot chocolate and staying warm and then headed out to our street front spot to watch the parade.  We felt a little guilty looking at all the people across from us and around us that had been standing outside for hours just to hold their spots.  One woman even offered the doorman of the building $55 to use the bathroom.  He said no.   It was an amazing spectacular parade.  Certainly the best any of us had ever seen.  Confetti, clowns, so many huge balloons and performers galore.  Mark had a hard time believing it was the "real" Harlem Globetrotters and the "real" KISS performing.  We saw Miss America, Nick Jonas and of course KELSEY!!  A few of us spotted her from across the street.  Of course the video I got included everyone else in her dance troop but not her.

Early morning and all ready for the parade!

En route through Times Square.  

Front row!   

That afternoon we met up at Bloom's Tavern for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast.  There were 17 of us.   All of the dancers, their teacher, two whole families and one of the mom's.  The food was delicious.  Many people opted for the Thanksgiving three course meal but we were able to pick from their regular menu as well. It was fun, festive and delicious.  We walked back to the hotel with the dancers and stopped at a few stores, christmas light displays, and sidewalk shops (on Thanksgiving mind you!)  It was certainly a Thanksgiving that we will never forget!  Now onto Christmas...