Stuff: Broadway Bound

About a month ago, I got to go someplace I have been dreaming of for a loooong time: New York City!  I figured today would be a good day to bring you up to speed on my trip, in honor the NYC Marathon this weekend.

For starters, I've never been on a plane before.  So, my best friend was bound and determined to get me on a plane this year.  I was hesitant, but this summer I decided we should go for it, and we booked the trip.

Despite being pretty nervous, the plane trip wasn't so bad.  Dare I say...it was mildly relaxing.  It's not often I don't have much of anything to do except read.

The first night got off to a bit of a rocky start, with my friend losing some important items and the two of us ending up here:

However, the next day we were ready to rock.  After a nice little walk through Times Square, which is where we stayed, we hopped on the subway and headed for Downtown Manhattan.

Our first stop downtown was Ground Zero.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get reservations for the memorial, so we were only able to see it from the fences around the outside.  However, we headed to St. Paul's Chapel across the street, which was truly humbling.  This chapel is only yards from Ground Zero and stayed standing through all of the damage.  I felt weird taking pictures in and around here because it feels like such a sacred and solemn place to me, but I had to remember this:



As we know, firefighters around the world came to help after the World Trade Center attacks.  The chapel served as a sanctuary for many of these volunteers.  Firefighters who came to help left their badges at the chapel, and it was really awe-inspiring to see.

Our other stops in Downtown Manhattan were the Statue of Liberty (amazing, eventhough I wasn't willing to spend the time in line to take the ferry and only saw from the shore)...

...and a pretty cool walk on the Brooklyn Bridge.

After hopping back on the subway, we stopped at Rockefeller Center, and the amazing St. Patrick's Cathedral, where we actually saw some people get married!

That evening, we snagged a table in the middle of Times Square and chatted while taking in the sights.  It was a pretty awesome night.

Well...I feel like this post has been much longer than I anticipated, so I think I'll cut it off with day one and bring you up to speed on the rest later this week.
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However...I still have time to be thankful!  Today, I'm thankful for fall colors.  The pretty scenery has helped me through more than one run these days.

Ashley?
 Today I am thankful for family.  After an awesome dinner out with my mom, her dad (our grandpa) and sisters (our aunts), Amy and our cousins last night I have realized that its nice to have a close family!