Everything We Did in NYC!

Our trip to New York City for my 30th birthday was seriously amazing! We just had the best time. And now we can't wait to go back! So, here's everything that we did on our trip to NYC.

Day 1:

1. Checked into our hotel: Hilton Garden Inn New York/Midtown Park Ave
2. Walked to Bryant Park to get food from a Christmas Market.
   -We had delicious food from Pierogie Boys.
   -We ate an amazing chimney cake for dessert.
3. Walked around some more to take pictures with Christmas decorations.
   -Giant ornaments
   -Giant lights
4. Went to the top of the Empire State Building (102nd floor)
5. Dinner at Il Mulino

Day 2:

1. We took a carriage ride through Central Park
2. Then we took a behind the scenes tour of Radio City Music Hall
3. Shortly after our tour, we watched the Holiday Spectacular featuring the Rockettes
4. Waited in line to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center
5. Watched the Saks Fifth Avenue light show
6. Stopped to look at Times Square
7. Ate dinner at City Kitchen
   -chicken strips for our 9yo
   -ramen and pork buns for DH and myself
   -donuts for dessert!

Day 3:

1. Walked around Central Park
2. Had Coffee at The Plaza
3. Walked down 5th Ave to look at the window displays
4. Stopped to look at displays at the Lego Store
5. Went to Washington Square Park
6. Ate at the Meatball Shop
7. Went to the Museum of Illusions

Day 4: 

1. Checked out of our hotel
2. Walked to Macy's
3. Saw Santa at Macy's
4. Looked at the interactive windows outside of Macy's
5. Took a cab to the airport
   

USS Midway in San Diego

A couple months ago, we were lucky enough to spend some time in San Diego. I decided to incorporate some of the activities we would do into our homeschooling. Our hotel was fairly close to the USS Midway and quickly decided that museum would be one of our activities.
For homeschooling, I looked on their website and found A TON of information about the place. I typed up some questions about information I was able to find and then used that worksheet as a way to test my son's ability to find information on a website. Now, this may not be something learned in public school, but I definitely think it's a real world skill that should be learned.

Now, on to our experience. It was about a ½ mile walk (it took us about 15 minutes) to the USS Midway. Lucky for us, kids were free during the month of October so we were able to take advantage of that.
We walked onto the ship and immediately watched the 15 minute movie to the right. It was pretty interesting and told about the battle of Midway to show why the Navy fought so hard to name this carrier after the famous battle. Then, we walked over to the information desk to get Owen’s Junior Pilot quiz. They told us we needed to get the free audio tour lanyards so we did that. The questions on the quiz were labeled by location, which made it pretty easy to find the ones we needed. You point the little thing on the end of the lanyard at the audio thing you want to listen to and then hold it up to your ear like a cell phone to listen to it. Then, for Owen, he just had to answer a multiple choice question about something from that audio clip.
We walked around the hangar deck first and were able to get in some of the model aircrafts. I think that was Owen’s favorite part. We came across the Air-Combat 360, which is like a flight simulator where you get inside and one person pilots the aircraft while another person shoots at other aircraft. At first, Owen seemed skeptical, but then wanted to do it. However, he threw a huge hissy fit when he actually got in it. He was screaming about how he didn’t want to do it anymore and started whining big time. I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t believe he was acting like that. Fortunately, the employees there were super nice. They were very patient with him and helped us convince him that he would have fun. Tom would pilot the whole time and wouldn’t ever take him upside down. He eventually did do it though and seemed to somewhat enjoy himself. Now, normally, I wouldn't force my kid to do something he didn't want to do, but he had already told us he did want to do it and we'd payed for it, too. Plus, I knew it wouldn't actually be scary.

We grabbed ourselves a bottle of water from the cafe before heading down below deck. It was a huge maze down there. And there was so much to see! We climbed down lots of flights of stairs and then back up! We saw the galley, the sick bay, the chapel, the wardroom, the captain’s quarters, and everything in between. We even saw the brig (jail). It seriously took us over an hour to walk through the whole area.

We then made our way up to the flight deck where Tom and Owen took forever walking around the admiral quarters. I sat and watched some videos instead. My feet were getting tired. When they were back, we walked around some more where Owen was able to touch and get in some of the aircrafts. He loved it. I wish we had been able to see the bridge, but the only way you can see it is to take a 30 minute tour, which had a line of about 20 minutes, and we just didn’t have time for that.

When we were done looking at everything on the flight deck, we walked back down to the hangar deck and looked through the gift shop. Owen was able to find a replica USS Midway that he thought was really cool so he bought that.

Then, we walked back over to the information booth where Owen was presented (with a cute little ceremony) with his wings for getting all the questions right on his little quiz. It was adorable and he loved it.

Then, we walked back to the hotel. We were at the USS Midway for about 3 hours and we needed every second of it. We truly could have spent about 4 hours there if we had the chance. So when they say you need 3-4 hours to see everything, they’re not kidding.

Visit to Nashville, TN

One of the last stops on our Mother/Son roadtrip was Nashville. This is frequently our last stop on roadtrips. Nashville is such a fun place, even if you only have a day to spend here.

We drove into town and immediately went to Hattie B’s Hot Chicken to stand in line and get some awesome food. Parking is crazy in Nashville. We’ve never had trouble finding a spot, but it comes at a price, that’s for sure. This place is so popular, you definitely need to get there 30 minutes before they open on weekdays and possibly an hour early on the weekends if you want a table. I ordered chicken strips (medium heat) with pimento mac and cheese and potato salad. Owen got the kids chicken strips (southern, which means no heat) with fries. We also really enjoy their lemonade. I think it’s made in-house and it’s absolutely delicious. They’re not over-priced and the food is definitely worth a trip. It was hot outside and the indoor seating is incredibly limited so we did have to sit outside. However, it at least is covered and has fans.

Then, we headed out to the Adventure Science Museum. The cost was $28 for my son and myself. It was amazing! I’m kind of over children’s museums because they all have the same exhibits. So, once you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. But this is so different. First of all, it’s not just for little kids. There is a section just for them, but I feel like this “museum” is geared toward the older child, which is a welcome change. We played music, defeated germs, walked on the moon, hung out among the stars, climbed a spine, and slid down the digestive system. It was seriously amazing. We only spent about 2 hours here, but it was a fun 2 hours.

Owen’s Notes: “Oh my gosh! My favorite thing that we did there was doing the moon gravity thing. There was a machine that picked me up, lifted me into the air, and then put me back down again. I had to try to walk over to a flag on the ground and walk back. It was so fun, but way harder than it sounds.”

When we were done at the Adventure Science Museum, we headed downtown again to check out the Johnny Cash Museum. The cost was $20 per adult and $16 per child. It is ranked the number one music museum in the world. This museum is fairly small, but still worth a visit. We only spent about an hour here, and even that was pushing it. It seemed crowded, which was a shame, but we still had a great time. There was a ton of memorabilia and informational text you could read, outfits from famous moments and records displayed. But my favorite thing about the entire museum was that there were performances you could watch, a video history of Johnny Cash’s career, songs you could listen to with headphones, and a couple places where you could sit to do these things. They also offered a green screen photo you could buy. Overall, it was a decent museum that I’m glad we visited, but I don’t feel the need to go again during our many trips to Nashville.

Owen’s Notes: “My favorite part of the Johnny Cash Museum was taking a picture in front of the green screen and then getting a picture of me with Johnny Cash.”

Then, before heading back to our hotel, we popped into the Goo Goo shop to pick up some Goo Goo Clusters to bring back home with us. If you’ve never heard of a Goo Goo Cluster, you’re missing out. They are a regional treat that we discovered on our travels and we keep going back for more. It is a disc-shaped candy bar that contains marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts and then covered in milk chocolate. My family’s favorite is the peanut butter, though. Basically, they replace the marshmallow nougat with a soft peanut butter nougat. The Goo Goo shop is located right downtown across from the Johnny Cash museum so it’s pretty convenient when we’re in town. You should give them a try if you’re visiting the area. They also have a little cafe inside their store.

Owen’s Notes: “I love Goo Goo Clusters. We bought the peanut butter ones!”

Our hotel was the Wingate by Wyndham out by the airport at 1 Century Blvd. They have free wifi, free breakfast, a mini fridge, and a microwave. What else you could you want? It was clean and perfect for our needs. We always stay out by the airport when we visit Nashville. It may be farther from the action, but it is significantly cheaper. And saving money on our hotel allows us to spend money elsewhere.

Our trip to Nashville was a great one. I will always suggest this place to people planning a weekend getaway or as a destination on a roadtrip.