Days 18 & 19 - NYC, baby

After one more night in Madrid (our room was funny...they crammed four beds in a room, it looked like an infirmary), we had a seamless flight from Madrid back to New York's JFK airport. We landed in the middle of the day and quickly checked in to our hotel so we could head back to the city.

I have a long, ongoing love affair with NYC and would love to live there short-term. This was our fourth trip there together (1st time was on a trip across the US, 2nd was to ring in New Years/watch the ball drop, 3rd was when Ryan was 2, and then this trip (more of a stopover, really). Still, any excuse to swing by the city and raise some hell...I'm in! Ryan was also thrilled. Though he remembers little of his week long trip there, he has a book I made him of the trip (I make him a very basic one after every trip to help keep the memories alive). All he wanted to do was run across the giant piano at FAO Schwarz. Quick flashback:

2010

From FAO Schwarz we decided to skip Dylan's Candy Bar and hit Crumbs instead. Let me just say, we made the right call...I chose a crumbly apple pie cupcake and swooned. I may have even moaned audibly.

His 1st Crumbs experience back in 2010.

Two and a half years later...still a Crumbs fan!

Rockefeller Center

They were still decorating the tree, but that's it shrouded in secrecy!

We saw these ornaments years before Ryan was born, they're my favorite decoration in the city.

Times Square, baby

It was 1am in Madrid at this time...and look who's still smiling!

But literally five minutes later...guess who went down? :-)
PS- We're keeping our tradition of Ryan falling asleep in my arms on a train alive! 

The next morning we were up by 4am to catch our 7am flight back to LA, and after a 5-hour layover there, had our final 5-hour flight back to Kona. I will say that my tailbone has seen better days, and that we've had easier trips, but this was one of the best trips of my life. I'm incredibly grateful I was able to go, and with the people I'm closest to.

I'm not sure where we'll be going in 2013. But I do know that Rich gets to pick since I picked Iceland & Morocco. I think he's leaning toward Panama or Peru, but Ryan has been asking to go to Japan. If I had my way, we'd be headed for Dubai. No matter where we go, my nomadic spirit is already ready to go. :-)