Day 5.1: Happy Anniversary!

Dear Ducklings,

As I settle in with a cup of tea and terry slippers, I couldn’t rewrite this day better.

First of all, we didn’t realize how tired we were until we woke up probably about the same time you all did back in Washington.  Yeah, even with the 3 hour difference!

Not having enough time to ride bikes around Central Park, we got even lazier and took the NY Times up to the top floor pool and spa, and ate apples and drank tea.  (Okay, coffee for Daddy.) 

We swam for exercise and took advantage of what most gyms would call locker rooms, but here are referred to as the “ladies’ (or gentlemen’s) spa”.  I love the steam room and sauna, as well as the rain showerheads, and vanity tables with everything but my makeup. 

From there, it was easy to get ready for a 10 hour date.  The hotel has a car they call a Mini Cooper, but it is suspiciously bigger and has the strange words “Cadillac” on the back.  The car and driver is complementary to hotel guests, subject to availability.  They had just enough time at 1:30 to drive us to the theater district and drop us off half a block from the Richard Theater.  I won’t gush here about the show, other than to say it was even better than my high expectations.  I’d see it again tomorrow if we could!

We liked being dropped off and then walking back. As we left the theater, I got distracted by street performers.  

Notice the guy off to the side, looking inconspicuous and wearing a t-shirt?  After all the other guys doing amazing acrobatic trips, he’s going to casually jump over 4 people lined up.  Including Daddy.  Here’s the video!

Here’s a street artist creating a NYC skyline scene with spray paint and a scraper.

Finally, I put my blinders on and we made it to Rockefeller Center.  We find an outdoor bistro and had, I kid you not, the best creamed spinach we’ve ever had.  Usually we judge a restaurant by its beet salad, and theirs was good, but we ate up all the spinach and could have had more. 

On our way to the restaurant, we had noticed a bakery and went back for dessert. 

Showing remarkable self-control, we waited until we stumbled upon the perfect restful alcove before I dove into my chocolate truffle cake.

We thought St. Patrick’s was never open, but it’s just never open at 9 or 10pm when we usually walk by.  Tonight was early enough that we finally got to go inside.  It was very reminiscent of the cathedrals in Europe, but as Daddy put it so well, was “missing the expected gravitas.”  I pointed it that it was about 1000 years younger than most of the cathedrals we had experienced before. 

Kids, I’m looking forward to showing you a cathedral.  They are magnificent works of art, mostly architectural and sculpture.  There are separate alcoves for dozens of saints, and candles to light during prayers.  St. Therese even had a relic to go with her alcove, though there were not specifics—was it a finger bone, a lock of hair?  Whatever it is, it’s surrounded by gold and a glass case.

This is the podium the priest climbs up to to speak.  And although it’s much taller than I am, it is dwarfed by the church front.

This is the church front!

So good talking to all of you tonight!  See you in four days.

Love,

Mama

PS  Happy 14th Anniversary to you, Babe!  How did you manage to top the Salish Lodge, Vienna, and all the other places you’ve taken me?  This has been the best anniversary ever, Love!