The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A NY visit must. 

Our last selfie had been on top of Mount Juneau. Rooftop garden at the Met is good,  too. 

See what she did there?
Can you see the dragonfly hanging out with us? 

So much to see, so little time 

One of those was mine 

It was a goal of mine to eat a New York hot dog from a cart. Check!

Boats on the pond in Central Park (xoxo GG)

This is our attempt at getting frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. Line was too long for us. 

Got Sprinkles ice cream instead! This is their red velvet flavor. Not too bad. Not my favorite though. Also, I was warned not to eat the ATM-style cupcakes. I guess you can order your cupcake from outside. But only try it if you like your cupcakes stale. ;)

This midtown Hilton has some great stories. Not only is it the Hilton in which Keira has stayed for her model UN, but it is the same place where we share a special Larson memory. 

Last year, we flew into JFK for a quick weekend in Connecticut when Nick (BIL) got home from an LDS mission to Brazil. Our flight from SLC had been circling over Pennsylvania awaiting permission to land. We circled so long, we were getting low on fuel and were directed to Detroit to land and refuel. 

This part of the story is so that you know that we got to the hotel MUCH later that anticipated. Since we didn't check in, our rooms were probably given away so Bruce stood at the desk while the desk attendants attempted to find enough room for 7 of us that had arrived at 2:00am. The attendants whispered to each other, clacked away on the keyboard and then went 'in the back'. One guy came back and asked, 'Mr. Larson, would you be willing to be upgraded to the penthouse suite for no extra charge?' 

Yes! Duh. 

We grabbed our bags and followed an attendant to the correct elevator, got out at the highest floor and followed to the next elevator. This very small elevator opened only with our room key. What?

We stepped out into the two-story penthouse, gawking at everything. The spiral staircase. Modern art. The view. A secret bookshelf door that led from the study to the kitchen. There were huge rooms with canopy beds and plenty of room for us all. It was lush, spacious and amazing. Too bad we were only there for a few hours to sleep. 

We discovered that it used to be Lucille Ball's private apartment. Nbd. 

A dandelion fountain in front of the hotel. 

A rocking horse bush. By Jeff Koons. (He's a really big deal.....according to cabs across the city, fashion loves him)

We were running low on battery for our phones so we cheated the system and visited Grand Central Apple Store and charged our phones while we played games on the demo iPads. 

The Brooklyn Bridge at night is stunning. The brightest light out there is the Empire State Building. 

Downtown Manhattan

My man <3

Keira!!!!

We brunches at Kitchenette! It is cute and delicious! 

The strongest lemonade ever. But very, very real. Not a speck of powdered or artificial flavor in that jar there. 

Omelette was delish. Great biscuit (still love Ruth's Diner mile high biscuits more) and yummy potatoes!

This area is the public use area of the Hudson in which a volunteer group operates a free kayaking place! 

All volunteer operated means they run off of donations so bring a few bucks because it's worth it. They have everything you need: life jackets, paddles and the kayaks. If you're a kayaking veteran, be aware they don't have spray skirts so dress accordingly. You WILL get wet. 

Love him! 

We were taking fun group selfies until we realized we were missing the best back drop. 

There we go. 

One of those identical buildings out there (far left) is where we have been staying.

We were all funned out. Keira and Taylor got nice and burned. 

The classic touristy map 

Keira had Bellingham, Washington covered. 

Taylor and I pinned Utah county :)

Cannoli from Caffe Dante. L-E-G-I-T

We have been trying to eat our way through a list 'Best Thing I Ever Ate' from a good friend who is a major foodie. It's still ongoing. This list is loooong. 

Washington Square park gems. Yes, she made paper pigeons...

Keira's dream guy. Desperately looking for her all over the East Village. 

Vietnamese sandwich from heaven. I looooved it. Grilled pork, cilantro and pickled carrots. YUM! 

Taylor got the pork over rice. He said he still likes Oh Mai in Holladay, UT better though. 

Matchy matchy saltwater sandals in Times Square. 

This girl got soooo close to Keira on a subway car with broken A/C. At one point, she was mimicking Keira's posture. Cutie. 

I brought her out to the balcony as soon as she got here. The view took her breath away the first time she saw it. We had to go say goodbye here, too. 

Love you, dearest Keira!

My in-laws went out of town and Taylor and I substituted at their house so they could have a few days to themselves before we shipped my brothers-in-law off to Arizona to join them.

Look at this little ball of precious! He is perfection. This is EXACTLY the bulldog I want. A gray old English bulldog. How cute is he??? I played with him while I asked about the breeder and got the contact info. Maybe his cousin or brother will come live with us in London!
Nick picked us up and took us to the beautiful Marriott that is just minutes from Crystal Cove. It was a hoppin'! So many activities! Pool, hot tub, game room, mini life-size chess/checkers, ping pong, fooseball...the works.
Of course it isn't fun unless someone gets hurt. Jon jammed his finger and Taylor got a fat lip. He has some nice lips but that bottom lip is definitely double its usual size in this picture. It swelled a little more after this pic but it has gotten back to normal :)
You can barely see the candles set in the sand and there are deep red rose petals scattered around a meticulously crafted
These hooligans. I took this picture before Nick turned into the amazing Spider-Man.