The Schantz Family: New York, New York

I'm partial (and admittedly haven't been to a lot of cities outside the U.S. but I have been to a TON inside our countries boundaries) to New York City and personally think that it's the best city in the world. The culture, the business, the shopping, the parks, the hustle and bustle... I LOVE IT ALL!!! On our way back home we made a stop in New York and took Carter into the city for the first time. We rode the Subway in and went straight to Time Square where Carter in true Carter fashion fell asleep. This is my child that can sleep through a jet demo so I'm not surprised that he fell asleep in one of the busiest places on Earth.

We walked north to the one store that can get the hearts of every little girl beating a little faster, The American Girl Store. I love this place. It's four stories tall, is decorated in pink, and has everything a little girl could want and then some. Addie saved her money and REALLY wanted a new doll but she didn't have enough. We told her we could make up the difference but that would be her birthday present or she could just get a new outfit for one of the dolls she already had. After much deliberation she decided to get another outfit and ask for the doll for Christmas.

Carter woke up after we left the store and swapped placed with Addie and she fell asleep in the stroller so we headed for Central Park. What's not to love about a huge park in the middle of a city that has fabulous street performers for my kids to dance to, a zoo, fountains, and horse and buggy rides. Ahhh... can you tell I could live here.

We jumped on the Subway and headed up to the Bronx to catch a Yankee's game. I went up to the ticket counter and asked for the "cheap seats." The counter operator asked if we were in the military, we said yes, and he said I'll be right back. He came back with 4 comped tickets and said, "Enjoy the game." We didn't realize it at the time but they were $325 tickets!!! We had a blast and many thanks go out to the Yankee organization.

Before driving home the next day we stopped at the Statue of Liberty and had the chance to go up in the pedestal. All of the tickets for the crown had already been given out but we still got to break away from the crowds, climb 200 stairs, and see the city from a different vantage point.