New York, New York!

I want to be a part of it.. New York, New York!  Well, you get the idea.  After middle child finally managed to graduate from high school, I took him on his graduation trip.  This tradition began in our family with me.  My Dad did not want me to head out to Ocean City with the other "wise" members of my graduating class, so he took me on a 4 day trip to California.  I still vividly remember the trip.  It truly is one of the highlights of my life.  So, for our children, we take each one on a trip for 4 days after graduation to someplace they want to visit - but we added the caveat that it had to be east of the Mississippi River.  So, middle child said he wanted to go to New York.  And off to New York we went!

New York City at night.  We stayed in New Jersey, and this was our view across the river.

9-11 Memorial.  Freedom 1 is the tall building to the right.
It was a very wet, sad, and rainy day when we were there.

The lobby of the Museum of Modern Art.
Oh, the art in these museums!
Amazing!

We had a wonderful time.  We visited many museums - the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Statue of Liberty is still closed for renovations.  It will reopen on July 4.  Ellis Island, however, is closed until further notice due to the damage from Hurricane Sandy.  So, middle child and I spent a very wet and rainy day across the river in New Jersey, looking at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We had planned to walk on the Freedom Walk, which extends along the shore line, but it, too was closed due to damage from Sandy.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip.  I hope that he remembers this trip when he grows up just as fondly as I do!

Freedom One on a glorious summer day.