Becca & Kyla in New York: Day 2, Part 4 - The Empire State Building!

Cousins! Amanda & Kyla enjoying the view from the top!

I must admit that going to the Empire State Building was something on my checklist, you know, something we "had" to do, but it wasn't high on my super-excited about it list. However, it ended up being one of my absolute favorite things we did! The concierge at Bob & Sue's hotel had told him that we needed waaay more than the 3-4 hours we had until our dinner reservations to do it. The lines are usually at least that long, plus you are up there viewing, plus waiting to go down. However, since Kyla & I had had to wait virtually none, anywhere, I really, really thought we'd have time to do it. And either I'm pretty convincing or Bob & Sue are pretty trusting, or both :) so we set off to try it. And, of course, there was no line. Crazy. Airport type security, but no line whatsoever. We kept walking right through all of those rope maze things they herd people into that just went on and on and on, and I kept telling Kyla that usually we would be standing in all of them waiting. Seriously, it could not have been better. AND, then when we get up there the sun starts setting. Amazing.

I'm not quite sure if the pictures even show a part of how stunning the view was, see the tiny little taxis down there? I love the pictures, but I was there and know how magnificent it all was, hopefully you can tell a bit though.....

Love this picture of Aunt Sue! Poor Uncle Bob is a bit scared of heights, but did great. He even braved the crazy wind (more on that later) to walk all the way around the building with us, what a trooper!

Love this one too. Several of her pictures I think are seriously postcard-perfect. Beautiful.

Notice it getting darker & more lights coming on? I'm not kidding that we could not have timed it better if we had planned our whole day or week around it......

Our first view of the Statue of Liberty! See her on the island in the middle of the river, up towards the very top of the photo? You can just barely see her standing up.....

By this point it was getting pretty cold, and, depending on which side of the building you were on, was either very windy, or insanely, like nothing any of us had ever felt, literally hang on to someone or something so you don't blow away windy. And, Kyla had several layers on, but her coat was still back at the apartment, since when we left we were sweating in the high 50s, and I had been carrying her American Girl doll around in my backpack all.day.long at this point, there was no way I could have stuffed her wool coat in too. She lived, didn't catch cold, and didn't complain too much :)

Chrysler building.....

Sue on the windy side of the building; it was so bizarre, windy doesn't even begin to describe it. Like I felt like I was in a deep freeze, in a swim suit, giant fans blowing on me. Times ten. I asked Bob if he had ever felt anything like it & he said a firm 'no'. C.r.a.z.y. Like we literally had to hang onto the kids.....and notice Sue hanging on here, pretty much to keep from blowing over. We heard later that they closed the "Top of the Rock" observatory for the first time ever because the wind was SO super gusty. We did all walk all the way around the top of the observatory, to say we did it :) Yay us!