New York City day One !!!!

I am in New York City!!!!  I am here with my mom and sisters, Katie and Annie.  It has been an amazing 24 hours and, boy, have we seen a lot already.  We got in the city about 5:30 Thursday after a long taxi ride. We love our apartment, big rooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, several beds. Great for 4 women. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant nearby. The food was very rich; the best part of the meal was the guacamole, which was made at our table. After a tram ride across the East River, we walked down to Fifth Avenue, into the gorgeous Plaza Hotel, then down 5th, looking in all the stores. We noticed lights and a red carpet at Cartier's, but we were a little late to see the arrivals. We had to settle for seeing celebrities through the windows, whoever they were. There was a crowd across the street in front of a cute little French restaurant, several paparazzi, body guard-types and lots of town cars and huge dark SUVs parked on the street. The drivers were leaning on the cars,  talking and waiting. We asked what was going on and were told that Anne Hathaway was in the restaurant. Later, we learned that Demi Moore and Justin Timberlake were in there, too. We waited for about half hour, but even though lots of people with headphones went in, no stars came out, so we walked back to the apartment on E. 57th between 3rd and Lexington and called it a night.

Toady we (well Katie and I) woke up early and walked about 10 blocks to the Rockefeller Center and watched the Today Show tape.  We were really lucky to also see No Doubt in concert!! It was so much fun and the first time in 5 years the band had performed in public together.  After the show, we walked back to the apartment.  Then all of us got dressed and headed to the subway and the Empire State Building.  The weather was kind of cloudy, so we decided to wait until tomorrow.  But while we were there, Annie went to the Empire Diamonds office on the 76th floor and sold some jewels. A woman there was very friendly and invited us into her little office to look out the window down at Fifth Avenue. Then it was off the the Statue of Liberty.  It was kind of surreal to see all of this. We took the Staten Island Ferry past the statue and got some great pictures.  After that we went down to ground zero.  That was an amazing sight.  They are building on the site now, but it was still a somber thing to see.  We had lunch at one of the oldest buildings in the city. The Fraunces Tavern can now say "George Washington was here - true - and so was Lolly Sneed." 

It was just so amazing to see everything.  I look so much like a tourist, looking up at all the building, trying to see everything and taking lots of pictures.  The buildings are beautiful and so old.  The history is amazing.  

We then went to Canal Street and shopped for Prada in the kind of place where they take you into the back room to shop.  Katie found a seller who sold her two "Prada" bags out of an old bed sheet, urging her to hurry and make her decisions. Further down on Canal Street, I found something for Sammi.  We got caught in a downpour when getting off the subway. Thank goodness we all had umbrellas.  We found a small cafe to wait it out and headed back to the subway and home.  We did make a quick stop at Grand Central Station.  That building was beautiful. We were there about 6 p.m. Friday and now I know why they call it Grand Central Station - very, very busy place. 

Tomorrow is another packed day.  We are starting out with an early morning walk in Central Park....  I am so thankful to my Mom for bring us here.