A Saturday of Sightseeing...

On Saturday we wanted Matt & Casey to see all the sites of New York so we started our day showing the boys Times Square and the craziness of that area. Throughout our trip they were saying that NYC is a lot like Chicago, but I think Times Square is only something you can see in New York. It's such a zoo with so many people and you don't want to spend too much time there - but it's something you have to see...as well as the naked cowboy who sings and plays his guitar in his underwear! Check out the photo - we think it was a different guy though than the one made famous.

We continued our day by walking to Rockefeller Center where they broadcast the Today Show and they have the huge Christmas tree and skating rink in the winter. Here's a photo of Philip and me in front of the Rockefeller Center building - one of the tallest buildings in midtown.

Then Casey really wanted to go to the famous Carnegie Deli so we had to check it out. We didn't know what to expect or why it was so famous...but we soon found out. They serve the most ridiculous huge sandwiches! Philip and I split one and here's a photo of just my piece. Another table ordered the triple meat sandwich and the sandwich was 2-feet tall - no joke. It was hilarious. You have to eat it with a fork and they give you extra bread to eat it. It was definitely good and satisfying!

Then we decided to visit Ground Zero and the work of the new towers. One has been constructed and I believe there are four more towers to be built. It will be really neat when it is all finished. It still is amazing to picture the two twin towers in this now open space under construction. It's sad visiting and people were all around taking photos and reading memorials.

After Ground Zero we made our way to Battery Park to look out on the Hudson River and to see the Statue of Liberty. Then we walked to Wall Street to check out the New York Stock Exchange and I ran into a Steakhouse called Nebraska! I had to get a photo!

We decided to end the day by walking through the South Street Sea Port - Pier 17 to rest and have a couple drinks and then we headed to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It had been a long day and I know that Casey & Matt where done walking and were ready to rest their legs and get in some air conditioning. So we headed back home, ordered some pizza and got ready to go out for the night!

Philip and I have been trying to find a country bar (which is difficult to find in NYC) but we found one called Rodeo Bar, where they have live bands every night and never a cover, so we thought we would check it out. It was pretty cool. Peanuts were on the floor, there was a horse trailer for a bar, and a great live band with a racoon tail hanging from the stand-up base. It was a good time and I think us Midwesterners felt more at home. Here's a photo with some of Philip's work friends at the Rodeo Bar.