N.Y.C. X-Mas 2015

Christmas City For Four

 Ahhh New York at Christmas time. Nothing better. Hopefully we can keep up the tradition. This year we have two kids. Next year there will be three. Soon we won't have enough hands to hold them all. 

 Yuula fell in love with every dress in the Disney store. No surprise there. 

That ain't no Cinderella. 

Bryant Park, where we killed some toparepas.  

 We like this tree, even if it's only blue.

 Aesop as Atreyu riding Falkor

Yuula chilling in a Starbucks, hipster style

 I guess she can be angelic at times

We had so many offers to have our picture taken 

Flags 

He's going for that cookie 

Another kind offer to take us 

Another iconic spot

we'll be back?

A Few More Degrees And It Could've Been Snow

Hey, Estlers haven't assembled in NYC for decades. That is true. Oh a whim we trhew caution to the wind and the rain and drug our old bones into the city streets to see if we can live down all those old memories of sugar plums and cabbage patch. I was a bustery day but, we are Estlers.

Dani gave Yuula a little 101 on umbrella holding. How damp they got was either a reflection of her poor instruction or Yuula's lazy grip. I vote for the latter.

The Macy's windows left little to be desired. The ones we could see were extremely similar to last years, only more underwhelming, especially after that Lancaster place the day before.

Bryant Park was lovely as always, tho the fountains seemed a bit unnecessary considering the sprinkling rains. Love the marketplace setup tho. May be my favorite version of the park.

Plus we found Toparepa. Oh my, corncakes with mozzarella in the middle with topping of your choice. I chose spinach and feta. I was very happy with it.

Vic & Danielle took Kyle ice skating. I didn't see many bad spills but it was crowded out there. I was however disappointed we didn't see any of those triple toe loops Vic has been bragging about all these years.

Made the brave choice to venture into FAO. PACKED! But we gave Yuula a chance to finally pick out which Ugly doll she'd have if she could choose. She chose a few. We may have bought one. Or three.

This was the highlight. NYC cop stopping traffic so he could get a nice shot of the family in front of the tree at Rockefeller. We have a similar shot from years and years ago minus the spouses and children. I can't find it tonight, but when I do...

Dani & Vic took Kyle to the Radio City show and Mom, Dad, Tyler, Melissa and Dylan got on the road. That left Us3 to find some warmth and foods. We chose Smileys. I don't know why. It seemed convenient and plentiful. We got some lo mein, sweet & sour chicken and fried rice. Yuula got a yogurt too. And some ginger ale. Then she got a big girl lesson on the real world when these two characters came upstairs and took their heads off.

At least I didn't have to tip them for this photo.

Found a nice listen darkened alley lit by a tree behind St Pats while we waited for the Forchetti's show to let out. It wasn't long.

We got our annual tree photo...

And got a nice one of Vic, Kyle and Yuula in front of Radio City. 

Yay! Christmas. Now time to warm my toes.

Rolling The Dice In The City Named Twice

Laura and I have taken it upon ourselves to drag each Krupp sect thru NYC, kicking and screaming if be it. Yesterday we toured midtown at breakneck speed and managed to have a pretty memorable day. From towers to toy stores, pizza to polar bears we hit a restroom on every square block and wore our feet to the bone. Now they know that they never have to go back.

the photos:

fountains were a kid favorite

we had to stick our hands in quite a few

the girls had differing opinions on Bryant Park

one of the many potty breaks

the most photogenic spot in Rockefeller

calling monkeys like kitties

the polar bear was a cool moment

I got a bunch of these

this one

Yuula was the last one left watching

penguins are cool, but the overwhelming stench of feeding time was a bit much

Yuula thought the sealions were hilarious

took about 20 tries to catch just this leap

signs of fatigue

red panda wins cutest thing in the city limits

the snow leopard couldn't hide from us

Yuula found the polar bear again

both girls do their best polar bear impression

pretty nice little zoo

also had a blast feeding goats

this guy got his head caught

not afraid to lose a finger

she needed a little cow snot for her collection

the sheep was less than responsive but I would be too if they made me wear a sweater today

alpacas are some goofy looking bastards

anyone know of a massive park in the area where we can let the kids run free?

she would've run all the way to Harlem

who would've thought that a padded sinkhole would be such an awesome toy

on the way out

dude's gotta eat

In the last few blocks before getting back to the car Yuula officially went bananas and started disrobing in the streets. I worry about her sometimes.

Today, we draw. Or something.