Where Liberty is, There is My Country ~Benjamin Franklin

Last week, the husband and I spent a wonderful day exploring Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty has always been one of my favorite places in New York City since I was a little girl. I have dressed up as Lady Liberty twice for Halloween. What an incredible symbol of freedom she is!

Some important information to remember for your trip to Lady Liberty:

1)    Reserve your tickets online and print them before you go if you don’t want to have to stand in line. The tickets can sell out rather quickly so if you’re going to buy them-go in the morning.

2)    If you want to go up to the crown you need book at least three months in advance. Otherwise for pedestal and general access, you can book a couple days before. Just check the website. Obviously some dates are more popular than others.

3)    If you get a timed ticket, then showing up around thirty minutes ahead of schedule will be sufficient. Of course, you will pass through airport security to get on the ferry.

4)    If you are going to BOTH Liberty Island and Ellis Island, I would recommend catching the ferry earlier in the day. We caught the ferry at 11am and returned at 4:30pm. We stayed longer on Liberty Island and went through the museum (available only with pedestal or crown access).  We spent less time at Ellis Island, which is still being repaired from Hurricane Sandy damage. We walked through the museum and saw the informational documentary in the theater before returning to the Big Apple.

5)    We ate lunch at the café on Liberty Island, but had I planned ahead I would have packed us a picnic. There’s plenty of seating to enjoy lunch under the trees.

My photographer husband took some wonderful pictures of our day trip!

Ellis Island

Small town versus Big city

I just returned from a wonderful visit meeting my precious niece Emery Rose for the first time and celebrating my mom’s birthday!

After spending several weeks in the NICU, she was finally able to go home. We love our little niece so much!

We had a fabulous time at Zumba on the eve of mom's birthday.  We love our instructor Leigh!

It was a great week!

Of course, I get many questions and comments when I’m back in my hometown such as:

“How do you like New York?”

“I’ve been there before for a few days and have no idea how people can live there.”

“What is it like to live there?”

A little background information: Chris and I had both moved quite a few times on our own before we got married. I moved half a dozen times before my family settled in Kingsport when I was in seventh grade. Chris lived in Kingsport until he graduated high school. Then he moved for college and then for work. I would say our history of not living in one place for our entire lives played a huge part in our relationship. We both have a mutual curiosity and respect for the places we’ve lived and have a desire to travel. 

I thought I would do a side by side comparison of my hometown versus my new home to answer those questions I listed above. 

Here We Go!

The Contenders:

Kingsport, Tennessee 

Population: 51 thousand people

Language Spoken: 'Merican or as the rest of the country calls it : English, with a slight southern twang.

Claims to Fame: The Eastman, Pal's , Dobyns-Bennett University

New York City

Population: 8.4 million people (most populous city in the U.S.)

Languages Spoken: More than 800 . English, with various accentuations,  is still the prominent one. 

Claims to Fame: Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Broadway!, Time Square, Stock Exchange.....the list goes on and on.

The Airport

Flying the friendly skies.

There are three airports in the NYC metro area (JFK, Newark and LaGuardia). With the exception of our Christmas travel last year, we always fly out of LGA.

The only time I've ever agreed with Joe Biden on anything. LaGuardia could be so much better and apparently it's about to have a major renovation so Uncle Joe and I can't be the only ones who think this. 

Tri-Cities Airport is the typical small town, show up 45 minutes before your flight and breeze through security airport. I only wish they had more direct flights. 

My favorite airport is the one where I went to get on my first flight (that I remember) It was from Charlotte to Boston in 1999. Also of course that’s where Chris proposed.


Winner: Neither - Charlotte

People

New Yorkers get a bad rap for being rude and short, but I haven’t found that to be true overall. There's bad apples anywhere.  People do look up and smile a bit more in the south, but there’s also an anonymity that comes with being in a big city that I've come to enjoy. You never have to worry about running into someone you know when you go out into the city. (Although, the first time I ever came to visit Chris, we ran into a family from Kingsport at Rockefeller Center. So never say never. )

Winner: Tie

Transportation 

VERSUS

 

I found myself getting a little road rage when I was driving in Kingsport because of the amount of texting and driving I saw. People know that the left lane is for passing down there right? Or how to use a turn signal? Good grief.  I gave myself heart palpitations on Fort Henry Drive. Whew!

It's a good thing we don't have a car up here. I would not be able to handle the stress of driving in New York City traffic.  I did like being able to escape the cold weather when I was home, by hopping in my car, something that I wish I could do during our many snow storms up here. 

On the flip side, I enjoy being able to read or play Candy Crush on the subway. In warmer weather, I love being able to walk around the city. 

However, an experience last week tilted this answer. (Ask me again next week or when it finally gets warm up here)

Question: It took me 1 hour and forty-five minutes to

A) Fly from Charlotte to New York

B) For the taxi ride from LaGuardia to our apartment in Brooklyn (a usual 30 minute drive with minimal traffic)

C) If I’m asking this question then the answer must be B.

Answer: B and C

The answer to A : Wheels up to Wheels down is 1 hour and ten minutes. So yes I could have flown back to Charlotte quicker than driving from Queens to Brooklyn that night. Yikes.

Winner: Kingsport

Food

I do have a set list of food to eat while I’m in Kingsport, such as:

Cheddar Rounds from Pals

Reese Milkshake from Purple Cow

Roma & Goat Cheese Pizza from Rush Street

However, there’s so many different options just in our little corner of Brooklyn that I can't really compare it to back home. I have yet to eat at a place up here that I did not love. 

Some of my favorite places include:

Little Frankie's (Italian)
Hana (Coconut Shrimp Tempura Sushi roll is my favorite there)
Serendipity 3 (A little touristy, but it's well worth it!)
Crumbs (my favorite cupcake shop-especially the chocolate and peanut butter chip ones)

I'm getting really hungry talking about these places.

Plus I can order groceries online and also order dinner through my iPad or iphone. We got a little too dependent on Seamless last year and have tried successfully to cut down on our food delivery ordering. 

Winner: NYC

Weather

For the simple reason that snow melts and does not linger for days and months on end there.

Winner: KPT

Things to do

Does this really need an explanation?

Winner: NYC

Church

There’s no such thing as a perfect church, but I feel very fortunate to have what I would consider two church homes. I feel welcome at both places and have seen our faiths grow together as a married couple since we joined Cornerstone in Brooklyn.

Our church in Kingsport will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s where Chris and I grew up and got married. It’s where one day we hope to dedicate our children to the Lord. So many friendships that I still hold dear were formed in that building on Church Circle.

Our church in Brooklyn has been a God send to us. We both prayed for a place to worship before we moved and God answered that prayer. This is no small feat considering only 3% of New Yorkers identify as Christian. 
If you would like to help our church plant, consider purchasing some coffee. More information can be found here (https://cornerstone.greatcoffeegreatcause.com)

Winner: Tie

Final Score: NYC- 2    Kingsport-2

So there you have it, some things in Kingsport are better, some things in New York City are better.

No matter where you find yourself:

Bloom where you are planted. 1 Corinthians 7:20-24

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Last week my good friend from grad school Deidre, came for a visit. Deidre and I got through grad school together by frequently meeting for lunch and going to see sappy chick flicks together to take our minds off all the work we had to get done. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding in January. She and her sweet mom drove all the way from Iowa to be a part of my special day. 

She’s a very special person and dear friend to me!

 

Deidre is one of those friends you can count on. A true gem!

The day she arrived, actually she literally had just walked through the door when I got an email that yet another position I had interviewed for didn't work out. It was perfect timing to get my mind off of things.  It was also nice to talk to someone who, as a recent grad herself, knows the frustration that comes with the difficulty of looking for a job. 

Once Deidre arrived we mapped out our plan on how to maximize the three days we had together. Once we put on our cute summer dresses (it was in the 90s during her visit!) and our side strap purses (not since the 'fanny pack' has there ever been an easier way to spot a tourist) we were on our way.

Top Ten Moments (in no particular order...)

1.     Seeing our childhood television/movie stars on the Katie Show. 

Tickets to such shows as "Live with Kelly & Michael" "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" "Dr. Oz" "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" are FREE. For most shows you must book tickets around six weeks in advance online or you can try for stand-by the day of. 

The set, which is much smaller in person. 

From left: Katie Couric, Karyn Parsons (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Mara Wilson (Mrs. Doubtfire & Matilda), Jonathan Lipnicki (Jerry McGuire), Candace Cameron Bure (Full House), and Jaleel White (Family Matters aka Urkel)

2.     Getting to talk to Katie Couric

After the show finished taping, Katie asked the audience if anyone had any questions for her. She's one of the more personable TV personalities of the shows I've been too. (Stephen Colbert is also fun and takes questions from the audience before his show tapes. He usually works some inside jokes into his show as well) Anyways back to Katie, I had been to a taping last October and kicked myself for not asking a question then so this time I came prepared. 

My question:

Me: I came to a taping last October when Susan Sarandon was the guest and I came back today with my friend because it's always a fun experience being a part of your audience. I was wondering what your top three moments from the first year of your show are? 

My new BFF Katie Couric: (paraphrased from memory) First, when Robert DeNiro got emotional when we were talking about mental illness (De Niro starred in "Silver Linings Playbook" playing the dad of a bipolar son).  Secondly, singing with Hugh Jackman...because it's Hugh Jackman (who wouldn't count that in their top three!). Lastly, bringing awareness about sexual assault in the military. (This last one struck a chord with me, because like Katie, I want to be a writer and work in the communications field to make a difference.)

3.      Seeing Cinderella on Broadway 

What girl doesn’t want to pretend like she’s a princess?

TKTS is a place where you can get discounted day-of tickets either in Time Square or in downtown Brooklyn. We got  our tickets 40% off!
 Take advantage of this!

4.      9/11 memorial

Make sure you get tickets online so you don't have to wait in line. 

So many people there on a beautiful day.

I signed the banner thanking the 9/11 recovery workers.

5.     Central Park

We visited Shake Shack on the Upper West Side and then took our burgers and fries and ate our lunch in the park while watching people jog or bike by. (They were probably wanting a bite of our food! It smelled heavenly)

It's impossible for me to walk through Central Park and not want to break out into song. "How Does She Know?" from Enchanted anyone?

One day Chris and I will have a Saturday date here. Gorgeous!

6.     Serendipity

As seen in the movie of the same name. Somehow we got lucky and just walked in and were seated. On our way out there were people lined up out the door. 

Tasty Honey Dijon Chicken Salad!
(ate lightly so I would have room for  dessert!)

We split this amazing "Broadway Blackout' sundae!
So delish!

7.     98 Degrees/NKOTB/Boyz II Men Concert

There aren't many things that will get me up at 4:30 am, but on Friday morning Deidre and I awoke at that ungodly hour, hopped on the subway and arrived at Rockefeller Center shortly before 6am  for the concert. 

When the signs weren't being held up it was easier to see ;)

Al Roker! (with his suit from 'Dumb and Dumber')

A sound bite from 98 Degrees!

How do I become friends with these people?

8.     Spending time with my sweet friend!

Along the way we took breaks to just sit around and talk. That's how you know you've found a good friend. When you can just pick up where you left off!

Time Square! I find it much more enjoyable to be watching the crowd rather than be in the mist of it.

Yummy gelato! (Tiramisu and mint chocolate chip!)

We got to talk a lot when we rode on the subway.
There are lots of good map Apps you can download where you can put your location in and
where you want to go and it will tell you which lines to take.
 It came in handy a lot for us this week. (P.S. do you spot the dog?)

Planet Hollywood

9.     NBC Experience Tour

On this tour we got to see the studios where they film SNL (it's on my bucket list to go one time, preferably where I don't have to sleep outside for three nights, but the right host could tickle my fancy enough...) Jimmy Fallon and Sunday Night Football. We were there around the time Brian Williams was shooting the Nightly News, but we did not see him. Sadly. 

10. Re-enacting the scene from ‘BIG’/Visiting FAO Schwartz

I played 'Deck the Halls"

Getting my work-out on with 2lb Snicker bars!

Nerds in cereal-sized boxes. Yikes!

Of course  me and my sweet teeth couldn't walk away with nothing!

Deidre and I did so much in the three days she was visiting that after she left I felt like:

Worn out and exhausted, but boy did we have a good time! This city has so much to offer and I love getting to show my friends around the place I now call home!