Continued...
So much fun! We had done everything else on the island, but decided to zip through the museum again. Davy especially liked the political cartoons about the funding of the pedestal. Really, a great place to spend a morning!
I got a great show of the One World Trade Center (which we would be going up in later in the day) on the say back.
Next, we were going to meet up with a high school buddy in Chinatown. We had a few errands to run there and she was going to meet up with us then head to lunch. Our first stop was Yunhong's Chopsticks. Davy had bought some nice one there 4 years ago (he's really into Chinese culture -- started teaching himself Chinese when he was in grade school and can eat so well with chopsticks -- Mama cannot although he did a good job trying to teach me this trip!), so he wanted another pair. We got two other pairs of chopsticks from this lovely shop (we did have to wait a bit as they opened 30 minutes after it was "supposed" to open). But, it was a lovely day, so we were fine.
Then, we went to the Magic Jewelry Shop. This was a surprise for Davy. He's such a scientist, but he loves horoscopes and things like that. He even taught himself how to palm read. Well, I had read that at this shop, they have a machine that you put your hands on, then it takes a "picture" of your aura. I had read many reviews stating that it was eerily accurate. You get some pics as souvenirs. It costs $20, but a neat little thing to do and souvenir. When I read the reviews, I saw most people had a hue of red or blue around them. There were two ladies in front of us that that proved the case again. Then, it came to us. We were both BRIGHT yellow/green:
The lady giving us our reading actually chuckled when she turned ours over. They other young ladies were like, "wow, look at those colors!" She first did my "reading." She said that I was extremely worried about something a few days prior (which was true -- elderly parent issues -- but aren't we all worried about something?). Then, she said, "oh my... you have A LOT of problems with your back!" Davy laughed out loud at that. I really do have tons of problems and recently, my back went out completely for three days I was in horrible pain. She said I really need to work on taking care of it. She said that I am always tired (another chuckle from Davy as I constantly am in need of a nap!) and that I am a happy person to be around. Then, to Davy... she looks at his and says, "WOW! You are extraordinarily smart. Above and beyond -- you have advanced quickly in school, right?" We were dumbfounded. Davy has skipped a grade already and they talked about him skipping another (I put my foot down -- I didn't want my baby going to high school at 12 and college at 16! Plus, he didn't want to -- he's very happy where he is now and although he gets all A's, he still feels challenged and loves his friends). Then, she said, "you have problems falling asleep and right now are very tired." This is such an understatement -- he has always had problems sleeping (or at least getting to sleep). I read somewhere that intelligent people have a problem doing so because their minds just won't shut off. We have been trying yoga lately before bed to relax and that has helped him. On this trip, however, he just hadn't been sleeping and was extremely tired. He didn't show any outward signs of it that I could see though. She also said, "you lose your temper VERY easily." That's also so true -- although he's really worked on that. He burst out laughing at that, saying she was right on. We had so much fun with this and it's a cute little shop. My friend showed up as we were having our auras read. She chuckled the whole time.
We went to the Red Egg for lunch. Highly recommend for good Chinese. Davy and Karen (my friend) spent lots of time discussing a play he wrote about ancient cultures. She used to be a teacher, so she is so good with kids. We were so engrossed in conversation that we forgot to take pics! I did learn that my friend's wife was up for a job in Virginia, so they may be making a move soon (just found out yesterday it did happen so they're off on their next adventure!).
Next up, we headed to the One World Trade Center. I had done this with a friend of mine a couple of years ago and knew Davy would love it. It was pretty busy when we got there, but I got priority flex tickets. (I am a big believer in NOT standing in line). We get there, however, and the guy taking tickets was distracted by a guy whose friend was already in with his tickets or some nonsense. He directed us to the regular line instead of the priority one. At least, I thought so. I told Davy to go ask the guy standing under another sign if that was where we were supposed to go (as that's what I remembered). I kept our place in the other line. Davy came back and said he didn't understand the guy at all. So, we switched and I asked. He was so confusing. "Stand here, lean over there, get your tickets scanned there." I was like, "stop, you're not making sense -- let's go over this step by step." Anyway, finally, yes, we were supposed to go in where he was, but had to lean over to the other line to get our tickets scanned (weird). We did that, skipped all the lines, and were in... got up to the elevators but the lady putting folks in the elevators had her back turned and didn't see that we had shown up in the priority line. I tapped her on the shoulder to let her know we were there. She told me to go past the elevators and turn the corner. Hmmmm.... I didn't remember any elevators around the corner, but Davy and I obeyed... and, ended up at the exit... so, we turn back, "Miss -- we haven't been up yet -- are you sure we go that way? Shouldn't we go in these elevators?" "NO! GO AROUND THE CORNER!" she yells at us. We do -- just bathrooms and the exit. I was so confused. Then, a lady working near the exit saw me and asked what was wrong. I told her. She said, "go back and tell her you haven't been up yet." I said, "I DID and she sent me here..." So, the nice lady walked us over to the other one. "Oh," she said, "you told me you were looking for the bathrooms." Davy spoke up, "no we didn't! We said we're trying to get up to the observatory!" Anyway, after all the confusion, we were finally going up! (Note -- when I went last time, we went in the morning and it was fantastic -- go at that time if you can -- I think the crowds were overwhelming the workers or something).
I will note that the elevator ride up and down has an amazing virtual reality tour of how NYC "grew up." There is a little video at the top and it has one heck of an ending! I don't want to spoil if you ever go (and you should!). Then, we were off to roam and take pictures. I will note that on facebook, most people wrote, "oh hell no!" to the pick of us standing over the roadway.
Also, you'll see over Davy's shoulder in one pic the tiny Statue of Liberty.
