Tag Archives: Manhattan

Summer Vacations 2014

. Family, Family Travel . , , , , , , , , , ,
Disneyland, California July 12, 2014

Disneyland, California July 12, 2014

We had some excellent summer vacations in 2014!

For Memorial Day and Independence Day, we spent several days up in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at Dollywood. If you live in East Tennessee and you love amusement parks, it would be wise to buy a season pass to Dollywood. After your second visit on a season pass, you have paid for your season ticket. The rides are thrilling and adventuresome, and the songs, shows, and crafts that permeate the park are sooooo Dolly Parton. I’ve been a fan of hers since I was 10 years old.

Carter & Ammon May 22, 2014

Carter & Ammon May 22, 2014

June 6-15 we were in our “adopted city” of New York, Manhattan. We stayed at the Doubletree, went to shows, saw the Statue of Liberty, met up with an old friend, Patsy Claiborne Webb for a day, and went to Coney Island. We also saw a dear friend and tour guide, Marion, at the American Museum of Natural History. She gave us a private tour of the museum before it opened one Tuesday morning. Regarding the shows, all four of us, Ammon, Carter, Sean, and I, agree that “Kinky Boots” was our favorite show. It was Sean and my 2nd time to see it the first being December of 2013.

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Chalk Drawing from Central Park NYC Father's Day (June 15, 2014)

Chalk Drawing from Central Park NYC Father’s Day (June 15, 2014)

July 11-21 we were in Anaheim, California. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. We spent 5 days going back and forth from Disneyland to the Disney California Adventure Park. On Monday we spent all day at Universal Studios. On Friday July 18, we drove down to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Other adventures were to Venice Beach where Ammon and Carter placed their feet in the Pacific Ocean for the 1st time, and to the Santa Monica Pier where the famous Route 66 ends. We rode its roller coaster.

Universal Studios at the new Menion Mayhem: July 14

Universal Studios at the new Menion Mayhem: July 14

Santa Monica Pier July 16.

Santa Monica Pier July 16.

Back Scenes Tour San Diego Wild Nature Park: Tiger's House July 18.

Back Scenes Tour San Diego Wild Nature Park: Tiger’s House July 18.

Venice Beach July 20

Venice Beach July 20

Space Mountain Disneyland

Space Mountain Disneyland

Ammon & Carter: Museum of Natural History

. Family, Learning . , , ,

T-Rex: Tuesday May 8, 2012

Wooly Mammoth

New York City’s Museum of Natural History: May 8, 2012

Ammon and Carter had survived the Uffizi, the Accademia di Belle Arti, and The Sistine Chapel in Italy, The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, The Louvre in Paris, and many other smaller museums of Europe and the United States. However, they were MADE to go.

During our week in New York City, we had several free mornings and afternoons, and it rained several of those days as well. On Tuesday (May 8), we couldn’t go to Central Park or other parks, so I scoured my mind in thinking of where Carter and Ammon might like to go. I asked if they wanted to see some statues of animals, and they both said, “Oh, yeah”.

Well, we traveled up the subway to the Museum of Natural History, and the subway went right into the basement of the museum (perfect because it was raining!). We went to 3rd floor, winded through the halls, and entered the well-known dinosaur room. Carter was asleep in his stroller, but Ammon walked in, looked up, smiled a HUGE smile, and yelled, “T-Rex!”. She ran and started jabbering. We were in the museum for over 2 hours, and the children loved every moment. Carter even woke up and enjoyed the animals as well. I was so relieved that we chose well. It was a great acclamation to museums for Ammon and Carter.