New York, New York

Did I mention what a mess it was in New York City? We went a few days after the big blizzard, and there was still snow everywhere. Some of it was melting, so it made for a nasty, sloshy mess! They were getting ready for New Year's Eve in Times Square, so it was a little better in that area of town.


As we were walking back to Grand Central Station, we passed a building that always has really neat Christmas decorations.



I also made it a point to pass by Radio City Music Hall. Usually, they have the toy soldiers around the building that collapse every few minutes. They didn't have them out this year, though. Sad!

We also stopped to take a peak at this year's Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. We thought it was a puny looking tree and weren't that impressed. We found out a little bit later that we were on the worst side of the center to view the tree. We made a quick trek to the other side, and it appeared much more regal.

A Pic from the Puny Side

We had a great trip into the "City." By the time we decided to leave, we were cold and tired and ready to go home!

Disney in New York!

What a great way to combine two of my favorite things: Disney and New York City! The whole reason I wanted to go to NYC was the see the new Disney store. It had opened a few months earlier, and I was excited to check it out.

The two-story store is right in the middle of Times Square. Disney touches were evident from the moment we walked through the door.


The first floor had lots of souvenir items like t-shirts, stuffed animals, Vinylmations, Christmas ornaments, etc. The second floor was all about kids and was filled with toys, toys, and more toys. There was also an interactive castle that the kids could play in and check out the dress-up clothes.


Of course, I had to pick up a few things before we left!




Loved being able to get that Disney fix!!!

NYC Pop Tarts World

When we went to New York City, some of Marc's family came along, too. One of the places our nephew, Kyle, wanted to go was Pop Tarts World. I'm not a big fan of Pop Tarts, but it was a really cool store!


You could make your own box of Pop Tarts with different varieties. You picked out the flavors you wanted, and the box came down the chute. They were a little on the pricey side, though. I want to say they were about $15 for a regular-sized box. No thanks!


They also had games you could play in this area.


And last, but not least, they had a Pop Tarts bar. They had cookies, brownies, s'mores, etc. made out of Pop Tarts, and they also had dipped Pop Tarts, too. I didn't get any, but our niece and nephews seemed to like them.


So, now I can say that I've been to Pop Tarts World. Interesting and strange at the same time!

The New York Public Library

While we were in Connecticut for Christmas, we decided to take the train over to New York City. I really wanted to go to the new Disney store, so we made a day out of it. Our first stop was the New York Public Library.

Christmas Tree in the Main Lobby

Stunning Architecture

My favorite part of the New York Public Library can be found in the children's section. They have the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals on display.


Here's a plaque that explains how the stuffed animals ended up at the library.

The Empire State Building

Now, on to the Pop Tarts Store!

Animal Kingdom Lodge's Sunrise Safari

We began the last day of our trip with a Sunrise Safari, which you can only do if you are staying in club level at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had to be up very (very!!!) early so we could meet our group in the lobby. After a quick briefing, we were on our way!

Getting ready to leave...



Some of the animals along the safari...

Can you see the lion?

After the safari, they had a breakfast set up for our group at Tusker House. (Or was it Pizzafari?) It was set up buffet style, so we were able to get what we wanted to eat.


On the way out of the park, I had to take a picture of this tree, because it had my favorite Disney character: Eeyore!


I think the Sunrise Safari is one of those Disney things that you have to do once just to mark it off your list. To be honest, we had a better safari with more animal interaction the day before when it was raining off and on all day long. So, the Sunrise Safari was quite a disappointment. Lesson learned!

Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

On the night before going back home, we went to Hollywood Studios to see the Christmas decorations. I was really looking forward to this because I heard it was amazing! 

There are no words to describe the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, so I'm just going to post as many pictures as I can.

Two pictures that I wanted to point out:

Paying Homage to A Christmas Story

And we found the Halloween cat!!!

If you're ever in Disney World at Christmastime, make sure you see this! It's SPECTACULAR!