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Old 1 Nov 19, 01:06 AM  
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Jessika
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Join Date: Apr 09
Mobile NYC 20 Years Later - Day 6 Friends, Shopping & The Great Jack O Lantern Blaze

Wednesday October 30th 2019

I was initially up at 4.30am but was able to drop back off waking at 8am with the alarm. I got straight up and showered, thankfully Alex and Mone woke whilst I was in the bathroom. We went down to grab breakfast. For a mass produced hotel breakfast Homewood Suites is really good. Every day so far there have been different hot food items, lots I can’t eat but today there were cheese omlettes and banana bread pudding which was yummy!





We left the room at 11.10 and headed to the subway as the first plan of action today is the friends apartment building. We loaded our metro card at Penn Street Station. There was a guy by the ticket machines who was obviously down on his luck, very polite and helping anyone who needed it and told us he was just trying to get by. Homelessness is a big problem in New York as it is at home and a vicious cycle for those trapped. We gave him a few dollars before going through the Turn styles.

There were some more Halloween houses on the short walk from the subway station.









Once we’d got our pictures we headed to Waverly Place ( my kids used to love The wizards of Waverly Place!) to get the subway up to the Rockefeller Plaza to reserve tickets for tomorrow evening.

It was 12.10 when we were on the subway travelling up town.

We went straight to the Rockefeller to exchange our passes for tickets for tomorrow at 5.30pm. We then popped into FAO Schwarz. I’m really glad this store has reopened in NYC and it goes well in its new location.








The Ice Rink is up and running.

We made a couple of purchases before heading into the Nintendo Store and then walked across to American Girl Doll, again another couple of purchases made before we walked down passed Radio City Music Hall to McDonald’s.





Whenever I see Radio City I think of a Barney the dinosaur VHS my eldest daughter used to watch on a loop which was filmed there!



We had lunch at 2pm. Fillet o fish meal for me, happy meal for Mone and a chicken something for Alex. We practically inhaled the food as were ready to leave at 2.15. We walked back to the room arriving at 2.50pm for an hours rest before we set back out again. Ramona took the time to talk to her friends and also to practice some special
effects Halloween make up!


Practicing special effects!

We headed out on foot to Grand Central Station at 4.30pm and bought our train tickets to Croton Harmon station from a ticket machine. We were headed to the Great Jack O Lantern Blaze in the Hudson Valley. I’d read about this attraction in Time Out New York when I booked the trip back in February and thought that this was an event that we would all enjoy. The tickets went on sale in September and I bought them as soon as they were released. This is the events 10th year anniversary and I was looking forward to the displays.




Grand Central Terminal


Our train.


Train selfie.

We were on the train at 5pm. The initial part of the journey was underground which I wasn’t expecting! It wasn’t until we reached Harlem that the train went over ground. It was an interesting ride, I hadn’t realised that Riverdale was an actual place, I thought it was a fictional town but it exists as we passed through! We also went through Sleepy Hollow.



Once off of the train we had a 10 minute walk to the event. Once out of the station there was a couple of signs pointing walkers in the right direction. There were however a couple of perilous roads we had to cross! It was getting dark and the cars were driving at speed! There was also light drizzly rain and some of the pavements were up and down slopes.






We’ve arrived!

We had timed our trip well as were able to walk straight into the blaze after a quick restroom stop.

The event was spectacular and the photos do not do it justice. It really is one of those events that has to be seen.

























It took us approximately half an hour to walk around the event. On the way out we bought our dinner from an event stall which consisted of 2 headless horseman sandwiches (mozzarella, tomato and pesto) for myself and Ramona, a hotdog for Alex 1 slice of pumpkin pie for myself and 2 pumpkin donuts for Alex and Mona. We saved ours to eat on the train as it was raining. Alex’s hotdog was tiny and he was already saying it wouldn’t suffice as dinner! we stopped in the gift shop and bought a magnet and then headed back towards the station stopping in a supermarket for some Diet Coke.

The walk back was painful! My feet were aching and we were uphill for the most part. We again had unintentionally timed it well and practically walked straight on to the 7.52pm train to Grand Central.



Myself and Mona ate our sandwiches and she ate her donut.




Dinner on the train.

The journey back seemed quicker. We were going to walk from the station but got the subway to Port Authority.

I grabbed a hot chocolate to take up to the room. We sorted some clothes to wash, Alex took these down to the laundry room and ordered himself a cheeseburger! I ate my pumpkin pie and Mona made a halloween garland to hang in the room.


Pumpkin pie and (melted) whipped cream for desert.

The parent trap was playing, Mona had never seen this and was enjoying watching this in bed. She and I both crashed around midnight.
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Old 19 Jan 20, 11:05 PM  
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Clarey
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Join Date: Sep 02
Hi Jessika. Great reports. Is there more?
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