Gagnon Sisters Hit NYC for Newsies

As stated in my Christmas post, Doug surprised Abbie and I with a special sister getaway to NYC to see the Broadway production, Newsies!  Ever since Abbie and I (in different cities) saw Newsies in the Thanksgiving Day parade over 3 years ago, we've talked about trying to go together.  And then, when a friend landed the lead part of Jack Kelly, I wanted to see it even more.  I didn't think it would work out, but this Fall when Doug was in NYC for a conference (and got to see Newsies himself), he chatted with his friend, Corey, who is Jack Kelly, and secured some seats for us.  Then he purchased two Megabus tickets that weekend as well (for $1.50 each!).  When he got home he went online to our Marriott account and booked a free night we had on there for a hotel for Ab & I that weekend.  Wow.  Pretty great planning that made for a great surprise gift!!  When Ab opened the gift she couldn't believe what the write-up said.  She said, "Are we really doing this?  Is this really happening?"  Yes!  So, on Friday, we woke up at 4:45am and Doug brought us downtown to catch the 6am Megabus (FYI, it bodes well to get to Megabus early as the seats go on a first-come, first-serve basis).  Ab and I jogged in place for about 45 minutes until the bus came and we settled in on the top floor for our 8 hour ride to NYC.  We napped, we watched movies, we felt a little queasy at times, but mostly it was a smooth and easy ride.  While we vegged on the bus, Doug, Gramma and Grampa and the boys had fun back in the Burgh.  Doug took Koen and Tavin to the library.

I also received text updates from Gramma at home with Penn.  He's so cute it's hard to part with him!

Ab & I arrived in midtown Manhattan at 2pm and headed right across the street to Starbucks.  Amy & Abbie have arrived, NYC, lookout!

We walked about a half mile to the correct subway station and then rode it to Brooklyn to drop our stuff at our hotel and freshen up a bit before heading back into Manhattan for dinner and the show.  Here we are in the early evening successfully in Times Square ready for some NYC food and fun!

Times Square was packed of course the weekend after Christmas.  It was also interesting because they were already setting up for New Year's Eve.  Neither of us have a desire to ring in the New Year ever with that kind of pandemonium, but it was interesting to check out.  We settled on an Italian place, Tony di Napoli, right off of the Avenue of the Americas.  We slid into the last two seats available and enjoyed a long dinner chatting before the show.  At home Doug was getting the kids through dinner, baths and bedtime.  Here are a few text pics I received during that routine.

NYC is a lot of fun, but it's no match for the men I left at home.  =)  After dinner Ab & I headed to the Nederlander Theatre for Newsies!!  Since you can't take pics at the show, here's the Playbill just to prove we were there.

The show was amazing.  I would've loved to see it with Doug, but it was so special to share this with Abbie as Newsies was probably our favorite film growing up and we have it memorized and have always especially loved the music and choreography.  The musical was slightly different than the movie storyline and songs, but it was just as thrilling and impressive.  We loved watching Corey as Jack Kelly and were also amazed by the talents of the ensemble.  We would just grab each others elbow and squeeze at the impressive moments pinching ourselves that we were really there taking it in together.  If that wasn't enough, we got to see Corey after the show and congratulate him on this huge accomplishment and his great performance.  Such a neat experience watching a Broadway show and knowing the lead.  It really makes you take it in on a whole new level I think.  Thanks Corey and Doug for making this fun, unique experience happen for Ab & I!  Well, Ab and I tried to go back out on the town after the show, but we were exhausted from the early morning wake up, so we ended up just getting a cab and heading back to the hotel.  We had a great night's sleep after our adventurous day.  We woke up refreshed on Saturday morning and ready to make the most of our last few hours in NYC.  First we headed out for a walk in the Brooklyn neighborhoods near our hotel.  Eventually we found a great bagel place.  Nothing like a classic New York bagel.

We spent about an hour and a half just enjoying the scenery and a good walk (we were determined to spend as much time on our feet and moving before getting back on the bus!).

We checked out of our hotel at noon after a quick rest stop in our room after our morning walk.  Another opportunity for a sister pic of course.

Now while we were having our blast around Brooklyn, the boys had a nice start to their morning at home with Doug, Gramma and Grampa.  Look at them all cuddled up on the couch with Grampa!

Then later in the morning Doug had Koen, Tavin and Grampa out on an adventure.  Scootering in North Park, an errand for a car part and then lunch at Pizza Hut (Koen has been earning Book It! coupons and has not yet gotten to use them).  Here are K & T with Grampa.  Such a great shot!

And then happy Tavin at Pizza Hut.  He loves to be included on these special outings with Koen and Doug.  Clearly this one was no exception!

Gramma got to stay back home with Penn again.  She loved that time to get his attention since he was still being a little cold whenever Doug and I were around to show a preference towards.  He definitely warmed up just fine when we were out of the picture.  Look how happy!

So, anyways, Abbie and I headed from our hotel (now with small suitcase and shoulder bags in tow) back to the subway and then on to Rockefeller Plaza to take in the holiday sights and window shopping.  

As you might assume, NYC was PACKED the Saturday after Christmas.  Dragging a rollerboard on 5th Ave. is not easy when it's crammed like sardines.  After about an hour of going in and out of stores and fighting the crowds, we B-lined it to an area a little less packed and started keeping an eye out for a lunch spot.  We eventually found a great burger spot and had a big meal we hoped would get us through the long bus ride quickly approaching.  After lunch, we threw our bags over our shoulders and walked about 12 more blocks to the Megabus stop (again an hour early for good seats).  We had some final sights on our walk through Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea.  Here's The Intrepid, an aircraft carrier turned into an Air & Space Museum.  Doug and I will have to return with the boys to see that closer up!

We also got a few more views of the Chrylser building.

At 4pm we pulled out on the bus.  Goodbye, New York!!  What a special visit with my sister (we hadn't been there together in probably almost 20 years!!).  Thank you, Douglas, for your forethought on this trip and then for making it come to fruition with dropping us off on the bus, getting the tickets, the hotel room, caring for the kids with Mom and Dad and picking us up when we returned.  You are amazing and I loved this Christmas gift (sorry about the other ones I returned).  Love you!