We arrived in New York City on Monday afternoon. After dropping off our rental car (that was an adventure in itself!) we headed to our hotel. When we got to our floor I was surprised to see that it only had 6 rooms! The entire hotel only had 6 rooms on each floor. And our room? It was tiny! Barely enough space to walk, but I must say it was very well done for the size (Hampton Inn Times Square if you are interested!)!
After we put our stuff down we headed out to see the sights! First up, Times Square! I was so turned around the whole time. I thought when we entered that the ball was in front of me, but instead it was behind me. So if you're wondering where the ball is in the picture... it's not there!
If you know anything about me, you would know that I'm a HUGE Harry Potter nerd. Like, seriously. I own a wand and a time turner....
But moving on... after we planned our trip it was announced that Harry Potter: The Exhibition was going to be making it's final North America stop in New York City and it was opening the week I was going to be there! But it didn't end there. The week before our trip they announced that there would be a red carpet event for the DVD launch and opening of the Exhibition with some of the stars, and it was going to be the day we came into New York! How random is that? The Exhibition was on one of the side streets off of the main Times Square. We went over to check it out before the mayhem of the red carpet later in the day. I couldn't believe my eyes. Standing outside two feet away from me were the actors that play Dumbledore, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Hagird. The picture is totally blurry, but please understand my hands were shaking like crazy!
After the actors headed back inside and there was really nothing to see, we headed back to Times Square. We checked out the Visitor's Center which my mom had never been to! They have a wall covered in confetti from New Years that people have written wishes on and the old ball that was used in 2007! I was rather impressed with how nice the Visitor's Center is and highly recommend it if your looking for some cool history of Times Square and Broadway, or if you're just looking for a clean restroom!
After Times Square we headed towards Central Park. We checked out the LOVE statue and the Apple Store on our way over. (Why do I always pose like that? I swear it always looks better in my head...)
When we got to Central Park we took a quick break on one of the many benches lining the walkways. There are plaques all over the benches dedicated to various people. We were lucky enough to sit next to the plaques dedicated to those who were lost on September 11th.
I apparently have no concept of where things are in New York. I had seen the Conservatory Pond with the model sail boats on it many times, but never realized that right next to it was the Alice in Wonderland statue!
After taking the bus back towards Times Square we had dinner. We were only a block away from the Exhibition red carpet, and it was going to start in a little over an hour, so I begged my mom to let us go (my wonderful mother stood out there for 2 hours in the cold with me to see people she doesn't care about. Isn't she the best!) The setup was really strange. The red carpet was on the sidewalk on one side of the street, there was a walkway made in the street for people who were walking down that side of the street to walk down instead, then cars were still passing by, and then on the other sidewalk was a walkway, and then the fans were allowed to stand and watch.
I pretty much stood there the entire time with my camera above my head trying to snap pictures. Thank goodness for the live view feature on my camera or I wouldn't have a single good picture! After the first hour we decided to try walking the pathway next to the red carpet. I couldn't believe how close I got to some of my favorite stars like David Thewlis (Lupin), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy), and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley)!
Next time... Macy's Flower Show, Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty, and Wall Street!
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