Back to the Big Apple

**Hope you enjoyed the blog hi-jacking by Sienna Samour!  Now back to our vacation rewind.**

On our 3rd day of the trip, we again headed to NYC, this time with Spenser in tow as well.  We all had our own motivations for hitting the city, Sienna to visit NYU, Spenser to visit the 9/11 Memorial, me to traverse the Brooklyn Bridge, and Rob to visit the music superstore Sam Ash, as well as be our fearless subway and city navigator.

 

Our first stop was Sam Ash, where our drummer posed for a photo op.

 

As we walked there, the Empire State Building wanted a photo-bomb!

 

The next stop was NYU.

 



 

 

Sienna picked up some materials in the Welcome Center.  This is her third college visit this summer!  Who knew our vacations could be college trips?!  That's what you call a BONUS!

 

 

Located adjacent to NYU was Washington Park, a bustling yet quaint place that made me realize how people can actually live in NYC.

 

 

The fountain seemed to be the 'heart' of the park.

 

 

 

 

 

The next stop was The World Trade Center, (or is it called Freedom Tower?) pictured behind the family.

Outside the museum were the fountains, where we solemnly remembered those lost,

 



especially our friend, Jim.

 

As we made our way down into the museum, here is one of the first sights, a remnant of the original World Trade Center.

 



 

The museum continued 4-5 floors into the ground, with the largest and most profound displays saved for last.  Some things you could photograph, others were prohibited.  I took a few photos, but then spent the rest of the tour remembering the event, honoring the victims and the survivors, and sharing a piece of history with my children that they can learn from.

 

 

 

After the memorial, it was time to visit the Brooklyn Bridge.  I'm glad the boys wore matching colors, it made them stand out in the pictures!

 



 

Here we are leaving the bridge and heading for the subway.

 

 

I loved the walk on the Brooklyn Bridge.  We only went half-way, as it was the end of the day and we were all getting tired.  But it was worth it!

 

Thanks NYC, now it's time for Grandma's Birthday Bash!

 



The Big Apple

Hola amigos! Sienna again.

My weekend of fun didn't stop at Princeton Splash. We couldn't leave without making a trip to Manhattan first! We made our way down to Times Square, and even stopped by NBC Studios and Rockefeller Center.

A beautiful day for a NJ Transit ride!

Empire State Building selfies!!

 

We had to give a visit to our buddy, Buddy Valastro!

And some other friends too!

We visited NBC Studios and picked up a few gifts for Mom.

   

Future NBC journalist??? 

And before we went home to the sizzling AZ weather, we celebrated an early birthday for Grandpa and Lauren with a special Carvel cake!

It was a quick trip, but a great one! So great that we came back two months later! Filled with even more Princeton visits, NYC sight-seeing, and birthdays! 

Princeton Splash

Hola amigos! Sienna here!

In April, I got to attend an event called Princeton Splash, and it's basically a day where high school students become Princeton students for a day. We got to take mock classes on the campus. You register online, and are assigned a classroom and teacher. Classes ranged from 'How to Make Chocolate' to Filmmaking to 'Crash Course in Neuroscience.'

I registered and soon enough, Dad and I were skipping school/work and were on a plane to New Jersey! 

(A very tiring 5 a.m flight.)

We couldn't help ourselves. We had to take a selfie with the PT Cruiser!

We were up the next morning and off we went! I picked up my schedule and name tag and headed to class. But not before we took some photos!

Slim Kim came with us too! All the credit goes to her! Kim was the one who told us about Splash.

My first class of the day was 'The Art of Filmmaking.' There were twenty other kids enrolled in the class. She showed us a bunch of different video clips and camera angles and shots, and trust me, I will never look at a movie the same again.

My next class was 'Personal Creativity: An Exploration of Creative Writing.' Coincidentally, the same kids from my filmmaking class were also in this class. We all contributed to the teacher's conversation on how to overcome writer's block and avoiding plot holes or flat characters in our writing.

My final class was on the different sizes of infinity. A class recommended by my math teacher. It was a very interesting and totally confusing topic of discussion.

After class we wandered around campus and took lots of photos.

The campus is absolutely gorgeous, and I still think it looks like Hogwarts. If I am lucky enough to get in, it would be a dream come true.