Reidheads in the Big Apple

We had an awesome time in NYC last week checking out the scenery, meeting all Rustin's friends, and enjoying the big-city life. Here is Jim while we're waiting at the airport. What else do you do besides check your cell phone messages? Amazing how many people were sitting around on their phones or laptop computers.

We arrived at Rustin's apartment in NYC at 6 a.m. Thursday morning. Talk about tired. Neither one of us slept on the plane. So after we hauled our luggage, (thanks for your help, Rustin, or we would have never made it) up 4 flights of stairs to Rustins' apartment and then another flight up inside his apartment to his bedroom, we crashed for a couple hours. Feeling a bit revived, we cleaned up a bit and went with Rustin to the NYU College of Dentistry where he had to see a patient. Here he is at the clinic. Doesn't he look like he'll be a distinguished dentist? :) The best part was meeting some of his fellow dental students and his professors. They all bragged on him and told us what a terrific young man he is. Can I say Proud? haha

After he finished in clinic, we walked around Manhattan and saw a few sights.

This picture is inside Saks Fifth Avenue. The Christmas decorations were breathtakingly beautiful. Everything was white with white lights and crystals hanging. The picture doesn't do it justice, but believe me, it was beautiful.

We walked over to the Rockefeller Center and took pictures. It was Veterans Day and they had flags all the way around the skating rink area. It was so neat.

Here is Jim in front of the place where they televise the Today Show.

More of Rockefeller Center.

We went into a chocolate store around the corner. Jimn wanted to buy some chocolate for a basket he has to put together for school. Well, we decided we really didn't want to pay $84 A POUND for some chocolate. So the best we could do was inhale, enjoy the aroma, and walk out. haha I'm sure it was delicious but I'm not sure it's $84 worth of delicious.

In front of the Plaza Hotel we saw this stretch Hummer. My niece has a white Hummer so I took this picture for her benefit. How in the world do you drive a vehicle that size through New York's narrow streets and turns?

Inside the Plaza Hotel lobby. It was beautiful of course.

Plaza Hotel.

On Friday we rented a car to drive outside the City and see some of the beautiful fall colors and see what is actually there besides the Big City. We drove to Amish country near Lancaster, PA and found this little school house with kids doing the sweeping on the porch. Notice the two outhouses and the kids' clothing. Typical Amish.

More pictures of Amish country. Believe me when I say it was BEATIFUL there. All the farms and homes were immaculately groomed and clean. Very neat people and very hard workers, obviously.

We took a tour through a typical Amish home. In the downstairs part, they had a schoolroom. Jim felt right at home and so did Rustin. The tour guide was very chatty. (too chatty) ha He looked at Rustin and then at us and said, "So you checked your son out of school today so he could come on this tour with you?" We laughed and said, "sort of." hahaha Rustin then told the guy that we were out visiting him from Arizona and that he was a dental student at NYU. The guy nearly dropped his teeth. It was hilarious. Rustin is getting used to people thinking he is a lot younger than he actually is. I told the guy that Rustin would be 29 this month and he did not believe me.

These chairs were in the school room. Beautifully hand painted.

The chalk board. I loved the saying written on it.

Typical Amish buggy. We saw many of them being pulled down the roads with their horses.

I loved this red windmill.

On Saturday morning we went on walk through Central Park. The fall colors were beautiful. A little past peak color but still very pretty.

Saturday afternoon, Rustin had to meet a guy at the church building (temple) to get some things set up for a ward film festival he was in charge of that night. The building is beautiful. It seems strange to see this right in the middle of Lincoln Center in downtown Manhattan. I was surprised how big the church was. From the outside it didn't seem very big but it's big.

Moroni on top of Manhattan Temple.

A subway ride to Coney Island on Saturday afternoon. We had to use every minute and had enough time to ride out there before Rustin's ward party. Rustin was a real sport to get us to where we wanted to go. I'm sure we about wore him out. Not physically necessarily. haha

Picture on Coney Island boardwalk.

Beautiful sunset at Coney.

Check it off Jim's bucket list. He got to see the Atlantic Ocean.

Famous Nathan's hot dogs. Jim had to have one!

On Sunday after church, we were able to get tickets to go to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes. It was awesome! I loved it. Jim was so surprised that at the end they started singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing and then they enacted the nativity and birth of Christ. It was absolutely beautiful. We were so glad we got to go. It was a great way to start the Christmas season and to know they still celebrate it at Radio City!

Pictures from Rustin's apartment.

Jim was fascinated with the water tanks. He watched a show with Mike Rowe called Dirty Jobs and they showed how they clean out these things and rebuild them. It was gross but it's how they get their water.

The last flight of stairs up to Rustin's room.

We went back to Rockefeller Center on Sunday to see the Christmas tree that will be decorated. It was quite big and you can see all the scaffolding they put up around it so they can decorate it. It won't be lit until November 30 so we missed that. It was cool to see it though.

The pile of boughs is used to fill in all the blank spots on the tree to make it look very uniform.

Well, that's out trip in a nutshell. I know. Picture overload. But you can't go to NYC without taking a bunch of pictures. The best part of New York was getting to spend time with Rustin. Everywhere we went we saw people who told us what an amazing person Rustin is. We loved hearing that. His bishop told Jim, "You need to know that your son is an awesome young man." Jim said, "we hope so." Bishop said, "No, you need to KNOW it. He is truly amazing." What a compliment. We've always had faith in Rustin and have been proud of his accomplishments. It renews your faith when you hear people who are not family members say what you've always known and felt! Love you tons, Rustin. Thanks for being the best guide in NYC and letting us crash your apartment. We loved meeting and spending time with so many of your friends. They are all wonderful and talented and smart and it was a pleasure to meet each one of them. You've made friendships that will last forever!