New York City and Missy Mumford--GREAT COMBO!!

Missy Mumford arrived in New York on Dec 23rd and she and her Mother (me!) met and hugged for 5 minutes at least--outside the Downtown Metro Station at 66th St and Columbus Ave--right by our apartment building. It was such a "sweet reunion"!! Then our 10-day "Holiday in New York" began!! She had her "list" of must dos, and wanna dos and we/she calendared/mapped it out to try to get everything important to her, this trip, in the mix of everyday. We went to see the Radio City Rockettes in their Christmas Spectacular, up to Washington Heights for dinner at our favorite Inndian restaurant (Kismat), made a stop in to St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Ave ( lovely renovation just completed), spent some time in the NY Manhattan Temple accomplishing her 2016 goal for endowments completed. A friend gave her a ticket to the Empire State Building so she strode out on her own--to go see it!! We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art ( and so did ALL OTHER NYC HOLIDAY VISITORS!!) and stood in a line almost 4 blocks long, IN A POURING RAIN, but we did it!! And saw the "almost Victorian-looking" Christmas tree with the absolutely stunning array of Nativities and Crèches surrounding it's base. A hard one to find-- in the Medevial area of the museum. (Go figure!!) But worth our search!! There was also a trip--after our evening/night shift at the Temple--to see the Rockefeller Plaza tree, the light show and Times Square (still FULL OF PEOPLE) so very late at night.  Missy and I went to see "Fiddler on the Roof" on Broadway--which closed it's short run on New Year's Eve. Sorry to see that one stop-- it was so well done!! We loved it and wished that Elder Mumford had come with us😘. She even came to the Missionary New Year's Eve party--which ended close to 9:30pm--as Pres Bench said 9:00 was really the "new midnight" in NYC!! So she then left us to join some other friends 3 blocks from Times Square, to watch the famous "ball drop in Times Square" above the crowds, 22 floors up in a warm Office building!! She was in Heaven!! It was something she has ALWAYS hoped she could do if she ever found herself in NYC on New Year's Eve! She also journeyed out with us to our Ward in Rego Park (in Queens) where we serve each Sunday as teachers to 9 youth, mainly young men, ages 12 to 17, in the only Youth Sunday School class in the Ward. We love it--and so did Missy. There were some "food musts" also--so she made a stop at LeVains Bakery for the " most famous chocolate chip cookie in New York City", Burger and fries from Shake Shack, New York Cheesecake and up to "Patsy's" for a delicious New York Pizza!! Y-U-M-M-Y is the best description for all of those choices!  Needless to say, we DID HAVE A GREAT TIME!! She left us on Monday, Jan 2, 2017--but not before we "discovered" Frames Bowling Alley so we could "join the Tradition" going on in Preston, Idaho at Pop 'n Pins Bowling Alley where the Mumfords and Sears families carried on with our  60+ years of NEW YEARS DAY BOWLING with lunch somewhere after. Then the tears started to flow as we rode with her on the Subway to get her on the AirTrain to JFK airport.  And she went through the turnstyles--and was on her way to her departing flight!!  Where did 10 whole days go?? We loved her visit--best gift ever!! She says she's coming again--we say "PLEASE DO!!" Love you so much!!
Just a few of the photo ops we captured are seen here:

On the Subway--going to Grand Central Station to catch the Metro North RR--out to NY Botannical Gardens

Papa Mumford, Emma and Missy--"Up on our Roof"

Outside St. Patrick's Cathedral

Inside St. Patrick's

New York Public Library--E & S Mumford and Missy Mumford--to see Alexander Hamilton exhibit

Missy & Mom-- outside the inside doors to NY Manhattan Temple 

Some views of the Christmas tree in the "Medevial Room" of the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art

Missionary New Year's Eve Party at Pres & Sister Benches' Apartment

Missy's "capture of the Times Square ball drop"

Bowling at Frames Alley in downtown NYC--Jan 2, 2017 

More from NY Metropolitan Art

A Rainy day as we cross through "Central Park"

More "flavors and  sites" of NYC

Alexander Hamilton exhibit at the NY Public !ibrary--thanks, Grace Mumford, for telling us about this one!!

"Fiddler on the Roof" and NY cheesecake-- great combo  

Rockefeller Center and Times Square--in all their glorious display!! ( check out the Church's display of " Light the World. 25 ways in 25 days"--very prominently displayed in Times Square!!)

The M & M's store--so crowded--we never even attempted "Entry"😩!! 

More Times Square-- late--and as we commented on ALL the People who were still up--it dawned on us--WE ARE SOME OF THEM!! (After Midnight!!)

Such a Fun time was had by All!!