NASDAQ Opening Bell ceremony

One unique experience we had was attending the opening bell ceremony at NASDAQ in the heart of Times Square!  The process to get tickets was quite simple and it was such a fun thing to do.  Start to finish it didn't take up alot of time and it was exciting to be in the studio cheering and counting down to the bell!

The studio is just inside large glass windows open to Times Square which was really neat.  They also allowed cameras in which of course was very cool!  Before we left we were allowed to go on stage and have our photo taken behind the podium and watch a live market report.

Everyone at NASDAQ was so friendly and welcoming to the visitors and made it a very enjoyable experience.  If you are interested in attending visit their website http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_about.stm for details on how to be part of the LIVE audience!!!!!

Very cool lobby!

Loved the fabric of their chairs =)

35 minutes 59 seconds til the Opening Bell!

In the studio getting ready

Windows out to Times Square

Lights and monitors everywhere!

Here we go!!!!!

Quick market update.....

We did it!!!!  =)  Thanks for a great experience NASDAQ!

Photos from ceremony on screen outside NASDAQ in Times Square following ceremony

Bike and Roll..... Central Park tour

9 days in NYC may seem like ALOT of time.....but it's really not!  It goes by so quickly!!!!!!  We wanted to explore Central Park - but we were running out of time!!!!!!!  We decided a great way to cover ground would be to take a bicycle tour!!!!!


We called and made a reservation with Bike and Roll and and made our way to Central Park for our tour!  After we got our bikes and gear we were off in no time!  This really was a great way to see the park.  Our tour guide shared some great history on the park and showed us some really great sites.  The pace was good and we got to stop along the way and check out different areas of the park.  The guide stayed with the bikes so we could explore a little bit and was also great about taking photos for us.

A few of our stops on this tour: Bethesda Terrace and the gorgeous fountain, Belvedere Castle, Turtle Pond, Cleopatras Needle, Shakespeare Garden and Strawberry Fields.


Bike and Roll offers several guided tours in the city and also has hourly rentals so you can move at your own pace and decide your own routes.  It really was a good time and I would recommend this tour to anyone!  I am sure their other tours are just as good!

Check out their webpage for more information:  http://www.bikeandroll.com/newyork/

Gorgeous

Our guide

Beautiful details everywhere

                           

Cleopatra's Needle

Turtle Pond

Belvedere Castle

Art installation on the roof of the Met

Catch Me If You Can

Now on tour in the U.S., Catch Me if You Can is based on the life of Frank Abagnale, who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer!!!  His primary crime was check fraud and he became so skilled that the FBI eventually turned to him for help in catching other check forgers.  You may have seen the movie by the same name in 2002.

When we were unable to get tickets to Spiderman:  Turn Off The Dark one evening this show was highly recommended to us as we waited in line at the TKTS booth in Times Square.  So when we were unable to get our first choice we decided to give Catch Me a go.

It was a fantastic show from the second the curtains opened.  The sets were bright and bold, the songs were catchy, the story very well told and it was a fun show!  We really enjoyed it!  So much that if on it's US tour it came close to us I would seriously see it again! 

Catch Me was nominated for the following Tony Awards:  Best Musical, Best Sound Design and Best Orchestrations, and Norbert Leo Butz who played FBI agent Carl Hanratty was nominated for and won Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical!  A very well deserved win - he was amazing!  The whole cast was amazing!

After the show we got in line at the Stage Door and met several of the cast members!  Aaron Tveit, Norbert Leo Butz and Tom Wopat!  It was so fun to chart with them, get photos and autographs!  Definitely a great night!

If you are interested in seeing Catch Me on tour check out their website http://www.catchmeontour.com and check out the fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZGLkkAaI5c

Norbert Leo Butz

Aaron Tveit

Tom Wopat (you may remember him as Luke Duke!)

Tom gets on his bike and rides away