Times Square/Junior’s Cheesecake, NY

Often times, when living anywhere, one tends to take for granted all the things that make where they live so great.  One tends to forget the reasons why they chose to live where they do in the first place and get so busy with life that they forget to stop and appreciate the place they call home.

NYCity Mama made this mistake four years ago.  She and her husband were so busy climbing the professional ladder, being parents to their then 7 year old, dealing all that things life was throwing their way that they got stuck in routine and “forgot” where they lived.

It took Mama moving to Wisconsin, and living there for three years, to realize that she loved this city.  That’s not to say that she doesn’t miss the space and quiet peace often found in the outer skirts of this great town, something she daydreams about quite often, especially now that she has two more kids to worry about, but she doesn’t take for granted all of the things her hometown has to offer and tries to make every effort to enjoy as much of it all as she can, especially if she can have her kids with her.

On this beautiful Sunday morning, she and her husband decided that they would enjoy their city with the eyes of a tourist, pay attention to the things that they often don’t pay attention to, and walk around observing it all, even taking pictures. 

There is no better place to do this than Times Square, and they figured they’d stop by Toys R Us along the way.

They head out and take the A train for an express trip downtown to 42nd St.  The only annoying thing about taking the trains on weekends is that this is when the city decides it wants to do most railway work, and thus express trains can all of a sudden become local trains, and local trains just don’t run at all.

Today, the A ran local to 103rd, promising to run express from there on.  Of course, this tidbit of information is not one that is provided before they get on the train, and Mama just hoped that the little ones would be patient for the longer ride ahead.  

But Mama needed not concerned herself because not long after they boarded the train, they were joined by a group of young Black men, calling themselves the Flipping Black Guys.  They quickly set up a small space for themselves, and with a boom box  connected to an iPod, they flipped and danced, did hand stands, and other acrobatic moves to the sounds of hip hop and delight of her children.  It is definitely one of those things that you see only in NYC, the various entertainers that come onto the trains, or perform on subway platforms for whatever tip you could have to offer.  Mama’s heart filled with joy.

They arrive to 42nd St. station and even on Super Bowl Sunday it is bustling with people in a hurry to get here or there.  Mama and her family comfortably maneuver themselves around the crowds and up to the streets.  

Even in the middle of the afternoon, the lights and neon signs of Times Square have a way of getting everyone excited about their surroundings.

As they walk down the streets the boys started pointing out one thing after another, with the same amazement and curiosity as any of the tourists visiting for the first time, though they have been here many times before.  Her 11 year old starts giving her a list of all the places he would like to visit and shows he would like to see: Madame Tossauds Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, The Lion King at the Minskoff Theater.  Her husband comments on wanting to have a Gospel brunch at B.B. King Blues Club , or catch a concert at The Hard Rock Cafe.

But right now the little ones want to go to their beloved Toys R Us, and not for toys. Every time they come, they want to see the roaring T-Rex, and the larger than life Lego display, and most of all, take a ride on the indoor ferris wheel.

 

Every time they have come to this store to ride on the ferris wheel, Mama’s 3 year old has begged and pleaded to ride on his favorite cartoon character’s car, Scooby Doo. However, the rules are that riders cannot request, nor wait for a specific car, they must get on whichever car is waiting for them when they arrive to the front of the line.  

However, on this day, when Mama’s husband and the boys get to the front of the line, they were elated to find the Scooby Doo car waiting for them!  Her 3 year old couldn’t believe his eyes, and was completely thrilled!

Mama was also thrilled, and ran up to the third floor hoping to catch several pictures of her boys laughing and smiling over the whole thing.   She called out to them to get a few great shots of those smiles, and she managed to get one…but as soon as the little ones realized that she was not riding with them, they started bawling all through the ride.  Maybe had the ride come with some Scooby Snacks, that might have helped make them happy!

After getting off the ride, they decided to stop by Mama’s favorite cheesecake vendor in the area, Junior’s.

Located off the main strip of Broadway, on 45th St., is Junior’s Bakery, and right next to it, Junior’s Restaurant.  They decide to sit in the restaurant and order some treats.

 

Mama ordered a small, non-sweet snack for the little ones, and for herself she ordered a Blueberry Cheesecake, her husband ordered a Cherry Cheesecake, and her 11 year old son ordered a Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake, which was massive!!  Mama’s cheesecake, along with a generous cup of coffee was absolute heaven.

Despite Mama’s efforts, and after sharing a few bites with the boys, she was unable to finish her massive slice of cheesecake.  So, they packed it up to go and decided to take on more of the sights to try to walk off some of the calories they just ingested.

Times Square has turned into an exciting, fun area, full of shops and sites, and things one could only see in The Big Apple.  Long gone are the days of porn shops, and strip joints, and drug dealers.

They walked around for quite some time, window shopping and checking out upcoming concerts and show times, as well as posted menus and sales from the local shops before finally deciding to head back uptown.

On the train the boys talked about their visit, the delicious cheesecake treats, the exciting Scooby Doo experience, and the list of things they want to do when they come back, which will be very, very soon.

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Tags: food, Times Square
Posted in Good Eats | 5 Comments »