This will be our final post from our retirement trip, aside from a “second half highlights” post that we have been keeping track of since November and hope to have ready tomorrow. It is incredible to think that we two former Brevard county, FL kiddos have circumnavigated the world. It has truly been the trip of a lifetime, and I will be unpacking memories from this trip for the rest of my life. I am so grateful to God, my family and friends who supported us by reading and commenting on our blog (which saved me from homesickness), getting our mail, storing our things, and giving us places to stay while we are “between homes,” and most of all to Rob for sharing my dreams and helping make all the best ones come true. I mean it when I say we couldn’t have done this without every one of you. It’s been a “helluva’ ride!”

Today was another insanely cold but sunny day. We had hoped to do more city exploring, but the bitter bite made us decide to stay close to the hotel. Fortunately, there is lots we can do in this area.

Today we revisited an old favorite of mine and went for lunch at Junior’s Deli. I am a HUGE fan of their matzo ball soup and combo (pastrami and corned beef) Reuben sandwich, not to mention their cheesecake, and that is just what we split. So good! I’ve tried others in the city, but this one is always my favorite thus far.

After lunch we walked around Times Square and checked out all the madness, went in a few shops, and generally froze our tushes off. 😂

We only lasted an hour or so before deciding to head back to the hotel for an afternoon siesta and some good old American tv time. We haven’t watched much tv since we left the US, so we have some series to catch up on. Today is also my mom’s 82nd birthday, so we got to join a family call to her to sing our traditional very bad version of the “Happy Birthday” song.

& Juliet

For tonight’s showtime on Broadway, we had tickets to see “& Juliet” at the Stephen Sondheim theatre. This musical tells the story about what might have happened if Juliet did not die at the end of the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet. In this version, Juliet decides losing Romeo doesn’t mean she should die, and she goes on a journey of self-discovery to Paris. Much smarter choice, girlfriend! And friends… I freaking LOVED this show. It is most definitely in my top four of all time (too hard for me to rank order them, but the other three are Chicago, Mama Mia, and Beauty and the Beast). I adored the music, I adored the cast and their incredible voices, I loved the story line, and the energy of this show was just palpable. We laughed, we danced, we sang along, and we both agreed the show was pure magic. I highly recommend!!!

After the show we headed over to Tony’s Di Napoli for some delicious baked ziti, a perfect warm dish for this cold night. The food in NY… just plain dreamy.

As I write this, I cannot wrap my head around this being the end of our trip. Undoubtedly this won’t be the end of our travels in general, but it is certainly the close of the biggest and longest adventure of our lives to date. Stay tuned for our highlights/second half recap post, and more adventures ahead beginning in April of 2026 (if not before)! We are grateful for everyone reading this. ❤️❤️ Thanks for adventuring with us!