It's been a while since we ventured into the city for a casual walk on a weekend. With two in tow now, it's definitely a more daunting challenge to get everyone ready while Carolina naps and then hit the ground running. But today we gave it a shot and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful. The sun was high and bright and the streets of SoHo weren't terribly crowded, although it's not my favorite place to push a stroller. And yes, Elisa still needs one. So that means we shift Carolina to the Ergo when we travel and then let her use it on and off when Elisa plays or eats or just decides her knee doesn't "hurt." Yes, my geriatric three year old has bad knees apparently. [Insert eyeroll here] So the system we have now seems to work okay and with a plan to shop a little, grab some lunch and hit a park, I'd say we were off to a good start...
By the time we managed to hit C. Wonder and Crumpler on Spring Street, Nacho and I had checked off our lists and Elisa had an ice cream cone mostly eaten. Everything was going according to plan (even her near tantrum when the cone almost fell in her lap. God forbid I try to save the damn thing with a cup and spoon. Oh, well. You get what you get). Hitting a small playground nearby gave us just enough time to feed Carolina as we let Elisa work off some steam. And while I chatted to a pleasant older woman from Trinidad who was eating a delicious smelling lamb and rice tray from a food truck, the scent of Lombardi's pizzeria started to overpower me. Considering this was my THIRD pizza lunch this week, I should have abstained. But the thought of that crispy crust and perfectly oozing mozzarella was too much. And what a good decision that turned out to be. Elisa had a window box to play and eat in while Nacho and I got down to demolishing the pie as Carolina looked on in silence. And mad props to this baby of mine once again. I really don't know how she does it, but the kid was beyond tired by that point and yet she only grunted and whimpered a couple of times, between full on belly laughs at her sister and grinning widely across the table at me. Afterwards, we swung by Gimme! Coffee for a quick latte as we headed southwest towards Chambers Street. It was a nice ziggety zag walk that we thought might take us all the way to Battery Park. But in the end, we stopped short at another park to chill for a few minutes before turning back home. Hopefully this was a small glimpse into the future, and it was good. So very, very good. And really, that's the feeling this day gave me. Elisa was her usual overbearing self mixed with a redemptive dose of charm. But more importantly, she didn't totally wig out at anything. She was tired and hungry at certain points, but she kept herself in check. Little bribes helped move her along and by the time we got home, she finished her dinner and went to bed. By 7:30pm. It was delightful. And Carolina was down by 6:45pm. A full day of city roaming and this quiet evening feels like the perfect way to end it. Thank you, New York. It was a pleasure doing business with you.
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