Playing Tourist

Last week my college friends Jill and Dave came to town with their two boys to visit the city and Jill's sister Kendal who recently had her first baby boy.  It's been a few years since I've seen them and their oldest boy Miles is just half a year older than Carolina, so I figured we'd be well matched to enjoy some tromping around the city together. I even found them a housesit in the neighborhood so they had the convenience of real apartment living while close to us.  With Graeme just shy of turning one in September, it's all about having a few spare rooms when you travel. Man, I don't miss those days of sleepless nights and wondering what will happen after an exhausting day out on the town. But Jill and Dave had been crisscrossing the country this summer with stops already in Chicago, Michigan, and Philadelphia. They were up for the NYC family challenge. So the first day we decided to meet up in Central Park after their morning with Kendal and baby Atticus. As we tried to narrow down a meeting spot, Jill suggested the Obelisk since Miles wanted to see the thing that featured in one of his storybooks. The Obelisk? What the heck was that, I wondered. A quick search and I realized that in 10 years of living in the city, I had not once been to the thing referred to as Cleopatra's Needle hiding behind The Met. We made our way over and up on the train and within a few steps inside the park, we were there. I love playing tourist in my own town--there's always more to see. 

We made our way through the park and over to the west side to Shake Shack for lunch. Usually I try not to freak out when I see the line is out the door and to the corner. It's not always a terrible sign that we'll never find seating and have to wait forever for our food. And in fact, that day turned out to be a perfect outing to the Shack. We found two adjoining tables downstairs in the A/C and Dave and I both got offered free beverages by an obliging employee. That his was beer and mine a soft drink almost didn't matter. We were winning at this tourist trap lunch outing. The coffee and donut concrete special with Donut Plant pieces thrown in it was just the icing on the proverbial cake. We walked slowly back towards the Natural History Museum stopping for a bit at the fountain for Jill to let Graeme nurse and then snap a few pics. And that's when it dawned on me that Miles might actually prefer to head back to Queens with us and chill out and play while Jill and Dave headed off to the High Line. It was a divide and conquer strategy I highly recommend to visitors and one that paid off well this day. We grabbed some ice cream for the kids on the way past the park again and then hit the subway where the sight of us with three kids caused a kindly Bronx man to explain the delays because of a broken track at 72nd. I mean, we must be tourists, right? I smiled to myself and declined his offer of seating. It's times like that when I realize that living in Queens for 10 years, I still don't look like I belong here sometimes. But that's okay. I'll consider that just a sign of my double agent status--a Midwestern transplant living happily in the heart of Queens--which is a perfect foil to leading other transplants around the city when they come. The next day we gathered forces to make a day trip to Brooklyn via the East River Ferry. It was a beautiful summer day with almost cool winds in the morning. Jill and family enjoyed a little time at Hunters Point South while we drove over and hopping on the next ferry worked out perfectly. The day was off to a good start!

And really any day that involves a river ride under not one but three bridges, a carousel, cool art installations, a playground with a giant ship, a picnic lunch AND ice cream has to be a banner day, right? I mean, we spoiled these kids rotten and they mostly deserved it. My girls have done this same day already once this summer, but repeating it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. ;) This time they got milk shakes and there was no water fun at the pop up installation which was under repairs. But otherwise, it was a perfectly executed family outing in the BK. By the time 3:30pm rolled around, we were ready to wrap things up and take the ferry back to Queens. But Jill and Dave had energy still to walk the Brooklyn Bridge on their way to MoMA so we bid them farewell and made the return trip.  It was nice to see them hanging out at home a bit on the other days of their trip and we talked a lot about their lives in KC, recent travels, and of course our families. I don't know if I will have a college reunion in another two years, but if I don't it will be okay. In the past 6 months I've seen Jason and Betsy, and now Jill and Dave. I have a few more I'd like to see. But maybe that's the better way to do it. One at a time and at a pace we can all handle. Who's next?

Brooklyn Bound

A few weeks ago we made another trip on the East River Ferry to visit DUMBO and take in all the Brooklyn Bridge sights. It was much more low-key than our previous ferry outings since this was already afternoon (leaving around 4 p.m.) and we didn't really plan to spend hours and hours there. It felt like a shorter ride (I guess because one of the Williamsburg stops was closed) and in no time, we were off treading the pier and heading for ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.  The girls played and ate and we cooled our heels in the shade of the building before walking over to the carousel for a little spin. Carolina probably didn't remember being there before but she definitely stepped right up and loved getting her own horse. And the waterfront views from the glass box it sits in really can't be beat. 

After that, we made it over to the Main Street DUMBO playground that has the biggest pirate ship playground for kids. I was both fascinated by how many parts of the ship connect to structures on the playground and also by a family photo shoot that was taking place nearby. I have to say, I'm a much more entertaining photographer! ;)  That woman barely spoke and they had a family pet going down the slide again and again with the little boy. Neither one looked remotely happy doing it. Oh well. Hope the other pics turn out. After that, we met a fellow mom who seemed to summarize all that I disdain about the BK parenting scene. With her faux hippie braids, her birks and her mason jar of water, I was less than impressed. Really? Who brings glass into a park? Ah, well. Maybe I should just stick with Sunnyside. I can smell the pretension in parts of Brooklyn from a mile away. But it is lovely...just to visit for an afternoon...

And then by sunset, we were back in Long Island City at Hunters Point South. We enjoyed a beer at the new plaza and the girls snacked on a hotdog and fries. We let them run around the playground and exercise area too before calling it a night. It was a great day to be outside and one of those midweek family outings that I savor so much right now. We know that we're lucky to have this time together as a family, and yet I can never get enough of it. In a few more weeks, Nacho will be starting a new job and our time apart is definitely going to increase. But for now, for this summer, we are making the most of what we have. And this little river excursion on a summer evening was just what I needed. What a beautiful place to be. 

Bridges of Kings County

Last spring we hit the amazing waterfront park in DUMBO that served as a perfect backdrop for a little people watching and bridge admiring. So I was eager to see how it fared after Hurricane Sandy took its toll along that low lying area.  Last Saturday we returned for a brief visit and I was honestly a bit surprised that it's been over four months and the playground under the bridge is still closed for repairs. It doesn't appear to be too damaged (actually nothing out of place to the naked eye), but I suppose they are waiting for better weather to pressure them to get the job done. Elisa was a little upset, but Carolina was positively despondent trying to break into the chained gates. So we distracted them both with a little walk around the shore skipping rocks into the East River before heading over to the resurrected Jane's Carousel. It was Carolina's first time on one and she wasn't too sure at first. But after switching horses just in the nick of time, she managed to ride next to big sister and that gave her all the confidence she needed to get through. We do a lot of divide and conquer when it comes to childcare and outings, so it was fun to be doing something together--i.e. all four of us at the same time--for a change. 

Walking over to the pier to play at another park for a little bit gave us a bit more scenery of the Manhattan skyline, and the girls got to swing and snack and run around. Nacho and I were tempted to make more of a day out of it, but considering Bubby's closed (and pre-hurricane at that!), I didn't have any real idea of where to eat down in DUMBO with two crazy, tired kids. So we opted to drive back home, put them down for naps and order in some sushi which more than made up for our somewhat anticlimactic stroll. Yes, sometimes, it's okay to just poke around and then leave. We saved some money and most importantly our sanity.  The food order arrived just as the girls drifted into slumber and Nacho and I had an almost date-night quality lunch at home free from distractions.  It was way better than the over-priced, long-waiting pizza places we passed earlier in the day.  I almost shudder to think of how that could have turned out.  Whew.  We'll definitely be back when the playground reopens, but until then, I'll stick to the waterfront closer to home.