New York Transit Museum

Over the weekend, we thought we'd go out and do something specifically for the kids. I mean, I know they think climbing up and down the stairs is the most fun thing ever, but they deserved something extra special. I'd heard from friends before about how great the NYTM is, but when I saw pictures of it recently, I knew it was right up our alley. And, boy, was I right. If you have kids and are in the NYC area, this place is a must! The entrance looks like a subway entrance, and there are two levels of train and bus history. The lowest level is just train car after train car that takes you through the ages. 

So, here's a shocker. S still hates buses. Even ones that are.not.running. Ones where half of if is missing. Hates them. Memories of London came floooooding back to me. Especially That One really bad memory. That time S cried/screamed/flailed like a madwoman for an hour straight in Notting Hill and every single bus wasn't running. I pushed my crazed toddler through the streets and I think every person in London stared at me and made me feel like the worst mom on earth. And then, ha, yes, we got on a bus, and she screamed even more and some man told me to, "....just give her some cake." Really?! Oh, that's right. I'm in London. Let me just grab my WAND and conjure up a cake. Cause that's a THING. Cause I can just DO that! (I have a daily Harry Potter reference quota I have to meet.) Then when we finally got home I broke down in tears. Did I mention my son was strapped to my friend in a carrier who was already pushing her toddler because she was a saint?! Sigh. Someday, I will go to Notting Hill and make a really good memory to replace "That One Really Bad Time in Notting Hill" memory. 

Anyway. One of my favorite things was looking up at all the old advertisements. Of course. The kids loved running around like little animals. Pato, especially was in absolute heaven. C and I agreed that he has never had that much fun in a museum before. He just ran from one place to the next and didn't even care if we were there. Thanks, kid. 

Oh, just smoochin' on the subway. No biggie. (Sidenote: if you want to embarrass your fourteen-year-old brother, just as him to take a picture of you kissing.)

We found this neat wall art just around the corner on our way to eat. Isn't it cool? The city provides the best backgrounds for pictures ever.  Know what else I love? The Shake Shack we had for lunch. Have I mentioned that yet? Ugh. I love that place way too much. It's probably a good thing we don't have one near us in Williamsburg or I would need bigger pants. 

And an intervention. 

Central Park

The weather was amazing today. I think I commented on the weather about 8.32 million times today. We knew we had to take advantage of it, and what better way than by wandering around Central Park.

My biggest request of the day: walk over to the Bethesda Fountain. Every time we go back to Central Park I am reminded of our wedding day and taking pictures there.

S had such a great time running around.

Really looking forward to coming back here in the fall.

My favorite temple.

And then we walked over to the Lincoln Center. The pacifier ring is all the rage.

*Oh, and hello 100th post!

Children's Museum of Manhattan

Dada is home and we only have a week before we head back to Williamsburg. We are trying to do as many fun things as we can before we head back to normalcy back home. I cannot believe we will finally stop being nomads and are actually going to be home. J has spent almost his entire life traveling. Sigh. So many thoughts about that. But that will be another post on another day. 

Anyway, today we went to the Children's Museum of Manhattan located in the UWS. It was so fun! I think it was four (maybe five?) floors of activities for kids of all ages. It's always great when I find a place where even S can be entertained. It was rainy today, and lots of New Yorkers seemed to have the same idea as us. But, even though it was crowded, it didn't feel cramped. On the way home, we passed by the Manhattan Temple, and we told the kids that that was where Mama and Dada got married. I'll always have a soft spot for this city.

S loved sliding down this "tongue" over and over again. After each ride down, she would climb up the stairs to the top while saying, "I can! I can! I can!" I was so proud of her. I love that she has that attitude. 

On the third floor there was this great area for babies. It had plush blocks and soft play equipment to climb on and through. J had no fear and climbed all over everything. Already he seems more daring than his sister was at that age. 

All the finger prints on the mirror? Yeah, that was J pulling himself up and walking along the mirror. I tell you. He thinks he can walk. And when he doesn't and falls he makes this face as if to say, "Why didn't that work?"

Both our kids love music and musical instruments, so this section was a huge hit. Latin music played in the background and the kids drummed along. 

I think I'll miss living close to a fast-paced city since that's all we've known since November of last year (Dallas, London, NYC) But, I won't lie...I sometimes do miss our slower-paced life in Williamsburg. After a certain amount of time, you just need your kids to have a home again.

last of...

The last of our Brooklyn pictures...

Jane's Carousel is a gorgeous carousel with equally gorgeous views of the East River and the city. It's such a beautiful work of art that dates back to 1922. It has been painstakingly restored and that easily shows. J was the only one brave enough to try it, but didn't crack a single smile because he was just so sleepy. S didn't want to have anything to do with it. That's okay, though. We'll try again another time :)

Such a daddy's girl. I don't even mind that one bit.

So nice...

...we went there twice. In one week! Brooklyn, we love ya.

We've been craving Grimaldi's since the other day so we went there again. After our meal at Socarrat earlier this week, we wanted to treat my parents and introduce them to what has now become one of our very favorite pizza places of all time. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a line outside (did I mention it was hotttt?) They were super nice and let my mom and I bring the kids inside to keep them out of the heat. How nice is that? They also had a water station outside for those waiting in line.

While at lunch, J decided to knock down C's Dr.Pepper all over himself and Dada. He makes sweaty and sticky look cute.

The second we got home we put the babes down for naps and jumped in the pool. J woke up before big sis and we took him in. He was NOT a fan of the cold water today. (C did an impersonation of J's super sad face.) Cuddles from Uncle Drew made it all better.

C leaves tomorrow for basically five weeks. I'm so glad to be in Summit with my family to keep me sane!

There's something about being home with family. Watching old 80's movies with my brothers, hearing about my mom ordering a Pellegrino and be served a pinot grigio, people asking if they can take my kids outside (uh, YES!) It's nice. 

Brooklyn

We crossed the bridge to Brooklyn and had ourselves a pretty perfect day.

One of my very favorite shots of these two.

Had our first Grimaldi's experience and ate in silence because we were enjoying each and every bite too much. I also need to mention that our kids were awe-some. I always feel like I'm holding my breath when we're out in restaurants with our two, but we left with huge smiles on our faces.

Both kids zonked out about 0.0002 seconds after we got back into our car. So, we took selfies to document our excitement.

*More pictures to come.*

Socarrat

Darn those dark blurry iPhone pictures, but that's all I got. A couple nights ago, we went into the city to try out Soccarat Paella and Bar with my parents.  They've been raving about it, and we were excited to finally try it out. If you're ever in the Chelsea area and want some  delicious cheeses, awesome paella and killer dessert, this place is a must. It's quite a bit cramped but totally worth it.