turnstiles_FeedMeDearly

Warning, if you don’t like trains, you won’t like this post.

If, however, you’re the kind of person who’s been collecting model trains since toddlerhood and/or you have an actual toddler at home who’s really into them, then read on.

I’m keeping it light on text this week so that I can share some photos from a visit to the NYC Transit Museum in Brooklyn.

We took a trip to the museum over the winter and I’ve been meaning to share these pictures but a few things got in the way – winter storms, a Caribbean getaway, a triumphant return to the lake house and other report worthy events that had me donning my CNN news anchor hat.

That being said, the transport museum is a hidden gem. It takes a little more effort to get there if you’re in Manhattan, but the upside that you get the place to yourself. On the day we visited, we only bumped into two other groups of visitors.

I will admit that I was a teensy bit worried that we’d run into Jack the Ripper in the museum catacombs and have nobody to rescue us. But the ability to relax in empty Mad Men-era subway cars was well worth it.

To get into the museum, you enter just as you would any old subway station.

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After a fascinating walk through a section that shares the subway’s history – photographs, tools, and plans, you end up by a set of old turnstiles. 

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Sam thought that getting to sit in the driver’s seat in a few of the old buses was better than Christmas.

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Other sights included a tiny streetcar replica.

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But the old subway cars were the main attraction.

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Empire State- street level
Empire State-view3

My kids’ elementary school recently had a half day of classes, which begged the question: “what to do?”

Usually when I ask my guys for their input, they suggest dinosaurs or The MOMA. But this time Lauren mentioned that she’d like to go to the top of the Empire State Building. Which is fine by me because when it comes to being a tourist in this city, I’m first in line. I’m not above gawking in Times Square and hopping on the red bus tours. Maybe it’s because I’m not from New York, but I’ve always kept a sense of wonder about the city.

This wasn’t our first trip to the Empire State building, but it had been years since our last visit. Plus, it was a beautiful day, making the view that much more promising. With a warning to the kids about long lines and no complaints, we headed up to 36th Street and Fifth Avenue.

When we arrived, I was roped into taking them on the Skyride, a bumpy simulated flight through Manhattan. If you’re easily nauseated, this might not be your finest hour. But my guys loved it and were asking for round 2.

With promises of another visit, and hot chocolates in their future, I was finally able to pry the kids away from the Skyride and head upstairs for the main event: the view.

The Empire State building has two viewing floors – the first is on the 86th floor:

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A friendly tourist offered to take our picture with the city at our feet. Sam picked the perfect opportunity to be shy.

Empire State-family

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Socks

I’m wiping a tear right now. Bryant Park skating is over for the season. We had some fun there this year. First, there was this event. And a few weeks ago I headed back there with the kids in tow.

I have to be honest here: skating with kids is challenging. If you’ve got a kid who can skate, fantastic. If, however, you have the misfortune of teaching someone to skate, Godspeed.

Although I haven’t actually done any of these activities, my reading of 19th Century literature suggests that cotton picking or perhaps coal mining are activities that would result in similar back pain.

There’s the obvious hunching, the lifting from odd angles, the propping, dragging and carrying. It’s enough to make you the star of your own Salonpas commercial.

But the kids really do love it, which makes it all worth it.

At first we had plans to skate at The Standard Hotel, which is walking distance from our apartment.  But an employee hockey tournament was underway, so we needed to change venues. We pivoted, flagged a taxi, and headed north to Bryant Park.

Stepping out of the taxi, I was pleased to find out that Lauren’s water bottle had upended into my skate. Never mind that it was below freezing and were about to spend the morning at an outdoor rink. The skate would go on.

I got the kids ready first.

With my 100% non-sporty eyewear and beat up hockey skates, we were ready to rock & roll.

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Rink

One of the great things about Bryant Park is that you can skate at the foot of some of New York City’s tallest skyscrapers.

After skating, Sam chased some indoor pigeons, not realizing that if he actually caught one with his skates on, we’d have blood on our hands.

Pigeon

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High-Line-Park-Stairs
High-Line-Park-Overpass

When we first moved to Chelsea in 2005 there was talk about building a park in the sky – The High Line. It was a far-flung idea, and rumors suggested that the park would never happen. We crossed our fingers and waited.

The original High Line was an above-ground train track built in the early 1900s and used to shuttle milk, meat, produce and other provisions along the west side of Manhattan. 

Abandoned since the 1980s and facing demolition, a group of high profile celebrities and architects rallied around the plan to create a park in its place.

In 2006, that plan became a reality and construction of The High Line Park began. After hearing about it for years, it was a joy to finally see the park open in June, 2009.

Today it’s one of my favorite parks in all of Manhattan. Lucky for us, it’s a few short blocks away from our apartment.

In the summers it’s packed with a mix of locals and tourists, but winter also has its charms. While the flowers aren’t yet in bloom, the raised elevation gives you a different perspective on the buildings below. The clouds seem more vivid, the Hudson a deeper shade of blue.

It’s a great spot for a stroll, a picnic, or as Lauren and I like to do: sketch the buildings and sights below.

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cobblestone-square 233

Super Bowl madness took over the New York City last weekend, with hundreds of thousands of visitors in town for the game. We needed plans that didn’t involve football. Figuring that people weren’t likely to be furniture shopping on Sunday, Lauren and I headed down to CB2. While I returned some pillows, Lauren surveyed they company’s use of armchair fabric.

Joyous about my discovery that I’m raising a like-minded home décor junkie, I left CB2 with a bounce in my step and suggested that we take the scenic route home.

Lauren and I haven’t walked around Soho together, and I was eager to show her all of the interesting architecture and cobblestone streets. As usual, her eagle eye beat me to the punch. “Mom, shoes” she said as she pointed skywards. Even more bizarre is the fact that I’ve seen two other traffic lights wearing similar outfits this month; can someone please enlighten me? An art installation? Frat hazing? A protest against uncomfortable footwear?

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