Our little Chelsea

Monday, October 20, 2014

With all of the attention that I’ve given to the time that we spend at our lake house in New Jersey, it’s easy to forget that we spend most of the week’s waking hours in New York City.

Maybe it’s because I’m from Toronto but I still get butterflies when we cross the George Washington Bridge each weekend and head back into the city.

I love the transition between quiet weekends in the country and our busy city life. Once we park the car, Emma usually joins to help walk Jackson around the block for his final evening stroll, hairbrush in hand.

The irony of this situation is that no matter how hard I try, now matter what sums of glittering gold and cheap Barbie merchandise I offer, Emma will not allow me to come within 3 feet while brandishing a hairbrush. But hairbrush as purse-like accessory? Why not…

Our lake house neighbors are shocked that we’re able to keep everyone, including our dog, alive and free of Rickets when we’re required to take an elevator to get outside. The inconvenience! The lack of fresh air! The sunlight- does your family get any sunlight in that box?

Don’t get me wrong, life in the country has its benefits….but city life has some pretty good perks too.

That view never gets old. Sunset, buildings, silhouettes. And don’t get me started on sunrise….

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NYC

The wheels on the bus

Monday, August 18, 2014

Can it be that our endless summer is actually coming to an end? Time to get my head back in a New York frame of mind. Although we’re leaving so much stillness and beauty in Greenwood Lake, there is culture and excitement, chaos and adventure that lies ahead. In some ways I can’t wait…

Before school ended, the kids had a half day at school and I wanted to share a few pictures from our day since the weather was perfect for a Red Bus tour. If you’re ever in NYC for the day, do not miss this activity– I could ride the bus a dozen more times and still be content.

I’ve mentioned it before on the blog, so it should come as no surprise that I love to be a tourist in New York City. There’s so much to see, and the best thing about a Red Bus tour is that you can see so much of it at once.

I’ve taken Lauren on the tour before, but this was Sam’s first time. Lauren fell asleep 10 minutes into the last tour, so I was hoping that Sam wouldn’t do the same since it ain’t cheap to ride the Gray Line, but fortunately they were well-rested and up for some fun.

Starting with lunch at Westville, or “West Village” as Lauren likes to call it, not realizing that there’s an actual West Village and that this isn’t it.

(I felt the need to include a ketchup action shot since that’s how we roll there…they have my kids’ favorite fries in the city, lightly breaded to make them extra crispy.)

We started our tour on 8^th Ave with some frustrating non-kid-sized headphones, but once we squashed and pinched the ear buds enough, we finally got them wedged into position.

And we were off….cruising first through Times Square past the Neil Simon theater…

…then on to Columbus Circle where Lauren stole my old lady hat.

Finally, we rode up along Central Park West and through the Upper West Side to Harlem.

We weren’t long into our trip when we passed 110th Street and our guide pointed out the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Although I’ve taken the bus tour a few times, I must have always tuned out at this point because I didn’t realize that it’s the biggest cathedral in North America.

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NYC

New York Transit Museum

Monday, May 5, 2014

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.

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.

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

Other sights included a tiny streetcar replica.

But the old subway cars were the main attraction.

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Family

Leisure Sunday

Monday, April 14, 2014

A Sunday or two ago we faced a big wet blanket of a day. Soggy weather that alternated between pelting rain and damp cold. Not the kind of weather that makes you spring to your feet, sweep your arm around your troops and yell “let’s all get outside for some fresh air!”

But the flip side of an ugly day is something so wonderful, you might just wish for bad weather every weekend. What is this thing, you ask?

That would be leisure sports.

It’s a family specialty. So much so that my brother-in-law started and soon-after folded a side business selling Leisure Ball, a lawn game where you drink beer with one hand, and toss balls at a ladder-type contraption with the other.

With no lawn, no leisure ball, and of course, no balmy July weather, we were forced to consider our next option: bowling.

This was my husband’s idea of course, he being the one who took an actual bowling class in college. That counted for course credit. Yes, it’s a real school with Gothic architecture and the works. If you’re confused, join the club.

Before we could get moving, I was forced into my new role as chief executive hairstylist. Anyone recognize the Elsa braid? Elsa being the She nymph from the movie Frozen, sung by the beautiful Idina Menzel, aka Adele Dazim? Aha, bells are ringing!

Emma hopped on her scooter in 4-sizes-too-big cowboy boots, which made the absence of wipeouts some kind of modern day miracle.

Speaking of footwear, can we talk about these shoes? When I’m sitting on Santa’s knee in December and he asks what the kids would like for Christmas, I may whisper “bowling shoes”.

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NYC

To the top of the Empire State

Monday, March 31, 2014

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: