What we did in June: The Great New York Trip

The Great New York trip
 
I had a conference in New York city and since school is out for R , DH and R decide to come along with me .

We come in a day early and are staying in Times Square .

R does beautifully in the flight

I have brought along a whole folder of activities for R to do. But he is finished with them in the first 30 minutes

"Dot to dot" art Is a breeze for him!Coloring he does not much care for

Little ( like really little - Nick JR 3-word type) crosswords are really really easy for him..

This is something he would not even look at last year and I am delighted !!

The last time I stayed in times square, many years ago ,

I stayed at the Radisson . I still remember the tiny dingy room that smelled of years of cigarette smoke with some horror

However the Marriott Marquis on Times Square where we are staying  is amazing . The lady at the front desk is very very nice and gives us a room on the 43rd floor


The child loves hotels and he is very happy when we reach our room using an amazing transparent elevator\and spends a lot of time looking down

Metropolitan Museum of Art

I am very excited about going to the museum as I have never seen a real van gogh, Monet or Renoir

We walk through Central park .. R astride on DH's shoulders.

I point out all the places that I think I am certain  I have seen murders in various law and order episodes ( most people here are exercising - though my impression through TV is that this is a favorite hunting ground of criminals - and that meeting one's end should be the expected outcome)

R is very whiny though and keeps on asking about going back to the hotel.

At the museum R is barely interested in the amazing paintings on the wall.

I am bitterly disappointed at his lack of interest as at home stares at his posters of these paintings with rapt attention .

( however DH explains later that he probably does not know the difference between his poster prints and the actual paintings .. And to his logical mind .. It may be us who are strange for making a big fuss over these pictures that we actually have at home )

Finally one of the guards tells us that he cannot carry his empty coke and  sprite can . He sits and cries and cries .

( the guard is a little rude too which is upsetting to me . Though perhaps , I only find him rude  and cold as I am very spoiled by living in a small southern town- where people are gentle and charming and always act as though they have all the time in the world ) .

The beauty  of the museum is ruined for me though DH is sweet and tells me to "take a round" while he sits with R

I  wish I was alone with DH and I feel guilty at the thought . I remind myself that when r is all grown up I will miss being with him so much

It seems to me that mothers of small children miss having any "me time" and then empty Nester's miss having any "we time".

And the trick is to remember what we have and enjoy what is good in it..

Knowing we won't always have it.

I think one of the worst things must be to look back on life and remember how happy one was and how one did not know it then.

We eat a very nice dinner at an Italian restaurant..(DH  and I are fascinated with Italians owing to all the Italian culture we have been seeing through the sopranos.)

 R behaves impeccably and eats a whole pizza to our surprise

The next day goes much better ..

Its not that R is much different, but that i have adjusted
( is this not true of much of life? ) .

I have made a schedule .

We have allowed for plenty of in between time .

Lunch is a McDonald's . Our expectations are reset.

I have already anticipated that the Museum of Natural history will be disappointing as R has been calling the museum "dinosaur zoo" and I know the paltry skeletons will be a let down.

 I and DH enjoy ourselves hugely

R is largely unimpressed

He sits next to this majestic skeleton with a nonchalant look - playing with his 1 dollar foam numbers !!

This place is just made for kids and I enjoy digging for dinosaur bones with R ( I think I enjoy it more :-) )

We go to the empire state building in the afternoon.


Great view but SUPER crowded - Love the flower gardens on the terraces

The other two days, I am at the conference and DH and R go to see the statue of liberty and have a great time at the toys r us on times square

Toys r us surprisingly is where R has an absolute blast

Somehow its the ordinary things along with all the museums and landmarks that make NewYork so amazing

Like Street art for instance

 The naked cowboy and cow girl etc ( which I dont think I got pictures of )

We loved the cordoned off streets - all the colors of skin and accents around us . Manhattan is a microcosm of the world
At one point I actually see a sign "DOSA" which is a specialized Indian Pancake

We have a lovely time on Times square with the Jumbotron which to R's delight has many ads for Coke and Sprite

The food is pretty amazing as well , though I must say Chicago style Pizza is much more my style and New York stye Pizza just seems so unsumptous in comparison ( no doubt its much much healthier though )

Everything they say about New York Bagels and New york Coffee is true

New York is amazing , though DH and I decide that we probably will not come back here with R until he is 10 or 15

I dont regret it though .

Everything we do, cannot be for our role as parents or to provide an educational experience for R

Though R  and helping him develop is the most important thing in our lives, there has to room in this life for me, for DH and for us as a couple