Yesterday we returned home from your biggest trip yet: seven days in New York City! Last night we spent the evening at home, marveling at how big our cozy house here in Chapel Hill seems, and how quiet things are here in our (downtown) neighborhood. Ha. A little dose of perspective goes a long way, no? There really is no place like home.
So, my love, here is the story of your first trip to NYC...
Last Friday grams and grandpa picked us up early in the morning to head to the airport. I barely slept the night before (I was worried about the flight, how you would feel about being away from home and your things for so many days, whether or not I packed adequately for you and the weather, and about leaving Lilly and Louis behind). I'm a bit of a worrier, for sure. :) But of course, you woke up happy and were patient as mommy and daddy rushed to finish packing and get on the road.
While you were definitely not a fan of sitting still on an airplane for an entire hour, the flight out wasn't too bad. And let's face it. You on a plane is just about the most adorable thing ever. You fussed, but weren't a wreck. Thank you for that!
Our first afternoon in the city set the tone, really. We had to travel, with all our luggage + your stroller, from the airport to downtown then back uptown where we stayed with uncle Wade. And not all of the subways had elevators. So once we made it to Wade's apartment we pretty much felt like we could handle whatever the city threw at us in the days to come.
And because the weather was crisp and sunny and perfect, we decided to walk about seventy more blocks (what the heck, right?), that afternoon, in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the Pope, who was in town that day. We marched as far south as we could before the police barricades blocked the way. You slept in your stroller as we waited on a street corner across from the park where the Pope marched with 80,000 people. While we never saw him, the energy was something else. And everyone was just so excited that he was a few blocks away. YOLO, you know, so we didn't think of this time spent waiting for the Pope as wasted, as it will be a fun story we can always share!
Before heading back to the apartment Friday night, we swung by Shake Shack, and it truly lived up to the hype. My chicken dog was worth the wait, and daddy said his burger was, too! We walked more, around the UWS, and took note of all the neighborhood parks with baby swings (the funny thing is that on the first two days in the city, every time we happened to pass a park with baby swings, you were peacefully asleep in your stroller)!
The next morning we went grocery shopping for breakfast and lunch materials for the week. Another funny thing about this trip: I have never been to a Whole Foods in NYC before, but with you, I went three times (!!!) in twenty-four hours. Ha. But I was determined to pack light and buy what I could (food/diapers, etc.) in the city. After shopping we spent the entire day Saturday in Central Park. I have never spent so much time in the park. There are so many incredible spots. Our favorites include Bow Bridge, Sheep Meadow and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. And we pretty much treated Central Park as our backyard (and our dining room and living room on some days) throughout the trip. We ate many meals there, frolicked, walked a million blocks, etc. And it was perfect. That night we met up with uncle Wade for dinner on the water (the Hudson) and strolled back up to the apartment through Riverside Park. We crashed and rested up for Sunday, and a full day at the Met...
