Happy Birthday!

I decided to keep the boys birthday party really small this year. I just invited our cousins in Harlem. The last thing I remember saying to Rob before I went to bed on Friday night was, "Shouldn't we plan something for tomorrow. For the boys party?" He replied, "Naw. It will work itself out." Here's the only thing I planned going into the party.

1. Starts at 4pm.
2. Eat pizza at Patsy's.
3. Ice cream at Serendipity 3
4. Call it a "Transportation Party" and get everywhere by using different modes of transportation.
5. Give the boys MTA trains  or something similar.

That's it! I never imagined it would go so well. With surprises along the way!

First Surprise: On our way to Patsy's, we happened to catch the vintage 1920's subway car sponsored this month by Boardwalk Empire. The sound of riding a subway with the windows down, the way it felt to sit in the wicker seats, the hooks, the ceiling fans, the light bulbs. We were in awe.

The pizza at Patsy's was great! No surprises there. It's been around since the 1930's so they know exactly how to make a pie. We ordered two! When we got out, we tried desperately to find a minivan taxi cab to get to our next destination: Serendipity 3. No such luck. Enter the next surprise: An impromptu party game. Boys against girls: Who can get to Serendipity 3 first? The boys caught the first cab, but the girls were able somehow crush them in the end!

Serendipity 3 had a whopping 1.5 hour wait, so the kids went to a nearby playground. While there, they discovered the Roosevelt Island Tram. Surprise #3! The whole ride took a standard subway fare and round trip was around 10 minutes. Best part: Sweeping views of the city. I felt like I was in the Peter Pan ride at Disney World. It goes so high up and has surround views. I really felt like I was flying! Incredible. Go now go!

We finally got our name called from the wait list at Serendipity 3 and got to eat gigantic sundaes! So good. Tip: Get a sundae, not their famous frozen hot chocolate.

For the record: Forms of transportation used at my very thought out party: our feet, a vintage subway, taxi, tram, bus.  Pretty good!

Happy Birthday boys! I hope you had fun!

Blog content

Last weekend, I read about the Little Red Lighthouse Festival. I love the book the festival references and was super excited to go. But the boys and I took really long naps instead. After we woke up, I still wanted to at least see the lighthouse even if the festival was over. I thought it would make for some good blog content. ha I'm here to shamelessly admit that sometimes I do things for my blog. Here's my thoughts: if blogging motivates me to get out of the house and do something fun, then I'm all for it. It might feel contrived at first, but usually it's totally genuine and worth the effort in the end. What do you think? Does blogging motivate you to be more adventurous, craftier, better dressed or more fun? Or is it too phony to live like that?

We never made it to the lighthouse. I dragged my family all the way up to Washington Heights, only to get off the wrong subway stop. It was getting late. I was frustrated and convinced I would have nothing to blog about this week. You should have seen me. Hahaha. But then Rob looked around at the totally average park we found ourselves at and suggested I take pictures of some kids playing stick ball in the huge field. Or take pictures of the old men playing chess. Or Ella playing with the purple balloon. I chose the purple balloon. Thanks Rob for being the optimist for once.

Lombardi's

Here's a bunch of pictures starring Owen and a Lombardi's pizza. Lombardi's is known as the birth place of NY Style Pizza. Ah, yes, another assortment of pictures I post on my blog to give the illusion of bliss and beauty. Enjoy!

Congratulations for strolling this far down!  Now for your reward, a dose of reality: After we ate our pizza, we took the kids to a nearby playground, and Oscar crapped his pants. Rob cleaned it up in a Port-a-Potty. Luckily, Oscar's jeans were sparred. We carried on. 15 minutes later, while waiting in the subway station, Oscar started to complain about a stomachache. And that was that. The $30 dollar cab ride home was totally worth it. Stinky, but worth it. We couldn't stop laughing! The poor kid.

September 11th Memorial

photo via

Since moving to the city, I've been able to talk to people about their personal experiences with September 11th. They all mention an eery silence. A smell. A grayness that blanketed the city. The loss.

I discovered the Staten Island September 11 Memorial when I first moved here. It's titled "Postcards". The large white envelopes framing the city skyline always have an impact on me. The silence does too.

First Day of School 2011

 Biggest surprise of the day? Ella had only eleven kids show up to her first grade class! Yay! I know the class will probably grow a little over the next few weeks, but so far so good. And, get this, they have a teacher AND a teacher's aide all day! Who said NYC public schools are doomed? I found my hidden gem and I'm sticking with it!

The boys did great too. They are not only having structure for the first time (secret: i've never signed them up for any classes! whoops), but also being separated for the first time. It was so effortless for them. Sometimes I wonder if they are even twins.

Shouting Farewell to Summer on Top of the Empire State Building

The finally moments of Summer Break 2011 was spent on top of the Empire State Building. Yesterday was the cloudiest night and the world was white from the top. But the kids didn't mind. I love that it was empty. We screamed our goodbyes for all to hear. On the way out bought the only appropriate thing: Empire State Building school supplies. May their King Kong pencils bring them straight A's for life. Good luck kids!

Thank you New York City Vacation Packages for sending me a ticket to see the Empire State Building. :)

How did you wrap up your summer? Let the next stage of life begin! Yay!

Weekend Approved Project: Ride a NYC Carousel!

Labor Day Weekend: What are you going to do? I say ride a carousel! Here's a list of carousels in all the boroughs. But I think you should ride this solar powered Carousolar in South Seaport. It's FREE and only running until September 6th. We went yesterday and rode it 4 times. No line! Although one time we had to wait 10 minutes for it to charge. Hurry up Sun!

I was curious about the carousel and why they white washed it. Turns out it's a vintage 1920's carousel that was destined for the dump. GE saved it, white-washed it, and made it solar. In three weeks. What do you think of the white paint? Did they cheap out by not truly restoring it? Perhaps they should have used hot pink? Neon Green? Regardless, I think it was a clever marketing idea. The video below explains more.

 Enjoy these last few days of summer. Eat an ice cream cone. Ride a carousel. Say Farewell to Summer!

ps The car is fixed! Strollers are getting delivered tomorrow!  

Museum of Natural History Highlight: The Time Capsule

Time Capsules are so fascinating to me. Have you seen this one outside of Museum of Natural History? It's not going to be opened until January 1, 3000! Mind boggling. I found the list of things they put into it here. My favorites were: a wedding cake ornament, Weight Watchers Magazine, 51 photographs from the address 3 Times Square, and wild apple seeds from Kazakhstan. I was surprised they didn't put any clothes, shoes, or hats inside. Perhaps those items wouldn't last? Anyone know? I thought that was strange.

What would you put in your time capsule that wouldn't be opened for 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? Off the top of my head: My kids used crayons. My old shoes. A dress I used to wear everyday. My set of keys. A piece of my favorite wallpaper. Writing stories to each of the items would be my favorite part of the process.  Alone the set of keys would be boring but writing the keys into a scene from my life would be fun. I'll add more to my list in the comments section. Don't be surprised if I steal some of your ideas. And don't be surprised if I make a time capsule for a future Weekend Approved Project.

While taking these pictures, I kept having morbid thoughts of a huge earthquake sinking the time capsule and all of NYC into the depths of the earth. Or a huge bomb destroying it and everything surrounding it. Zombies. I needed to get my mind off of such stupid thoughts. Good thing I have Owen around to lighten the mood and shout, "Hey Mom, it looks like a girls wiener!".  Bravo Owen.

High Line Picnic Lunch

Ever see this video on Symmetry? It shows things that go together like peanut butter and jelly, a cat and a mouse, etc. But it's missing one match: The High Line and Chelsea Market. These two attractions are a must do together when visiting the city. Buy a boxed meal at one of the many Chelsea Market restaurants and eat it anywhere on The High Line. And look at the sweet lunch baskets you can buy on your way out. Only $3!

Not to be missed

I took a break from the job hunt to do something fun.
 The Big Piano at FAO Schwarz never disappoints.

location location location

I'm almost positive raising my kids in NYC will have an effect on them. I know it's changing me. But are kids just kids? Will they grow up to be whatever they want to be despite the location they were raised?

I was raised in Florida, on a beautiful lake with the occasional manatee and alligator in my backyard. We  had a canoe, a hammock and a swimming pool for as long as I can remember. I loved it.  I had no complaints, until my teenage years of course. It was then I started to realize I was a city kid. So I sought after the closest city I could find: Sarasota. I loved Burns Court Cinema with it's limited parking lot and foreign films. I adored the museums and dreamt about going to college here.  I found any excuse to go. Even if it was by myself.  Sarasota gave me a slice of the city life I was craving.

What about you? As an adult, are you living in a place much like the location you grew up? Or did you move away someplace totally different? How does it measure up? While I did move far away, there's a familiarity and connection I still have with living by water. I do miss that. Right now my view is the back of another building and some sky if you crank you neck hard enough. Oh my so called "sun drenched" apartment.  I love it for so many other reasons.

I wonder where my kids will escape, what kind of places they will be drawn to live as they get older. As for me, I can't think of living anywhere else but NYC. Not after a summer like this. And it's not even over yet!

Weekend Approved Project:

Let me start by saying thanks to all of those who participated in the last Weekend Project.  I'll keep you updated on the progress here. Five strollers have already arrived at my house!

This weeks project is an easy one: Get a back to school haircut. 

Here in NYC, we still have a few weeks until the first day of school. Just about the time that haircuts start to look their best in my opinion. In our family, Oscar is the twin that gets a haircut by a barber. It was decided that he would have the longer hair (read more here). Owen gets a buzz cut by dad. Equally as memorable/special to me.

Here's Oscar getting his haircut in a museum-like barber shop in Greenich Village called Moustache: Greenwich Tonsorial. It was great, totally recommend it. The stylizing of the shop couldn't have been better. The haircut was thoughtful. Only downfall? No lollipops and a 1982 edition of Playboy on the coffee table in the waiting area. Nothing I couldn't cover up with my backpack. The lollipops? I always hate the mess any way.  I was apologetic for having all my kids there at first, but everyone (including the owner) made me feel welcome. 

It took me about 10 minutes of picture taking to realize the barber was a total fox. Mommies, here's another reason to take your kids to this barbershop!

Or do you cut your/your kids hair yourself? If so, you're brave! How did you learn? Barbers make it look so easy.