I've been feeling a little cooped up this summer, most likely because of that coop full of hens in the backyard, but also a little bit because last year was my first full year of homeschooling and summer just feels different when there isn't a big change like all of a sudden having your kids around all of the time. They're always around all of the time now, and that's a good thing, but it makes me feel a little itchy. Itchy to make, do, see, smell. Now.
So it was with that slightly uncomfortable itchy feeling that I started thinking about taking a quick trip to NYC last weekend. I knew the kids were going to need two super-relaxed weekends to sandwich their big week of camp at OSV and it was my last chance to go all out. I mentioned it to Dave on Thursday morning, but didn't feel married to the idea, so I was going to play it by ear. By bedtime, after a couple of hours online looking up various fabric and book stores, not to mention bakeries and restaurants, I was ready to go. The kids had no idea. When they woke up in the morning we told them to get dressed and grab an empty backpack. I wasn't sure if we would stay in Connecticut and take the train in, or if we would just park the car in the city. We were going to fly by the seat of our pants.
As soon as we told the kids we were going to New York they started asking if we were going to stay at Embassy Suites again. I really didn't want to make a decision one way or the other until we got closer to our destination, but their enthusiasm and nostalgia started to rub off on me. By the time we were on the Triboro Bridge I'd booked a room. I'm a sucker for seeing those kids happy.
It worked out well for us because most of the things we wanted to do were in the village or Soho. Yes... there was still a lot of walking (thus a little bit of complaining,) a quick subway ride AND the opportunity for a crazy New York cab ride just for Theo. It wouldn't be a proper trip to the city without all of the above. I tried to stay super-open to the moment. I didn't get too attached to any one idea or stop and the result was 32 packed hours of fun and excitement. We went home happy and fulfilled, excited for whenever we'd have the chance to visit again.
Highlights: happy hour at Embassy Suites, the Irish Hunger Memorial, Battery City Park, dinner at Peanut Butter & Co., Bank Street Books, Chelsea Market, impromptu lunch from the HUGE Dean and Deluca on Broadway, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, papabubble in Little Italy, Purl Soho.
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