NYC August 16 – 22
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Sunday August 16th — Today we had a big day planned. Keller found out about a Jazz Age Lawn Party being held this weekend at Governor’s Island. We got tickets in advance and made quite a day of it! For grins, both kids were dressed up: Caden in suspenders and his fedora and Kamy got a new pink flapper dress. It was pink and covered with fringe, so what could be better! Both kids looked adorable. =)
We caught the first ferry of the day over to the Island. The weather that morning was so nice and we were able to find a great spot to put down our picnic lunch and blanket. Then we ventured over to the dance floor to hear the live band. Once the choreographed dancers finished their routine, Kamy wanted to dance too! The kids literally spent the next two hours dancing and running around. We had a blast, and Keller and Min had a lot of fun just watching us. Kamy kept me out on the dance floor the majority of the time too, except when she found another friend to dance with.
After wearing ourselves out on the dance floor, we packed up and started walking back to the ferry. Then it started to rain. Not little drops, not a light rain, but a crazy downpour. We were SOAKED by the time we made it to the ferry. We grabbed dinner from Fatima’s Halal Chinese downstairs before crashing for the night. This was certainly one of the most memorable days of our entire trip!
Monday August 17th — Keller had to run back up to Connecticut for work Monday, so the kids and I took Min to the Bronx Zoo. Kamy loved getting to be the “tour guide” and show Min around the Zoo. We saw the Butterfly Garden, Jungle World, the Asia Monorail, and the Carousel before venturing into new territory to see Tiger Mountain, World of Birds, and the Himalaya Mountain exhibits. I spent the majority of the day on my phone attempting to get the paperwork for closing on the house in Texas lined up. It was a nightmare, including FedEx not delivering the package (that had to be notarized that night Or Else).
From the Zoo we walked over to the Little Italy area of the Bronx and ate at Mike’s Deli. The italian sandwiches were delicious. Then the four of us went back to Astoria. That night, Keller and I met up with a mobile notary in the lobby of his apartment building in Harlem at 10pm to finally sign the documents on the floor. It was memorable! It was stressful and it was a mess, but at last it was finally done. After signing everything, Keller and I grabbed tapas at Havana Social in Hells Kitchen before heading back to the apartment. We were grateful that timing worked out so Min could stay with the kids while we got all the paperwork completed.
Tuesday August 18th — First thing in the morning we walked to the local FedEx store and shipped our mortgage documents back to the title company in Texas. Then we took Min to Il Bambino for paninis. Min liked them as much as we did, though we made sure to try at least one new panini each time we went. Next stop was the TKTS booth for tickets to see Finding Neverland that evening. We dropped Min off at The Met for an hour and a half while the kids played at the nearby playground and got wet. That evening Keller stayed with the kids while Min and I saw the show. We both liked it and I thought it was really well done.
Wednesday August 19th — Wednesday morning Min flew home to Texas. The kids and I had an easy day: farmers market down the road, laundry, lunch at home, and library time. We officially closed on the house this day too! Woohoo!
Thursday August 20th — Since it was closed last time we were in the area, the four of us returned to the NYC Public Library main branch on Manhattan. Unfortunately the Rose Reading Room is closed for renovation right now, but we were able to see a lot of the library and spent about an hour reading in the Children’s Library.
For lunch we went to Ñaño, an Ecuadorian restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. It was right across the street from the Hell’s Kitchen playground, so we let the kids run off some extra energy too.
Friday August 21st — We’d heard from several sources that we needed to try a particular restuaruant in Astoria called Queens Comfort. They serve Southern comfort food dishes with a twist. It’s known for long lines, particularly on the weekend, so we made sure to get there right at opening and didn’t have any trouble getting a table. Keller’s favorite was the PB&J burger, though the dressed up mac n cheese and roast chicken sandwich were both tasty. For dessert they served a massive oreo donut and an ice cream sandwich made with chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. The food was tasty, but be sure to come hungry and plan on working it off later, because it is not a light meal. =)
The rest of the day was pretty laid back while we tackled some laundry and let the kids play at the Queensview playground just down the street for a couple hours.
Saturday August 22nd — Today Keller made a point of traveling out to Long Island to support one of his bosses whose father passed away. It was a bit of a trek and took all morning to get there, but his boss really appreciated Keller taking the time to come. On the way home, Keller picked up Himalayan food and then met Payton and Corinne at LGA!
While Keller was gone, the kids and I went to another part of Queens. We got lunch at Smorgasburg, a little pop up food market that was new to the area. There were all kinds of unusual foods there including ramen burger and shaved snow. Then we walked two blocks over to the Long Island City block party. It had local artists and vendors there, plus art activities for the kids. Kamy and Caden had a lot of fun drawing, building, gluing, and painting various mixed media.
That evening Keller, Corinne, and Payton went to the BBQ and Blues Festival over on Manhattan for a bit before Keller showed them around Times Square. They also picked up a “traditional Philly cheese steak sandwich,” complete with CheeseWhiz.