New York City — August 9th – 15th
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Sunday August 9th — After our little get together Saturday night, we spent the next morning with Rob and Jamie. They had tickets to the Yankees game that afternoon, so we were able to spend some concentrated time with them before the had to leave. The kids had a lot of fun with them and they even convinced Rob to read every single book we had checked out from the library. He did such a great job.
For lunch we attempted two different restaurants but finally ended up eating at the Queens Kickshaw. We weren’t super impressed. From there we took the subway out to the Dragon Boat Festival at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. We enjoyed wandering around the festival, seeing a couple of exhibitions, and watching the boat races.
After heading back home, the kids went to bed while Keller got tickets to see Something Rotten that night.
Monday August 10th — Monday morning we took the Roosevelt Island Tram across the East River. Caden loved going over the river and seeing the big tram cars.
Once on the island, we wandered to the southern tip through the Roosevelt Island park and memorial. Kamy and Caden really liked being able to run around and work out some energy.
Lunch was at Beija Flor, a Brazilian restaurant in Astoria. That evening I met up with a couple of sorority sisters for dinner. We went to one of the restaurants participating in NYC Restaurant Week, Perry St in Greenwich Village. It was a neat little way to get out and meet new friends.
Tuesday August 11th — Keller had to work first shift, so the kids and I headed out for our own adventures. It was raining, which certainly limited our options. We ended up going to the New York Museum of Natural History. It is a massive museum with four immense floors. We spent most of our time today seeing the natural dioramas. I was most impressed by the marine section with the blue whale hanging from the ceiling. We also saw the Secret Oceans film exploring the unique creatures of the deep sea floor and the amazing dinosaurs.
Lunch was from Mi Espiguiga, a little hole in the wall burrito place right by the subway station. We took it back to the apartment to eat it, before spending some time at the library. That night Keller went to a Yes and Toto concert in Brooklyn.
Wednesday August 12th — Wednesday was a down day for the kids. We did laundry, went to the farmers market, and went the grocery store before having lunch at home. That afternoon, we went to LGA to pick up Min. The kids were very excited to get to see her! We got dinner from King of Falafel that evening. Min kept the kids for us that evening so Keller and I could go out. We ended up seeing A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. We had seen the musical several years before in a small theater in Dallas, but I thought the actor did a great job with all the parts. After the show, Keller and I had dessert at Robert overlooking Columbus Circle. It was a nice treat to get to spend some one on one time in NYC without having to juggle the kids.
Thursday August 13th — We started Min’s introduction to NYC with the Central Park Zoo. The kids loved getting to show Min where everything was, showing her how to use the subway, and doing a little Quest activity book with tasks at various places in the Zoo.
For lunch we went to Don Antonio’s … one of the restaurants we enjoyed on our first trip. The montanara starita was as unique and tasty as we remembered.
That evening Kamy and Min had tickets to see a ballet. Keller stayed with Caden at the apartment and I took the Min and Kamy to the theater. They had a special time at the ballet. I spent my time at the Chelsea Market before meeting them and coming back on the subway.
Friday August 14th — All of us went to the NY Museum of Natural Science in the morning. The kids loved showing Min all the marine dioramas.
Keller had to hurry back to the apartment for work, but Min, the kids, and I found lunch at Crepes and Delicacies near the museum. From there we went to the Heckshel playground in Central Park. The kids were glad to get to run around and play for a bit. For dinner we picked up Arepas, a Venezuelian taco-type dish. Keller and Min then went down to Times Square and Rockefeller Center. They had tickets to do Top of the Rock late that night.
Saturday August 15th — One of Min’s bucket list items for NYC was to go to the Brooklyn Flea Market. We went down to Brooklyn Saturday morning, but either the early hour or the hot weather left us a little disappointed in the selections. For lunch we went to Juliana’s down by the Brooklyn Bridge. Juliana’s was the answer to a feud over the sale of Grimaldi’s pizza. Suffice it to say, Juliana’s is the higher rated of the two, though most tourists think Grimaldi’s is the place to go. The pizza is fantastic, and Juliana’s is my favorite restaurant that we went to in all of NYC.
After lunch, we walked down to the river in DUMBO. The kids rode Jane’s Carousel. This is the carousel that became an iconic photograph from hurricane Sandy when it flooded. The kids both intentionally picked palomino horses to ride.
That night Keller took Min to see Phantom of the Opera, another thing on her Wish List.