Trying To Kill Grandma

Poor Grandma.  She thought she was prepared for New York.  She bought new hiking shoes.  She started walking daily at home to gear up for the workout she was sure to get in New York.  She had no idea what we were about to put her through.  I hope we didn't scare her off for good.  I know she'll sleep for the next week, at least.
Here is a taste of our whirlwind week together.

Waiting for Grandma.  Flag reads, "Welcome to New York, Grandma!"

We dragged her through Central Park...

...and through museums...

...through tunnels...

...and subways.

Mom and I got a day alone together while the kids got to see where Kevin works on Take Your Kids To Work Day.  Apparently it was a great day complete with a "Pinata Jungle" through the cubbies, Easter crafts, lots of candy...they even got to design the magazine's cover. 

While the kids played at work, mom and I had a Mario Batali-themed day.  We spent hours wandering through Eataly and then had dinner at his restaurant Lupa and got to check out Greenwich Village.

Saturday morning we did another cooking class in our building's lounge area - this time with an Easter theme.  More sugar.  Just what we needed.

 (These cooks are too cool for cooking school)

And thank you Grandma for bringing a little bit of sunshine with you!

(This is the roof deck off the lounge area in our building)

We realized that we hadn't completely destroyed Grandma yet so after the cooking class we dragged her down to Chelsea to walk the High Line - an old raised railroad that sat decrepit for years and was almost torn down until some people decided to fix it up and make it a gorgeous walking path.  It winds through the second story and around some crazy buildings.

I can't believe that Grandma didn't want to go out again that night for dinner.  So Kevin and I got a date night with free babysitting and ended up at this crazy 1920s speakeasy that is only entered through an unmarked door inside a coffee shop.  We followed a well dressed couple through the door and discovered Bathtub Gin.  There seem to be a lot of these hidden, unmarked places with secret entrances in New York City and I can't wait to find more of them.

After a few fancy dinners we decided to keep Easter brunch casual and take Grandma to a new neighborhood.  We popped up to Harlem and ate in a beer garden called Harlem Tavern and enjoyed Mimosas and Bloody Marys while listening to a live jazz quartet.  We were kindly invited for dessert at Maeve's house up in Washington Heights.  It was so nice to spend some of Easter among a large family gathering, even if most of it wasn't our own, for our first holiday away from home.

We sadly put Grandma on the subway to the airport this afternoon.  It was a terrible, awkward goodbye because her train was there right when we got to the station and she had to rush onto the subway without hugs and kisses goodbye.  Both kids started crying as soon as the train pulled away and Holden continued to cry all the way back to our apartment.  We love you Grandma and miss you already!