Ask and Ye Shall Receive

As though someone were reading my posts...I got not one but TWO girl talk sessions this week!

My good friend Crystal from San Mateo (who is now living in Singapore) was in town this week and we had a great lunch at Sarabeth's (which will mean nothing to you unless you're a fan of fancy jams) on Tuesday and caught up on all the things that two women who haven't seen each other in months catch up on.  It was so nice to see her and hear about her sons and husband and exotic life living in the far East.

And then like famine to feast, I got a second chance to chat the morning away on Wednesday with a brand new friend - which sometimes are the best kind because you have SO much to talk about and so much to learn about each other.  One of the moms at the kids' school in San Mateo introduced me to a good friend of hers (via email) who moved to NYC three years ago from the Bay Area.  Coincidentally, she happens to live a few blocks from me and has two boys ages 4 and 6.  Needless to say, we had a lot to talk about and really hit it off.  We have a lot in common - she grew up in Hawaii (I lived there for four years) and she and her husband did an around-the-world trip.  We were both shocked when we realized we had been chatting and eating for over two hours and still had so much to say!  So she's invited our family over for dinner tonight (Saturday) to continue the conversation.

And it was all perfect timing too, because Kevin was away in Phoenix for a conference for the first half of the week and I would have had absolutely no adult conversation otherwise.  When he left on Sunday morning I realized that I didn't know anyone else in the entire state (Maeve's family was at Disneyworld and I thought our friend Katharine who lives here was visiting her mother in Kansas City but it turns out she wasn't).  Anyway, I was especially careful crossing streets all week wondering what would happen to our kids if I got hit and couldn't pick them up from school.  I know, I know...

I ventured out of the apartment with the kids and took them on the subway by myself for the first time.  As I stood on the subway platform gripping each child's hand I realized why I could never have a third child.  I can never have more kids than I have hands.  Especially on a subway platform which makes me completely paranoid.  We made it to midtown and I bought nosebleed tickets for $15 to take the kids to see their first NYC play.  We saw Zorro (which Holden quickly taught me means fox in Spanish - did you know that?).  The kids loved it even though I think they didn't understand a lot of it.  The acting troupe was from Scotland complete with very thick accents.  But the kids loved being in a huge theater and all of the action and sword fights.

I also ventured out on my own this week and made it to the Chelsea Market.  It's supposed to be the Ferry Building of the East Coast.  The shops were all very much the same - amazing bakeries, gourmet foods, high-end coffee, seafood, meats.  The space was very cool but not at all like the Ferry Building - no windows, dark, beautiful reclaimed wood flooring, brick walls.  Very cool, but not the Ferry Building.  The best part is the Food Network is upstairs so I sat for a good hour with my cup of delicious coffee and pain au chocolat hoping to get a celebrity sighting (or at least what I would define as a celebrity), but no luck.

 

(inside the market - as you can see it's 9:30 in the morning...see what I mean about dark?)

The kids were playing scientist all week for some reason:

 And Holden and Ella continue to have lessons from Kiara - Spanish tutor for Holden and piano teacher (in Spanish) for Ella.  Ella's homework this week was to write her own song.  This is my favorite photo of the week:

We're now off to see the play Cinderella in Spanish at a Puerto Rican theater (not even kidding).  More on that later...

Love From Home

 We got a lot of love from home this week. 

First of all, Ella received a large manila envelope from her 2nd grade class in San Mateo filled with Valentine's cards.  She was beyond thrilled and has been looking through them all weekend long.

Then we got to Skype with our friends and neighbors the Moskewiczs because Holden's praying mantises hatched!

For Christmas Holden got a praying mantis kit.  We had mailed away for the eggs and had started to grow them before we found out about the move.  Since we couldn't bring them with us, Holden gave them to Alex and Erika next door, to take care of them for him.  Frankly, I had forgotten all about them until this picture popped up on my phone.  We got to talk with our friends and see the baby praying mantises, which were actually pretty cute.

Then last night we got to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie Maxine and Uncle Sean and Rowan and Piper.  (Mom, Skyping is a video call).  Here are the kids chatting with Grandma and Rowan:

I'm starting to get just a tad bit homesick...

Girl Talk

I was just running some errands and decided to pop into a coffee shop for a cup and to read the morning paper.  I ended up only pretending to read it because I was sitting next to three moms who had obviously just dropped their kids off at school.  They were talking about their kids, husbands, the Oscars.  An identical conversation to many I've had with my mom friends over coffee or on beach walks.  I just listened vicariously.  I miss girl talk.

A Couch with a View

The couch has finally arrived!  It's amazing how much more homey and less hotel-like it makes the apartment feel.  I realized that our minds play tricks on us.  The apartment looked so small when we first walked in and it was completely empty.  Then, the more furniture and stuff we put in it, the larger it feels.  It's as though your mind says, "If they can fit that much stuff in here, it must be a big room!" 

I've also realized (not surprisingly) that having a small apartment and living within a few blocks of everything I need, means I have a lot of extra time.  I can clean the entire apartment top to bottom - vacuum, dust, clean bathrooms and the kitchen - in about an hour.  In San Mateo, that would have taken me most of the day and wouldn't have happened in one day but spread over a few days, which meant I felt like I was constantly cleaning the house.  Also, the other day I left the apartment at 2:42pm.  I went downstairs to Whole Foods and bought everything I needed to make dinner.  Came back up to the apartment and put everything away and then walked to the school to pick up the kids.  I arrived at Holden's classroom a couple minutes early.  They get out at 3.  Seriously, in San Mateo that set of errands would have taken me easily and hour to an hour and a half.

It also means that our mornings are SO much more enjoyable than they were in San Mateo.  In San Mateo, our house was a battlefield between 7 and 8am.  Easily, the most stressful 60 minutes of my day.  I nagged and begged and threatened the kids until they got dressed, ate breakfast, brushed their teeth and packed their backpacks.  By the time I dropped them off at school I needed a stiff drink.  Now that we live right next door to the school and our commute time is dependent only on how many people get on our elevator on the way down, we have an entire extra 30 minutes to linger, take our time eating breakfast, get dressed, enjoy a second cup of coffee.  It starts all of our days off on such a better foot.

So I did end up taking the kids to the Natural History Museum last Tuesday - our new home away from home.

We got to see a show at the Hayden Planetarium which was pretty amazing.  Holden was a little scared flying through space and spent much of the show curled up in my lap.  We have still only hit a fraction of what the museum has to offer.  It'll be the best value membership we've ever bought.

Then Friday night we tried Dominican food for the first time.  The kids were a little confused in the restaurant.  Most of the clientele were Dominican (which we took as a good sign).  The kids couldn't figure it out - they were all speaking Spanish but looked more like African Americans.  Holden said, "Is this a Mexican restaurant or what?"  The food was delicious and it's right around the corner from us, so we'll be back.

Saturday we made it to Kevin's mecca: The New York Public Library by way of Grand Central Station.

 Grand Central

Front steps of the library

The library is pretty incredible.  First of all, it's HUGE.  It's the entire city block.  And it's gorgeous.  Holden said it looked more like a museum than a library.  And it is a bit of both.  We got to see the real, original stuffed animals that A. A. Milne bought for his son Christopher Robin that inspired the characters in Winne the Pooh.

They're kept in the Children's Library section which itself is about as big as our entire local branch library in San Mateo.  We also saw the Gutenberg Bible - the first book printed in the West, from the 1450s.

We originally went to the library in the first place to see a performance by a Grammy-nominated kids band called the Pop Ups, which was fun and wandered around some more and got our very own library cards.  All for free!

And of course on the way home, Kevin had to stop for a cocktail at The Algonquin Hotel.  Apparently, it was where the famous literati of the 1920s drank and intellectualized.  The drinks must have been a lot cheaper then, because apart from Danielle Steel and J. K. Rowling, I don't know any writers who could afford a drink there now.

Ella was impressed though.  We walked in from the rain and Ella looked around at the chandeliers and said, "Now this is more like it!"

Kevin left at the crack of dawn this morning for a 3 day business trip to Phoenix so I'll be flying solo.  First stop today, the theater!

The Fun Never Stops!

Well, it was another amazing week here in NYC.  Kevin and I haven't celebrated Valentine's Day since long before kids but we have such a long list of must-try restaurants that we used it as an excuse to get a babysitter and get out.  We went to a very romantic, underground (literally) place called Shalel.  It's a Moroccan restaurant that has very little signage outside and you go down these stairs (covered in rose petals - apparently not just on Valentine's Day) and through almost a tunnel into a dark, brick walled, candle-lit room.  The room has lots of different nooks and crannies so wherever you're sitting you're pretty much alone.  The food was good and we had a nice long walk home and even popped into a local bar on the way home for a last glass of wine.

I went to my first PTA meeting at the school on Friday.  It's nice to be able to get involved with the school and I also met a few more moms.  On my way out of the meeting I saw this coming down the hall with bells ringing and drums beating:

I quickly recognized Holden's shoes underneath.  As he walked by me he gave me a swift kick in the chin!  He hadn't even looked out from under the dragon - I guess he recognized my shoes, too :)  I love that his class did this for Chinese New Year's.

Friday night was the rescheduled Valentine's Day party at school (cancelled due to the blizzard last week).  After school Ella's friend Maeve came home with us for another play date and then her family met us at our apartment and we all went over to the school together for "Noche de Amor".  We still don't have a couch or chair to sit on so it was a little awkward standing around in a circle in the middle of the apartment with Maeve's parents without anywhere to sit.  The couch is supposed to arrive tomorrow - can't wait.  The kids had a great time at the party.  Lots of games and food and candy and an art auction. 

Then Saturday morning we decided to try a Dim Sum restaurant recommended to us.  The big Chinese New Year parade was the following day (Sunday) so we got to see lots of smaller dragon dances - practicing for the big parade the following day.  There was lots of celebrating going on, lots of firecrackers and confetti.  The restaurant was ENORMOUS!  The size of a football field.  And it was packed.  As a matter of fact we waited at least 30 minutes to get in.  But it was worth it.  Delicious dumplings and two different dragon parades made their way through the restaurant while we were there with much drumming.  The kids loved it.

We had a relatively quiet day on Sunday.  My old friend Andi from grad school in Hawaii lives in New Jersey and now has three kids - all about the age of our kids.  They came over for the first half of the day and the kids got along like best friends who had known each other for years.  The original plans were to go out to a Children's Museum but they were playing so well together that we just hung out at the apartment the whole time.  It was really nice to catch up with Andi and meet her kids.  We'll hit the Children's Museum with them in a few weeks.

The four of us just read and relaxed in the afternoon so on Monday morning we all had the energy to get back out into the city again.  It was President's Day so Kevin was home again.  We decided to visit the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum which is housed on an old aircraft carrier, permanently docked in the Hudson River.  Since we had to get off the subway at Times Square to get there, we decided to surprise the kids with a quick visit to Times Square.  They've been reading The Cricket in Times Square every night with Kevin this week so they've been dying to see it.  They were pretty overwhelmed.

And of course since we were there we had to hit the Toys R Us which houses a full size, operational Ferris Wheel inside as well as a life-size T-Rex.  I think the kids think we've moved to Disneyland.

When we finally dragged them out of the store, we made our way to the Intrepid (with a quick stop over for Ramen in Hell's Kitchen).  The photos here look sunny but believe me, it's bitterly cold out.  The Intrepid is having Kid's Week this week which means they had a bunch of special activities and exhibits for kids.  The theme today was "Science Fact meets Science Fiction" so there were Star Wars characters wandering around and a stage with some kid plays going on.  We got to go down into a real submarine and saw dozens of airplanes used in battle and even saw the real Concorde that was retired in 2003.  Again, I don't think the kids can quite figure out how they got so lucky. 

Today is Tuesday and the kids are still out of school.  They were supposed to have the entire week off of school for "Mid-Winter Break" but Hurricane Sandy closed down school for 3 days so the school district took them back out of this week's break.  Which is fine with me because after this weekend I'm exhausted!  I did promise them a trip to The Natural History Museum today if they get all of their homework done.  But frankly, I'd be happy to lay around and read all day instead.  If only we had a couch...

Things I'll never get used to in NYC

Things I'll never get used to in NYC:

- Teaching the kids to cross on a red light.
- Farmers' Markets in blizzards.
- Every single store offering to deliver my purchases.
- Walking 54 blocks in an hour.

(Kevin gets to commute through this every day.)

A Visit From Nemo!

Another exciting weekend!  Friday afternoon our first blizzard started coming through town.  And the kids were pretty thrilled that it was named Nemo.  The Mayor had ordered all cars off the streets after noon and the snow started coming down.  That didn't stop the Friday Farmers' Market from taking place in front of the kids' school though.

And there were plenty of customers!  New Yorkers are hardcore.

It did mean that the Valentine's Day party at the school scheduled for Friday night was cancelled though.  We made it up to the kids by walking to our neighborhood sushi restaurant.  It was a little eerie.  There were very few people on the sidewalks (and no children) and only a few taxis and delivery trucks on the roads.  The quietest I've seen the city, yet.  The sushi was good and again I was so happy to just be walking out to a yummy restaurant.

Saturday we headed on the subway up to 169th St. for brunch at our new friends' house.  Ella's little friend Maeve and her family had us up to their apartment for a delicious brunch and sledding.  When they asked if we wanted to go sledding I assumed that we'd just pull the sleds around out in front of their building but instead we hopped on the subway and took the train to the last stop north, at the tip top of Manhattan island.

Here are the kids waiting with sleds in hand for the subway - so urban!  We were taken to what is supposed to be a gorgeous park in the Spring and Summer, The Cloisters.  This weekend it was just a giant swath of white snow with dozens of kids and their sleds.

Even though we don't have snow pants or snow boots, the kids had a fabulous time.  Coming home soaking wet on the subway was a bit of a nightmare but we all hopped in a hot shower as soon as we got home.

That night, we had already lined up a babysitter (our college student from 2 floors down) to babysit.  We were supposed to go out with our friends Katharine and Paul (the only couple we really knew upon arriving in NYC) but their flight from Las Vegas where they had been all week for a conference was cancelled due to Nemo.  I never want a babysitting opportunity to go to waste so instead of cancelling her, Kevin and I had our first date night in New York.  We checked out a restaurant recommended by our new friends Sharon and Stefan, The Mermaid Inn.  Delicious seafood and very cool atmosphere.  On our walk home we popped into a local bar for a glass of wine.  Perfect evening.

On Sunday Kevin and the kids let me sleep in until 9am!  This really does feel like a vacation.  Then we walked all the way through Central Park over to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Back in California Kevin and I had started a tradition several years ago of Sunday Morning Museums (in place of church).  When the weather is really nice, museums are sometimes replaced with a hike.  We really want to keep up the tradition here and it should be very easy.  The Met was actually Holden's idea this weekend because he read somewhere that they have mummies.  And they do:

 (Holden wanted to pretend like he was running away from the Knights)

The museum is unbelievable.  Being one of the largest museums in the world we of course had to get another Family Membership because we will definitely have to come back many times to try to cover it all.  In addition to the Egyptian exhibits we also checked out the Matisse exhibit which will only be here a little while longer.  The kids actually recognized some paintings from a children's book on artists that we had in California.  The museum also has a branch up at The Cloisters where we were sledding yesterday so we can check it out again when the snow melts. 

The walk through Central Park was absolutely gorgeous.  The sky was sunny and there were hundreds of people enjoying the park.  Lots of sledders and walkers and even skiers!  I was shocked.

A perfect way to spend Kevin's birthday weekend.  Happy birthday, Sweetie!

Our Apartment

This is the view we saw as soon as we walked in the door.  I literally gasped out loud.  Just like our house in San Mateo, the view makes the place.  Once we were finished oogling over the view we quickly realized how TINY this place is!  The Craigslist ad said it was 810 square feet.  For some comparison, we just left 1700+ square feet which by California standards isn't that big for a four bedroom house.  Granted, we left more than half of our belongings in storage but still...it's small.  I've had to get creative when finding places for things.  I have my cookbooks at my bedside, our bed linens in the coat closet, and spices in the bathroom medicine cabinet (see below).

Actually, the medicine cabinets are HUGE.  I'm trying to think of other small things I can put in them.  We do have two bathrooms which is nice.  And the building is only 2 years old, so everything is modern and new which Kevin and I love.

When we first arrived from the airport the taxi driver came from the north, down.  That means we went through the Barrio and Harlem first and then just as we passed a big low income housing project the driver pulled over to let us out.  We were both a little worried.  When Kevin last lived here 15 years ago he said this was a dead zone area.  No reason to come here.  But apparently this neighborhood has really blossomed over the last few years.  There are lots of really great restaurants, a Whole Foods right downstairs, and some really nice shops.  From our block down is all really nice and I think the building of our luxury apartment complex a few years ago probably has a lot to do with it.

The kids love the third floor.  There's a fun kids play room and an indoor swimming pool (which has large glass doors that all open up to a roof deck when the weather heats up).  Last night we took the elevator down to the third floor for Holden's swim lesson, which was really nice since it was snowing out.  I can't imagine he'd be taking swimming lessons if we had to leave the building.

 I think the novelty of sharing a bedroom has worn off for Ella.  See the note below that I found on their bedroom door.

"If you want to enter, please do not play.  It makes a mess.  And if you need to get cars or something, then get it and go."

Our first sunrise:

The sunset last night:

Yes, 810 sq. ft. isn't so bad when you have a view like this.

[Leave me a comment so I know you're there!]

Second Grade Girls Are Awesome

Monday was the kids' first day at a huge, urban, public school, starting mid-year and they were completely fearless.  I really have been bursting with pride all week.  Ella was really excited to start a new school and meet new friends.  Holden was lukewarm but not because it was a new school.  He was just enjoying being out of any school for the last five weeks.  But he didn't complain or get clingy.

Kevin took Ella to the playground where the older kids gather in the morning while I took Holden to his classroom (which is in a portable behind the main building).  He and I walked up and Mrs. Mamdouh opened the door and grabbed his hand and shooed me away.  That was it.  No lingering, not even a hug goodbye.  Over in a second.

Kevin and Ella were apparently hanging out on the playground waiting for the bell to ring when a little girl and her father walked up.  The father asked, "You wouldn't by any chance be Ella?"  Apparently Ella's teacher had told the class on the previous Friday that they were getting a new classmate on Monday.  Maeve immediately took Ella's hand and walked her over to the line.  The photo above was taken as they walked into the school (Ella's wearing the light blue hat).  Pilar is holding her other hand.  That's how her P.S. 163 experience started for her - by being led into class with both of her hands being held by new friends.  Second grade girls are awesome.

On Tuesday we met with each of their new teachers.  I was so impressed that they each spent almost an hour with us.  They discussed the curriculum and testing, asked us to describe the kids to them.  They really wanted to get to know them.  Mrs. Bautista, Ella's teacher, said that she wanted to give Ella a few days to settle in and start to trust her before she evaluated her.  If it turns out that Ella needs some additional help (as I assume she will, especially with writing and spelling in English since she's only done it in Spanish so far) then the school has two options, both for free.  There is a daily after school program run by volunteers (seniors and parents) who provide one-on-one tutoring for the students.  The other option is before school at 8am with the teachers.  All the teachers come in early to work with their students who need extra help.  Then they get a free breakfast and are sent off to class at 8:40.  I am just so impressed with the New York school system so far.

Holden's teacher had already evaluated him and had nothing but wonderful things to say about him.  He's reading at the top of his class (even though he's only been taught to read in Spanish so far).  She's been teaching for 23 years and is planning to retire after next year.  She said if she could be guaranteed that all of her students would be like Holden she'd keep working another 5-10 years.  My eyes filled with tears and I had to hold my breath for 10 seconds to make sure I didn't completely break down.  

We've already been invited to dinner at Maeve's house.  Her parents seem like people we'd be friends with.  Her father even works in Digital Media like Kevin.  First friends!

Please leave comments so I don't feel like I'm typing to the void!
xo

Snow!

Two of the things we were most looking forward to came to fruition for us on our first full day in New York City.  For the kids it was snow.  On our very first day, it snowed!  The kids squealed with delight as they had a snowball fight with Kevin (they knew better than to throw them at me).

And for me, it was being able to finally walk to amazing restaurants without having to shlep in a car for 30 minutes.  My last restaurant meal in California was to a Mexican restaurant because I was warned that I wouldn't find any good Mexican restaurants in NYC.  And ironically, on our first night out we wandered a block away and found Cafe Frieda - a delicious, high-end, Mexican restaurant.  I had some scrumptious poblano stuffed with sweet potato and smothered in mole with pumpkin seeds on top.  We both had a couple Margaritas each, since hey, we're not driving.

Before dinner though we rented our first Zipcar to take us to IKEA in Brooklyn to get stuff for our new home.  A pretty seamless experience - there was a car available in the parking garage next door and Kevin did well driving in NYC for the first time.  Did you know that you can see the Statue of Liberty from IKEA Brooklyn?  A little bit of sightseeing while shopping.

We had promised the kids that we could do whatever they wanted on Saturday and Sunday.  No unpacking or shopping or setting up the apartment.  Ella chose ice skating in Central Park.  Holden had no interest which was fine with me because we got to stay warm in the observation room.  Although Ella looked as though she was being tortured the entire time, she came off the ice beaming and asking to do it again soon.

Holden's choice was the American Museum of Natural History.  Surprise, surprise.  If you know Holden you are likely aware of his obsession with dinosaurs.  It was awesome watching him run into the museum shouting out the names of all the dinosaurs...without even reading a single sign.  He knew them all.  This is Holden's heaven.  Luckily we got a family membership and he's already been begging all week to go back this weekend.

The vacation is coming to an end.  School starts on Monday!