Back from New York--where do I begin?

I "heart" NY, for real. I could hang out there for weeks, since there are seriously about ten awesome things going on in Manhattan at any given moment. I could hardly decide what I wanted to do with my two free days there! NY Fashion Week, 9/11 memorial, San Genarro Little Italy Festival were all going on while I was there.

Rick couldn't miss school (plus he hates New York--freak!) so Ruby and I flew out on our own. My mom flew up the next morning and I led us all from our hotel near JFK, in Queens, onto the A train to explore Brooklyn's Park Slope. For some reason, my 72 year old arthritic mother and my 5 year old daughter were not prepared to walk for 6 hours straight, as all New Yorkers are accustomed to. So I dragged them through Prospect Park and into Park Slope like it was a death march until finally I gave up and got them to the lucious Italian bistro I found for us to eat dinner. Ruby fell asleep on my lap on the A train home, while my mom slept beside us. It was a like I had two little kids.

The next day we took the subway to Manhattan but I toned it down a bit. First we had an amazing Chinatown brunch (jook, my favorite comfort food) at Big Wong, then we strolled San Genarro eating gelato and we caught the Cannoli Eating Contest (simultaneously fascinating and repulsive). A few more blocks and we were at the Museum of Children and the Arts which was kid heaven. This is how I ditched my two "kids;" frankly, this plan was genius. My mom watched Ruby run around at the kid art place so I could run around SoHo without anyone needing bathroom breaks every ten minutes. I went to the MoMA store, Pylones, Kate's Paperie, Purl Soho and lots more in the two hours of rain before going back to play at the Childrens' Museum. Ruby chose famous soup dumplings in Chinatown for dinner before returning to the hotel to wait for my sister to fly in from Maine. It was so great to see her, and for the next few nights we had four of us girls sharing one hotel room, like a long sleepover according to Ruby.

We had to go to Queens to experience the California "sour yogurt" phenomenon which was just right on the 87degree (HOT) day. Karen said it was a highlight of the day, and she's quite a foodie.

I felt so lucky to have this wonderful family trip and get to share it with my little Ruby girl. I was feeling the separation of her starting kindergarten, but the trip was a bonding experience reminding me she's still always going to be my daughter.