NYC-- With Great Thanks to Titi: May 2021

We left before the square dancing ended in order to drive our friend to NYC for surgery. Because he grew up on Long Island, John has been driving in the city for ages and enjoys it, so it made sense for him to play chauffer. Titi was pretty incredible about the whole thing, and not only arranged for us to stay at this beautiful air bnb in NJ, but also treated us to a couple of hours in the city.

We took the baby, of course, and also this girl because of her seizures, but the rest of the family stayed home alone for a couple of days, which was very strange for us and them.

Just look at how sweet this brown berry is.

On the morning of Titi's surgery, John dropped her off, and then we took the N.J. light rail to Liberty Park. The light rail is inexpensive and SO fun-- super narrow and speedy trains that share roadway with cars. I was impressed and thoroughly enjoyed careening through town.

This was Skylark's first time on a train of any kind, and she met it with a little trepidation, but it didn't take long for a big grin to sprout.

This was at the height of NYC COVID mandates, so masking on public transportation was required.  You can't tell, but I'm grinning here.

This girl's grin is easier to see!

We walked to a park that bordered the city, which was fun. It was a windy and beautiful spring day.

John didn't tell me the name of the park, so I was completely surprised when he pointed and told me to look. Lady Liberty!  

He'd planned to take us over to Ellis Island and then mainland NYC on a ferry, but the Ellis Island ferry ended up being closed for repairs. It didn't matter one bit, though. I've been to the city half a dozen times, but this was my first time seeing the Statue of Liberty, even from a distance, so it was pretty cool.

One of my absolute favorite things to do is to walk with this good man, especially in the city, because he's so at home there.

Because the ferry was closed, we took the subway from N.J. under the river to the World Trade Center Hub. These phone pictures are terrible, but it was an impressive piece of architecture to walk through. From there, we walked past Ground Zero and into the city proper.

We were only able to spend about 2 hours in NYC, but we spent it well. We walked through Chinatown and watched old men gathered round tables betting like mad on card games. I wish I had been able to understand all the commotion, because it sounded pretty intense. 

I took a picture of this grim-mouthed, middle-aged matron by her eatery.

Millie and I are going to try to make these.

I'd never been to Chinatown, and I let John order hand-pulled noodles and dumplings for us. OH, MY GOODNESS. This was one of the memorable meals of my life. Brand new flavors!

Ransom and I visited Chinatown for the first time together. Here's proof.

We got a call from the doctor after lunch, so we headed back. I don't know why I took this picture. Maybe for Aidan? Trees on the building? Who knows.

Lark was ready for naptime.

I thought we were going to take the train back, but John surprised us with a ferry ride! I am easily delighted. The entire day was so wonderful, and this was the perfect way to make our way back. Skylark was big-eyed and sleepy until she started grinning, and then, after a few minutes, we reached the other side. 

We ended up picking Titi up the next day, and since we had to kill some time, we walked to a playground near the medical center. It wasn't until we walked through the gate that I noticed Skylark's sober expression. When I urged her to go play, and she just timidly stood frozen, I realized that she had never played on a playground before. The last time we'd been to a playground, she wasn't even a year old, and then winter came, and then Covid hit, and summer playgrounds were closed for over a year. Once we assured her it was okay to climb on whatever she wanted, she enjoyed it all.

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John took phone pictures, too, which I now tape crookedly into this online memory book.   Even though I look like a doofus, these first two pictures make me happy.  The four of us together-- Lark on the ferryboat, all grinny in the wind.

And more pictures from her royal introduction to playgrounds.

Is it any wonder that since the trip, Skylark has been telling John and I that for her birthday date (which is usually a trip to McDonald's and a small adventure), she wants to go to NYC again?! Now she knows what REAL birthday dates are like-- a two-day adventure in the city. :)