Playing Tourist in New York City

I came to New York City right out of college. A month and a half later, I met my husband there. Less than a year later, we moved in together. We lived in a little brownstone apartment a block away from Central Park. We commuted to work together in the mornings, made gourmet dinners in our little kitchen with our open shelved pantry, constructed elaborate traps to trick the cute white mice that fed in the pantry, and went running in the park at dusk. And at some point amidst the routine of our days, I became a New Yorker.

And although our life has taken us farther and farther from New York, I remain a New Yorker at heart.

But even though I still consider myself a jaded New Yorker, I'm not above playing tourist for the weekend to give my kids a taste of the Big Apple.

So we've packed a lot of fun in our three days in New York...

We rode the subway and many, many cabs.

We ice skated at Rockefeller Center.

We sampled hot pretzels straight from the cart.

We threw toilet paper and got really close to a big Blue Man.

And then we bit into the best cupcakes on earth... from Magnolia Bakery.

Our flight doesn't leave until 3:ooPM tomorrow. Who knows how many more fun touristy activities we'll fit in?

Our kids may not be New Yorkers by the time we fly back to Ohio, but they'll sure have a sense of what it's all about!

New York City in the Morning Light

I love waking up in New York City. Even as I burrow deeper into the warm covers of my bed, I can feel the energy of the City calling to me.

It's only 8AM on a Saturday, but I can hear the woosh of the cabs as they race down Eighth Avenue. I can hear the clanging of the street carts filled with New York hot dogs and salty, doughy pretzels as the vendors make their way to their spots around Port Authority. And every few minutes, I can hear a quick burst of a far away siren as a policeman races to a crime scene at the end of a long night shift.

The City is loud. The City is brash. The City is alive.

I pull up the blinds and let the City wash over me. The early morning light cloaks it with a pastel glow. Everything looks cleaner, brighter, newer. The colors match my mood on this morning as we begin our three-day weekend in New York. So much to do, so much to see... There are cupcakes to be eaten, buildings to be gawked at, people to be watched, subways to be ridden, shopping to be done.

I can't wait to take a bite of the Big Apple. And neither can he.

Posing as City Kids

We stuck it out in our tiny one bedroom New York City apartment as long as we could. Bella was two and a half when we finally moved to the burbs and had long figured out my trick of hiding under the covers to sneak a few more minutes of sleep when she peeked over the edge of her crib calling for her mommy. If I hadn't been 8 1/2 months pregnant with Jack, I would have kept her in that crib until she was ready to leave for college.

Although we're now fully assimilated to life in the suburbs, we love any excuse for a New York City excursion. Last weekend, we had a special treat: a night at the Essex House, right on Central Park. The kids were all dressed up for their grandfather's 70th birthday party (the reason for our trip) and we stole a few moments to enjoy Central Park as it buzzed with the hint of spring right around the corner. Although the air was still brisk, the colors were bright, both in the sky and on the forsythia bush already in bloom.

Happy Wordful, Wordless and Way-back wednesday!

Tasty Tuesday: Chinatown and Minestrone

Chefdruck's Tasty Tuesday

The kids are off from school this week but we've been even busier than normal. Our town seems immune to the recession as so many people went away for the break. But we stayed put. I was worried that we would be bored during our staycation and I planned many adventures to keep us busy. I may have over-planned...

We kicked off the week by heading into New York City yesterday for a Dim Sum feast in Chinatown. I love Chinatown, always have, even back when I was a recent college grad working downtown. I discovered my favorite restaurant, Jing Fong, with some colleagues while we had a long lunch on a slow summer day. I still have the dog-eared card with the map to the restaurant in my wallet. I replace the wallet but always keep the card. We made a girl's day of it, leaving Jack at home with a friend, and picking up my sister along the way. Although Bella and Juliette were skeptical about whether such weird looking things could actually taste good, I gave them an A for effort for trying. Once Juliette got going, there was no stopping her.


After lunch, we walked around a bit and took in the atmosphere. I think that it's important for them to experience what it's like to be a minority, to feel so different than everyone jostling around them. We checked out a few shops, and I was so caught up in the freedom of our adventure that I caved on the pet issue. I spontaneously bought two tiny red eared turtles. They came in a teeny tiny little tank which we upgraded after reading up on turtle care. I'm taking bets on how long these guys will live, but for now, the excitement level over our pets is pretty high around here.

and not just with the kids!


My Tasty Tuesday recipe is not from Chinatown, but from a neighborhood just a few blocks away: Little Italy. As I write, a big pot of Minestrone is simmering away on the stove. The recipe is adapted from Elissa Shreiner's, the Grandma behind Grandma's Shoppe. If you're not familiar with this cute online store, head on over to Chefdruck Reviews to enter their giveaway. Elissa makes this soup for her grandchildren to get a little nutrition in them. I'll be serving it to Juliette and some friends tomorrow. I've never made Minestrone before so I can't tell how authentic the recipe is, but I can tell you that it's quite tasty!

Minestrone adapted from Granny's Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 onions, minced
3 cloves of garlic
3 stalks of celery
4 peeled and minced carrots
two medium zucchini, cut in small cubes
one red pepper, coarsely chopped
a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 cans of white kidney beans
2 cups of chicken stock
water
salt and pepper
bay leaves, oregano, basil
alphabet or other pasta
parmesan cheese

1) Mince the onions, carrots, garlic and celery.
2) Add oil to pan and heat on low setting. Add the vegetable mixture and saute until soft, for about ten minutes.
3) Add the zucchini and red pepper. Saute for another 5 to 10 minutes, until they are soft but not dry.
4) Sprinkle everything with "sunshine" (oregano, basil, salt and pepper)
5) Add beans and crushed tomatoes.
6) Add chicken stock. Fill the empty tomato can with water once or twice to cover the vegetables with liquid.
7) Turn heat to medium and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

When you're ready to eat, add the noodles and the parmesan. If you keep the noodles in the soup, they will get soggy and drink up the liquid.

Weekly Pilgrimage

A few months after moving to the 'burbs, we started a weekly tradition. Every Friday, I pile my brood in our mini-van and head into the City to have dinner with Steve. It's a quick ride, between thirty minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Just enough time to watch a little Backyardigans. We meet up with Steve and a bag of hot H&H bagels on the corner of 79th & Broadway and ditch the car in a nearby garage. Then we walk around and pretend to be New Yorkers for a few hours.

Some nights are tough with cranky kids, freezing rain, and rude waiters. But other nights, like tonight, remind us why we make the effort.

We started out by walking down Amsterdam, enjoying the sunshine, and checking out the menus at the restaurants along the way. Everyone was out, drinking beers at outdoor tables, eager to celebrate the arrival of summer. We ended up walking to Ruby Foos, an old favorite that we hadn't been to since Juliette was born. I had forgotten how delicious the food is, and how incredibly kid friendly it is . The coconut sticky rice is decadently sweet. The kids basically licked the bowl of the noodles with chicken and broccoli. My chilled glass of riesling went perfectly with our assorted dumplings and fried calamari.

We got our check quickly, before anyone started fighting or crying. Then we strolled across the street to the real reason to drive into New York City: Grom Gelateria. It's a gelato place that's been around for a year. It's ridiculously expensive (about $4.50 for a small!), but worth every penny. I've never had ice cream or gelato like this in America. When it first opened, you had to stand on line for over thirty minutes to get a scoop. There is still a line, but it's usually only five to ten minutes. After many trials, I've decided that the best combination is vanilla and gianduja (or Nutella as we call it). When I finish my little bowl, I literally lick it. And I have to restrain myself to not lick the kids' bowls too!

Another Missing Child...

I recently posted on the NJ Mom's blog about a mother bond experience I had at the Bergen Mall. A woman lost her child and wordlessly, all the women in the Gap Outlet began searching for the missing child. It was amazing to witness.

Yesterday, I went to the Central Park Zoo in the city. It was claustrophobically crowded due to the killer combo of NJ spring break and Passover. There were hundreds of Hassidic families with hordes of matching children. After the zoo closed, we made our way to a nearby playgroup which was even more crowded and overwhelming. There a woman lost her child, a 3 year old boy. She was running around the playgroup asking for help and shouting what her child was wearing. Only one other woman offered to help. I have to admit that I did not help beyond vaguely scanning the area because I was very challenged with my three children running around. But I was struck by the difference in my two experiences, just a few days apart.

What's the difference? Was it New Yorkers cold toughness or was it that everyone was in the same boat as me, too busy caring for their own children? One thing's for sure, I'm keeping my munchkins extra close after witnessing two children go missing within a few days of each other.