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Sunday, July 8, 2012

Eating in Manhattan

Late in posting about this important topic! Some reviews on places we ate at in the first week or so, and a few that we've been to since...

When we told people that we were moving to New York City, most people were so excited for our culinary experiences to come.  I have been utilizing my Yelp app a lot, especially when we didn't have a fridge or some the basic cooking staples like oil, salt, butter for a few days.  We have had some highs and lows so far.

- J East (Gramercy Park): Chinese take out.  They slipped a takeout menu under our door.  Smart move, since we have ordered from them at least twice.  Shrimp dumplings were good. Chicken with black bean sauce, not so much.  @Team Tayabali - we're definitely missing Hop Li and our Chinese take out nights!
- Murray's Bagel (6th Ave close to 14th street): homemade salads (e.g., tuna salad, egg salad, whitefish salad), smoked fish in a bagel sandwich - yum!
- Sarge's Deli (3rd Ave & 36th): Mostly nothing to write home about. But had great mushroom barley soup!
- East Side Cafe (23rd b/t 1st and 2nd Ave): Walked by this place when I was going to CVS. Service was great (i.e., kid friendly!  They didn't bat an eye when Shay spilled his water on the floor) & food was ok. Big portions.
- Dim Sum Go Go (Chinatown): I guess that there is not a lot of good dim sum (or any dim sum?) in Pennsylvania, so my dad really wanted to have dim sum in New York.  Trusty Yelp led to me a dim sum place in Chinatown.  I strapped Mila in the Ergo and we hopped on a bus.   When we got there, the place had a 'B' health inspection rating.  Now, granted that I don't exactly know what those ratings mean, but I know that I would rather patronize somewhere with an 'A' rating, especially if I am potentially eating seafood.  We saw Dim Sum Go Go across the street, and decided to give it a try.  'A' rating and another baby with a stroller already there - score for baby-friendly place.  The food was really good too.  I waited so long that I can't remember everything that we had, but I do remember the chicken bun/bao and all the dumplings.  There was only one tofu dumpling that I didn't like so much. 
Street in Chinatown





Mila's getting so grabby these days!

- Village Yogurt: I didn't actually see or eat any yogurt here, but they have a bunch of healthy, if kind of plain, choices, like wraps with bean sprouts and lentil soup.  They also had yummy dumplings and desserts.  The lady (owner?) was so sweet, serving us even though we came in 10 minutes before closing with our huge double stroller.  She even gave us free cookies for the kids.

- Hane Sushi (1st Ave & 20th st): We visited here more recently on the way back from Radio Shack (I'm still too cheap to pay for cable, so we needed a coaxl cable).  Even though it was hot, the outside seating was stroller-friendly.  The two-for-one drinks cooled us down.  Shay loves sushi and gobbled up the seaweed salad too. He is learning to use chopsticks, which is pretty cute.  He is so proud of himself.



   

Also an educational tool :)

Another adjustment to New York life is the smaller, more frequent trips for groceries.  We have generally been getting fruit from vendors whose carts seem to be on every street corner.   

Shay charmed his way into a free banana from a fruit vendor. 
We are now loyal return customers!

Shay helping at the local market



Papa time

Even though Jermaine started work, he has thankfully been around more than last year when he was working at Harbor UCLA. We think he will have more weekends off (maybe even both days sometimes!), though he will still have overnight calls and later nights. I'm hoping that his relatively good schedule will continue, and that it gets better every year.

So we finally have more pictures with Papa!

Mila in her halter dress & Shay in his superhero pose





Walking back from the playground


On the way to the Bronx to meet Uncle Kenroy for the first time!

Where are Mila's toes?


Lunch with Uncle Kenroy


Saturday, July 7, 2012

Concert at Madison Square Park


There really are a lot of nice things to do in Manhattan in the summer.  We've gone to library storytimes and lots of parks, and this past Thursday ventured to a free kids' concert at Madison Square Park.  I also ambitiously decided to go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond beforehand.  You may already be able to predict how this turns all out in the hot and sticky New York summer.

The day started out well enough, though the kids have been getting up early (usually before their previous 7am - yuck).  That gives us plenty of time to eat and get ready to go before the store opens.  Since Mila takes 2 naps and Shay takes 1, I would never leave the house if I stayed home for all 3 naps.  I have been taking them out in the mornings, so Mila gets a short nap in the stroller, then they take a longer afternoon nap together at home.  So we loaded up the stroller (50 lbs in the kids' weight alone), and headed off.  It was probably already 90 degrees out and I had to go west at least 8 looonnng blocks and south at least 6 blocks.  Takes about 30 minutes. At least I am getting some exercise in, since there is no time for the gym.  

I think everything would have been much better if I was wearing the right shoes.  I have seen lots of people walking around in flip flops, so I have usually defaulted to mine too.  Feet open to the streets of New York, however, get pretty dirty and gross. I decided to try out some Naturalizer flats with a padded footbed for our crosstown trek.  Seemed like a brillant idea; too bad they were a little big and narrow, so I got blisters on each of my pinky toes and a cut on the back of one foot.  So although Mila slept for most of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, we were all kind of a sweaty mess by the time we got to the park and unloaded in the special stroller parking area.

View of the Empire State Building (I think - I heard someone else say it and quickly snapped a picture in the direction he was looking) from Madison Square Park

Stroller parking is yet another New York accommodation that is necessary due to there just being too many people packed into small spaces.  Everywhere is crowded, so you have to wait for things (buses, seats on the bus, long lines at stores); this dynamic definitely takes some getting used to and can be a source of annoyance with two kids on tow. 

You can see the crowd starting to gather.  It got pretty packed.


Back to the concert.  We got a good spot in the shade. Shay was enjoying the art installation by Charles Long, and Mila's mood improved with Cheerios.

Apparently, these sculptures made sounds.  Shay was disappointed when a park employee said that they would be turned off during the concert.


The band, Moona Luna, started to play and the kids started grooving. 

Mila was a fan
I really liked the songs, which were in English and Spanish.  More on the concert and group on the Madison Square Park website.  After about 20 minutes, though, things started going south. Despite snacks and drinks, the kids (and me!) were getting hungry and tired.  Shay was getting annoyed with Mila. I was getting annoyed with him.  My feet hurt just thinking about walking back.  It was time to go.
Mila's favorite pass time - sitting on people and bouncing up and down or smacking them. 
We finally made it home for much-needed lunch and nap.  We spent the rest of the day close to home, visiting the playgrounds in our complex.



Sunday, July 1, 2012

Work starts for both of us...

Jermaine starts work on Monday, which is exciting for him, but not so much for me. Up until now, we have kind of been on vacation; actually, this is the most that he has been around since he started med school 6 years ago (pre-kids). I'm hoping he gets the 4th of July off, but he usually doesn't get to be off for holidays.

Since we haven't found a great child care option yet, I haven't been able to look for a job. So I'll be home with the kids for a while, which is somewhat daunting to me, being in a new city and not used to being a stay-at-home mom. I've been researching library story times, park concerts, and playgroups. I did sign up for an online message board for local families, so I'm hoping that will be a good resource. Luckily, there is a lot to do with kids in Manhattan; it will just be a matter of scheduling (Mila still takes 2 naps & Shay takes one) & keeping them busy. All suggestions & tips welcomed!

Staying cool in the city

It's so hot here that the city has to help people cool off! We also make up our own ways - diaper/underwear days are popular in our apartment!

Getting out on the plaza is one way to stay cool; the breeze from the river helps. Mila impressed our new neighbors with her walking and falling abilities.  We met a guy who has been living here for 44 years!  Of course, got the scoop from him on all the events on the plaza.




While checking out a possible in-home daycare for Mila, we found a new sprinkler park not far from our place.  No bathing suits, but had fun anyway.

Stare-down with a squirrel

Shay only wanted his belly in for some reason



I knew we would be returning to the sprinklers in our complex...
Showing off her newest swimsuit

Mila in action






View of our building (it's actually the one in the back) from the playground


And I just think this picture is hilarious...