Exploring NYC: Central Park and Bronx Zoo

Another fun outing was visiting Belvedere Castle in Central Park. Great views, climbing spiral staircases, and street musicians made it a memorable trip.

 

I guess we are really New Yorkers now; we have library card and NY drivers license (at least, I do) and now a membership to the Bronx Zoo (which comes with guest passes and entrance to other NYC zoos and aquariums if anyone wants to visit!). This was Mila's first zoo trip, unless you count when I was 7 months pregnant with her and took Shay to the San Diego zoo. She had a really fun time, and even took a nap so we could have a little time to enjoy some of the animals alone with Shay.

 

Fun close to home

A few fun events happened close by our apartment. Kids had a blast without having to trek far. 

Animal fun at Solar One, a five minute walk from our apartment. Kids got to touch lizards and turtles, see a millipede, and make their own masks.

Kids also had their first NYC dentist visit (Mila's first ever!), and came home to a visit from our local fire department. Kids got to squirt water from a fire extinguisher and explore a fire engine. The day ended with a rainbow. 

 

More Summer 2013 fun

The weather has been pretty hot here; even when it cools down, it tends to be much muggier than California. So we are keeping busy and always looking for ways to stay cool!

All dressed up for a birthday party. Face painting & other fun in Brooklyn.

I was feeling brave & took the kids to SummerStage (free concerts!) at Central Park on my own. Luckily, we met a friend from our building at the event & the kids kept each other busy. 

Waiting for the bus:

Special Ed & Rock Steady Crew performed. Kids were chillin'.

In early August, I took Shay to my work picnic at Riverside Park. He had a blast & even found a fellow Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lover!

The pool in our complex is closed for most of August, so we took one last summer opportunity to take the kids for a dip. Shay's getting braver in the water & Mila likes to splash around.

We also took a trip over the Long Island City. For a time, we were considering moving there, since it's right across the river from the city and accessible by subway and ferry. We've since decided to stay put, but we still wanted to check it out, especially after we heard about a fleas market featuring lots of yummy food stands. We sampled a bunch of foods, including a pork belly sandwich, conch fritter, and carnitas tacos (probably as close to LA tacos as we've found here so 

far). It was pretty quiet overall, which was a nice contrast to Manhattan.

 

Looking forward to a few more adventures before summer ends!