playing tourist

My sister, Natalie, is heading home next week. She's been all over the city but hadn't yet had the chance to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. Given this fact, and inspired by Laura, I decided that we should all go...because its free! my girls love bridges! I am no longer pregnant so stuff like this sounds fun and do-able! The baby's eating needs can be streched out for longer periods of time! Ben doesn't technically have class on Friday so he can take part of the day off! Armed with all this knowledge, we set off.

I opted not to take the train because I figured by the time we got down to the bridge the kids would be grumpy. And if not, they would surely be grumpy on the way home and I knew that if we had the car they would all fall asleep coming back. So we drove. Hum.

Looking for a place to park in NYC is what makes me realize all of the things that drive me bonkers here. "Look there's a spot! Oh wait, no parking. Man! These streets are so dirty! How do people live here?" Also, Ben is brillant, but he does have a problem with direction. No sense of it whatsoever. So driving around and around many city blocks looking for parking while trying to stay close to your destination is not fun for him. Especially with your oldest in the back seat playing on every. single. stress. note. possible. Are we there yet? Where are we going to park? Are we there yet? Where is the bridge? Are we lost? How come we can't park here? Are we there yet? We found a parking lot close to the bridge, so our trip really wasn't free. But whatever. We are having a family outing and we are going to enjoy it, dang it!

All in all it was nice. Everyone had a decent time, with only minor pouting by kids and parents. The weather was gorgeous. It is a beautiful bridge and a lovely walk. And the kids did fall asleep on the way home, and had a decent nap, too! Thanks to the New York traffic. Pictures below. (Click on them and you get a bigger better view).

Our happy family at the Brooklyn Bridge (Ben is, of course, behind the camera)...



My child who, when she wasn't pouting, seemed to have a stick-your-tongue-out reflex everytime the camera got near here, so I did the most logical thing when choosing a picture of her. I picked one based on how I looked.


Sort of the city, sort of the bridge, sort of a smile...


Natalie, me, and two of the three....


Finally, the sweet babe who was wonderful the entire time! He sat happily in his stroller and chewed on his blanket while looking around. Only fussed for a second on the way home. Wasn't overwhelmed by any of it. Next trip into the city, it's just you and me, babe! Here is his first excursion in the subway. He's pretty hansome, eh?