The Big City

Texas in the Spring has been beautiful in every way. No sneaky snowstorms in April, warm weather in the 70s since March, sunny back porch coffee sessions much earlier than we are accustomed to, and everything is so GREEN! I know the summertime here will shut me up fast, but for now...Texas is covered in wildflowers and we are enjoying it!

I am playing major catch up here with the blog, but I'll brief you on our travels in Texas this spring. Mostly, we have stayed near Denton...spending a few weekends at the ranch, Fort Worth, exploring the local museums and spending time with family. But, we did travel south in the Airstream. We stayed in Austin for about a week and visited New Braunfels. We rediscovered all of the wonderful things Austin has to offer, I haven't gotten to explore that city in so long!

Our favorites were The Thinkery, The Wildflower Center, Barton Springs (and Sawyer is obsessed with the Zilker Zephyr park train), the Capitol building tour, the bike trails, the many many snow cone stands and the Mexican food. Yum...Austin has that dialed in! We visited some old friends and caught up with some family. Our RV park was pretty centrally located and we were able to explore in all directions easily.

Then we headed to the East Coast...

The first two weeks in May, we rented a little (aka TINY) apartment in the West Village of NYC, and it was an unforgettable memory for all of us. We planned to stay in New York at some point in this one-year detour from our "real lives" and there were many times along the way when we almost took it off of the table for so many reasons...maybe it's too expensive...maybe it's too much for the kids...maybe it's too much for us with the kids, etc. But...I'm so grateful we plowed through all of that because walking the streets of Manhattan was amazing with and for my kids. It was a wonderful anchor trip for his year, and I sincerely hope we make visiting the city a part of our lives forever. There is so much diversity there...it reminded me that there are so many different types of human beings on this planet with us. They come in every shape and size and color and culture. They are walking the streets with us with ten fingers, ten toes, two arms, two legs and one main purpose generally speaking...to live life and do their best. We really should all be in this together, and sitting on the 1 Train, I felt connected to people. I loved watching the boys watch people. I could tell they were collecting that same data. Owen and Bodhi studied people everywhere we went and I could see that they were thinking..."hmmm, these people are different but the same." That's it...that's what I wanted NYC to be for them, and you can't go there and not feel that. Here's a recap our of adventures there...

The day we arrived, we wandered around our neighborhood, walked a few blocks over to Washington Park and took in the street performers, playgrounds and just enjoyed the scene. (don't judge me on the seatbelt arrangement here...cab rides look like this with kids in NYC.)

We picked up some $1/slice pizza and got some groceries. We just hung out in our apartment and went to bed early...all of this AFTER Kipper made a second trip back to Laguardia because we left the kids' suitcase on the curb...which was waiting in lost and found for us. (whew!)

The next day, we headed to Times Square to take the boys to the big Toys R Us store because they saw pics of the big ferris wheel online and wanted to see it in person. So, we figured out the subway and headed that way. We arrived excited to be blown away, but unfortunately it was more like the Wally World scene in National Lampoons Vacation because the Toys R Us store in TS closed permanently two weeks prior to arrival (which my "2016 NYC with Kids" guide failed to mention. So...plan B, we headed over to the Star Wars costume exhibit at Discovery TS (all of the real costumes from all of the movies) and they loved it!

That afternoon, I took Owen and Bodhi to an off-bway show (Fantasticks). Since it was an afternoon show, we sat in the front row. It was a small theater, and the wooden stage was about six inches from our feet. We were front and center and could see every detail of the actors' expressions. The theater was small with low ceilings and it felt very "New York." It was a really good production, and we waited outside after the show for the boys to get their Playbills signed. Owen was really nervous to talk to the actors, but Bodhi was first in line and spoke to every single one of them. The male lead asked him if he liked the show, and he said ,"Yeah...but there was a little too much romance in it for me." You can always count on an honest answer from Bodhi...

Through the first week, we visited Eataly (amazing indoor Italian market, grocery store, wine bar, cheese bar, etc), Union Square Green Market (huge NYC farmers market), Washington Square (amazing food trucks), The Lego Store, the Children's Museum of Manhattan (best for 5 and under), walked Central Park (many times and never saw the same thing twice!), attended the Children's Choir at NYC Loewe Theater (a free concert, thanks to a homeschool group I met online) and mastered the subway from the station on our block. At one point on the train, a street performer played the clarinet for the boys on our ride. It was a little crowded and no other kids were on this time. He began playing Itsy Bitsy Spider, then She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain from across the train car...it was kind of a special moment because he didn't talk to them, but they knew the songs were for them. He played for a couple of stops, winked at them and hopped off at his stop. They giggled and looked at me as if someone had just given them a little gift.

We spent an evening in Little Italy (really small these days). We found a yummy pasta joint and chowed down on the family recipe and house chianti, served by some very Italian men. It was like an episode of the Sopranos...and Kipper kept trying to talk like them...and kept saying, "Heeeeyyy, I'm tryin' to eat ova heeereya." It was Bodhi's favorite meal!

We were lucky enough to have K's mom and G'pa Greg visit for Mother's Day weekend, and we all crammed into our little home (surprisingly, it worked out really well). Kipper and I got to sneak out for a couple of date nights. We visited the Museum of Natural History, celebrated Mother's Day at the Loeb Boathouse restaurant on the water in Central Park, walked the Highline (so pretty and such a cool way to see the city) and discovered Chelsea Market (wow!), toured the Intrepid (aircraft carrier/museum with the Enterprise Space Shuttle on it), and went to the top of the Empire State Building. On Mother's Day, Kathy and I got pampered with spa pedicures and brunch by ourselves. We walked around and went shopping, then met up with the boys in the afternoon. We were sad to see them go but were so happy to make those memories with them.

Week two was full of so many great adventures too...there's just so much to see there. The Children's Museum of Art was among our favorites. It's a museum of art for kids, but they have many hands-on workshops including the Clay Bar, the recording studio, (they recorded their own song, which included Owen playing piano and Bodhi making farting sounds, wasn't surprised, ha!) the watercolor workshop, digital art studio and oil painting center. They also offered a weaving workshop while we were there. We spent about five hours at this museum, and we almost went back for a second time! I can't recommend this place enough! The Whitney Museum was a great art museum for kids because they have audio sets for kids, and the exhibits are an incredible use-of-space. Also, you can see all of it in about an hour, so it's not too overwhelming (or long/boring) for them. Owen learned how to read the name plates on each piece and he seemed to really appreciate the artists efforts. He listened to his audio set and asked a lot of questions. We also enjoyed the cafe at the top of the building and took in the view. It was a fun afternoon with my little walking circus.

The NY Fire Department Museum  was really fun. The New York City firemen are so great, and they offered a really cool kids program for teaching fire safety. Bodhi thought they were so cool, and they had the strongest NY accents I've ever heard. Since we decided against taking the boys to the World Trade Center memorial, we opted for the Memorial room at this museum honoring all of the people who lost their lives. We explained that there was a huge fire in the WTC buildings and focused on how brave the fire departments were as opposed to explaining terrorism (it just seemed too soon for them). Bodhi was really moved seeing their pictures and said he wanted to say a quick prayer for them, so we did.  On our way out, Bodhi gave them a hug and said, "Thank you for being a fireman." (that kid has such a big heart) They were so touched...it was a really special visit.

Another highlight was the Brooklyn Bridge. We spent the day in Brooklyn...walking around, exploring Prospect Park, and visiting the NY Transit Museum (which means TRAIN museum to Sawyer). I honestly think Sawyer would have slept there if I let him. It's an underground museum in an old subway station with subway train cars from every era, which you can climb around in...so it was pretty great for my three monkey boys, who climb everything anyway!

Anyway, we found the Brooklyn Bridge, and I've always wanted to see the view of the city from there...so we decided to just walk back to Manhattan via the bridge. It was so fun! It was a beautiful night (no rain!) and such an exhilarating experience. I'll never forget looking across the East River at that bustling city with my kids.

While Kipper worked one afternoon, the boys and I jumped on the Circle Line Landmark tour, which takes you on a half-circle boat ride around Manhattan. It was a really nice way to see the Statue of Liberty without fighting the lines. 

There are 21 playground in Central Park and I think we found about ten of them. We also visited the Central Park Zoo, which I sort of thought was going to be really small and quick...but it's actually a great little gem. We watched them feed the sea lions and walked the Children's Zoo a few times. The weather was gorgeous that day and we walked and walked and walked through the park just finding new climbing areas and picnicking. We ended the day at Dylan's Candy Bar, which Bodhi kept seeing ads for and had his heart set on (he has my sweet tooth). 

A HUGE highlight for me was seeing the off-broadway show Dear Evan Hansen. THIS SHOW!!! I do love theater, but I can't say enough about THIS SHOW. I was really blown away...I had no idea what to expect, but I cried three times and felt uplifted and hopeful by the end. The talent on stage was inspiring. My sweet friend Markus' sister was in the show, so we got to go upstairs and say hello to the cast afterward and I was so speechless, I stumbled through trying to tell them all how wonderful it was...I was in awww! And this week they announced their taking it to Broadway, so if you're planning to be in the city this fall...do not miss it! The other bonus about this night was that my friend from high school, Heather (who now lives in Canada) came down for the weekend with her girlfriends so I got to see her! Loved it so much! 

Other random stuff...

There are pet stores with puppies in the window...although I'm not really a fan of pet stores and the whole puppy mill thing, I will say the boys loved visiting the window on our block each time we headed out. ;) 

Sawyer loved that he could hear the trains from every part of the city...so when he would hear a subway go by, he'd stop and look through the vents to see if he could watch it. 

The food is amazing in NYC, and it's a huge part of experiencing the culture there. Our favorites included...sushi at Tomoe Sushi (on our way we stopped in for a 20 minute foot rub at one of the many massage shops...they are literally everywhere. And, they should be...you walk for days in that city!) We had dinner at Jeffery's (right below our apartment) for Cinqo de Mayo and toasted to being "out" while eating tacos and listening to the mariachi band. We had dinner at Bar Pitti and people-watched over homemade pasta and vino. We ordered in twice from our neighborhood noodle bar Hakata Tonton because of their amazing garlic rice. We spoiled ourselves with our local coffee shops - Chalait for their amazing almond milk cappuccinos and Joe for their homemade coconut cream donuts. (You can't get a bad coffee in NY,  I'm convinced!) We had lots of great street food and bagels too!

Sawyer's favorite part of the city was hands-down the subway train. His love for all trains hasn't faded and the idea of taking a train everywhere we went was like a dream come true for him. When we would walk downstairs to head out for the day, he would say, "Let's take the 1 Train mom!" He just smiles the whole time he rides it and talks about how it works, how fast it's going, how many stops we make, etc. It was our primary source of transportation, mostly for him. We got pretty good at it!

We loved the same-day laundry service, overhearing many different languages being spoken all around us, the many many parks on almost every corner...even seeing the rats on the subway tracks felt authentic to us! Ha...sounds funny, but it's true! When I saw them, I thought to myself, "Hey, I've heard jokes on Jimmy Fallon about rats in NY! Now I've seen them!" Nothing was lost on us. ;)

Overall, New York found its way into our hearts, and we can't wait to go back.

Now, we're back in Denton and trying to figure out the next steps to this adventure. We have decided to sell our home in Arvada, in an effort to find a more simple space with perhaps a bigger lot or small piece of land. Our journey this year has taught us that living simply suits us...whether we are crammed into an Airstream, a tiny two bedroom house or a 400 square foot apartment in NY...we've been happy. Just happy to be together, healthy and in-tune with what really matters.

I must admit that our "one-year" adventure is coming to an end, I am feeling stressed about how to take all that we've learned and apply it without losing sight of it. We don't know if that means we'll live in Texas to be closer to family or back in Colorado with more plans to visit family...but we're taking it slow and trying to listen to our gut feelings. We hope to make that decision within the month! Thanks for following us here this year, it is so fun to share our memories with you. We'll be in touch! xoxo