City Livin'

Sam appears to be the one who has adapted the quickest to city life.  Sheyna is a close second, then Matt and Switzerland bringing up the rear.  Sam has spent most of his NYC time thus far in Lower Manhattan, but has logged some miles in the Upper West Side (UWS) while apartment hunting and is regularly spotted cruising over the "Broken" Bridge with his daddy and canine companion.  We've had our first familial NYC encounters as well.  Sam and Matt had an UWS play and lunch date with Sheyna's aunt Brin (see photo) and Sam's Nona and Poppa came to town for the weekend as well (and they brought their dog Willy).  It was a fun time and we managed pretty well with four adults and two dogs in less than 700 square feet.
Pictured below: City Sand Castles, Subway, Playground time with Brin, Walking through the Upper East Side, Checking out the "pirate ships" at the South St. Seaport Museum, "The Little Green Lady" Sighting in Battery Park, walking the dog on the Hudson River, Leftover Lunch Feast, roaming the streets in the Financial District, riding the Staten Island Ferry, and the subway (again--we do a lot of this).

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Bear Market Scare?

We walk the dog around the block, which isn't so abnormal, right?  But is your neighbor the NYSE? 
If the stock market took a dive this morning, Sam may be to blame.  Last night while walking the dog, Sam ran down Broad St in front of the NYSE yelling "Run from the bear!"  Don't worry no cars are allowed on this particular street due to security concerns.
We attempted to rectify the situation after music class this morning with a visit to the famous "Charging Bull" statue to inspire confidence in the markets.

Luck of the Irish

Sheyna's first day at the new office was today (St. Patrick's Day).  Sammy wished her luck, then went on to work on a St. Patty's Day project, decorating shamrocks and making a big shamrock on a stick to take to the NYC St. Patrick's Day parade on 5th Avenue.  It was quite a scene of reveling spectators and many, many parade marchers (given the number of NYPD marching, I was left wondering who was minding the store).  The weather reminded us a bit of a Hollidazzle parade in MN but drums, marching bands, and bag pipes (at first Sam said, "Shofars!") were a bit more plentiful.  Unfortunately, my camera batteries were "exhausted" when I turned it on at the parade, but we reloaded at home later and recaptured the spirit with our shamrock decor and parade (with the dog) through the apartment and down to the lobby (to check the mail and show off our marching to some spectators (the doorman, mail carrier, and at least one other resident headed to the elevator were present).
Some pictures of the actual parade can be found at this link (as well as a few pictures of parades in other cities).

Puerto Rico

Wow!  Great weather, relaxing vacation.  Family time, pools, sand, castles, iguanas, a rain forest, fine dining, stand-up paddle boarding in a lagoon (Matt only).

 

 

 

If We Can Make It Here....

You know the song.  So far, it has been a whirlwind since quitting our jobs and leaving Minnesota.  Here is the recap in words, with some pics as well.

Fri., 2/14: It was Matt and Sheyna's last day on the job in MN.  It was also "Fancy Dancy" dress-up day at Sam's daycare, which inspired Matt to step up his ward robe for his last day a bit.

 

Sun., 2/23: Saying our goodbyes.  Sam insisted we make the rounds to say goodbye to Minneapolis.

 

Mon., 2/24 and Tues., 2/25: Packers and movers showed up and worked all day to help get us boxed and moved.  Sam helped with some of the packing.

 

 

Wed., 2/26: Two cars fully loaded (I mean, fully!) with Sam in the CR-V with Matt and Switz riding along with Sheyna, we drove to Chicago.  Sam was a troooper in the car--what a great road trip buddy!
We stayed for two nights in the suburb of Lombard, while visiting with old college roommates.
Highlights included: Sam met and played with 10 new young friends (we have some fertile college friends) and claimed the first of several new states in his quest to catch up with Matt.  (For those counting, Matt is up to 47 and after this trip Sam is up to 15--MN, WI, NY, CT, AK, GA, CA, SD, TX, IL, IN, MI, OH, PA, and NJ).  Sheyna's count is somewhere in between.

 

 

Fri., 2.28: Departure from The Windy City after rush hour, headed for an overnight in Barkeyville, PA.  NYC or bust!
Highlights included:  A brief detour into southwestern Michigan (on I-90) by Matt and Sam (oops).  The bad news, we lost 30 minutes of travel time before we were back on track in Indiana; the good news, Sam claimed another state for his list and Switz got an extra potty break while Sheyna stopped to let us catch up. Sam was solid throughout the 2nd day of all day driving.  Believe it or not, no iPad or screen time of any kind was involved in this road trip.  I did however, get the privelege of listening to two of Sam's favorite books on CD (Strega Nona and A Day in the Life of a Pirate) a dozen or so times before he was introduced to headphones and Sheyna's old iPod (loaded with Sam's songs and audiobooks).

Sat., 3/1: Start spreading the news!  We made it to NYC on Saturday evening.  Sheyna and Switz went ahead as the scouting party while Matt and Sam stopped for dinner and the all clear symbol in West Orange, NJ.  Sheyna was successful, so Sam and I headed in. We made it and spend the evening unpacking cars and settling into the very fancy, but cozy apartment in Lower Manhattan.  Sam was again a champ in the car.  1,200 miles in 3 days--perhaps he'll be a traveling troubadour?
Highlights included: Admiring the Alleghney and Pocono mountains in PA, the very lengthy Holland Tunnel (for Sam--Matt was concerned that drops of water fell occassionally on his windshield while under the Hudson River), both Matt and Sheyna finally got to stop driving, and Matt finding on the street parking 10 feet from Wall Street and yards from the new apartment building.

 

Sun., 3/2: Exploring the new digs, 20 Exchange Place, NY, NY 10005 and the surrounding area in Lower Manhattan.
Highlights included: The view from the 19th floor sundeck (although spring hasn't come close to having sprung in NYC yet either), Matt and Switz jogging around Lower Manhattan along the water for a bit, and the first NYC grocery shopping experiences (the prices were higher, but not as bad as we would have guessed).

 

 

 

 

Mon., 3/3-Thurs., 3/6: Honestly, it has been a bit of a blur this week.  We've explored quite a bit and seen a lot of new things--especially Sam and Switz.  Sam loves Curious George and has been making tons of personal connections between Curious George and The Big City to his own life in exciting ways (the subway, seeing "the little green lady standing in the water," and tall buildings to name a few).  We're itching for warmer weather when we'll be able to find some kiddos to play with at the local playgrounds, but Sam did go to a toddler/pre-school age music class at the Smithsonian of the American Indian--which is a 5 minute walk from our apartment.  He's excited to go back and sing and dance more next time too.  We also drove out to Stamford, CT to visit Sam's Bubbe (Sheyna's grandmother).  Sam was a hit with the staff at her place and we enjoyed some delicious Chinese for lunch.

 

Fri., 3/7: Matt drove Switz (and Janie--his car) Upstate to stay at Sheyna's parent's place in Albany for a bit while Sheyna and Sam explored in NYC and hit up another music class.  Later they sought out a delicious loaf of challah to celebrate Sammy's first Shabbat in NYC. 

Next up: Puerto Rico!  We depart for 5 days of shorts and sand on Sunday--hallelujah!