Destination NYC.. via BDA.

Before the kids get back to school.. before the drudgery of early mornings and schedules take over our lives again, I must recollect this summer and how quickly it went by.

This year, we spent one month "off island" touring familiar sites along the east coast. Among them were NYC.

A week in Brooklyn and Manhattan was the perfect antidote to life on the Rock. There's something quite fun about being a "tourist" in a city you once were a part of.

Behold:



The tastiest oysters for our midday lunch, right before an indie movie in the Village.



Sheepshead Bay view, the night of Jeff's Brooklyn suprise party.



Celebrating 40 with old friends.



Gotham Ave cruising.



Munchkins on parade - Brooklyn block parties!



Jordan balances cotton candy while sunflowers grow in Brooklyn.



The best pizza in the world.



Dockside fishing on the canal.



Munchkins discover the Donut Plant in the Lower East side.



Starry nights at MOMA - a great place for a rainy afternoon.



The big kids run free at Victorian Gardens in Central Park. What a treat it was coming here again when they managed all the rides by themselves. We were the parents lounging in the shade, catching up with our old friend, Nataliya.



A long day spent in the city!



Pondering food choices in NYC - endless possibilities. I began my research early!



Among other things, we decided on an Indian night. Oh Tiffinwallah.. you hurt so good.



View from the M&M store, in Times Square. The kids saw their first Broadway show, "Annie!"



NYC is like no other place in the world.

Books read: "Friday Night Lights," H.G. Bissinger; "The Shining," Stephen King.

Miles ran: 5

city blocks walked: countless

Best meal: Tiffinwallah, Curry Hill.

Worst service despite great food: Ouest, Upper West Side

Best location for a hotel: The Essex House, Central Park South. Love this place, and Marriot Rewards friendly! Their new concierge lounge was a dream. Despite lacking a gym, they offered reciprosity with the Ritz down the street. I enjoyed a lovely, rainy morning working out there! Much needed after eating as we did!

Famous last words..

I suppose I thought I'd always live in NYC. It was where I wanted to be. I was living and working in Brooklyn ten years ago when Twin Towers were attacked. On that day, I remember walking out of the subway at the Court Street stop, and seeing hundreds of people standing still in the park, their eyes turned towards the smoke filling the sky from Manhattan.

"A plane..." someone said.

"A plane hit the Towers."

Today, ten years later, Jeff and I quietly remembered that day in brief snippets of conversation as we recalled how we watched the towers come crashing down on the tv, while simultaneously looking outside our friend's window and seeing it happen in real time. We remembered seeing people covered in ashes as they walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and made their way home.

I never imagined ten years later I would be so removed from the city. I don't know if our lives will ever bring us back there. But on this day, especially, I miss it.

So much.

More importantly, on this day, I remember what it feels like to be an American.

Ten years have passed since that defining day.

I wanted to share this song, "If this is Goodbye," by Mark Knopfler; and sung with Emmylou Harris.

Describing it in an interview, he remarked that the last phone calls of those trapped in the towers were "a triumph of love over hate."




My famous last words
Are laying around in tatters
Sounding absurd
Whatever I try
But I love you
And that's all that really matters
If this is goodbye
If this is goodbye
Your bright shining sun
Would light up the way before me
You were the one
Made me feel I could fly
And I love you
Whatever is waiting for me
If this is goodbye
If this is goodbye
Who knows how long we've got
Or what were made out of
Who knows if there's a plan or not
There is our love
I know there is our love
My famous last words
Could never tell the story
Spinning unheard
In the dark of the sky
But I love you
And this is our glory
If this is goodbye
If this is goodbye

A day in the life.

Today was my last day at work. So, I thought, why not present a pictorial snapshot of what it looks like? Minus the unruly lawyers, delinquent children, and dysfunctional families? Oh, and the part where I actually work. No one really wants to see that.

The kids also came by to visit at lunchtime because I wanted to prove to them that I actually did have a job I went to every morning.



Point A. Leonia, NJ. Out the door, walking to the bus stop. Notice how bright and sunny it is. That's because I'm late. It's also because it's summer. Come November, it's pitch black out. It's also pitch black out when I return.



On the bus. I can't really complain about the bus. We happen to be very lucky in that we live relatively close to the bus stop. The bus runs express all morning till 10:00, and it's a lot easier than trying to drive in. Especially since I fall asleep within fifteen minutes. Try doing that in a minivan going over the Brooklyn Bridge! Wait.. I think it's been done.



Pulling into Port Authority. This is usually about the point when I wake up. Once upon a time, Jeff and I used to ride the bus in together (awww..) and he would wake me up. Now, I wait for the sound of the bus driver making the announcement. I wipe the drool off my chin and apologize to my seat companion, who I most likely have been resting my head upon the whole way. It's ok. We're all real friendly in Jersey.



The escalator at Port authority. By this point, I am usually awake, and am usually making a mad dash down the stairs to catch the A train underground.



Yeah, the picture is blurry. Which is an accurate reflection of how I perceive things at this hour.



Notes from the underground world. This picture does not do justice to the smell, the heat in the summer, or the cold in the winter. I also couldn't really take pictures of the half dozen wackadoos that make the city such an interesting place to live, and who conveniently choose to share my commute with me. I did not take their pictures because I have lived here long enough to know that a camera in their face is an open invitation to kill/rob/toss me off the platform.



Jay Street/Boro Hall. Brooklyn. My stop. The new and improved Kings County Family and Supreme Court. This building is amazing. I say that as a veteran of the old Family Court which used to be located a block away. I am going to miss this place.



My office. I've stripped it pretty clean of decoration, since I needed to pack everything up today. But this can give you an edited idea.



And here's what I'm really thinking.



I kept the back wall pictures up because I wanted to make sure the kids knew I did not throw out their artwork. I actually do save it. It covered most of this wall, as well as my conference room downstairs.



Here's the courtroom where I worked. I've provided a handy guide to show you where the key players sit. I think someone should make a diagram like this for the poor souls who wander in on a daily basis and have no idea who everyone is milling about.



Normally, I bring my lunch to work in an effort to stay healthy and save money. Today however, was all about celebrating. After I showed the kids around, we headed downtown to Pete's Waterfront Alehouse to meet up with another Family Court veteran. Jeff almost had a heart attack when she called ahead and told us she thought the place was closed. Jeff, who went to law school nearby, spent many a study hour nestled within the confines of these cozy chairs. Thankfully, it was not closed. This place has survived multiple recessions, 9/11, and bad 80's mullets (come in and take a look at the picture on the side wall). Nothing is shutting this oasis down.

After lunch... we packed the kids up, grabbed my boxes from work. and I said my final good byes. Wow, this was a short stint back at work. I really am going to miss the job, but I hope our next adventure will be an equally exciting one.

Next stop - finding a house!!

Gotham Ave Celebrates!

I don't recall going to block parties as a kid. Even when we lived in the suburbs. And definitely not when we were living out in the boondocks in the middle of the woods.. in upstate NY. So the idea of a block party is a little foreign to me.

But, that doesn't mean we won't crash a good one when we get the chance. Hello, Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn! Here we come!





Of course, it helps knowing some people who live on the block. I guess just crashing a party per se isn't the best idea. Although, it almost happened to us a few weeks ago at Mina's birthday. Some random guy, his wife, and their kid wandered into the party room and were hanging out. I kept staring at them, wondering who the heck they were; and didn't want to be rude and accost them. I started doubting myself, thinking.. maybe they're from Mina's school?

Here's my mental dialogue:

"I did send out a few invites to some of her classmates.. but I thought I knew them all? Didn't I? Who the heck did I invite from the school? Where's my list? Andrew H.? No, obviously. Kayla? Are they related to one of them? They don't look Korean. I ordered enough food to feed them, right? They look kind of confused too. That dad keeps looking around at everyone. Maybe I should flash my "party mom" sticker at them and they'll approach me?"

Turns out, the idiots at the front desk sent them to Mina's party, when in fact they were looking for "Mia's party".

I digress.

We're psyched we know enough of the Gotham Ave crew to hang out and have fun.



And the kids certainly felt comfortable enough to wander off without any adult supervision and proceed to order food all on their own.









Good block parties always have entertainment. Jordan was really looking forward to a repeat performance on the big, blue waterslide.







of course he can catch air on every turn. The boy barely weighs 40 pounds. Which leads me to wonder whether I shouldn't just follow Jordan's approach to eating - mainly, consume all things consisting of pure sugar, fried, or loaded in butter and cheese. The hell with this diet and exercise thing I force myself to do. Not that I want to weigh 40 pounds, obviously. Maybe 40 pounds less.

He does humor me once in awhile, and eat some fruits and vegetables. But those are akin to the parsley sprig one puts on a plate for decoration. They don't really count.



One of the neighbors made these. I was tempted. But I held out. Visions of myself sweating up the hills on the morning 6 miler came to my mind. Six miles at 6 am. Only to be outdone by a flipping hot dog. No. Two bites of this and all that hard work would have gone down the drain.

I saved myself for the hamburger and chicken instead. Good girl. Not fried chicken, which I adore, but never eat because it's eh-hem, fried. But marinated, tender, fired up on the grill. No picture, of course. I inhaled the food too quickly for that kind of frivolity.



Although Miss Mina wasn't feeling brave enough to try the big slide, she did manage to make new friends. She spent much of the afternoon riding up and down the street with her new bestie and her very pink, Princess bike that I happily picked up from some neighbor's curb on trash day (I have no shame.) That is, until she managed to topple over the bike, crash on the pavement, and let out a howl that would scare the demons from hell. And it didn't matter that I was running back and forth beside her on the bike. It only took the amount of time to stop, take a sip of my water, and crash. There she was on the asphalt.



cranky monkey.



cranky, hiding monkey.

Of course, I am an equal-opportunity negligent parent. Jordan crashed on his bike as well.



Hence, the nice road scrape along the side of his neck. He looks happy and calm here. Not so much when it happened.

Despite the drama of accidents and asphalt, the kids had a great time. They played long and hard, wore themselves out, and were out like a light when we tossed them into bed that evening. We redeemed ourselves as parents by washing them in the bathtub first.

My highlight of the day... are you ready for this?




Ta-da!!! I won a major award!! Holy Sh--t, you have no clue how psyched I was to win this at the raffle! My crock pot is on its last legs and I was toying with the idea of buying a new one. Yay!!! And a recipe book too.

Score!!

Adventurer's Park.

It's an annual summer tradition for us - hitting the amusement parks. This year, we tried a new one - Adventurers Park in Brooklyn. Once upon a time, when Monkey Sr. was a young whippersnapper, trolling the streets of Crooklyn, this place used to be called "Nellie Bly Park."



Names aside. The kids loved it. It's perfect for the under 10 y.o crowd. The rides are mostly designed for the little ones, with an occasional big-kid/scary ride thrown in there to keep it interesting.



There are some rides you can sit with the kids on. If you so choose... Just keep in mind, as you get older, sometimes one's sense of equilibrium changes. Once upon a time, I used to LOVE amusement park rides. The twirlier, more heart-stopping, the better. And then I had two kids, and I suddenly couldn't even ride a swingset without wanting to throw up. This ride is called the Himalaya. As in nauseous.



The kids, however, felt no fear.



My biker chick.



Another thing to keep in mind when you head out to an amusement park - don't bother blowdrying your hair out. In fact, just expect it will be a bad hair day all around.



yep.



Aw, who cares. The kids had a good time.









Except when they didn't.



But that's ok. It was time for an ice cream sundae break anyway. This picture reminds me of my daily caloric battle. Should I eat this? Or not? How many points will this ***!!$% thing be and how many miles will I have to run to burn it off? I liked how Jordan held this out, almost in contemplation.



And then bit right in. My sentiments exactly. Life is just too short. If it's something you really want to eat, just enjoy it. Each and every bite. And then eat a little bit less the next day. Personally, after last week's barbeque madness, I've been in detox. This lasts for about two weeks till I reach my happy weight equilibrium and then I go hog wild again at the next party. Like Mina's birthday, for example. That's right around the corner.



I digress. The heat out there today started to get to us a bit.



Unlike the zoological landscape we see here at the Himalaya display. Pandas on the mountain range people?? What exactly was this artist smoking?



It worked out well though. We got the kids home in time for a nap that lasted just long enough for us to watch the World Cup final. WAAAAA!!! Finally, someone scored after 115 minutes. Unfortunately, it was not the team I was rooting for. Darn it. Oh Nederland. You in your bright orange and ridiculous penchant for unnecessary penalties. Was it really necessary to leave us with a short team right at the end!?!?!? Argh!!!

Oh well. At least the kids had fun. Congratulations S. Africa for hosting such a fantastic World Cup.