Kids in the City

Sooo, we just (6 weeks ago) returned from Will's very first spring break trip.  John persuaded me that we could have a fun family vacation in the big city, and I'm pleased to say he was right.  As usual. ;-)

I will break here to add that we went through some not fun situations in the days leading up to this vacation.  The details either aren't mine to share or are things I'd rather not blog--but I just want to add this so I remember my mindset on this vacation (and how glad we were to get away for some fun!).

So we departed from the DAB (so nice to leave from the local airport!), where Will and Anna were extremely eager to remove their shoes for security...even though they're not required to do so....

We had a fun and uneventful flight to Washington, DC, where Aunt Missy met us at the airport.  We were thrilled to see her, and only partly because she willing to tote a suitcase!

After dropping our items at the hotel, we took a stroll down to the mall and attempted to find the White House.  That sounds silly, but it is way more camouflaged than I remember from my previous trips, so Will wasn't overly impressed by his glimpse of it through the trees and fences.

The Washington Monument is still extremely impressive and easy to spot, though:

Will and John explored around the base, but no trips to the top due to the earthquake last year.  We strolled around the mall for a little bit, and then went to Aria's Pizza for dinner.  And that was the end of Day 1, I think.  It's been awhile, so I expect Missy to chime in in the comments if I forget something!

***

Day 2 was Easter Sunday.  John was dealing with a severe lack of sleep, so I volunteered to take the kids to church with Missy while he slept in...and he quickly took that offer.  So the kids and I piled into a taxi and gave the driver directions to Missy's church in Alexandria...only to have the driver inform me he didn't know anything about Alexandria.  That probably should have been my clue to hop out and find another cab, but we were running late already, so I used my trusty iPhone to give him turn-by-turn directions.  He was actually pretty nice (once he realized he was stuck with us for about 15 minutes, I think!).  The kids looooved the cab ride and Will kept a running stream of questions the entire trip.

Missy attends a really lovely church in Alexandria, and the service was beautiful (complete with brass ensemble and a round of the Hallelujah Chorus).  Will behaved fairly decently during the service, while Anna had fun in the nursery.

After church, we went to Missy's apartment for brunch and Easter treats for the kids.

Anna and Chef Missy:

Will was especially excited about his candy necklace:

Anna also got to open her birthday gifts: cute clothes and a new BabyLit book (Romeo and Juliet).

This was my first time seeing Missy's apartment!  The last time we visited her, I was about 6 weeks pregnant with Will and she was living in Norfolk.  I loved seeing all her framed pictures and was amazed at how well organized everything is and how she packs so much into a small space--I think I need her to come organize our house.  Anyway, we really liked her "little house" (I can't remember which kid called it that, but it was pretty funny--they are definitely used to suburban Florida where space is cheap).

John came and joined us for brunch, and then we all walked to Old Town Alexandria.  I was hoping for a little yarn-shopping time at fibre space but it was closed (understandable since it was Easter, but still sad for me).  We had fun window-shopping...

...and enjoyed gelato and cupcakes...

...and survived a minorly embarrassing (although tragic to Will) incident where Will's candy necklace spilled all over the floor in Anthropologie.  I'm sure that happens all the time in there. :-)

We made some attempts at a family photo...this is the closest we got:

Somebody's cranky--guess who??

Riding the trolley:

Later, we went to the Natural History Museum.  We assumed that the highlight for Will would be Titanoboa, a ginormous prehistoric snake:

(Picture taken about 30 seconds before Will gets in big trouble for pushing Anna.  Because that's how things go lately...sigh.)

But, oddly enough, Will was more impressed with the jewels, especially the Hope Diamond.  I didn't see that one coming.

We spent a lot of time in the gift shops...

...and Will finally found a perfect snake souvenir, which made John breathe a sigh of relief.  He was worried Will might ask for a diamond. :-)

We ate dinner at a pub-type restaurant (Flag and Castle? Flag and Elephant? Elephant and Castle?  Or maybe it was a Goat?  Missy??).  The fact I cannot remember the name should not reflect on the food, which was just fine.  Then we headed for the hotel and bed. 

***

Day 3 (Monday) started early for me.  I snuck out of the hotel before everyone else woke up and went for a 3 mile run.  I went around the Washington Monument and in front of the Lincoln Memorial:

This was also the day of the White House Easter Egg Roll, so I passed lots of children headed to the White House toting their Easter baskets--so cute.

Once everyone was awake and ready, we took the Metro to the Library of Congress.

I thought Will would find the sheer size of the library fascinating and would enjoy seeing the fantastic interior of the Jefferson building, and he did.  He also enjoyed doing quizzes at the computer kiosks in the building.

After that, we headed to the Capitol:

(Pardon the attire--this is when I look at pictures of myself and realize I've given into the mom look.  However, I brought only two pairs of shoes on this trip--well, besides my Easter sandals--both flat and comfy, and had absolutely zero issues with foot pain or blisters--which is not usually the case when I wear my cute shoes on vacation!)

Apparently, you now have to join a tour in order to view the Rotunda.  (I don't think that was the case the last time I visited--it was a long time ago, though.)  The tour lines were super long, so we decided to just enjoy the exterior:

Library of Congress in the background:

The kids burned off some energy running around the lawn outside the Capitol (under the eye of some armed guards--I feared the penalty for tearing up the grass might be hefty).  It was cold and windy--really windy.  Our next planned activity was a paddle boat ride on the Tidal Basin, but John said he thought that wouldn't be fun due to the wind.  I was pretty bummed, because I knew that activity would be a hit with both kids, but I agreed he was probably right.  AND, later that day, Missy forwarded me an email about one of the paddle boats getting stuck and some people ending up in the water--I am totally not making this up, click HERE.  Anyway, that rid me of any lingering regrets about missing the boat outing, and I think God knew we were not up to a frigid swim in the Tidal Basin.

So, instead, we took the Metro (did I mention how much the kids love public transportation?) to Dupont Circle for lunch.  John wanted to check out ShopHouse, as we are Chipotle stockholders (and eat there 3-4 times per month to protect our investment, if not our waistlines) and he wanted to scope out their new venture.  I was happy to try ShopHouse, and even happier because it was in close proximity to another yarn shop...which also ended up being closed (clearly not my weekend for DC yarn shopping).  But ShopHouse was yummy and we hope one lands in the Daytona area. 

Missy met us after lunch, and we headed for the National Building Museum.  This was Missy's suggestion--they have an exhibit of famous buildings constructed (smaller scale!) from Legos, as well as a Lego play area for kids.

After that, we went to the Air and Space Museum, where Anna made Missy board one plane exhibit with her about 35 times, and Will and I went on a flight simulator.  Thanks to my horrible flying skills, we spent a lot of the ride hanging upside down, suspended by our seat belts.  To Will's credit, he kept firing at enemy aircraft while repeatedly informing me that "this is not fun AT ALL!!"  We both emerged from the ride shaken and dizzy, but, after several hours of reflection, Will decided that it had been "a little bit fun."

One of John's friends suggested Acqua al 2 as a dinner destination.  Missy, John, and I have all eaten that the original one in Florence, and this one was almost as awesome.

Fighting boredom while waiting for food:

The food did come and it was delicious, and the children did not get us kicked out of the restaurant, but I did vow to do a little more practice on table manners at home (which has been going well, actually).  And that was more or less the end of Day 3.

***

Day 4 was Tuesday--Missy had to work (boo) and we had to leave...for New York, New York!

We took an Amtrak train from Union Station in DC to Penn Station in New York.  The kids were wowed by the train station and enjoyed going out by the tracks to board the train.  It's about a 3.5 hour trip by train; the kids spent their time watching a movie, eating snacks, and napping (Anna).

John was in charge of booking hotels for this trip, and he did a fantastic job on our NYC hotel.  We stayed at the Marriott Marquis, in a 22nd floor room looking right out on Times Square.  The kids were fascinated by all the lights, people, and taxi cabs:

They were also fascinated by the clear round elevators:

They drop quite fast, and, on every descent, Anna would yell, "Whoa!!"

We tooled around Times Square for a little while.  John watched CNBC's Fast Money (through the window) as it was being filmed, and two of the anchors waved at Will.  Then we took the kids to Toys R Us and they took a spin on the giant ferris wheel:

About this time, I started to feel really hot and a little nauseous.  I blamed the crush of people in the store and tried to hurry the kids along so I could get outside into some fresh air.  We decided to go ahead and take the subway to Eataly for dinner to see if my stomach would settle.

Well....I took a few bites of my lemon cream pistachio ravioli and my stomach did NOT settle...it pitched quite a fit actually.  The rest of the evening went downhill from there, and poor John was left in charge of bathing the kids and getting them to bed with no help from me. 

***

Day 5 was supposed to start with a trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  I was in no condition for that excursion, so John and Will went by themselves.  Will had a great time on the boat ride and touring Liberty Island, but they ended up skipping Ellis Island and came back to the hotel to check on us girls.

In a providential twist akin to the Tidal Basin incident, I had packed a bottle of Zofran in my luggage.  I packed it in case of migraine, but it ended up saving the trip for me.  I still didn't feel great, but it made me feel well enough to leave the hotel room.  I tend to go into overdrive mode on vacation and hate to miss anything, so I really wanted to salvage the day.  So Anna and I ventured to the Union Square Greenmarket and the Strand while the boys were gone.  

They brought us back a souvenir:

We girls thought it was a decent consolation prize. :-)

We then went on a tour of the new 9/11 memorial.  It will eventually be open to the public, but security is tight while it's under construction, so you have to register online for free tickets.  The new 1 WTC building is getting closer to completion, and both memorial pools are functioning:

After that, we headed uptown so that I could stop by Purl.  I triple-checked their hours after my previous failed craft shopping, so they were indeed open when we arrived.  John entertained the kids at a cafe next door, leaving me with about 45 minutes of shopping time.  I worked fast:

Right as I was finishing up my purchase, Will poked his head inside the shop door and loudly announced his need to go potty.  This is not the kind of shop that has public bathrooms, but one of the girls took pity on us and led us to the staff bathroom.  On the way back out, Will took a look at the big wall of yarn and asked if I would make another snake from yarn that he picked out.  So he picked out the blue Cascade above (which is now the snake in his birthday post).

We did a little more window-shopping, and even spotted a familiar face:

We decided to give Junior's a try for dinner.  I always crave salty foods after I've had a stomach bug, so I ordered the BLT. I think they fried up an entire package of bacon just for my sandwich!  I took 3/4 of the bacon off and handed it to Will, and even he couldn't finish it.

Kids admiring the view before bed:

 ***

Day 6!  I had more of my vacation energy back, so we decided to walk up 5th Avenue to visit a few stores we knew the kids would love.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Breakfast at the Wafels and Dinges truck:

We popped inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.  Both kids immediately dropped to a whisper--obviously they were impressed by its immensity:

We also went inside Trump Tower because John thought the kids would think the lobby was cool...and lo and behold, The Donald himself was inside.

We saw him during our last trip to New York, so I feel like he is going to be the celebrity I see on every trip there.  Like Mario Lopez in LA. :-)

We moved on to a perennial kid favorite, FAO Schwarz:

Anna and I finally got to see a Statue of Liberty up close. :-)

Playing on the big piano:

It was fun, but we opted not to purchase it. :-)

We did find some things we could afford at Dylan's Candy Bar:

After that, we went to the Empire State Building.  We paid for the express pass, and it was worth every cent.  It saved us about 2 hours of waiting in line!

John and Will checking out the view:

That tallest building in this photo is the new World Trade Center building--it's really tall in comparison to the skyscrapers surrounding it.

The Statue of Liberty:

Sweet boy:

This is how Anna spent her time at the top:

She woke up during the trip back down:

Our afternoon consisted of a quick trip inside the New York Public Library...

(Snakes!)

...and some playtime in Central Park:

Alice in Wonderland:

Conservatory Water:

Hans Christian Andersen:

The kids would have happily played for hours, but it started getting dark quickly, so we headed back downtown in search of food.

We had a specific dinner plan in mind:

That would be the 53rd and 6th halal cart--the best halal cart per one of our friends from home.  I have no basis for comparison, but it was indeed delicious.

***

Day 7--time for home!  I got up early and ran out to get some cupcakes for the trip home.  (Fancy desserts always ease my post-vacation blues!)  We took a few more pics of the view (since, as cool as it was, I don't think we'll be staying in Times Square again!):

(Good Morning America was filming a fashion segment outside--Will thought it was so cool that he could watch the segment from both the TV and the window at the same time.)

One last ride in the fun elevator, one last taxi ride, and then we boarded the plane for home.  Anna was great during the flight, except during the descent when she loudly sang a medley of "Jesus Loves Me", "My Country Tis of Thee", and the "Imperial Death March".  A man 3 rows back stopped me on the way out to tell me how cute she was, so we decided he must be either a Christian, a patriot, or a Star Wars fan (or all three).

When we arrived back in the Daytona airport, both kids helped us get the baggage and then went looking for a train to board.  They seemed shocked that the Greater Daytona area had not installed a subway system during our absence.  We finally made it to the boring regular car, though.  

Once we were all inside and buckled up, Will announced, "Well, that sure was a fun adventure!"

Most definitely. :-)