Morris Jumel Mansion

Yesterday we participated in a service project that I organized for an Enrichment Activity. We went up to the Morris Jumel Mansion which is only 2 blocks from where we live. This is the oldest house in Manhattan and was also the headquarters for General George Washington for several weeks during the Revolutionary War. We did some weeding, pruning, planting and other various gardening activities. The weather was quite threatening all morning, but the heavy rain waited until we were finished with our project! Miracle!

This is Lexi playing in the water fountain while Matt & I do some tree pruning. 

Update on the car situation

For those who want to know how we are faring in the city without a car, we say VERY WELL! It has not been hard at all for us. Somedays it is frustrating to wait and wait for a bus or train, but we have been able to get everywhere we want to go. We can even escape from the city easily, which I wasn't too sure about as others have told me it's hard to get out without a car. You just have to know where to go and how to get there. For instance, on Memorial Day we went up the Hudson River to northern Westchester county in less than an hour- we took the subway to a Metro North station and took the commuter train up the river and then a short cab ride to our destination of Van Cortlandt Manor. And it probably cost us less than the gas for a drive in a car plus parking etc. The Manor was less than a mile from the train station, so we walked back.

The only thing we do miss are our Costco trips, but thanks to some wonderful friends & my mother who think of me when they go, we can get a some things on occassion. It is even easy to get to my mother's home in White Plains- we take a bus into the Bronx from our home and then take the Metro North Commuter train to White Plains where my mom lives only a couple of minutes from the station.

We also indulged in an iPod, which has made Matt's daily commute somewhat more enjoyable. And he can listen to his wierd music (i.e. Frank Zappa) on his own time and not at home. Although, I have to give him credit for NEVER playing that wierd stuff when I am around. Thanks, honey!

Who Says New Yorkers Are Rude?

A short anecdote proving that New Yorkers are not all mean-spirited people:

When Lexi and I go to swimming class, we have to take one bus south on Amsterdam Ave and then transfer to a west-bound bus on 145th Street. This requires crossing the street twice as the bus stops are located on opposite corners of the intersection (diagonally across). Yesterday, as we got off the first bus I noticed the second bus was already at the stop. If we miss it, we end up waiting and waiting and waiting, so I swooped Lexi up in my arms and made a dash for it, precariously crossing the busy streets as soon as traffic was clear. We got to the door of the bus just as it began pulling away, when I got daring and stepped up to the door of the moving bus to signal the driver. He pointed to the bus behind him (which I hadn't noticed) and motioned that I get on that one as it hadn't made a stop yet. However, since it was the same busline & didn't have to make a drop-off, he assumed no one needed picking up at that stop and also drove right by me, even though I was running alongside with a small child in arms banging on his door. A cab driver must have witnessed the whole thing, because he pulled up and told me he would take me where I needed to go. I told him I didn't have any money (which was the honest truth) and he insisted it was fine. And so, we got a free ride to our destination from an oh-so-kind cab driver! Only in New York!

Swimming Class

For the past several weeks, Lexi and I have been attending a swimming class at Riverbank State Park on Thursdays for tots & their *caregivers* (to be perfectly PC). Here is Lexi with her little friend Ezra, who is also in the class, and thier teacher Peter. One of Lexi's favorite lessons was when they were learning to do the Elementary Backstroke and Peter explained the arm movements to be like a "Chicken, Airplane, Soldier." Lexi recites this over and over throughout the week, although she has yet to really perform the actions in the water.

Today on our way home from class, while waiting for the bus, we watched a couple busses headed west. Lexi turned to me and said, "That bus is going to Jersey, right?" And she was, partly right- it was driving toward New Jersey!

Warmer Weather

Well, warmer weather has officially arrived in New York City. And all the concrete and humidity only seems to magnify it. We have recently made friends with a family who lives close by and has a backyard! Hurray! Thanks to Olivia (3 1/2) & Grayden (1 1/2) and their mom, Christine, for inviting us! We went over on Tuesday afternoon for fun with the hose. (The sprinkler didn't go over too well.) Lexi and Olivia spent quite some time watering (drowning?) the flowers. 

Van Cortlandt Manor

Thanks to our Bank of America perks, we were able to visit Van Cortlandt Manor on Memorial Day. It is a living history museum where you canl experience the domestic life of a patriot family living in the years just after the American Revolution - the New Nation period. There was a special festival going on called Animals & Acrobats where we saw a puppet show, a magician, a slack-rope walker, storytelling and a juggler. We brought a picnic lunch and toured the historic buildings on site as well.

Click HERE for more photos of our day. 

Guggenheim

As rather unsatisfied customers of Citibank, we decided to switch to Bank of America for a number of reasons, which I won't detail here. One of the perks of our new account ownership is that during the entire month of May, we are able to get 2 free tickets each to a number of museums in the New York area. I took Lexi over to the Children's Museum of Manhattan one rainy day, where we had a blast. This picture was taken at the Guggenheim in the lobby where you can look up and see the interesting circular architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. We were able to see an exhibit of some of Jackson Pollack's works and we have decided on a print we would like to get for our *new and improved* living room. Unfortunately, a portion of the museum was closed off as they are preparing for an upcoming exhibit. Still a fun trip! 

Quotables...

"This is tasty. It makes my mouth feel better."

~Lexi, after taking a nice swig of Newman's Own Grape Juice.

First Haircut

Today I took Lexi *downtown* for her first official haircut. I have never really cut it over the past 2+ years. Just a small trim here and there, but I have been trying to grow it out. It has gotten to the point where I feel it is quite shaggy, though, and I wanted it to get cleaned up a bit. So we went to a salon that specializes in kid’s cuts. She got to sit in a Jeep chair, complete with moveable steering wheel. She was also allowed to choose a movie to watch during the process, which explains her averted eyes in many of the photos. She also got a lollipop- an extremely rare treat. She was very patient and cooperative through the whole thing and even allowed the lady to blow dry her hair. As a result, she was rewarded with another (!) lollipop, a balloon, a small toy boat, and a certificate acknowledging her first haircut, including several locks of her hair. She was such a good girl, but then again she is definitely ALL GIRL, and what girl doesn’t love getting her hair done?!

 

David Blaine

So this man, David Blaine, has been submerged in a bubble of water for a week now. He is commanding an awful lot of attention since he is right smack in the middle of Lincoln Center. Tonight, he attempts to hold his breath under the water for 9 minutes, or something extremely crazy like that. We waited in line for 15 minutes to get a chance to walk up beside him and get a close-up view of him. Here he is giving Lexi a high-5.

After watching some of the Prime Time special about David Blaine and his *magic*, I can't help but wonder if he has turned to the *dark side*. His tricks are creepy and eerie and I had an icky feeling while watching. He seems to be obsessed with the attention and the buzz he creates doing these absurd feats. I'm sure he makes a lot of money doing, it, too.... Either way, it was an interesting thing to go and see. But I still think he's crazy. 

Rooftop BBQ

Thanks to all the medical students in the ward, we are able to have fantastic barbrques on the roof of the dorms at Columbia University Medical student housing. There is an incredible view of the George Washington Bridge to the west, and the Bronx to the east. Today, there were a few other students out sunning and *studying*. This student let Lexi & Aiden feed her little dog. They spent a good 15 minutes just giving him pellet after pellet of dog food. 

I'm Hungry!

In January, a little European bakery opened up, literally, around the corner from our building. We are pretty frequent patrons. They make the most delicious, buttery, flaky croissants in all sorts of yummy flavors. We also love their breads- baguettes & other fancy loaves. Tonight Lexi and I ran down to get a baguette for our dinner and I caught her trying to sneak a bite! 

Alexis

Grandma Cope recently sent a beautiful poncho that she knit herself. She is a most talented lady! When Lexi first put it on she couldn't stop saying how much she loved it: "I love it, Mommy. I love it!" I do think she looks most adorable in it. 

Me & my BFFs

During Matt's spring break we had the pleasure of a visit from one of my very best friends, Lisa Russell & her husband Scott (who is also a very dear friend). Here we are in the garden of the Home restaurant in the West Village. Me & 2 of my very best friends! 

Easter Eggstravaganza

The Saturday before Easter we went down to Central Park for the Easter Eggstravaganza. There was a big easter egg hunt, which we found out upon our arrival had been cancelled. So we stuck around for the puppet show put on by the Swedish Marrionette Theater and then attempted to do a few other things at the fair, only to realize the lines were incredibly long and neither we nor Lexi had the patience to wait. So we ended up riding the carousel and heading home for naps. 

Daddy-Daughter Music Session

Lexi received her first bonafide musical instrument- Matt gave one of his harmonicas to Lexi. Here they are having a little jam session. We got some good video of it, too. 

All Tuckered Out

Yesterday Matt entered the building with full hands, a wound-up Lexi, and another man. I had left to go to Costco with friend Jessica. When Matt got up to the apartment, he couldn't find his keys anywhere even after re-tracing his steps. So either he dropped them down the elevator shaft (through the space between the elevator & the door) or he left them in the outside door to our building where they got swiped. Due to traffic in New Jersey and congestion at Costco, I was gone for 2 hours. Matt waited with Lexi in our lobby, bummed an empanada off Enrique at the bodega, and kept Lexi happy (which was a task since it was past her naptime!). When I got home, we decided to try and keep Lexi up for another hour or so and then put her to bed early. In the meantime, we had to pay our Super a little extra so he would tend to our needs right away by replacing the cylinder lock on our door. As one of the few white tenants in the building, we were nervous that whoever may have swiped the keys would know right where we live and clean us out... we put a movie on while Matt ran to the hardware store and I assisted the super & she was OUT by the end of the first 5 minutes. 

Sold!

The cold and rainy weather today was appropriate for our farewell to our car... we are officially New Yorkers now, relying on mass transit to get around. We posted our car on Craig's List (a sort of online garage sale) and it sold in 2 days! I wasn't expecting it to go so quickly (maybe we should have asked for more money!), so I wasn't really emotionally prepared to say goodbye to the first car I bought with my own money right after my mission. It's been a good car, but more of a liability than an asset here in the city, so we are actually glad to see it go. 

Meet Shawn White

A few weeks ago, Pepsi had a big promotion day in Manhattan to promote the new Diet Dew drink (Mountain Dew). Grandma Susan came to the city to hand out lots of free samples and other paraphenalia, and then got to meet Shaun White (aka. The Flying Tomato) who won gold in snowboarding at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. She is standing on Shaun's right. 

Signing the Check

We recently went out to dinner with Grandma Susan at a delicious Indian place near her house. The server delivered the check to the table, and Lexi was all set to sign...