Just wanted to report on a fun trip we took to New York City yesterday, December 22. It's become something of a tradition for us to take a day trip there for the last couple of years. This is the first year we felt comfortable bringing Sam. We always go with Tom's former college roommate Jon, his wife Kathy, and their 2 teenage sons, Brian and Sean. It's nice for us because Jon always drives all the way down. We park somewhere down near the Brooklyn Bridge, in the neighborhood of the federal building where Jon used to work. While Sam was slightly whiny about how long it was taking to get where were were going, he was not overly so, and enjoyed looking at everything once we got closer to our detination. Jon pointed out some of the landmarks, we saw a couple of huge cruise ships, and Sam enjoyed seeing all the ads on the buildings. We stopped at Battery Park so Sam could see the Statue of Liberty across the water, then parked and headed for the main attraction- the subway! Sam really seemed fascinated by the whole thing. He didn't want to get off once we got on, but we persuaded him pretty easily. We saw part of the holiday light show in Grand Central Station, then went to view the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. Sam loved going into the NBC store there! We ate at an Irish pub, and Sam was really well behaved. He drew all over the paper placemats at the restaurant, and ate a good meal of pasta and sauce.
Even with all the walking involved, it was clear he enjoyed the whole thing. He liked to be out walking on the street after dark and seeing all the lights. On the way home, we stopped in the Bronx on Arthur Avenue and had cappacinos and dessert at a little cafe. All this way past Sam's usual bedtime, but he did so well. He tried a cannoli and cheesecake!
I guess the key to it all was not trying to do anything ambitious. We kind of just played it by ear, and did whatever we felt like doing. Jon and Kathy were the perfect tour guides, and the boys are so nice to Sam. It somehow felt like the right time to take him there, and I'm glad he enjoyed it so much. You never know what is going to go well and what isn't, but I guess it's all about trying. Now I'd love to plan another trip down there- maybe in warmer weather!
