The morning after our first night in Los Angeles, around 7am we boarded a plane to New York City. Augie slept for almost the entire flight. This was great except for my kidneys, because I had to go to the bathroom from fairly early on in the flight. I wasn't about to take the chance on waking him though so toughed it out!
We had rented a little 2-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, in the Theater District to be precise (smack between Hell's Kitchen and Times Square).
this little sign was just a block away from our apartment
our pad - 405 W 44th Street
The two first floor windows were ours - facing the street. We now have an appreciation of NYC's nickname 'The City That Doesn't Sleep', because it seemed like no matter what time of day or night, there was ALWAYS noise and activity outside those windows. Sirens, New Yorkers actively discussing the logistics of parking arrangements, trash trucks (the TRASH that city generates!!), people milling about, etc. etc.
A great thing about Manhattan is that you can't walk more than a few steps without falling over a diner or restaurant of some description. The first night we went nextdoor to our local italian joint (one of about 7 in the very near vicinity). I'd forgotten about the large portion sizes in America so when I ordered a milk for Augie, this ginormous cup is what we got. He wasn't even yet two and that cup is almost as big as he is!
The good-sleep first night in LA had lulled us into a false sense of confidence. Augie's jetlag in NYC was absolutely ferocious. This photo was taken in Times Square at 1.30am. He was being a maniac in the apartment so I decided may as well go out and see something. I felt perfectly safe on the 2-block walk from our apartment to Times Square because there were so many people out and about - yes, at 1.30am on a weeknight.
Same night - he's got his apple with him.
Then we stopped to get a pretzel from a sidewalk pretzel vendor. These, Augie loved. As do I.
After our big adventure in Times Square, he came home, played a little bit more, watched some Bob The Builder (Bob Boon-dah!) and then crashed out just as the sun was coming up.
The Times Square Toys R' Us was just two blocks from our place. It is a multi-story toy extravaganza, complete with a large, animated T-rex. Augie wasn't a huge fan of this feature. One thing he did love, after an initial warming period, was the Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot inside the store.
This photo was taken in front of a green screen and they digitally placed the store facade and Times Square behind us. He still talks about Geoff Giraffe and loves this photo.
The remedy for jetlag, especially with toddlers, is to get them as much fresh air and daylight as possible. This helps to reset their serotonin systems and little body clocks. In Manhattan, somewhat-fresh air can be managed but direct sunlight is a difficult thing to obtain with all the tall buildings. We thus spent as much time in parks as possible. Central Park (lots of pictures below) was absolutely fantastic. We were happy to spend so much time exploring. Fortunately, there were also a few good little parks dotted around our neighbourhood (where the above "Hell's Kitchen Express" photo was taken).
I had the great fortune to catch up with my dear, dear friend Alison from my San Diego days, but who now lives in London, and was coincidentally in New York City at exactly the same time as me. Love this girl!
I also had the great fortune to catch up with my dear, dear friend Courtney from my 3rd-grade days, who had relocated to Brooklyn from Tucson not 5 weeks before our visit to NYC. Love this girl! (Those are two giant NYC Subway rats on the yellow strip in the background of this photo, which was taken at about 1.30 in the morning although I suspect the rats would be that bold even at middday).
Augie's first - and very tentative - ride on a subway train. After this he warmed to it quickly and really enjoyed the noise and thrill of the subway.
When we were in NYC, he took to lying back on a pillow to have his nappy/diaper changed. He would only lie down for a change if there was something to lean against.
Times Square at a more civilised hour
The Lake, Central Park
Cheesing it up in Central Park (Upper West Side in the background)
Central Park has many bins...I think we looked in all of them. Twice.
Cherry Hill Fountain, Central Park
A few windsprints between Grandma Carma and Mom in front of the Cherry Hill Fountain
Taken in the midst of a long, exasperating jet-lagged evening/night just after he decided that climbing on my head was the absolute thrill-of-the-moment.
The Stardust Diner, home of the singing waitstaff. All of the waitstaff are aspiring Broadway actors. There's singing, there's dancing, there's singing and dancing on tables. Needless to say, this type of dining experience was right up Augie's alley.
Augie is a cuddler. I love this. At the end he asks to watch more 'Bob Boon-dah'
Shoulder rides from Dad on The Mall in Central Park.
a Bubble Man in Central Park
video of the Bubble Man
The High Line in Manhattan. An excellent example of regeneration of urban industrial spaces and the power of citizen advocacy. This historic freight rail line on Manhattan's west side was saved from demolition in the late 1990s by a passionate group of local residents and later turned into a green space.
On the High Line - a rare moment out alone. I did a detour there en route one evening to meet my friend Ali for dinner. I'm really glad I got to visit this fantastic space.
A not-so-civilised dinner.
A civilised lunch, complete with babycino. These don't seem to exist in the US. They consist of an espresso cup full of the foam from steamed milk. You can get them pretty much anywhere in Australia - from the tiniest town to the biggest city. I thought they (and good coffee) would be readily available in NYC. I was mistaken on both counts. After many failed attempts, we finally found a restaurant that could be coached into making a proper babycino. And Augie was very happy. The restaurant owner perked up his ears at such a concept of easy money for all patrons with children.
Saint Thomas Church, 5th Avenue
He seems like such a big boy now that I loved how teeny his hand still looks gripped around Mick's thumb.
Shoulder rides on the streets of Manhattan, I love the bagel cart in the right-hand background (shoulder rides were our express way of getting anywhere as letting him walk was a zig-zag adventure between subway grates, trash cans, steps and doorways).
Every time we passed, it was mandatory that Augie stand on this Times Square bin, two blocks from our house.
We spent half of our holiday looking in subway grates and exclaiming 'yuck!'. The other half was spent looking in trash cans. Since both of these features are ubiquitous on the Manhattan landscape, it took us an eternity to get anywhere. This, combined with Augie's jetlag, is why I got to see approximately 1/10th of the things I wanted to see in NYC!
Cheesing it up for the camera with Grandma Carma.
Doing some climbing across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theater.
It's a bird! It's a plane!! Nah, not Superman...I think it was a sky crane (which, if you're Augie, is infinitely more fascinating).
Rock climbing in Central Park.
Mom and I on The Carousel in Central Park (ditto following two photos).
While we rode The Carousel, Augie had a much-needed nap in his stroller. He fell asleep about 20 seconds after we'd bought the Carousel tickets. He never, ever, ever sleeps in his stroller so we knew he was dead tired. Poor little jet-lagged man.
Mick being a smarty-pants because I had the map and had given him directions to a place to which he (apparently) knew the way.
More smarty-pants. It's hard to take him seriously with the big bandage on his thumb. Which, it should be mentioned, is there because he was trying to cut the backyard grass with a kitchen knife. And missed.
Central Park sax man
a run on the Big Piano at FAO Schwarz on 5th Avenue (next photo and video as well)
Mom in Times Square, just prior to being mobbed by cartoon characters.
Super Mario was the first to approach her, she took her photo with him and gave him the obligatory tip. Then she got mobbed by a rogues' gallery of cartoon and video game characters. I don't have a photo of it because it was a bit freaky and we just had to high-tail it out of there.
This is the NYPD station in Times Square. Mom's panorama photo software obviously has some bugs to work out.
yet another subway grate...an endless pit of fascination
cuddles while waiting for 'Augie's train'
waiting for the paparazzi in Central Park
Yay! More bins!
Cheesing it up with Mom in Central Park. As you can see, Augie's 'photo pose' is still with us.
A rare photo of Augie and me, Cherry Hill Fountain, Central Park.
Looking at the ducks, off Bow Bridge, Central Park.
The most fantastic little flower-shaped peepholes on Bow Bridge.
There are many unglamorous tasks in the great big ol' job that is Motherhood. Boogie retrieval is fairly far up on that list.
Augie had a big crush on Courtney (who is here helping us cross yet another busy Manhattan street that Augie insisted on NOT being carried over) and brought her all of his worldly possessions (bin trucks, stuffed toys, etc.) in a show of his affection.
Checking out his reflection in a shiny Lincoln Square sculpture.
Mom backed up by The Empire State Building.
Mom and Captain Jack Sparrow (who, later fell over and broke his sword thanks to some rambunctious kid - not ours for once!)
Lady Liberty (from Staten Island)
The security dog in the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Augie hasn't met a dog he doesn't like.
As you can see in this photo (on his back getting a tummy rub from a toddler), not a vicious-type, this dog.
Augie looking onto Ellis Island from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Incidentally, we never made the ferry because Augie was exhausted and the wheels started to come off so we made the wise decision not to be stuck on a boat, in choppy conditions, with a rabid toddler. We caught the Subway back to our place for a nice nap.
Cuddles for Mom before she went to Brook and Rima's wedding (Brook is one of Mick's good friends and his wedding is the reason we went to NYC in the first place).
Climbing every stairway: another reason our progress down any street in any direction could only be described as glacial. I like the little jig he busts into when my phone starts ringing.
Ready for a play in Hell's Kitchen Park, which was only a few blocks from our apartment. The name Hell’s Kitchen is taken either from a notorious 1860s gang of that name or from a nickname given to the area by local police in the 1870s. Legend has it that one rookie cop commented to his more seasoned partner about the then-very-rough neighbourhood, “This place is hell itself.” “Hell’s a mild climate,” his partner replied, “This is hell’s kitchen.”
The ferociously independent Augie getting annoyed with Mom for accompanying him down the slide in Hell's Kitchen Park.
Outside of a sports bar before the inter-city match (NY Jets vs. NY Giants). Augie wasn't too sure about these big inflatable men.
However, he absolutely loved this giant fibreglass pig. Here he's giving it a high-five.
More chats wit the Big Pig.
The great thing about NYC, if you're a dog-lover like Augie, is that mutts of all description are absolutely EVERYWHERE.
We had a good play on these colourful chairs. The game was to go from one end to the other and back, climbing up and sitting on all six of them. We had to do this about three times. Another lesson in the fact that it's all about the journey and the destination will most definitely wait!
At La Guardia airport, looking onto the Manhattan skyline in the photo background. We were incredibly lucky in that we missed Hurricane Sandy (aka Frankenstorm) and the devastation it wrought, including La Guardia airport, by exactly 7 days.
Watching the planes come and go was a great source of entertainment while we awaited our flight to Chicago.
Captain Independent insisting upon rolling his own suitcase through Chicago's O'Hare airport.
And, of course, the airport experience was only enhanced because they had bins! And lots of them!
Despite the ferocious jetlag, which Augie only got over on our very last night in New York City, it was a fabulous week, rich with experiences, in a fabulous city that we'd all like to visit again in the not-so-distant future.
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