I momentarily lost my mind and decided that the three of us should take a week-long trip to NYC to see Chris and Ashley. Nick had never been and it is probably my most favorite place on earth... so I figured it was time that he experienced it. For months I had been worried that I had bitten off more than I could chew considering we would be taking along an 8-month old that is constantly on the move. But all of those nights of lost sleep... were completely in vain. We had a fabulous time! I am convinced that Molly is like her mama - a city girl at heart. She loved every single second of it! From the second we would leave the house in the morning she was wide-eyed and taking everything in. Long gone were the days of our little girl who wouldn't dream of sitting still for more than 10 seconds. She would sit in her stroller all day long and just stare at the world around her, in awe. Her very favorite thing was the subway! She would just stare at the people - without blinking - for fear that she would miss something! And who said that New Yorker's aren't friendly?! Take a baby and the friendlies come out of the woodwork! Although, I must say, the city, itself, is anything but kid-friendly. We did not find one changing table in the whole city - although Bloomingdale's had a counter that could double as one. I got to be an expert at changing Molly on my lap - and it's not as difficult as I had imagined!
I think blond haired, blue eyed babies must be an anomaly in the city because we got ohs and ahs like you wouldn't believe. Our favorite was the girl who gasped and said "Gerber's got a new baby!" What kind of parents would we be if we disagreed?! Anyway, it was very interesting to observe. It was honestly like they had never seen a baby with blond hair and blue eyes before.
While we were there we... took a carriage ride through central park, saw West Side Story, saw all of the typical sight-seeing spots, ate Crumbs and Magnolia cupcakes until we were ready to burst, discovered fun little neighborhoods off the beaten path, ate some amazing food (my favorite was the Cuban restaurant and the French bistro we stumbled across), and walked until our feet felt like they would fall off.
We had a fabulous time and wish we could go back again tomorrow! We love you Chris and Ashley! Thank you for having us!
I realized that we didn't take nearly as many pictures as we should have. But here are a few that we did take:
In Times Square:
Hershey Store:
(Commentary: We call Molly "peanut", and her initials are M&M (Molly Melinda), so we have always said she is our Peanut M&M. Picture is fitting.)
In front of the Freedom Tower being build on Ground Zero:
FAO Schwarz:
Mama and Molly's Favorite Store! :
(We only look miserable because it as cold and windy...)
Carriage Ride in Central park:
Statue of Liberty (yes, that is the spec in the background):
Dylan's Candy Bar:
Magnolia Bakery (which we frequented...):
Clinton Street Bakery Blueberry Pancakes (from Bobby Flay Throwdown)
... yes they are DELICIOUS!:
Happy Camper in Little Italy:
Outside of Macys in the rain:
Molly's favorite place... the subway:
Plane ride home:
