Thursday, December 27, 2007
Getting Out of the House and Away from the Toys
In an effort to get the kids out of the house and away from High School Musical Edition UNO!, Connect Four and Operation, I bundled them, hopped the F train to Coney Island and took them to lunch at Nathan's.

The "seaside" is so peaceful at this time of year. The only patrons in Nathan's are die-hards (or the Polar Bear Club) and there's virtually no line to order. Which is nice, because that meant I got to nag Harry to eat his lunch that much quicker. The boardwalk was empty except for a couple of runners and another pair of women looking to break the cycle of holiday eating with nitrates from Nathan's. (I know because they asked me for directions.)

Next we spent a couple of hours at the aquarium looking at fish and penguins and Northern fur seals. The grand finale of the visit was seeing Brooklyn's Biggest Baby. We left the aquarium and started for home when Sophie realized she'd lost her High School Musical Gabrielle doll. So back to the aquarium we went to search for the lost doll. This was the point in the day when for the billionth time I reminded my kids "this is why we leave our toys at home!" (Sophie is happy to report that her Gabrielle doll was right where she left her, on a ledge near the walrus' underwater viewing tank. I am happy to report that the tic I had in my eye went away upon finding the doll.)

Finally, mercifully, we boarded the train to head back home, where I could sit and have a cup of coffee in peace. Now, one of the best parts of living in New York City is the incredible amount of culture you are exposed to on any given day. This afternoon alone, we saw families of all shapes, sizes and colors. I thought the kids took this for granted and hardly noticed differences in people. Then our train stopped at a station on the way home and an orthodox Jewish man boarded, wearing the traditional black hat and a black coat. Harry took one look at him and said "Look, mom! A magician!"

Pass the Bailey's for that coffee, please.


3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't stop laughing, i can just picture it. When your uncle Justin was around Harrys age he saw a Nun in the supermarket, (in those days Nuns wore habits) so very much like Harry he said "Look Che Che Superlady" Needless to say i was pretty embarrased. God Love my Harry Boy, glad to hear that Sophia found her doll, and i'm pretty sure you were pissed!!!!
love, mom

Blogger Andie said...

oh, God love you Harry. That's funny. Glad you and the kids had a great day (save for the dolly incident)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's nice that you and the kids had a nice day out. Sounds like Santa was very good to the kids.I actually remember an embarrasing moment I gave my father when I was young. We were walking down our block and an African American man was across the street. I pointed to him and yelled out "Look, a chcolate baby!" (they were chocolate candies shaped like babies that are no longer sold). Harry is just too funny!

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