Subways, Snow and Sky-High Adventures

My daughter and I just got back from New York - the big dazzling city that it is! She had never been to NYC before, much less on the plane that took us there, so it was a thrilling adventure for her.

When we arrived at the airport, she asked all kinds of questions about security: why we had to take our shoes off, why we couldn't bring scissors, what the wand is for and how the x-ray machine works... (Interesting topics for sure!) Once we made it through, she wanted to find our gate, find our plane and buy some snacks. The flight attendant let her peek in the cockpit, she waved to the Marshaller (the guy who guides the planes... yes, I had to look that up) who was nice enough to wave back - five times, and collected more snacks. When the plane took off, she nearly lost her breath and when she found it, she started to giggle and exclaimed that it was like riding a roller coaster, only a whole lot better! We played aviation bingo, visited the bathrooms (which really are very fascinating, doncha think) and enjoyed our snacks.

My sister met us at the airport and we headed to her house. My daughter was beside herself on the subway. Once the initial intimidation subsided, she was right at home, swinging in circles around the bar and peeking out the window at the sights. My sister, a seasoned subway rider, was dismayed by the swinging, so we quickly had to make a rule about that.

It snowed on our first day there and was absolutely beautiful. Seven inches falling fast on a Friday morning. My daughter had never seen so much of the fluffy stuff before and just about jumped out of her skin. Our day was filled with snow angels, snowball fights and snowmen. We stopped at Union Square to let her run wild with the other snow-obsessed NY kids while we sipped coffee on the sidewalk and chatted with other moms. One had lived in NY for over 30 years and her son, who was deeply engaged in a serious snowball fight with my daughter, was named, I kid you not, Cosmo Raleigh. I felt like we were in a scene straight from Seinfeld!

For much of the time we were there, my daughter was dripping wet from the snow. On the Union Square Park day, a puddle literally formed around her as we stood on the subway. She lost her hat on the first day (probably in the park). I gave her one of mine, which is no doubt in the lost and found of the Empire State Building gift shop on the 80th floor. There was one day her boots were so soaked that her freezing cold toes turned numb. We took the boots off on the subway and wrapped her feet in gloves and a scarf!

Anywhere the snow had piled up, my daughter had to tromp through it. She was the queen of any sidewalk snow mountain and the maker of a thousand snowballs! Where ever there was snow, there was my daughter.

But, oh my, it was gorgeous. It sparkled in the fading winter sunlight on Liberty Island. It softly rested on statues and park benches. Birds frolicked playfully in the drifts. It melted slowly and was just about gone on our last night there after we had enjoyed the best tasting Brooklyn pizza that I've ever had the pleasure of eating.

What an experience! New York City in winter! (More pics of our trip on Sunniviews)

P.S. Note to moms and dads - To keep my daughter occupied on the plane and interested in all things NY, I found some great websites with printable activity pages. Enjoy!
Aviation Bingo
Learn All About Airports
Aviation Alphabet, Inside the Cockpit and more
Fun NYC Travel Map
NY State Quarter Worksheet & Design Your Own Quarter
NY State Crossword Puzzle
Empire State Building Coloring Pages
Empire State Building Activity Page
Statue of Liberty Junior Ranger Activity Booklet

Mystery of the Monkey Coconut Solved

I have cracked the mystery of the monkey coconut! As you may have read on my State Fair entry, I purchased a scrumptious pina colada in a monkey coconut that can be used as a bank once you're finished with the drink. Everyone who has seen the monkey coconut has fallen in love with it and it now seconds as a sort of Budda in my office. Whenever we get frustrated or stressed out, we rub monkey coconuts head gently and chant, "oh, Have-Fun-Monkey-Coconut, give us patience!". MC also keeps my Zeldaloo's Mermaid company - this lovely little treasure I purchased at an etsy.com fair while visiting New York.

So, my sister saw a picture of monkey coconut and was dying to have her own. What a great Christmas gift it would make! I started searching the internet and found a few on ebay but they were way too pricey. I thought about calling the fair organizers and seeing if I could get a hold of the people who ran the booth. Then I had an even more brilliant idea and called the 800 number printed on the bottom of my treasured little coconut!

As it turns out, the monkey coconut can be purchased from Topshelf Marketing, a Drinkware Catalog. But you can't buy just one. Oh no, minimum purchase is 36 MC's for $4.50 each. I tried to think of 36 people in my life who might actually want a Have Fun Monkey Coconut for Christmas. Then I wondered if anyone might want to go in on a purchase with me. Since I had trouble with that, I wondered if I could resell them on ebay for a profit. Honestly, they appear to be a hot ticket item.

So, as I continue to debate the purchase of the monkey coconut, take a gander for yourself - here is the link. And if anyone out there has any other connections to reasonably priced monkey coconuts, I'd be grateful for the info!

I ~Heart~ New York!!

So, I love New York - I really, really do! We just got back on Sunday and I still feel exhilarated. My mom, my aunt and I went to visit my sister who just landed her first solo art show at the Monya Rowe Gallery in Chelsea. We were absolutely ecstatic and decided to make it a girls getaway weekend!

What I love about New York is the vibrancy and constant movement of the city. I love how you can get from place to place on the subway (I swear I lost 5 pounds!) without ever worrying about parking. I love the little corner stores that sell flowers on the sidewalk. I love the hot dog and soft pretzel sellers in the street. I love the little Italian restaurants that have been in the same spot for decades. I love the skyscrapers and the beautiful brick townhouses.

We began our weekend on Times Square the night we arrived and had a fabulous time, despite the rain. We stood on the concrete island in the middle of Broadway and snapped photos, along with other dazzle-eyed tourists! We had martinis at the Marriott Marquis. We talked late into the night.

The next day was the gallery opening and we were shocked to discover that seven of the 20 paintings sold before the the show even opened! We celebrated along with her friends and had a delicious midnight breakfast at a corner diner.

The few days following, we relaxed, we shopped, we had fabulous food. One highlight was discovering a group of etsy.com crafters from Portland, OR in Cameron Gardens, Brooklyn! What an amazing and talented group of artists. It was such a treat to chat with them and I found Zeldaloo's Mermaids irresistible and bought one of my own! This little beauty now sits in my office beside the coconut monkey from the NC State Fair (more on this later...) Some of my other favorites were Leah's Glass, Mmm Fiber, Curly Girl Glass, Urbana Pottery, and Ta-Dah Glass Creations! They were all so sweet and gave me a little treat bag to take home!

Ahh, what a lovely extended weekend! My sister's apartment is beautiful, her paintings are breathtaking, her friends crack me up and New York is just amazing. My daughter saw an "I ~heart~ New York" bumper sticker a couple weeks ago and she asked me what it meant. I said, Well, it means I love New York. She said, Mommy, I do love New York! So I brought her a slew of "I ~heart~ New York" souvenirs and she was ecstatic. Despite the draw of such a wonderful city, it was still nice to be home. I got a TON of kisses - from my daughter, my husband and our dog! Yes - it's great to be home, but what a lovely time was had by all!