DC Replacement

This week we were supposed take a vacation to Washington DC. Of course, David had to go on a business trip the day we were to leave, so our vacation was canceled. There were 2 upsides: 1) despite 7.5 hours in a plane, he got home on Wednesday earlier that normal (11pm) and 2) we did fun things here at home. Sometimes I feel guilty for living in NYC and not taking full advantage of it. This week advantage has been taken.

1) Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of the Guggenheim (aka CooCooHi by Elijah) = free admission. Since we usually travel via subway, Elijah was excited to take a bus. I was excited to wait in a line that was half mile long. It was incredibly crowded, but we walked to the top of the circle ramp. Looking at the colorful modern paintings framed by the white railings was stunning. My favorite art piece was the huge, gold, beaded curtain at the top. My reaction was, “Mardi Gras has met classy, never thought it would happen.”

Elijah enjoying the CooCooHi

2) Thursday. A Star is Born. Elijah will be starring on PBS television in January or February…almost. Sony Wonder Technology Lab had a Tech for Tots class. I called last minute; they had one spot left and apparently, PBS was filming some sort of a show there. Now, the only exposure I have had to PBS is Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers, so I thought they were going to do a little clip about kids (about six 4 year olds) learning to use the computer since they were playing Elmo and Big Bird games. Afterward, I looked up the show that was filming there: “Frontline.” Much to my surprise, they report on topics such as “The Meth Epidemic” and “The Torture Question.” So, I’m not sure what kind of television program Elijah will appear on (I’m leaning towards the torture over the meth), but I do know that he got some significant air time since he and another boy spontaneously partnered up to learn together. The camera man was all over that! The boy’s mom later told me that her son had been dropping the F-bomb in the microphone. Another Frontline show is entitled “The Burden of Innocence.”
3) Friday. Potato Knish and cinnamon roll at the farmers’ market. Trip to the first and newly-opened Michael’s in Manhattan. Then to the library for Spanish books. I had a meeting with Elijah’s teacher this week. His two bad class habits are speaking English (although he understands Spanish perfectly) and only playing with the boys. Hence the library trip and the playdate with a girl planned for next week.
4) Saturday. My new all-time favorite museum is the MoMA. David’s work ID gets us in for free, but yesterday was our first visit. Then a date night. It’s been a long time. Yakitori Totto: Japanese food minus sushi. Extremely good. Then we walked home about 4 miles. David constantly comments that that’s one of his favorite things about NYC. Walking. Eat really good food until your eyeballs pop and then take a long walk home to alleviate the pain.

Claire enjoying Picasso at MoMA

5) The ideal Sunday: See a parade and the floating Jack-O-Lanterns in Central Park. Alas, today wasn’t ideal. David's life is on loan to a bank and the rest of us were too tired to brave it alone. Oh well, plenty of adventures to come…