Having just returned from an 11 day trip to Baltimore, New
York and back to Baltimore, I have come to realize that I learned a bunch
during that time. Average temperature
was way below freezing in both Baltimore and New York, with wind chills during our 3 day stay in New
York reaching the -20 degrees range.
Our trip started in Baltimore on the day of our grandson,
Elie's 3rd birthday. I was all prepared with plenty of balloons to
amaze and delight his friends with balloon animals at the party, but alas, the
party was not to happen. Elie's nearly
105 temperature sent him to the emergency room, but he was quick to recover
from his viral infections, only to pass the germs along to his little brother
and Saba and Coco. So, revelation
#1....preschools are another word for germ factories and if you go to preschool,
you will come down with all sorts of things....and then it will be passed
throughout the house. So, we had a
family only party with birthday cake, balloons, and presents. Elie seemed to be okay with that setup which
brings me to revelation #2 - At 3 years old, as long as there is the birthday
cake and presents, it doesn't really matter if you have lots of people there or
not.
Having to stay inside and keep Elie occupied during this
time meant playing with all of his toys and stretching the limits of our IPads. NetFlix is a great invention in that it
carries most of what keeps a 3 year old toddler's interest - first and foremost
in Elie's case is Jake and The Neverland Pirates. And I learned that the secret words are
YoHoHo and that we get to help Jake in all of his adventures while collecting
gold dubloons that we have to count at the end of each episode. That doesn't mean there is not any interest
also in The Magic School Bus, Mickey Mouse, Curious George and others, but Jake
is, by far, the favorite. I am
constantly amazed at the intuitiveness of a 3 year old mind in the operation of
an IPad or IPhone - the ability to recognize favorite apps and games and then
play those games is revelation #3.
Leaving Baltimore, Connie and I boarded Amtrak for our trip
to New York. I learned that it really is
the best way to travel in the northeast corridor....no security lines,
relatively on time schedules and a comfortable ride to Penn Station in
NYC. We stayed at The Mansfield Hotel -
another bargain we got through HotWire.
I have used Hotwire on many occasions and am usually pleased with the
results. When you book a hotel through
them, your rate is generally a fraction of the published rate - with one
catch. You don't know exactly which
hotel you will be getting until AFTER you pay - and then you are stuck! However, there are reviews and ratings for
each property and they are USUALLY spot on.
Well, needless to say, the Mansfield, though well maintained and clean
and in a great location on 44th St between 5th and 6th Ave. did not exactly
deserve the 4 stars it was rated...the room was about 8'x12' and the bathroom
was so small (it had to have been a closet at one time)we had to back into it
to go to the toilet! And the heat
couldn't be controlled in the room, so we slept under piles of blankets and
comforter. So, revelation #4 is maybe
Hotwire is not the best thing to use in New York.
And was it ever cold in the city. We made our way down to Chelsea Market for
lunch on Tuesday and while there, it started to snow quite heavily. Revelation #5 - Snow = gridlock...stick to
the subway and stay off the street. Our
cab ride from Chelsea market to midtown took over an hour and lots of
cash. Also, once it starts to snow in
NY, the cabs all go home! Anyway, we ate
great food, saw terrific entertainment (The Jazz Standard for music , Kinky
Boots on Broadway), wandered around MOMA, explored the shopping INSIDE the
Rockefeller Center Concourse and tried to brave the frigid temps. Revelation #6 - The pretty snow is not so
pretty when the slush piles up and the wind is biting at your face....it makes
a 6 block walk seem like 5 miles! Heading
back to Baltimore on Thursday, we had a weather delay at Penn Station and the
crush of people there was at a factor of +1000 compared to Baltimore, but we soon arrived in Baltimore and moved in with
Brad, Claire and the boys. 
Brad left on a scheduled trip the next day and we got the
opportunity to spend quality time with Claire, Elie and Zev. By this time, Elie was mostly recovered
except for the constant sniffles and it was time for Zev to start feeling a
little punk. But we forged on and got to
go to Elie's first soccer experience on Saturday morning followed by a make-up
session at MyGym and then on to a complete 3 year old melt down. Revelation #7 - When a head strong 3 year old
doesn't get his way, a full meltdown is a pretty good bet.
My favorite part of staying at their house is the 6 AM
wake-up courtesy of our Grandson.
"Good Morning Saba - Can I get in bed with you and watch a show on
the IPad?" Although not fully
awake, we always get to watch at least one episode of Jake - part of which is
viewed with the covers over our heads and the IPad. On Sunday, we had a delightful brunch at a
terrific restaurant, went for ice cream and came home to watch The Lorax movie. Revelation #8 - Most kids' movies have
nuances that can't possibly be understood by kids and are there for the adult's
enjoyment.
On Monday, Claire decided to stay in with Zev, who by this
time was in full viral infection mode and Connie and I took Elie on a day's
adventure. He set the itinerary: Kiddie Caruso (an indoor play environment),
Lunch and then to Barnes and Noble. After
2 hours at play, we finally were able to get Elie to agree to go to lunch and
we headed to his favorite, PALOCHE (Chipolte) for beans and rice, guacamole,
corn tortillas and chips. I figured that
after a full morning and lunch, he would fall asleep in the car and forget
about Barnes and Noble, but as usual, I was wrong! Once in Barnes and Noble, we got to play and
read books and (this is important to an in-training toddler) go to the
bathroom....which resulted in a major reward for remembering to tell us when he
had to go. Yes, you guessed it, Elie
picked out a Jake The Pirate Book and playset as his reward. Which brings us to Revelation #9 - Once a 3
year old has something in mind, don't even think you can change the agreed on
course of action!
Brad came home on Monday evening and we left for home on
Tuesday. Arriving home to 84 degree
weather leads to these final revelations:
#10 - Eleven straight Days of sub-freezing weather is just
too much!
#11 - Heavy coats, hats, gloves and scarves are a pain in
the ass.
#12 - I really don't like wearing socks!
#13 - I really like wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip flops year-round.
#14 - But, for the opportunity to spend more time with our
grandchildren, we will brave any conditions!
And The Journey continues............
