NYC and sleepover

I resisted going to NYC for a while. I'm not very energetic and where do I leave the kids when we are gone??!! Well, it was Tricia who convinced me that I just had to go. That one night we were planning became two nights and last friday, we were at the Big Apple!! It took me a while to get used to the idea that the kids would be OK. But of course they were just looking forward to the sleepover. Miss A said in this proud tone,

"Am I not too young to have a sleep over?" ("Yes baby, you are actually, but mama-papa are ready to bend some rules to please themselves!!!>>>")

Miss F was staying not one but two nights at her best friend's house, she couldn't be happier. She did make sure that I put one of new school pictures of both in my valet and she made me order copies of family pictures for them to take to Tricia's.

I realize how hard I found it, look how much time I spent just writing about leaving the kids home. Now it's time to go further, because we went to NYC and that is something!!!!

We arrived to LaGuardia in the evening, took the taxi to the hotel I found in 5 minutes on Internet. Honestly I was a bit nervous about it. Because of us Eddie and MA had changed their reservation. But the New York Manhattan hotel was quite OK. The nicest thing was the location, it was on the Korean street, always full of young people, lively and full of restaurants. Since Eddie and MA were at a musical, P and I decided to go out and eat something - which I do continuously lately, it's almost scary!! We found a Korean restaurant where the BBQ is in the middle of the table. Before we ordered, Eddie and MA arrived and it was a blast. Good food, good friends, what more can I say.

From there, we walked to the Times Square. A little disappointment, it is busy and surrounded with colorful screens, but further??... Then of course we had to go to a bar. Without a local, the best way to find a decent place is to ask a local. So we asked a police guy where we could have a drink. (I just couldn't come up with the word decent, so I said "family bar" to the policeman. He probably thought I was stoned or something...) We ended up in a street where Irish bars were lined up. We entered the most cosy looking one. When we arrived back to the hotel, it was around 3am. I ended up sleeping around 4am, something to pay for later!!

The next morning, of course getting up was hell, but we managed. We made an attempt to have breakfast at a nice looking bakery just under the hotel. Unfortunately they had nothing without milk or milk products. Disappointed, we left for the Central Park. Ah, what a beautiful day and what a beautiful place. Autumn colors and the sunshine just made it. People were jogging and biking on the streets, jazz musicians were giving little concerts, families cruising around... We saw the carousel and the ice skating rink. I just had the book club back at home about the "Catcher in the Rye" and scenes of the book came to life. Then we found (again asked someone) for a place to sit and eat. We ended up at the boathouse, which Sonja was telling me about. We had a fancy brunch.

After brunch, we walked through the park a bit more, and went to the 5th Ave. We walked to the Rockefeller Building. We went to the observation deck and had a great view of New york and the surroundings. It was good for the orientation, to see how Manhattan is an island and New Jersey looks so different and greener than NYC. The Central Park is really is a jewel in the middle of the concrete forest.

Eddie and MA were planning to do some shopping. We decided to take a cab and try to see the Statue of Liberty. Well, the taxi drive was much longer than expected, and when we arrived to the dock around 3.40, the last ferry to the Statue was gone. The seashore was beautiful though, so we walked around a bit. By that time, I was dragging my feet behind me, the tiredness was unbearable. We decided to go back to the hotel after seeing the Ground Zero. It was something to see where the Twin Towers were standing and the plans for the new building. We walked through the financial buildings, saw Deloitte's nice spot at the Big Apple, and of course all the hot shots in exactly same suits, like school kids in uniforms.

At the hotel, I wasn't the only one exhausted. P and I both fell asleep. When we met with Eddie and MA at the lobby, I was still not feeling fit. However, the story the came up with did cheer me up. They had the most hilarious story. After we went to Statue of Liberty, they ran into a crowd. The police was keeping people away from a movie set just on the street. So the two somehow ended up inside the police line and all of a sudden, they were the part of the crowd (all casted and paid actors) acting in the "crowd" scene. I can't remeber which movie it is, but we'll find it out. They had to act like they were watching someone climb or jump from a building. They had to give facial reactions to the command from a speaker. It's so funny that the people around them were paid actors and were seriously acting to the commands. I wonder if someone will realize at the montage the tall guy and the little girl with the backpack. And they were just next to the "star" of the scene. Hilarious!

To celebrate the breakthrough of Eddie and MA, we went tout for dinner. Well, actually the dinner arrangements were done by my assistant Tricia (in the car while I was driving to IKEA) couple days ago. I wanted to keep it as a secret, but P had to tell something and before I knew Eddie knew all about it. So we took a cab (that's what you do in New York) to "Lucky Chengs", a restaurant where the waiters are travesties in sexy lingerie. The guys (or women, or bitches as they kept on calling around) did little gigs, shows and a competition. (Six ladies from the restaurant guests had to do a lap dance for a guy, again, a restaurant guest. We were supposed to select he best one.) It was an experience. I liked the food but I understand that not every one's food was as good. It was quite loud, though. It just sucked the energy out of me. Ah, this little baby must be thinking the world is a horribly loud place. Even before the end of the dinner, I was exhausted. After we were done, MA and I decided to take a cab to the hotel. Oh, it was such a good night sleep!

Sunday morning, we had just enough time to have a breakfast and P and I had to say goodbye to our friends. Of course Eddie and MA went back to the city for some more shopping, I think they filled a whole big suitcase while in NYC for almost 4 days! P was actually not ready to leave, he still wanted to see more of the city but I think I was quite ready to see our babies. I knew they had great time, but still, they belong by us.

We picked up the girls from Tricia around 4pm. They had a lot to tell. Well, the first night, Miss F was a little sad and had to take out our family pictures. The next evening, it was Miss A's turn. It's good to know they did miss us, because Miss A said she could have stayed another 3-4 days. Nice to hear! Of course the top moment was when Miss F, at Rowan's b-day party, got to choose her own American Girl doll. Seven girls and Brooke went downtown in a limo, had dinner at the American Girl place and each girl got her own doll. Brooke found it over the top herself, but it was a Grandpa treat for Rowan.

It was a dream come true for Miss F, who wanted to have such a doll for the longest time. We have been very strict about it. She was always allowed to buy one with her own savings, but she realizes that it would cost her all her savings, so she didn't want to buy one herself. Oh, so many tears I had to wipe from her face in the last months. And now she has her own doll (and her savings!!) The funny thing is, she came home with her doll and the pictures of 4 other dolls. Both girls want one doll from the pictures from Santa. What happened to being happy with the one doll she got at the b-day party?? The whole situation is a bit sad for Miss A, I really think she believes she will receive a doll for Christmas. Back from NYC to tough parenting issues. But still I'm rather here then sitting at a loud restaurant with dick shaped balloons sticking from people's head around me.

Greetings to Eddie and MA, it was fun and see you soon!

It's a girl!

It's a giiiirl, it's a giiiirl, it's a giiiirl, it's a giiiirl... (sing it please...)