A DAY IN THE PARK

While our friends were in town, they had a small "to do" list of things to see while in the city. One of which was Central Park! We haven't really seen very much of the park, sadly. So we were definitely game for seeing more of it. It was the absolute perfect day for exploring the park. The weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded. The only thing that would have made it better was if someone would have taken a nap in his stroller. But, you can't have it all, right? My favorite part of the day was the bubble man. He had long sticks with ropes attached to them, a bucket and a soapy elixer. It was amazing how big the bubbles got! And we were lucky enough to catch one of the bubbles mid-pop. Seriously, amazing. Elliott loved running around and he really wanted to touch the scummy pond water. Sorry, son. Not happening. And of course, we had to stop by one of our favorite playgrounds on the way out.

It was a full and perfect day.

A DAY AT THE ZOO

Last week we went to the Bronx Zoo with some friends of ours. We had a blast! The kids loved exploring and seeing all the animals, some of which I had never heard of. There was one type of monkey that really caught my eye. It looked like some kind of monkey/porcupine/80's rock star hybrid. I also loved the sea lions. Adorable! Some of the buildings in the zoo were pretty awesome too. They looked so old and unique. One even had elephant and other animal heads carved out of the stone and mounted on the side of the building. Seriously stunning. One of the biggest hits with the kiddos was the bug carousel. Again, unique and awesome. Here are just a few (understatement) of the pictures we too.

 The hybrid monkeys I was talking about. Awesome, right?

See what I mean? Pretty awesome. We rode the carousel at least five times. We plan on visiting the zoo again soon! Thank you, Bronz Zoo. You made for a magical day.

BROOKLYN + SOME BRIDGES

When my mom was in town, we ventured (and yes, it was an adventure) over to Brooklyn. Dumbo to be exact. I really wanted to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, but we didn't end up having time. We did however have a great time visiting the Brooklyn Bridge from below, and wouldn't you know it, that's where they keep a beautiful carousel! The bridge is amazing and the view of the city is of course, gorgeous. I would love to go at sunset. I'm betting it's a whole new, stunning view.

And the Manhattan Bridge ain't half bad either.

HECKSCHER PLAYGROUND

While out and about the city the other day with my mom, we wanted to hit up a playground in central park. There are so many! But we are so glad we went to Heckscher playground. It's awesome to say the least. It has rad rock formations that are fun to climb, and mazes of playground for the kids (and adults) to explore. The best part by far though were the slides! They were just steep enough and slick enough, we all had a blast!

p.s. Sorry for no weekend-ed post. My phone jumped into a pool with me this weekend and as of now is out of order...so are the pictures on my phone. Fingers crossed it dries out soon!

our times in the square

Saturday we took on the big apple. We started out with the highly recommended Shake Shack and gave it our official stamp of approval.  Seriously good stuff. And of course, Elliott stole the hearts of more than a few Shake Shack ladies and scored himself not one but two samples of frozen custard. 

With full tummies, we started walking and ended up in Times Square. Yep, we did it. On a Saturday night no less. 

We stumbled upon the "Meeting Bowls" - what seem to be NYC's version of the tea cups at Disney World. But instead of the spinning there is rocking. We didn't try them out as there was a long line, but they might be worth making the trip again. Maybe.

Elliott made pals with this lady from CHICAGO (the play - not the city) They looked at the flashing billboards, she sang to him, and did some high-kicks. She was rather sweet. She gave Elliott a brocher for the play followed by "oh... well, you're too young huh?" Ya think?

Then we did the unthinkable. Seriously, I don't know what we were thinking. We went into Toys"R"Us in Times Square:

Schleich heaven!

In awe and terrified by...

This guy! Although, in Elliott's defense, he probably wouldn't have been so frightened had not a certain fatherly figure convinced him that the dinosaur was going to "get him". Nice.

 Our Lego Lady Liberty

Preston was in awe himself over the lego structures. I have to admit, that Jack Sparrow was pretty cool. We also played with the train tracks, watched the indoor ferris wheel go round and round and wonder how anyone would wait in an hour long line, and pay $4.50 per person to ride it. Then we left. It was a horrific and traumatic experience not just for Elliott but all of the spectators wondering "what are those people doing to that child!?"

That was our weekend. How was yours?