Parks, Picnics, and Play-dates…How We Spent our First Days in NYC

When we first arrive in a city, we like to get our bearings and establish some routines before we hit the streets too hard.  Our first week in New York City consisted of learning how to play the parking game with our car, scouting out the good playgrounds & grocery stores nearby, and meeting up with friends who now live in the city.  

Bobby's college roommate and his family live in NYC.  The last time we visited NYC, Amelie was a couple months old and we actually stayed with Matthew.   Many New Yorkers like to get out of the city for a bit in the summer, Matthew's family being one.  Since they were leaving shortly after we arrived, we spent our first day with them.  We met in Central Park after lunch and let the kids play at the Billy Johnson Playground.  Unfortunately, we were busy talking and I didn't get any pictures.  The main part of this playground is a 45 foot long slide made of granite.  Not only did they love the slide down, but they also loved getting to the top of the slide.  It's fun because they get to follow a wooded and rocky path that looks like it was carved into the side of a hill.   Someone had brought a cardboard box that Amelie and Liam both were allowed to take a turn with which made the experience down even more faster and fun!  After running around for a while, Liam was ready for a nap.  We headed to a nice grassy patch and Bobby & Matthew allowed the girls to play together while I stayed a distance away reading a Harry Potter book.  I loved that I was already fitting into the New York mom scene as I was stopped a couple of times for directions to places around the park.  Ha!  The peace and quiet in the shade of the trees was amazing.   All good things must eventually come to an end and when Liam woke up we went to FAO Schwarz Toy Store.  The AC felt amazing so we did not mind letting the kids drool at all of the fun toys.  Once we started to get hungry for dinner, Matthew took us to Anable Basin Bar & Grill.   After walking through some industrial zones, we were skeptical of his choice.  However, once we were there we were pleasantly surprised.  Since the restaurant was in Long Island City, we had amazing views of Manhattan.  The atmosphere was relaxed and kid friendly.  We had a full and fun first day in the city!

Eating a quick picnic lunch in Central Park before meeting Matthew.

My view while Liam napped.

Amelie and Jasper having fun on the giant keyboard.

Meeting superstars!

View from our table at dinner.

The following day was much more laid back, but we did meet up with friends who were in our first small groups in Athens.  We met them for a picnic dinner in Central Park's Great Lawn.  The kids loved having the space to run, do cartwheels, play baseball & soccer while we were able to catch up with our friends.  They moved to NYC at the same time that we moved to Paris.  I have loved learning from them and watching their journey of learning how to live well in a busy city with small kids.   We had hoped to spend a lot more time with them, but life is busy!  We were thankful for this laid back evening.  To top off the good company, we also enjoyed waffles with Nutella from the Wafels & Dinges Food Truck.  Yum!!

Our third day in the city we were on our own without any friends. ;)  We took the kids to Grand Central Station and watched the hustle and bustle.  We then went across the street to the Main Public Library.  We went straight to the kids section and read with the kids.  Afterwards, we went through a really cool exhibit.  It was the ABC of it:  Why Children's Books Matter.  Bobby and I were fascinated looking at original books, the history behind them, and how they continue to shape culture.  The exhibit had some interactive elements which Amelie and Liam loved.  Amelie's favorite was seeing the original Winnie the Pooh inspired characters on display.  Since this took up a lot of our kid's attention span.  We headed straight to grab lunch.  We had intentions of making our way back to explore more, but sadly we never did.  Next time, I really want to see the Rose Reading Room.  After a soup & sandwich lunch, we let the kids run around Bryant Park before heading back to the apartment.

Hot Springs BlueGrass Festival and Max Patch

On Saturday, June 14th, we drove for around an hour to Hot Springs, North Carolina.  Hot Springs is a very small town, but on this particular day was the annual Bluff Mountain Festival.  This festival featured traditional bluegrass music, ballads, clogging and square dance, local crafts, lots of food, and more.  We arrived right at lunch time so we grabbed some chicken fingers, chili, and fries; and had a picnic on the lawn near the stage.  Once we were finished with our food, we went closer to the stage so the kids could watch the dancing.  Liam loved the music.  He started playing his water bottle like a guitar.  He also loved the dancing.   The dancers would perform every other song.  While the dancers were not performing, a couple of people would dance on the dance floor…Liam being one.  He was paying attention to the dancing because he wanted to be sure to have a partner while he danced.  After chasing around one girl who did not want to be his partner, he found one little girl who obliged.  Amelie enjoyed watching, but found her niche at the kid's art table.  She made a bead bracelet and both kids had their hands painted.  After walking around looking at the local art tents, we drove a little farther up the mountain to Max Patch.

Our picnic spot.

Max Patch Mountain is a 4600-ft mountain that is a part of the Appalachian Trail.    In the 1800s it was cleared and used as a pasture.  Because of this, the views all around are absolutely amazing!  The climb was steep, but not too difficult.  Once we were at the summit, we ran around and played in the long grass.  Bobby, Amelie, and Liam would hide and then pop out to scare each other.  We enjoyed talking with another family, AT hikers, and a couple dog owners while we were at the top.  This was a different hiking experience from the other hikes we have done near Asheville in that it wasn't in a forest.  It was SO beautiful looking at all of the mountains in all directions.

Hiking up.

It started to get pretty steep near the top.

Playing in the long grass.

Catawba Falls Hike

We went on a hike that followed the Catawba River for about 1.5 miles (3 miles round trip) to 100-foot Catawba Falls.  As we hiked there were many smaller cascades along the way making it a beautiful trail with sounds of rushing water as we went.  The hike was not difficult, but we did have to cross the river three times.  Bobby wore his chaco's which enabled him to just walk in the river.  He would carry (or help) the kids cross and I would either steps on the stones or take my shoes off.  We also passed by stone foundations and a dam used for power generation in the early 1900s which was really interesting.  This was my favorite of all of the hikes we have done.  The kids loved the challenge of crossing the river.  Once to the falls, we ate our picnic lunch.  Bobby climbed a trail up to the top of the falls while the kids and I played in the pool of water at the bottom.  Amelie quickly was drawn out of the water to the hundreds of tiny purple butterflies hanging out on the ground.  She would catch them and then release over and over again.  On our hike back to the car, I was leading with Liam following, then Amelie, and then Bobby.  Somehow, I missed stepping on a 10 foot+ long snake but once I crossed over it my mind registered what it was.  I screamed for Liam to stop as he was walking straight for it.  Then I screamed, "SNAKE!  Bobby, grab Liam!"  Liam froze, stiff as a board all the while Bobby reached down and picked him up by the shoulder with one hand.  As soon as Bobby had Liam on his shoulder, Liam was bawling!  The snake slowly slithered to the side of the trail and out of sight…but it shook us all up!  Liam has retold seeing the snake story many times.  We have tried to reassure him that the snake didn't want to be near us or harm us.  The rest of the hike he was very careful and thought many roots and twigs were snakes…and so did I!

They found a tiny Christmas tree on the path and had to point it out.  Ta-da!

One of the ruins we came upon.

Amelie is an excellent rock jumper!

Liam found a sturdy walking stick.

The old dam.

Amelie holding up a butterfly in her fingers.

We talked about moss, mushrooms, fungi, types of trees…I love her inquisitive mind!

Going off the main trail to look closer at the caves along the river.

Eating our lunch under the falls.

I should have taken his clothes all the way off.  I didn't think he would want to get completely in…but he did…head and all!

We let him sun bathe to dry off before we started hiking home.

Our little goof-ball!

Amelie finding more butterflies.

You can see the snake in the middle of the picture.  It was almost gone when I was calm enough to snap a quick shot!

Liam staying close to dad for the hike back to the car after seeing the snake.

A great thing about hiking is being able to sleep soundly on the way home!