NYC Love

Photo of St. John the Divine and Children's Garden sculpture,

"The Fountain of Peace" via KidCity

What a fun New York-y day we had today! Taro is away at Camp Our Time, and we are not joining him there until tomorrow, so J and W and I awoke early and decided to leave home for our favorite breakfast treat -- Absolute Bagels. After indulging in the soft, crusty, cream-cheese-y goodness we wandered a few blocks away to look at the facade of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and sit in the adjacent Children's Garden.

J was really transfixed by the massive church and the bells that were ringing out from it, so we decided to take a closer look. After J solemnly assured me that he would speak in a whisper and refrain from running around inside, the three of us entered the Cathedral and were rendered slow and silent anyway by the grandeur and beauty of the space. Even wiggly little W was spellbound! We strolled the length and breadth of the sanctuary, admiring the stunning stained glass and hovering near the flickering prayer candles (initially J wanted to blow them out to make a wish, but I informed him that that would not be appropriate even though I think it would have been kind of awesome).

After we left the church, we headed a couple of blocks away to a children's shoe shop and had W's feet measured for his first pair of shoes. Since the store was running a special -- buy one, get one free -- I ended up getting a pair for each boy. J requested running shoes and settled on the first pair the owner took out of a box, which sport a Spider-Man-theme -- a design that simultaneously hurts my eyes and thrills J to the very core of his being.

We ran a few errands, and spent an hour at the playground, and then returned home for lunch. At 3 pm, our babysitter arrived and I left to meet my friend Liz and her amazing new baby boy, H. We took a glamorous stroll on Madison Ave., looking in the store windows and spending some quality time in the new J. Crew Wedding Salon, where Liz was doing a little shopping for an upcoming fête to celebrate her and Andrew's recent wedding with their West Coast family and friends. I had the honor of helping Liz decide between her two favorite dresses, while bouncing gorgeous H on my lap. It was heaven.

Then it was back home to my two booby-starved children (you would seriously think I had been gone for twelve hours and not a little under four! Maybe they sensed that I had been cuddling another baby and needed to reclaim me with gusto as their own mama). Then it was off to bed for the two of them while I started to pack for tomorrow's trip...

I love living in this town.

Meanwhile, this reminds me, I have to share this amazing little film with you. It features Liz and Andrew, and was created by Andrew and shown on a big screen to start off their NYC ceremony, back in February. The music and audio is from the actual wedding! Isn't it wonderful and sweet and funny and romantic and so inventive and best of all so very New York?