baby steps in the big apple

From cute kid...

...to cool 'youf'.

US Post Office with appropriate slogan given conditions

Crouching bird, hidden car

Tourist Times

Grand Central

Butter wouldn't melt...

Rach catching some rays

'Fire station, fire station'

'Uh oh'

Imprisoning evil aunt Rachie

My new favourite toy

Typical SuperBowl Cuisine I'm sure (their brunch was great!)

'Mom, how could you make such a mess?!'

'Hmmm, milk or ale?'

Cheerios and milk - what a brunch!

Mid town meanders

Chinatown

Downtown

'Shining like the top of the Chrysler building'

Greetings from a milder NYC. It got up to a scorching 6 degrees yesterday – the hottest since either of us arrived…but snow is due to return later in the week.

Time is flying past and I can’t believe I (Rachel) have already been here 4 weeks, with only just over two weeks left . Luckily, we have time with my brother, sister-in-law and niece to look forward to after that.

Our days hold many of the same activities as last time I wrote: nappies, snot (less) and lots and lots of silliness. It still amazes me how long you can keep a toddler entertained with peekaboo! One excellent addition to May’s collection of toys can be seen in the photos…a huge cardboard box! She took great delight in imprisoning me within it and kicked up quite a fuss when evil aunt rachie insisted that she came to the table to eat her dinner rather than have it within the box. I know, Boring Adult Hood Disease* has obviously crept up on me. We also enjoyed a lovely walk on Friday within the indoor garden at the Ford Foundation – the photo of May and I next to a flower is taken at the scene of a major ‘uh-oh’. She broke a bit off a plant (by mistake) and then we had to go back to the scene to see the broken plant…again…and again.

Whilst not entertaining May, we have had a great time walking around The ‘Villages’ – West, Greenwich and East as well as enjoying a dragon dance in Chinatown as part of the Chinese New Year festivities. On Saturday, we were treated to a fabulous meal out as a Christmas and thank you present from my sister and bro-in-law, after which we headed to our first bit of New York jazz. Andy ‘musicmeister’ Arnott described the first piece we heard as five excellent musicians all playing different songs at the same time…not quite to our taste. But it picked up and became more melodic over the next few pieces.

The luxurious multiculturalism of NYC (which hasn’t failed) is still a source of joy to us. Each day is so much fun and we are spoilt to be surrounded by such an awesome city (yes, even Andy ‘I hate cities’Arnott agrees). We are also spoilt by the amazing hosting of Roza and Jason. There are few people in the world who could possibly put up with a) me b) and Andy c) in a one bedroom flat d) for over a month…AND still say they are enjoying it! We most certainly are, it is a real highlight of the trip to be able to spend so much time with the New York branch of the Adamson/Williams clan.

*An awful malady which I used to diagnose other people, usually my siblings, as being afflicted by when I was younger**…usually when they didn’t do what I wanted!

**Okay, so I still diagnose people as having it…still usually when they don’t do what I want!