Places to Go (Vacation) - Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island (NYC)

For the last day of our mini-vacation we headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island. First task - find parking in Brooklyn, somewhat of a challenge, especially with a minivan. After we found a SMALL space (and spent about ten minutes trying to fit into it), we walked by all the lovely brownstones as we made our way towards the water. Wow, Brooklyn really is quite beautiful, worth the hype.



Currently, Brooklyn Bridge Park has two main areas (Pier 1 and Pier 6) with lots of construction between them (eventually the whole area will connect). So we walked, checking out stunning vistas along the way.



Once we arrived at Pier 1, the kids couldn't wait to ride on Jane's Carousel, which is somewhat breathtaking with its beautiful glass enclosure and city views. Even T decided to give it a whirl and ended up loving the experience. Then we ate some ice cream from Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (shockingly good) and waited for the ferry to take us to Governors Island.



We started out the ferry trip riding below deck, but we quickly realized that's not the best way to travel. So we headed to the top for wonderful 360 views of the city.



Governors Island is one of NYC's newer attractions, as prior to 2003 the island served as a military base. In 2003 the federal government sold 150 acres of Island to the people of New York and opened up the property to the public. Now the island exists as a wonderful place to ride bikes, chill under a tree, play in the grass, and check out some cool/old buildings - like the "Castle", built between 1807 and 1811 the Castle served as a fort and a prison prior to becoming a tourist attraction.



Governors Island also hosts a free branch of Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. I could have spent the whole day here, but eventually Dan had had enough.



The museum hosted a very cool exhibit which invited people to vote on whether they preferred current product logos or former logos. P and F seemed excited to vote in their first "election." Hopefully Nickelodeon will take their views into account.




Yawning children = a successful day. Unfortunately the line for the ferry back took 45 minutes (ugh), but still a wonderful time was had by all - from 6 months to 41 years. Pretty amazing.

Places to Go (Vacation) - The Queens Zoo, NYC

For the second day of our Memorial Day mini-vacay we headed to the Queens Zoo. My friend, Jenny, had never visited before and seemed hesitant about the zoo's probable coolness (up until about a month ago she didn't even know a Queens Zoo existed). Fortunately, the zoo proved pretty wonderful. For our first stop we rode the carousel (on opening day). F and P are pretty much wooden horse jockies, but T wasn't buying into any of it. I guess the equestrian life isn't for him.



Next stop - petting zoo. The four adults spent all of our collective quarters on food for the animals - we know how to woo a goat. Though I remain partial to the bunnies, they just looked so beautiful in their little basement den.



The zoo was small, but woodsy - lots of trees and a huge pond (odd that we traveled to NYC for a nature walk). F's obsessed with bald eagles lately (not sure where this comes from), so she marveled at seeing one so close. After reading Trumpet of the Swan, T seemed impressed that such birds actually exist. All of us loved watching the sea lion feeding, especially the "tricks" they performed for us. Finally, we meandered back to the car with T already asleep and P heading in that direction. You know an outing is successful when your kids can't stop yawning by the end.



No Memorial Day weekend is complete without a bbq, especially when your amazing friends have a backyard in NYC. After a long day, the kids rallied for the evening. T and P put on a circus for us all (we're all a little circus obsessed lately after attending many of the events at DC's Street Art Festival). The circus was positively adorable. Well, until it wasn't. F continued to bond with our favorite baby (nicknamed "the Banana"). And after the kids went to bed all the adults drank a lot of wine and watched the cheesy 80s flick Can't Buy Me Love ("he went from totally geek, to totally sheik"), making it an absolutely perfect night.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Memorial Day Weekend in Queens, NYC

One of my best friends and her husband recently bought a house in Queens, NYC, so for Memorial Day we decided to overwhelm them with a visit. We arrived to pouring rain, but within an hour or so the showers ended and we headed out to explore. I loved the feel of their neighborhood - outdoor cafes, a second run movie theater, tons of yards brimming with flowers (and statues), Dees' pizza (seriously amazing), mansions in the are of town known as the Gardens, and a baby who the kids couldn't stop trying to entertain - turns out F's squirrel dance is a sure winner with the six month crowd.

We spent the rest of the weekend exploring some of NYC's attractions of which I'll have more pics and posts throughout the week. In the meantime, Happy Monday everyone!! Today's Dan and my seven year wedding anniversary. Crazy how time flies.


MONDAY LINKS:

*If you're free on Tuesday night, this Venus viewing event looks fun. Also, KidFriendly DC has some great suggestions for the week, including the Harbour Kids series at Washington Harbour.

*These pop ups are AWESOME!

*Kelly Mark (link via Women Artists).