Back in the city!

I first moved to NYC in 1997. It was a very fun and exciting move until our apartment was a total wreck and we were homeless for about a month. Don't worry, we weren't on the streets. We were staying with a friend who was helping me relocate...in Connecticut. When we finally got settled on 81st Street between Columbus and Amsterdam I was a little less excited. Whenever someone would ask me how I like NY I would say, "I Hate It!" That lasted for about a year.

After a year, I learned how to love the city. I became comfortable with my neighborhood and figured out that you have to spend money to be happy in the city. I finally got a parking garage for my car so that I didn't have to battle opposite side of the street parking...I later ditched the car all together. I moved all around the upper west side from 68th to 86th. I ran in the park most every day even when it rained or snowed. I ate all my yummy breakfasts at Good Enough To Eat and loved my pizza from Patsy's.

I left the city when I decided to marry my husband. We knew I didn't want to raise a family in the city but we did know that we wanted them to experience city life. And that is exactly what they are doing. We arrived into JFK yesterday after a smooth ride with the kiddos. When we crossed the park and made it to the upper west side, I was so excited. There were so many familiar stores and restaurants and I suddenly became very grateful for my 9 years in NYC. Even the first one.

Today is my birthday and we did as much as we could. We went to the park and played on the playground. We ran and ran and smashed sticks and threw rocks. We climbed stuff and jumped off of curbs. We rode on in a horse drawn carriage and gave them special love afterward. We threw coins in the fountain. We noticed every siren and honk. My son was the first to point them out. We got to high five Batman! And we saw some random aliens...only in NYC.

Kids should experience THE CITY. I hope we get to do this many more times in the future.