Summer 2014 road trip, Day 16

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6:00am came pretty quickly, and we had to be at the train station by 7:00 to have a prayer of making it on the planned train. We made it by 6:45. Unfortunately, the train station we went to appeared to be a bus station rather than a train station, and we frantically drove to the next station, hoping there was parking and a train that would get us into the city to meet up with Benjamin so we would have a good chunk of time with him. We made it. In fact, as we stood on the platform by the tracks, a voice declared the train to be 17 minutes late. Ah, I’ve missed the commute to NYC! The people waiting with us were in such contrast to our traveler appearance. It seems that broad stripes and dark neckties are the thing these days, and this is good to know because Brandon needs new business shirts.

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The hour train ride was just the right length of time to keep the kids’ attention without becoming boring.

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There was a lot to see, rivers, drawbridges, rail roads, boats, tunnels, and finally, the tall buildings of the city. We finally came into Penn station, smelled the familiar oil and steel in the air, and came out onto 7th and 31st.

Benjamin was on a later train, so we met up at 8:30. It was so good to hug him and see him in person after all these months! One forgets just how handsome one’s brother is when he is seen mainly in pictures for over a year.

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After several hugs all around, we set off walking to a place Ben knew where we could have breakfast. It was a long walk from to the other side of town, and the kids were very tired and hungry, but despite some whining and dragging of feet, 45 minutes later we were standing in front of the restaurant.

Uncle Ben taught the kids how to safely wait for the subway.

Uncle Ben taught the kids how to safely wait for the subway.

And it was closed. Ben looked very slightly panicked, but there was a little restaurant right next door, and so we were all happy to go there instead! It was a cute little storefront with old wooden windows, the wood painted white, and a smiling, friendly waitress. It appeared to be owned by a Portuguese family and served very health-conscious menu items, most egg based. The kids had homemade granola with fruit and milk, I had scrambled eggs with herbs, bacon, and spinach, and a salad, Ben had the smoked salad with cream cheese on bread, and Brandon had fried eggs. We all shared homemade French fries, and it was all amazing at an insanely low price for NYC. The benefit of going to NYC with a local is that they know where to eat without breaking the bank!

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The restaurant was just across from a 7-11, and by the end of the meal all the kids wanted was a Slurpee. Because they are classy that way. We headed to a park, Slurpees in hand, so we could talk and play with the kids in an easy environment. Benjamin is thoughtful that way! It was so wonderful to sit and catch up without the crowd of family around and all the distractions of a holiday to get in the way.

New York, on the way to the park.

New York, on the way to the park.

This was a New York City kind of park with metal play structures, tire swings, monkey bars, swings without buckles, a sand box, a splash pad, and the entire playground was surrounded by a very tall wrought iron fence, and the gates had signs saying “No adults not accompanied by a child!” It felt like a very safe and my brother told me that in NYC people are very protective of children, immediately helping any child who looks lost, looking out for them, and reporting any strange people lurking about. I was relieved to hear this because I had been hesitant to bring the 4 kids into the city without a stroller and having forgotten our leash backpacks. It ended up that it was a perfectly safe place to be.

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Benjamin had to leave for work at 12:30, and so we headed to the subway and rode down to the ferry to Liberty Island. By this time, the kids had experienced a car, a train, walking, a subway, and now a boat, had gone under a river, and now were about to go over the same river, and they were feeling pretty comfortable and excited about all of this. I love it that my kids adapt so quickly!

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On the way to Liberty Island the weather got very bad. It began to thunder loudly, lightning flashed very close, and it began to rain so heavily that it was shower-like! We literally could have washed our hair in it! All of the passengers came off the deck and went inside to stay dry, but when we arrived at the island, we had no choice but to go out into the rain and just enjoy it. Judah broke out into “Singing In The Rain” at the top of his lungs and dance around through puddles in his own little world, and it was actually pretty enjoyable, but Kiki and Sunshine were not as excited about it. We were just about to look for rain ponchos or an umbrella for them, but it stopped raining, and the storm went into the City, the buildings almost completely hidden by the storm. We were too late for tickets into the statue, but we walked around the entire base and read about its history. Two things I did not previously know where that the base of the statue was a fort until they filled it in to place the statue on top of it, and I also did not know that the island was naturally made rather than man-made.

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Our ride back over the Hudson was far less exciting, no rain fell, no thunder and lightning, and by the time we reached Manhattan, it was sunny, and we were nearly dry.

We had only time to peek at the new World Trade Center over the tops of other buildings, and rather than walking past it, we took the subway to Ben’s restaurant.

By now the kids had the subway mastered. They held hands at the platform and stood back from the tracks. They pushed their way on when the doors opened, and they braced themselves for the standing ride to the next stop. When there were only a few people in the car we let the kids have fun running around as it swayed and lurched. Nobody fell and hurt themselves, much to my surprise!

My brother’s restaurant where he is serving manager is has a swanky, Miami feel. It’s called Los Americano, and it’s in Tribeca on Church. Go there if you ever visit Manhattan. It’s not a block from the subway, and the food is worth the price! My brother told us that New Yorkers are far more health conscious than Californians (obvious from the restaurant menu choices!) Los Americanos serves all kinds of South American foods, and we ordered Brazilian chicken salad, empanadas, fried rice with bacon (YUUUUMMMM), plantain chips with guacamole, quesadillas, and a quinoa chili relleno. My brother also brought us South American cocktails mixed with imported liquors and jalapenos. Ayiyiyiyiyiiiii!!!! We really got the royal treatment. Ben was so happy to show us off to his coworkers. The Screamer charmed all the girls, and everyone was so sweet and elegant! And they really seemed to like my brother (Well, who doesn’t? He’s my beautiful sweetie charmer and so kind-hearted!).

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We really hated to leave, but the restaurant was getting more crowded, and we needed to get the kids back to New Jersey to sleep. Ben walked us to the subway, and we said goodbye. What a great goodbye hug, and I know it’s the last I’ll have from him in a very long time.

We took the subway to the train and made it home before anyone crashed physically or emotionally. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to take the kids into the city to visit my favorite place to live, and one of my favorite people on earth! It was a perfect day!

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