Our perfect day

Last Friday Carys and I had a day that was as close to perfect as possible, what a glorious time we had! We were up early after enjoying watching the royal wedding live, I think I was even on a bit of a "royal wedding high", it was such a beautiful event! We headed out to meet my cousin and her daughter at a pretty park in a very old part of Brooklyn called Cobble Hill,

The sun was shining brilliantly and it seemed as if everything was in bloom! After a tasty lunch at a cute cafe Carys and I began a long three mile walk back home through Brooklyn, it was the perfect day for a long walk, with many people out enjoying the spring weather, along quaint old Brooklyn streets full of history,

We walked down mostly tree covered, brownstone building lined sidewalks, with pretty iron work and blossoms at our feet,

Crossing some broad avenues,

Until we came to one of my favorite spots, tucked away right off of the grandeur of Grand Army Plaza with its impressive arch and statues,

There is this group of Cherry Trees that I have visited over the years and it was in riotous perfect full bloom,

Underneath the trees we enjoyed a fairyland,

Soft pink blossoms were everywhere, enough on the ground to gather bouquets to dance around with, Carys was in heaven!

 After having our fill of frolicking for a while under the trees, we walked into the park, through an old tunnel that leads out into the Great Meadow of Prospect Park,

At the end of the tunnel there was a man playing a saxophone,

Those rich sounds filled the air and mingled with the sound of a ukulele, that was being played by a man leaning against a tree further down the path. He was playing the IZ version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, one of my all time favorite songs that sings to my soul,

We wandered out into the meadow and layed down, there were kids playing games, off in the distance we saw some people we know, there were kites flying, and the sun felt so good. The beauty of it all filled us up and spilled over,

 Oh Brooklyn, my Brooklyn, when you are beautiful you just knock me over.

*The perfect day ended with a glass of wine and a surprise dinner of salmon that Frank had ready when we arrived home, which of course made it extra perfect.

A few of our favorite things to do in NYC {with kids}

There are so many fun things to do in New York City with kids, and living here for 15 years, 7 of those with kids, I think we've learned a thing or two. New York is a surprisingly kid friendly place, with lots of excitement at every turn, and if you need a bathroom you can simply duck into one of the Starbucks that are pretty much on every other corner. There is so much to do in fact that it is hard to narrow down, but here is a sampling of some of our very favorite family ways to experience the city...

The Museum of Natural History
Riding the Subway
Coney Island and the Wonder Wheel
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Going to the Beach
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
Strolling in Manhattan
Visiting the Statue of Liberty
Soho
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Moomah (a hip kid's cafe)
Central Park

Central Park

If you are standing on the crazy busy corner of 59th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan looking south this is what you will see, and if you then turn around and walk into Central Park behind you, after about 200 yards you will come to this serene waterfall. Isn't that wild, they look like they are on different planets but that's New York City for you, it is such a city of contrasts.

I've been having fun on these winter days going through our summer photos, this is one of our fun outings to do in Manhattan. Walking through lower Central park is a treat, it is a green oasis, and so well planned with its winding paths, 

pretty stone bridges,

and huge granite rock formations that the kids love climbing on. This southern part of the park is great for a warm weather picnic,

the carriage path goes right through this part of the park and we love to watch the horses and carriages go past, 

Coming out of the park on the corner of 59th Street and 5th Avenue is exciting, there are book sellers, 

street performers and ice cream carts,

The famous, and gigantic, toy store FAO Schwartz is also on that corner, and is always a thrilling treat for the kids. I have only taken Jasper and Carys there once and they were spellbound, seeing every possible toy and candy in one place feels pretty over the top, but the surreal nature of it makes it even more special. Jasper said that it was like a dream. And, as you can see, this costume section was pretty much Carys's princess fantasy come true,

Moomah

Today we spent a rainy cold Saturday frolicking at one of our favorite family friendly (and very hip) cafes in New York City, Moomah. I wanted to give you a peak back to last summer, and one of our outings to this magical space. It is a cafe designed for families, where good food is served in a stylish family atmosphere, and you can do crafts with your kids while you eat, or just take in the amazing space.  It is located in the neighborhood of Tribeca, an old industrial neighborhood of lower Manhattan, most of the buildings have been turned into fancy shops and condos now,  getting there is half the fun walking around the old streets.

The minute you enter Moomah there is so much to look at, 

The space is calming, serene, and the art on the walls is beautiful and inspiring, 

These are some of the craft projects that you can pick from to make together (my kids made the place mats), 

Or just coloring on their beautiful coloring pages is fun too,

The large back room is an interactive video installation for the kids, with pillows all around, sometimes they offer kids yoga classes in this room. It is a video forest that the children can help "water" and watch it grow up the walls as it moves with them. Sort of hard to describe but totally amazing and perfect for a rainy day, where the kids can run around!

I'm even in love with the chair in the bathroom at Moomah, isn't that coral fabric stunning!? This place is not to be missed if you are visiting New York with kids!

Happy Weekending to you!

Scenes from our snow bound weekend

Sending you lot's of warm wishes, and some tea and hot cocoa by the fire.