Have baby, will travel..NYC...Days 5-6

While day six has been fairly tame, day five nearly warranted it's own post, but I was too distracted yesterday night to get it done.

Day 5...we were VERY busy with a planned 1hr15m train ride north to Brewster to visit friends for two hours and then 1hr15m back.

Lesson 1: Trains aren't nearly as distracting for a 14mo old as you think or hope. Especially when that baby is tired and doesn't want to sleep because there's just enough distraction to keep him stimulated...in a bad way.

Lesson 2: Back in the city...just because you're pushing a stroller toward the sidewalk don't expect people to clear the way to the curb cut. Especially if those people happen to be sporty-casual dressed, stopped in the street and tipping back a few swigs from a pint bottle. Yeah, seriously.

Lesson 3: Maybe you SHOULD let your baby watch a little TV before coming to NYC for the first time. Little man is so over-stimulated when we're out it's like giving him baby cocaine each time we step out the door. And man, he crashes hard when we get back.

Lesson 4: Don't expect people to exercise common sense when it's raining. If three people want to walk side-by-side, each carrying an umbrella that could cover all three of them, then that makes perfect sense...perfectly crazy sense.

Lesson 5: It's quite easy to come up with tourist slogans for NYC just from walking around all day. For example: When breathing regular air isn't enough--second hand smoke. Come visit New York.

I've 'smoked' more cigarettes in the last 5 days than I have in the last ten years. That means so has my baby :(

Day 6...We were on the trains again today, but only for 45m each way. That timing worked out a little better except now baby was cool with napping on the train, but didn't start until 10m before we arrived back at Grand Central.

Lesson 1: While walking the streets of NYC, people seriously couldn't be more hostile to a person pushing a stroller than if it were Satan taking his baby for a walk. BUT linger near some stairs and suddenly folks want to help. That's true for doors too, but only 30% of the time.

Lesson 2: When taking a stroller into an elevator don't parallel park at the back where people can wedge in to either end of the stroller. Though it would seem to make sense to move two inches to one side so the lady with a stroller who needs to get off the elevator can, apparently not everyone got that memo. I actually said, "Um could one of you  move a little please?" I am not lying when I say that the man at one end and the young woman at the other basically each glowered at me and NEITHER budged. Ridiculous.

Lesson 3: When the front desk says they can break bills for quarters so you can use their laundry facility be prepared to wait five minutes as the desk clerk has to leave the desk to some mystery spot somewhere else where they keep the quarters. Really? Can't keep the quarters at the front desk?

Okay, now I sound like I'm cribbing, but I'm not peeved. More than not I'm amused by these things because they make me chuckle and shake my head.

Gone (for now) are the days of easy, breezy travel where your mind can check out as soon as you check in to your hotel.

Sigh.

Peace

A Pink American