Memorial Day in the Big Apple

We decided that DC would not be the best place to hang for the long weekend.

After the boys daycare excursion to the National Zoo on Friday, we all hopped into the family truckster and headed north to visit friends in New York. It wasn't Turtle's first visit here--he actually learned to walk in Brooklyn. However, it's Beta's first time and he has really been enjoying himself.

On Saturday, we stopped off to visit Giles, Suzie, and Aaron in Brooklyn. Aaron brought his new friend, Monica. (Welcome to the Fiendz!) Since they live very close to Prospect Park, we all headed over for some playtime. I've heard that Brooklyn is in the middle of a pretty significant baby boom, but until you get to see things in action at a park, you have no idea how big it really is. There were maybe 300 kids running around the Harmony Playground with another couple of hundred parents. After running around for a bit, we headed over to a grassy spot to relax. The kites were dancing aloft in the steady breeze. After a great dinner, we had to say goodbye to our friends and drive over to Queens to the Lintern-Frye family abode where little Miss Tallulah was kind enough to share her kid space.

After a New York bagel breakfast, we all hopped the Metro to Flushing and hit the Science Museum. The exhibits were interesting, but the standard science museum fare. However, we did get tickets to their outdoor playground which was pretty cool. There were lots of water play areas where you used archimedes' screws to elevate water for cool splashy effects. Add in a nice sandbox, some cool ramps, slides, and musical "instruments" and the boys were tuckered out by lunch. After a nap, we headed out again...this time to another part of Queens to hit a beergarden. This wasn't just any old dump, but storied gathering spot for the local Czech community still going strong since it started in 1910. The Bohemian Citizens' Benevolent Society of Astoria had set up a nice band, with cultural dancers. The boys were really digging it.


I don't know what tomorrow has in store, but I expect that they're going to miss the Big Apple when we leave.


Hopa!