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March 05, 2006
I Can't Believe He's Missing This!!!
Thanksgiving. It was a time for our forefathers (and mothers) to sit with good friends and family and give thanks to the plentiful bounty they had worked so hard for. Four centuries later, (did I get my math right?) not much has changed, except for maybe the shopping thing, but the true meanings remain the same: A time to visit with good friends and family. A time to spend contemplating what you are thankful for. A time to eat really yummy foods. A time to sleep...
And that's about what Jonah did all through his first trip to New York City. More on that later.
Megan and I spent part of Thanksgiving Day on Interstate 95, heading up from home. We began our journey the day before, and spent the night in Charm City, otherwise known as Baltimore. (We love Baltimore. Well, the Inner Harbor, anyway.) We broke the trip up into two parts, because we didn't think Jonah would appreciate nine hours in the car overnight. We made the right choice. So, we got up early on T-Day, packed up our stuff, and continued north on 95. Eventually, we got to NYC to pick up Jonah's Grandfather (Jon's Dad) and head farther north to one of Jon's sister's homes for the big meal. This was the first time Jonah had seen Grandpa since he was eight days old.
It was also the first time I had seen my Dad since Jonah was eight days old, so it was nice to see my ol' man.
Then, it was mealtime!
This was our turkey, excellently cooked and prepared by my sister and her husband.
And this is our turkey, excellently cooked by my wife Megan.
After visiting with my sisters and their families, we headed back to NYC, so Jonah and his Grandfather could get to know each other better!
I am no stranger to New York, though some would say I am strange; but I digress. Jonah, however, had never been there, so we headed off to see the sights. (Okay, Megan and I saw the sights, but Jonah just saw the insides of his eyelids.)
Here's Jonah and Mom on the 6th Avenue bus, heading uptown to midtown to Rockefeller Center, to see the famous tree.
But it didn't take long for the soothing bus ride to put Jonah asleep...
For this trip, Megan and I brought our backpack carrier and the stroller. But on the sightseeing trip, we brought only the stroller. In theory, folding up the stroller and carrying it around is a nice idea, but in practice, it's a whole other matter. We handled just fine, but getting that thing on and off a city bus is not something we would recommend. But, it kept a sleeping boy asleep, and that was nice.
So the bus dropped us of just a few blocks shy of our destination, and we prepared to head off, but not before a couple of cute pictures of Megan and I trading hats. Don't worry; Megan doesn't have cooties. She told me.
So onward we went to the Center, a place Jonah had been begging us to see. He didn't see very much of it.
As it happens, they never light the tree when we are in New York, despite the fact that we have traveled hundreds of miles to see the thing. Prepared for this event, before we left The Old North State on our T-day journey, I regaled Jonah with stories of how beautiful and magnificent St. Patrick's Cathedral is. (So it wouldn't be a wasted trip, you see, so Jonah could see St. Patty's, since an unlit tree is a depressing tree.) Of course, he whined until we told him we'd go see it, and, of course, he slept like a log...
But do logs really sleep? How do we know? If they snore while asleep in the forest, do they make a noise? But I digress. You cannot visit the greatest city in the world without doing some shopping, and Jonah, well taught by his Mom and his Aunt Abby (Megan's sister) begged to do some shopping. So, slaves as we are to the boy, we went shopping. However, all he got in was some window shopping, because, as you guessed it, he slept right through the experience...
Not even an ambulance, lights, horns and sirens blaring, could wake this tired traveler up...
And predictably, just as we left midtown to catch a bus downtown for some yummy eats, Jonah joins the waking world...
But it's good timing, because Megan, Jonah and I are now headed to the best Jewish Deli on earth. Bar none. Seriously. Don't even bother telling me about one in your city, because they won't compare. Where are we going? Why, to the 2nd Avenue Deli, of course!
Megan's favorite is a Chicken Salad Sandwich, with crinkly fries and a Dr. Brown's Root Beer. At $10.95, it's an expensive sandwich, but it's really one of the main reasons we keep coming back to New York. Oh yeah, and the family too, I suppose.
Megan enjoyed as much as she could of the greatest Chicken Salad Sandwich on earth. But it's a big sandwich, so you can't blame her...
Jonah, by this time, was wide awake and hungry. Sadly, he isn't ready for the delicacies we love so well, but he enjoyed some green beans, some "puffs" and some small pieces of pastrami...
And of course, besides Megan and Jonah, my main reason for living is the Pastrami Sandwich on Rye, piled high, and served warm. I eat it along with a Dr. Brown's Cream Soda and crinkly fries. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
Why are there no pictures of crinkly fries, you ask? There weren't any left when I started to take pictures, because I ate most of them.
It saddens Megan that the Deli doesn't ship Chicken Salad, but they do offer a lot of other great menu items. (The fries, pastrami and hot dogs are outstanding!) Visit their website at:
www.2ndavenuedeli.com And if you're ever in New York City, give them a try. Yes, they are expensive. Yes, the waiters and waitresses are really old and crabby, and yes, it gets really crowded in there, but it really is worth the trip. Yum!
So after lunch, it was back home to the apartment and a nap for Jonah. A nap you say? After all that sleeping he got in during the midtown adventure? Well, he is, after all nearly 11 months old (Dec. 5th!) and he needs his rest. But a nap energizes a body, and that's when we took Jonah to his first playground. Never before had he been on swings, slides or anything else you might find at a playground. But here he was, enjoying all that a New York City playground could offer him...
Back home, and in pajamas, Jonah spends some time with my Dad's wife, Selina.
As always, our trips to New York are always too short. But the time we spend is spent well, as Jonah had the chance to meet his cousins for the first time, an Uncle for the first time, and just enjoy being with those who love him.
Posted by Jon at March 5, 2006 10:36 AM