"Welcome to Earth" (or NYC)

We have officially made it through the first week.  We survived the plane flight, move-in, second move-in after the delivery of a giant pile of things I have no memory of requiring during temporary living (oops), the Fourth of July, and a trip to Jersey.  PHEW.  I think in some ways we had to look at it as a mini-vacation in order to push through.

You have two options when you get a professional moving company's delivery - leave everything in the boxes, and they will come back at a later date for them, OR leave it all in a pile in your living room.  Which one would you opt for?  We went for the pile, thinking, oh sure, we will get through it all, it can't be that much.  Well, it was much.  These New York closets, while impressively wide, are not very deep.  You would have to be a six-inch wide person for your clothes to fit properly in them.  Another option? Be an 8 foot tall person to access clothes on a 9-foot shelf.  Therefore, the little girls' clothes on tiny pink hangers fit great!  Trey's suits? Not so much.  And so the closet battles begin.  Side note: the pink kitchen made its NYC debut!

Another problem I seem to have with figuring out a new dwelling?  Location of cabinet doors that give me head injuries.  I have approximately two small goose eggs on my head.  The second happened when working to find places for groceries in a kitchen without a pantry.  I was going along strong, organizing and finally feeling a little normal with healthy food to eat at home, then WHAP.  Right to the skull.  My optimism for life without a pantry was quickly diminished after the assault. ;)

By the end of the week, we were getting more comfortable riding the subway, however, I have a new found respect for those in wheelchairs.  Whether it is having to use a service entrance, find a ramp, find an elevator, or wait for enough space to hop on the train, a double stroller presents some of the same issues.  There are a range of looks you receive from other people when using a double stroller - annoyance, disbelief, eye rolling (why in the world would anyone have kids??), and the occasional nod of encouragement.  Did everyone forget that they too were babies at one point???  Maybe it will be better in the more residential parts of the city.  Maybe I'm just self-conscious about being in the way.  Either way, the girls were real troopers on our little adventures.  What an amazing first weekend (the Fourth of July) to experience NYC.

Like everyone else, I remember sitting in class my senior year of high school when 9/11 happened.  Never did I imagine in my 30's I would be taking my babies to go visit its monument.  I am glad I will be able to show them these pictures and help them remember its significance.  I am not really into history (that's probably an understatement), but when you really see a place in person it raises the gravity of its meaning.  What they have built at Ground Zero is truly haunting and will hopefully move generations of Americans.

Next stop?  The Statue of Liberty.  I had never seen her in person, and again, we were on a mission to feel American that day (#merica), so why not?  What better to do on the 4th than see Lady Liberty in person?  There is a beautiful little area called Battery Park City Parks right by the Hudson River where you can look out and see the Statue of Liberty from various viewing points.  We thought adding in a boat ride to Ellis Island might be a little ambitious so we opted for a distant view.  The park sits alongside a high end shopping center called Brookfield Place where we could go have "free looks" akin to "free smells" at the merchandise.  Window shopping costs nothing right?  DVF and Ferragamo will have to wait.  Not sure I would want applesauce packets or ketchup smeared on those garments anyway.  I'll stick to Tar-jay for a while longer.

That night, we were able to view FOUR different fireworks shows, two in New Jersey, two in NYC from our apartment.  It was a regular battle between the states.  When you have littles, 4th of July ends early and involves the television screening of Independence Day - hence, "welcome to Earth".  The show still wasn't DC on the Fourth, but it was pretty darn impressive!  This made up for the ambulances around 2 am, blaring for about 30 minutes.  It's going to take a while to get used to the 5am sunshine until 9 at night and the city noises in the middle.  New meaning to the city that doesn't sleep - just didn't realize it was self-inflicted.  But it's all part of the experience, right?

We did finally venture out in our car once it arrived and went over to New Jersey on the George Washington Bridge in search of our beloved Chick-Fil-A.  I have to say, it felt pretty good to just sit and drive for a while. When we got there, the girls were excited for the food, but missed the playground (tear).  NJ also presents better grocery prices, but you have to tack on that $14 toll on the way back!  Sheesh!  Good thing we had some cash (or Trey had some cash).  I have to get better about having cash in this city!

To sum up, we survived our first day yesterday with Trey at work as well.  I worked out (at 5:30am - a new one for me), the girls and I had a picnic, and joined some online moms' groups (meetup.com).  I think we can do this!  My nervousness about leaving alone with the babies is getting less.  Not sure that will ever go away but I am trying!  Meeting new friends today - things are looking up. :)