New York, Boston and places in between.....

On the 22nd of June, we took off for an epic two and a half week adventure to the States. New York and Boston were the main items on the agenda, as well as taking in some other sights around Massachusetts; with a stop off in Story Land (New Hampshire) on the way home. There are lots of tales to tell, so I'll launch right into it, and put in headings for those who wish to skim :) Sorry in advance if I waffle!

New York
I'd been excited to go to New York in the summer (as I've been twice now, but both times in winter) although it would be quite a different experience tackling such a big city with 3 kids. We planned to stop just short of the city on day one (in Poughkeepsie) as we didn't fancy driving through Manhattan at the end of the day with tired kids trying to find our accommodation. The kids were all fantastic on the journey, but with pit stops and a playground stop at the end of the afternoon it was late before we got to our hotel. We quickly went to dinner at the closest place (a little Italian restaurant) and were very chuffed when an older couple who were leaving as we were eating came over to tell us how delightful and well behaved our children were. It was a good start! The next morning it was just up, breakfast and off to the outlet malls (for as long as the kids could handle) before the drive to Brooklyn. We'd booked an apartment near Prospect Park for the week, and although driving through Manhattan to get there was painfully slow, we made it in one piece, found the apartment and most importantly, got a prized street park.

After so much travel and shopping, we thought we'd better head to the park with the kids the next morning. Prospect Park had an awesome playground which was gated; we also found excellent coffee at a little cafe close by. It was great for the kids to run around and burn off some steam. After a painfully long wait for a burger lunch, we headed off on the subway to the Staten Island Ferry. It's free, you get out on the water with good views of the city and the Statue of Liberty, and the twins in particular loved pointing out all the different coloured boats they saw. Miss 5 has also declared the Statue of Liberty to be her favourite statue.

The next day we hit Times Square. (I should note that we got off to a slow start most days to avoid peak subway crowds - the plan seemed to work well as we just about always got seats. We also find that with 3 kids it's best not to plan too much in a day!) The twins looked quite awed by the mass of people and even Miss 5 looked a little overwhelmed. After the obligatory photos with various characters (including Minnie Mouse) we split up. Hubby took the twins to Central Park, then the New York library (with lunch in there somewhere) so they got to play, read books, and also had some snooze time in the stroller. (It had been a bad nights sleep.) I took Miss 5 to her first Broadway musical - Cinderella. It was a great choice for her as she knew the story, she loved the singing and dancing and the look on her face during the transformation scene was priceless. We had to queue for ages (around 50 minutes I think) for the cheap tickets, but it was well worth it. Before the show we also managed a trip to the M&M store which was also a big hit. We all met up after the matinee to travel home together.

On Thursday we went to the Museum of Natural History. It's somewhere I've wanted to go, but have never quite made it on previous trips. It was good, but it wasn't the greatest with our kids. It's almost too big, a little difficult to navigate with a stroller and there is no logical path to take through all the exhibits. Having said that, there were loads of good displays and all 3 kids loved the dinosaur section. (Dinosaur - rawwwww!) I just think we all would have got more out of it had the kids been a few years older. Still an amazing museum that easily fills a day out.

After getting on the subway a few days in a row, we decided to have a day close to home. Friday ended up being one of the most fun days for the kids, so good for us too. We started at the Prospect Park Zoo, which is small, but awesome for young kids - lots of things for them to climb on and interact with (including perspex domes to pop your head up in the prairie dog exhibit). They also have a sea lion show and a farm area where you can feed sheep and goats. Just outside the zoo gates is an old carousel (merry-go-round) which they loved; it was also the perfect activity while waiting for our hot dog lunch. After finishing with the zoo, we headed south in the park; an area which is an ice skating rink in winter is a splash pad in summer. It was basically a giant puddle with fountains of water streaming into it. The kids had a ball and we got some delicious gelato for afternoon tea. A great day.

Saturday was hot and humid. We went to the Brooklyn Bridge Park - it runs along the river, with the northern end being right under Brooklyn Bridge and each jetty has different activities (basketball, kayaking, mini golf) as well parklands and playgrounds. It was mostly a day of wandering around, checking out the view, people watching and giving the kids some play time. Later in the afternoon, hubby just took the kids back to the Prospect Park playground while I sat in a laundromat - a necessary evil with a family of 5, especially after nearly a week away.

Sunday was our last day in New York. We hit some more major tourist attractions. We started at the Top of the Rock, where for the first time we found an advantage to travelling with twins in a stroller. (They let us use the group desk to buy tickets instead of trekking down stairs to queue with the masses.) On the lift ride up there is a display in the ceiling of the elevator, T1 was mesmerised! The kids quite liked looking down at the 'tiny' cars and pointing out helicopters and buildings. I enjoyed looking at the views in bright, blue sky sunshine. (I'd visited before in winter.) We went to Central Park for a look around and play (as Miss 5 and I had missed it the other day) but being a weekend the playgrounds were all much more crowded. FAO Schwartz was next on the list; yes Miss 5 got to play the big piano (famous from the movie "Big") and meet a Lego Statue of Liberty, while the twins were thrilled to come away with a new Peppa Pig book. Our day finished with a visit to Grand Central Station to admire the building, have afternoon tea and watch the world go by.

So..."New York, New York, it's a helluva town!" Trickier with kids, but it can be done!

Plymouth
On Monday we waved goodbye to our home of a week and headed north towards Plymouth, where the Pilgrims first landed in America. We did stop off on the way in Connecticut to see the USS Nautilus. It was the first nuclear powered submarine in the US Navy and is now open to the public, along with a small museum. It was an interesting stop. Although it was hard to get too involved in the museum (thanks kids!) there were plenty of displays that did interest them like control panels and periscopes to look through. The submarine itself had also been modified to make it pretty easy to move through. Hubby (the submariner) particularly enjoyed it, although he would have love to have been allowed in the back half to see it all. Alas, the tour only lets you in the front half.

We arrived in Plymouth mid-afternoon and the kids were excited to use the hotel pool after travelling. After a swim we headed to the foreshore for a look around. It was a lovely sunny evening and there is a reproduction of the Mayflower at the dock. We also saw the famous Plymouth Rock - famous as it's allegedly where the first Pilgrims set foot on disembarking the Mayflower. It has been moved to it's current location on the beach to allow tourists to see it, it is also smaller these days as parts have been chipped off for other museums. There is this great columned structure around it...but to be honest it's a pretty underwhelming tourist attractions. It is just a rock with 1620 carved on it. Hmmmm. The day ended with fish and chips for dinner; it was nice to be next to the ocean.

The next day we visited the Plimouth Plantation. This is a recreation of the original Pilgrims village from the 1600s, as well as displays depicting the life of the native Wampanoag people. To be honest, the kids weren't having a great day so it was hard to really appreciate it. It was interesting, and also quite amusing, as they employ a group of actors who take on the role of real pilgrims. They are all just hanging out in the houses, gardening, cooking etc and only answer questions in character. So I guess when people ask them what they do for a living, they reply with "I'm a pilgrim." We though Miss 5 might ask some questions, but a rare attack of shyness meant it was up to us, although she did offend a lady by asking how old she was!

Springfield
After leaving Plimouth Plantation it was back on the road, for more shopping. There is an outlet mall just west of Boston where we stopped for a few hours, and which we found to be more shaded and manageable (with kids) then the shops north of New York. Late afternoon we made it to our hotel and checked into a suite in Holyoake (just north of Springfield) where we were excited to find that not only was buffet breakfast included, but dinner was too - and they provided wine and beer! Win!

It was time for another day designed to entertain the kids. We started at the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory, where we were happy to find the air thick with butterflies. The kids had fun watching them all, and a nice staffer who heard our accents even brought a couple of Australian lizards out of their cages for us to pat. They also had some cool, little frogs in amazing shades of blue, green and yellow. Next stop was the Yankee Candle Factory; which is essentially just a massive shop, but it had a Christmas Village and cool toy shop inside so the kids loved it; they also loved smelling all the candles. They had every smell you could imagine - even beer and bacon. Yes, you too can bring the smell of a brewery to your home by burning a beer scented candle! (I suspect that some scents are usually bought for gag gifts - at least I hope so!)

After picking up some sandwiches for lunch we headed to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It has picture book art displayed in gallery space, as well as a library for kids and an art studio with activities for kids. Our 3 weren't too keen on looking through the gallery spaces, but loved the library and the art activities. They also had fun finding all the things that the Very Hungry Caterpillar had eaten (the pictures were scattered about) to win a prize. We split up for the end of the day, the kids and I dropped hubby at the Basketball Hall of Fame while we went to the Dr Suess Sculpture Park. It's a giant sculpture of a number of beloved Dr Suess characters that the kids can climb all over, so they had a ball. It was hot and humid work though, so we were all happy to have swim at the hotel before dinner. Dinner ended up being slightly delayed though, as they ran out of chicken - apparently a family went in early and ate it all!!

Boston
Another day, more shopping on the agenda. We probably did the most this day, as we were a little more prepared with entertainment to keep the kids occupied, and we also let them chose clothes for themselves, as well as a treat each from the Disney store. From there, it was on to Boston, where we were excited to be staying with friends. They had visited us last summer and it was great to return the visit. They have 2 kids similar ages so everyone was excited; it was also nice to be staying in a home instead of a hotel.

The 4th of July - we'd anticipated that there would be loads of activities to celebrate, and there usually are, but due to a very poor weather forecast most things were cancelled. So we started the day at their awesome local park (it even had a zip line) before our friends very generously offered to take our kids so we could see something. We went to the JFK Musuem, which is not something I would have thought of doing, but I'm so glad we did because it was great. It really gave you a good snapshot of America at the time, as well as his personal history (without the Marilyn stories of course!) There was also a fantastic display on the Cuban Missile Crisis - it turns out that JFK had recorded all his meetings when they were discussing what to do, and hearing the audio all these years later is pretty amazing. We went home to happy kids, and a very American dinner of hot dogs, burgers and apple pie.

The weather thankfully improved for the next day, and our incredible friends took our kids off our hands all day to enable good sightseeing for us and good fun for them. Grown ups and kids all caught the train into the city before we divided. Hubby and I started with the Tea Party ships which was great, with actors in character and loads of history about the climate in Boston at the time and how events unfolded. You even get the chance to throw tea overboard. (The crates are on a rope, so you can throw it over as often as you like!) After that, we walked the Freedom Trail, which is a red brick path marked through the city that takes in significant sights and buildings, such as Paul Revere's house and the North Church (where the lanterns signalling the British approach were displayed). The kids had even more fun then us I think - they spent the morning at the Children's Museum (the photos looked amazing) before heading to Boston Common and Boston Public Gardens. There was lots for them there - Swan Boat rides, a carousel, the Make Way for Duckling statues and splashing around in the Frog Pond (which hosts ice skating in winter). We all met back at the house tired and happy in the afternoon. That night hubby and his mate headed to a baseball game at Fenway park to see the Red Sox, which he enjoyed. (I must confess that baseball is not really my thing...)

Sunday was a lovely day weather-wise, and we thought it was time we actually took our own kids out, so we went to Harvard. It was only 10 minutes from where our friends live and nice to wander around. We opted not to do an actual tour, but just wandered around the picturesque grounds. The kids were very excited afterwards when we went to the Curious George store in Harvard Square. In the afternoon, hubby and his mate took the eldest 2 kids fishing at the local lake (yes they caught some small fish) while the youngest kids and mums played back at the house. The day ended with drinks while watching kids playing in the backyard and a BBQ dinner.

It was a fantastic few days, and we are forever grateful to our friends for being such good hosts and for taking our kids on such fun adventures. We loved Boston, and found it a very walkable city with a lot of history - well worth a visit.

Story Land
Onward it was on Monday, to the last leg of our holiday. We headed north out of Boston and first stopped briefly in Salem, home of the famous witch trials. There is a lot of witch-themed tourism, which is quite scary (too scary for our kids) but we found good coffee, had a bit of a wander and visited the memorial to those tried and put to death in the witch hunt. We stopped off in Salisbury next, for a quick lunch, as well as something hubby had really wanted to do - batting cages. Just like in the movies, we put our tokens in and stood while an automated machine hurled balls at us. Kinda fun. They also had mini golf, so we took the kids for their first round; the twins were too young really, and it was quite hot in the sun, but they all had fun and it was a good leg stretch. The very indulgent staff also showered them with prizes which they loved. From there it took longer then we thought to get to our resort, but we made it eventually. (Although no time for a swim before dinner, much to the disappointment of Miss 5.) It was a very picturesque spot (it's a ski resort in winter, so it's funny to see the lifts still, and runs covered in grass) and the hotel restaurant downstairs hit the spot for dinner.

Tuesday we did Story Land. It is a theme park aimed at younger kids then Disneyland; it has lots of nursery rhyme themed activities, as well as rides that mostly cater to kids. Miss 5 was tall enough to go on every ride (even the scary roller coaster - which she regretted!) and the twins were tall enough to go on nearly everything with a responsible grownup.We arrived as it opened and the kids all had a ball; and we had fun too. We did spinning rides, boats, carousels, roller coasters and flying shoes to name a few. The twins particularly loved the spinning rides - in fact they were still laughing hysterically when I was thinking I'd spun enough for one day. By mid-afternoon everyone was hot, sweaty and worn out, so we headed home for a relaxing swim before dinner. Well worth it though, and pretty good value for money - especially as the twins were still young enough to be free :)

Home
It had been an amazing holiday, but we were glad to go home. Miss 5 particularly had missed her friends; I didn't have the heart to point out that she'll miss them even more when we move! It's back to the business of getting things sorted around the house and seeing all the people and places we need to see in Ottawa over the next 5 or 6 weeks. Bye for now!

Time is ticking

Okay, time to confess. I fully intended to write this late June before we headed off on a holiday to the States. As usual though, life happened and here I am just back from holiday and miles behind in my blog. I won't subject you to a painfully long entry of everything we've been up to since late May, so I'll update you on Ottawa stuff and write about our holiday next week sometime...maybe :)

The first big event since my last entry was the Dance recital. Miss 5 was super excited (again) and with another year of dancing under her belt actually getting really good at remembering the steps, being in time and all that important stuff. She just beams on stage and did a great job. (I may be biased, but then again as the teacher I am also hard on her and expect more from her.) I had also started a boys hip hop class (with kindergarten aged boys) this year and their performance was a huge hit. It's quite sad that I won't get to teach them all again next year, as I've had loads of fun and the kids all know me really well now. They all smile and chat with me during school drop off and pick up which is really sweet, and I was still getting compliments from parents weeks after the recital. 

School had a number of events in the last two weeks of the year. The first was the concert, where each class did 2 or 3 songs or musical items for the parents. The gym was crowded with mums, dads and grandparents and the kids all did a great job. The older students played a variety of instruments (ukulele anyone?) while the younger ones just sung. In English and French of course. Miss 5's class had a water theme; they sung "Listen to the Water" and "Pluie, Pluie" (rain, rain go away). With their actions and enthusiasm they were super cute and got lots of laughs and a huge round of applause. The following day was the Spring Fair. We'd gone last year and the kids had just as good a time again; playing games (and winning prizes), having their fingernails painted, going for a horse-drawn cart ride around the block and of course hot dogs for lunch. What more could you want? The final day of school finished at midday and is always followed by a picnic for students and their families. We'd missed it last year (as it clashed with the twins nap) and unfortunately this year it was forced inside due to rain. It turned out well in the end though, as the younger students all ended up playing and eating with their friends in their own classrooms while the mums and dads chatted. Hubby came so he went to the twin's room with them, while I hung out with Miss 5 in her room. The kids all had a blast, although I know that some of the mums whose kids are moving on to other schools for various reasons were feeling quite sad, myself included. It is a wonderful school that the kids have loved. 

While on the subject of Miss 5, her social life has continued at a cracking pace. As well as the usual playdates and trips to the park, she has been to 3 more birthday parties. Two of them featured visits by actual princesses. Yes, that's right, she has now met Ariel (in human not mermaid form!) and also Rapunzel. (Although she tells me that Rapunzel's hair wasn't as long as in the movie.) The third party was different but just as fun; it was held at the Aviation Musuem and the birthday girl's mum sent some lovely photos of the kids all dressed up in old fashioned aviator gear.

The twins are also doing well. They are generally happy and social and love our playdates and outings as much as Miss 5. It's also very cute hearing them try to sing the songs they hear her sing around the house - including the French ones! Nursery school has ended for them too; their teachers did up lovely scrapbooks for them with pieces of their artwork and photos of them playing with their little friends. It's a lovely memento, although they are too young to remember their friends for very long. They have also improved at swimming lessons which is great. They are much happier now to follow the directions and seem to actually enjoy themselves, so I feel better about going home to a house with a swimming pool.

We've also managed to do some fun things as a family on weekends. Every year is a big Military Family Appreciation Day which is essentially a giant fair with loads of free stuff to do. Only military families can go and various companies sponsor the event. We didn't do a huge amount of stuff, as there were big queues for some activities, as well as lots of stuff aimed at older kids but it was still fun. There was also the Doors Open Ottawa weekend, where loads of organisations let the public behind the scenes, and others offer free entry and tours. We walked into town and visited the Mint and the Art Gallery. Again, the kids were a little young, but it was a nice day to be out.

There has also been some fun stuff for us grown ups too. Hubby celebrated his birthday, so we went out to dinner at one of his favourite rib restaurants (with delicious smells of smoked meat when you walk in the door) followed by a drink and cake out. I also managed to sneak in a girl's night out - cocktails and chat followed by dancing. It was great fun; although my friend and I were surprised (and shall we say a little disappointed) by how well behaved the nightclub crowd was. The youth of today, disappointing!

Well, that's about it! I'll try to write next week to tell the tales of two and a half weeks in New York, Boston and places in between....