Adirondack Trip, Part 2

Thursday night Sixty-five arrived at the family home and after an evening spent chatting and catching up we decided that we would spend Friday in Saratoga Springs, New York. We lamented the fact that the horse racing season was over and that we couldn't watch any races but we did discover the presence of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Fun museum! The highlight for kids and adults was the racing simulator. The kids each suited up in full jockey gear (silks, chaps, flack jacket and helmet!) and mounted mechanical "horse" stationed in front of a giant screen playing a filmed horse race. Each child got to race three races: a practice race, an apprentice race and a final, real race. Each race would prompt the mechanical horse to move faster and faster and would then elicit louder and more robust shrieks and giggles from Madeleine and Hank.

After the museum closed our group moved on the main shopping district in Saratoga Springs. We poked around the town for awhile, stopping at fabulous, famous bakery and a Food Network featured restaurant and were sure to inspect as many of the painted horses that were scattered about town as possible.

New York, II

I love New York. I love visiting. I love racing up and down subway steps imagining, for just a moment, that I’m part of the hustle and bustle; that I too have someplace so important to be that I couldn’t dream of merely walking down the stairs. I love the sounds of the trains screeching on the tracks. And the chorus of honking taxi horns when you step up from the subway. I love the idea that someone is upset because someone else's pace (hit the gas pedal a half a second BEFORE the light turns green! Don't walk to slowly on the subway stairs! Push the revolving door faster!) might push them a millisecond behind schedule. Superdad calls NY driving "Combat Driving" and I think it's an appropriate title.

Hurry, hurry, rush, rush!

And all that rushing always has New Yorkers on the cutting edge of everything in America, it seems. Some of it good, some of it not, but what's good is so enjoyable to take part. I love watching what people are wearing in NY. It almost seems as if I'm looking at a photo spread in Vogue; people are so well dressed. I love eating out in NY. The restaurants are unique and amazing but, like everything else, ever changing.

Here are my trip highlights: a fun visit with my aunt (check out Sixty-Five's blog for some more tidbits about my trip), a trip to the Museum of Modern Art, a Bobby Flay and Stephanie March sighting (they were at the MoMA too!!!), three extraordinary meals at Bar Americain, Mesa Grill and Lombardi's Pizza and countless hours logged drooling over clothes, bags, jewelry and accessories in one glamorous store after another.

It was a fantastic, too short trip, and I can't wait for the next.

Thanksgiving Recap

Never one to re-do what's already been done, I'll simply refer to you my aunt's blog for some of our Thanksgiving trip highlights.

Turkey Coma

Thanksgiving was five days ago and I still feel as if I'm just coming out of my turkey-induced coma.

We spent our holiday in New Jersey with my aunt, cousins and their families and enjoyed delectable food and spectacular company.

Now life goes back to normal. I'm back at my dining room table, coffee in hand, laptop whirring away yet still I don't quite feel as if it's a typical Monday. I feel as if it's special, somehow; as if it's still a holiday.

I'm not worried. Any second now one of the kids is going to start yelling or crying and my peaceful blogging time will be cut off, shattering any illusion that it might still be a holiday. No, I am back on my own with the kids. Time to start laundry, chauffeuring to gymnastics class and restocking a very barren refrigerator.

I hope everyone had a great holiday; I know I did!