the dangers of seat belts

Bean likes to do a lot of things in the car...
Like pretend the seat belt is strangling him. He can do that all he wants, I'm still making him wear it.

sing it out loud!

Bean loves that he can sing as loud as he wants in the car when his favorite songs come on; because you can't do that on the subway unless you want everyone to laugh at you or hate you.
Now if I could only convince him that he doesn't need to use his earbuds anymore when we play his ipod through the radio.

unpacking = presents!

The movers came with our stuff today and so far, only one broken plate! Other than that, Bean likens unpacking to unwrapping presents, so things are going pretty well. Bean, let's keep our fingers crossed that our framed Elvis pastel portrait is still in gorgeous condition.

strange things

Bean, that's a car charger. You plug it into the lighter socket in your car and you can charge electronics! We're going to be using those now that we are in Texas and driving instead of using public transportation.
That one is for my cell phone and we can get one for our ipods, too!

bon voyage!

Bean and I didn't have much time in Texas before we had to start packing for Paris (France, that is). We'll be spring breaking in the land of snobbery and wine for the next week and will be too busy shopping to update.

So we'll just have catch you all next week! If you miss Bean too much, check out the old ones and see how much he's grown. And we'll be looking for some souvenirs for you, too.

A BIENTOT, MES AMIS!

hasta luego, NYC!

GTT - 'nuff said

until we meet again...greenwich village

goodbye alma mater nyu, spice's lunch special, crazy crooked streets and crazier people, magnolia bakery cupcakes (but not the line), strand bookstore, bowlmor lanes,
game nights at tortilla flats, union square, and the old and new washington square park.
Bean, we won't have to dress up as NYU college kids anymore to get Chick-fil-A! We can get it anytime we want in Texas with or without wearing purple and a backpack!

(for those who don't know, there is only one Chick-fil-A in Manhattan and it is conveniently located in one of my alma mater's dining halls)

until we meet again...brooklyn

goodbye brooklyn bridge, steiner studios, atlantic ave, hipsters, bedford ave,
hippie friends and their intentional community living spaces in the industrial wasteland of bushwick,
promenade, views of manhattan, and of course, goodbye L train freakshow.

until we meet again...UES

goodbye impressionists at the met, beautiful seasons reflected in central park foliage, tim keller's sermons and the redeemer family,
bible study girls (kelly, hannah, and lindsey and all the other tuesday night ladies), pumpkin scones from alice's tea cup,

annual birds of prey/falcon fest in central park, and just lounging around and playing instruments in sheep's meadow until the sun sets.
Bean, I think you should try the ukulele; Pet would probably prefer the tambourine.

until we meet again...lower manhattan

goodbye zelda of battery park, sunday bells/alarm clock at trinity church, giant american flag on wall street, alexander hamilton's grave (and ghost), waving hello to the statue of liberty and imagining she is waving back,


free staten island ferry, my last home in nyc, constant cloud of tourists around the bull statue,
and the spectacular sunsets over new jersey. and you thought we knew nothing of nature up here!

until we meet again...soho

goodbye broadway shopping from houston to canal, unbelievably crowded weekends, moma store, uniqlo, h&m, window shopping on cobblestone streets, cool polaroid photographer,
pearl river mart, new and unopened topshop and pomodoro's vodka sauce pizza.

until we meet again...midtown

goodbye rockefeller center with a giant tree, hilton hotel where we stayed when we first visited the city, shopping on 5th ave and christmas windows at bergdorf's,bryant park during fashion week, bryant park free ice skating pond in the winter,

and bryant park movies in the summer,
always romantic grand central station, always sketchy port authority, the old film office way over on 10th ave, broadway shows,
part of the street that acted as a walkway for real new yorkers because the tourists take up the whole sidewalk, and the giddiness that always came from times square's madness reminding me that this is new york city and this is where i live.
hand sanitizer, anyone? or maybe some of you softies need a tissue?

until we meet again...gramercy

goodbye madison square park, ridiculously long shake shack lines, haircuts at dramatics,
manhattan physicians group where I have puzzled them for years with my random one-time-only ailments,
gramercy diner burgers and toasted blueberry muffins and shakes in multiple mini cups,
random art in the park, flatiron, thrift stores on 23rd and hill country bbq.
I'll be getting the real thing from now on...

until we meet again...east village

goodbye veggies at westville, commercial st. mark's street, the old bowery, astor place,10 cent wings and carrots and celery and blue cheese and raspberry cider, r.i.p. burritoville,

and goodbye stuy town, and neighbors like esther michaels.

until we meet again...tribeca

goodbye sophomore year dorm, goodbye tribeca film festival street parties with hula hoops,


goodbye crazy and crowded canal street, goodbye delicious Bubby's brunches,

goodbye least crowded and most spacious whole foods in manhattan, goodbye freaky pearl paint elevator,
and goodbye iconic ghostbusters firehouse.
Bean, when you are done being slimer, don't forget to give Christine her scarf back. You know how good she looks in it.