Labor Day weekend may be for resting, but in this house it's all about activities. Kate loves to be doing stuff and we (usually) love taking her all around. It can feel exhausting sometimes, but in general it's tons of fun to share new experiences with her. This weekend I took her to the Bronx Zoo on Saturday. Stacey had to take Dill to the vet so it was just me and Kate rolling on the subway from W 60th all the way up to the 180th St. stop.
The zoo itself was great--just as fun as I remembered--and Kate had a blast. Despite fading energy-wise over the course of the day she insisted on powering through to "see another animal" over and over. Although I grew to really enjoy Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo I have to say this zoo was second only to the San Diego Zoo in overall quality. Most of the enclosures have low fencing so kids and adults can both enjoy unobstructed views. The highlights for Kate were the giraffes (interestingly mixed in with ostriches), the gorillas, the lions, and riding a camel. I rode with her. I can't say sitting on the hump was comfortable as the camel lazily walked us in a circle, but Kate thought it was a blast. One of the people working on the platform nicely snapped a few photos, too.
Sunday we were back in the Bronx, this time taking Kate to her first game at Yankee Stadium. Stacey and I were both impressed with how fast the subway ride on the B was from Columbus Circle. Once we move our next trip will be even shorter as we will be about 30 blocks closer. Anyway, we got to the game right before it started. I scored $7.50 bleacher seats online, but we never sat in the seats. We watched the first part of the game from the centerfield concessions area--great view. Then we moved around the stadium checking out the various food and drink options and marveling at the completely outrageous prices. "Beers of the World"--most of them domestic like Yuengling--were $12(!) a cup. Kate was very well behaved. Stacey even had her cheering for "Derek" right as he hit a 3-run homer. Although she didn't directly watch most of the game she did have insightful comments when she was paying attention. A diving catch was "The man fell down!" As we left she waved to the field and said "Good bye Yankees! Good bye Derek! See you tomorrow!"
Right now we are assessing our options for tomorrow. It's supposed to rain, which is unfortunate as we don't have our wet weather places all picked out yet. A thunderstorm is also forecast, which means Dill may be freaking out and require someone stay home with him. Grandma Alice and Grandpa George may be stopping by so we'll have to see how it all shakes out. Either way, between all the fun we had with Kate and our first night out with a babysitter yesterday, this is the first "New York" weekend we've had since getting here. Feels good to be able to write that.
