Time for our annual end-of-summer road trip! This year's 2014 road trip was…. lights, camera, action….. the bright lights of incredible NEW YORK CITY and the fancy shmancy Hamptons!!!
We couldn't wait to show the boys the BIGGEST and craziest city in the world! One of our favorites! It was their first time in the King of all cities, and we wanted to knock their socks off! We waited the second week of school to take off on our 5 day trip. Two nights in NYC, and 2 nights at the Hamptons. We left Wednesday morning and made the easy 6-7 hour drive to NYC. We barely made any stops as we are dealing with expert road trip travelers now, lol! Too bad we got into the City right at rush hour and it took us almost 2 hours to get through the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan! Will plan our drive differently next time….
Upon check-in at our hotel, we walked over a couple blocks to Times Square….. the boys eyes were bulging out of their heads!
Then Mickey and Minnie appeared, and the boys did not know what to think! I think they were in shock, overwhelmed, amazed, and it was fun to see them soak in all the lights, noise, rush of people….. tons of stimulation! They were no longer tired…. they were up and ready to party into the night! This ain't Bemus anymore, and it ain't Disneyland!! We strolled through the crazy streets of Times Square, found us a yummy and famous deli and had an authentic (expensive) NYC dinner...
Then we hit up the huge M&M store, where the boys had their dessert and then some….
Next, the gigantic Toy's R Us store…. where we spent close to an hour plus exploring the 4 levels…. the huge electronic life-like T-Rex, the indoor ferris wheel, and all the Spiderman, Thomas the Train, Dora, Peter Rabbit, and Paw Patrol we could handle. The boys each walked away with a special toy, and we retrieved to our hotel room, where visions of M&Ms, Times Square TV screens, taxi cabs, and all 1000s of toys danced in their heads!
After a good night's rest, the next day Thursday, (our only full day in NYC) we headed out to brunch overlooking Central Park, shopping, and some play time in Central Park. The second we rolled into the City the evening before I was relieved to NOT HAVE TO be living in a city such as this, with our crazy little boys! Why?!! Because I would be an even bigger stress case, having panic attacks every time the boys touched anything and stepped foot anywhere. I admit, the whole experience of taking the boys to visit in NYC was like mini heart attacks when they were not in their stroller. It was DON'T go there, DON'T touch that, STAY in the stroller, DON'T run into the street, WATCH your step, HOLD my hand…… and sanitizing their hands every 5 minutes on every corner! HA! Not exaggerating! The only place I felt I could breathe easier was at Central Park. SO much space for them to actually run around, climb, swing, explore… oh, what fun!
Central Park proved a fact….. little kids belong amongst nature and need SPACE! I really think City kids must feel like caged animals, they have to be restricted, confined, and supervised so much! Not for us!
Ok, so after our fun day in Central Park, we wore the boys out and got their wiggles and giggles out. We walked back to the hotel, showered and changed our clothes (I forgot to mention it was hot and humid the 2 days we were there). We put on our best city attire and took the boys on yet another adventure in the City! The SUBWAY! The only time we ditched the stroller! We wanted the boys to experience the subway…. and we knew we were only going 2 stops to our friend's place in Chelsea, and planning to take a cab back to the hotel after dinner. The boys were thrilled and curious, what a ride! We convinced Taji that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live in the sewers of the subway system, and he was on the lookout the whole time!
first time riding the subway!
Grover's on the Move!
Dinner with the Hagstrom's…. giving the kid's Erin's phone to watch Sesame Street kept them nice and calm while the adults finished their food and wine. (By the way, I hate doing this, and we usually don't…. I can't stand seeing kids glued to their parent's phone or video games out in restaurants or stores! They may as well be sitting at home! Its like they are there, but NOT there! We do not practice this… just a disclaimer)
dessert time
cupcakes after-party at the Hagstrom's amazing penthouse apartment!
We were there for the anniversary of 9/11….. beautiful Memorial tribute of the Freedom Tower in the background (standing on our friends' rooftop terrace!)
The next morning….. time to check-out. Take a look at how teeny this hotel room was (and all NYC hotels are…. its like sleeping in a shoe box, especially when you have kids with you and a pack n' play.) Did you notice where Jax's pack n'play is??? Yes, right in the hallway to the bathroom, actually you couldn't even get into the bathroom. We had to crawl over his pack n'play to get to the bathroom….. imagine that in the middle of the night when you really have to pee! LOL
Adventures continue….. onward to the Hamptons! A super short drive, and the Long Island beaches and picturesque towns really do live up to all the notoriety and fame! We stayed in Southampton…. a popular among families and celebrities, gorgeous little seaside town…. reminded me of Corona Del Mar but on the East Coast :-)
Cooper's Beach was the prettiest….. that we have seen so far on the East Coast (excluding Miami of course.) We spent the majority of our Friday frolicking the beach! This was our last beach hurrah of the Summer!
our sweet little family at dinner Friday night
The next morning we ate breakfast in town and headed to the eastern most tip of Long Island…. to Montauk. There was a storm expected later in the day so we wanted to make sure we got to the Lighthouse before it rolled in. We beat it, and got these beautiful shots of the "End of the World" as they refer to this easternmost part.
Montauk Lighthouse:
yummy yummy! This is the place to get the most fresh, succulent LOBSTER! The boys helped us devour every bit, our tummies were bursting.
Right after our late lunch (more like "Linner"), we drove through the other scenic towns back to our hotel in Southampton. We were pooped, and in perfect timing it began to rain. We had ourselves a stay-in-bed-watching-Disney-movies-and-ordering-takeout…… wonderfully cozy evening with our boys. Sometimes, you do have to get out of the house to have these kinds of lazy and close-knit moments with your kids! After a very sound and comfy night's sleep (I always get my own bed now, since Brad is the only one who can actually sleep and share a bed with Taj!) we got breakfast in town once again and went shopping…. more like Scavenger Hunt, since Taji lost his NYC Paw Patrol toy in one of the stores the day before and we were on a mission to find it. Sadly, we did not end up finding it, but it was an important lesson Taj had to learn.
By Sunday mid-day, we were on the Western road to Bemus Point. The drive was easy, the boys were awesome as always, and we were grateful to get home in time for dinner and bedtime. What a trip!!! NYC left a huge impression on the boys, especially Taj. He will constantly remind you how much he loves New York City, and how he can't wait to visit again. Mission Accomplished. Seed planted. Our little boys may live in a "small town", but they are "big city" minded :-)
