10 Books to Keep You Going on the Popsugar Reading Challenge

July 31, 2018 No Comments

Guest post by Kyle

Reading Challenge: Round 4

This round of the POPSUGAR book challenge might be the strongest group of 10 on my list, with one notable exception (see if you can figure out which one you won’t want to read!). There is still a lot of year left, so if you haven’t started the reading challenge yet, pick out a few books and get started!

No need to start in order, but come back to see my selections for Prompts 1-10, Prompts 11-20, and Prompts 21-30.

Now for the books. These are my picks for prompts 31-40:

*This post contains affiliate links. That means if you decide to follow a link here/buy an item from this post, I’ll receive a small commission – at no extra cost to you!

31. A book mentioned in another book

It’s interesting how many books mention other books. Last year’s list included this prompt, and I remember being surprised how quickly I found a mention of a book that I wanted to read. This year, I decided that I would read a few books and keep track of every book mentioned and then choose a book for this prompt when I was closer to the end of the reading challenge. That plan didn’t last long…

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Cheryl Strayed) is mentioned in Talking as Fast as I Can. (Which I read for prompt 40, so you will read about it at the end of this list.) I knew when I saw it that it was going to be the book I read for this prompt. Unsurprisingly, I had already seen (and enjoyed) the movie. This book won a Good Choice Award on Goodreads, so I recently added it to my TBR (To Be Read) list.

This book is autobiographical. After the sudden death of her mother and the destruction of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed impulsively decides to solo hike the Pacific Crest Trail…without any training or experience. Driven by sheer will, she tackles the journey literally one step at a time.

*Careful, it might make you want to buy a pair of boots and a backpack.

32. A book from a celebrity book club

A lot of celebrities seem to be starting book clubs these days. There is only one book club that matters: Oprah’s. Several of Oprah’s selections are on Amazon’s 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list, but The Underground Railroa d (Colson Whitehead) isn’t among those. However, it did win a Choice Awards in 2016 for the historical fiction category.

In this book, the Underground Railroad is not a metaphor, but an actual railroad transporting runaway slaves in the south to freedom. Cora and Caesar attempt a daring escape and head north, while being pursued by Ridgeway, a dogged slave catcher.

33. A childhood classic you’ve never read

This wasn’t exactly a difficult prompt, but there weren’t that many books that I could think of to fit the description. Because it’s a children’s book, I intended to read Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder) with our oldest son. But since it is not the first book in this series, I read Little House in the Big Woods first (which Megan had already read with Kman).

This book follows Laura’s family as they leave the big woods and travel to the Kansas territory and establish a homestead on the…wait for it…prairie. These books read like a “day in the life of” type book, covering the basics of daily living for early-19th century settlers. I haven’t seen any screen adaptation of this book, so I didn’t have anything with which to compare it. Additionally, any book you choose for this thread is absent any nostalgia element. So for me, I expected a book that never showed up, so I do think I was slightly disappointed after reading both books.

34. A book that’s published in 2018

I utilized a Kindle First book for this prompt. (This is a program for Prime members where you get to choose a free book every month.) The Birdwoman’s Palate (Laksmi Pamuntjak) was the literary fiction selection for January 2018 and follows Aruna, an Indonesian epidemiologist, who has a passion for food. Aruna researches a series of bird flu cases that popped up around the country. She uses the investigation as an opportunity to travel with her friends and indulge in the various dishes of the local cuisine.

35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner

Into the Water (Paula Hawkins) won the 2017 Choice Award in the mystery and thriller category. The only other book I had read by Paula Hawkins was The Girl on the Train. I saw that one advertised as “if you liked Gone Girl, you’ll love…” This turned out to be, how you say, not the case. The Girl on the Train disappointed me, so I actually wasn’t expecting much out of Into the Water.

It surprised me. I really like the chapter formatting of these books with the alternating perspectives, but sometimes they don’t pay off and seem to be predictable. Honestly, I do not think this book is Gone Girl level, but I didn’t predict the ending either. I’m generally hypercritical of mystery/thrillers because it’s my favorite genre (nordic crime fiction more specifically), but I don’t really have anything negative to say. I liked this book.

36. A book set in the decade you were born

1984 (George Orwell) had to be the book. I’m sure there are a lot of books out there set in the ’80s, but c’mon, this is the one. I’m not sure if this was assigned reading for me in school or not, but I vaguely remember starting it at some point. However, I know I never finished it. So this was a good opportunity to knock a classic off the TBR list. Also, with the current events in American politics, this book has seen a resurgence in popularity. So what better time than now to read it?

Big Brother is always watching in Oceania. Winston Smith enters into a love affair and finds the courage to join a revolutionary organization, The Brotherhood, dedicated to toppling the Party. Written as satire, this futuristic novel remains relevant almost 70 years after it was originally published.

37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to

Oh, don’t tell me. You’re not going to read this one. I’m shocked! Leadership Theory and the Community College (Carlos Navarez, J. Luke Wood, and Rose Penrose) is actually a really good book for anyone seeking to gain insight into leadership. If you are not interested in community colleges, there are other leadership books that are more fitting. I took part in a leadership academy through the North Texas Community College Consortium and this was the required text. This is also one of those cheat books, because I started reading it in 2017. But, because I intended to finish it in 2017 and didn’t, I counted it.

Community colleges are incredibly complex organizations, so the real value of this book is the case study presented at the end of each chapter. The case studies present unique situations in which the reader can think about how the different leadership styles are applied. If you know anyone who works for a community college, this is a short book and well worth the time.

38. A book with an ugly cover

No offense to anyone who designed this cover, but Glory in Death (J.D. Robb) has an ugly cover. Oddly enough, this isn’t the only version of the cover, but it is the ugliest. The second in the In Death series, this book finds Eve Dallas trying to solve a series of connected murders in 2058 New York City. She has no shortage of men close to the victims – one of which is her lover, Roarke. Awkward!

Seriously though, the two books I’ve read in this series have been entertaining. However, they do seem to follow the same form so I have decided not to continue the series. In fact, the only reason I read this one was because the Overdrive rental included the first five in the series.

39. A book that involves a bookstore or library

I had a hard time finding something suitable for this prompt. The Library Book (Rebecca Gray) was available on Overdrive, and I chose it for that reason alone. Published in support of local libraries, it’s an anthology of stories from famous writers and their experience with libraries. The writers share stories about childhood experiences in libraries or the importance that libraries had in their lives. Also, it is a call to action in helping preserving the library as an institution. Support your local library! Check out books!

40. Your favorite prompt from 2015-2017 POPSUGAR Challenge

I chose my prompt because I wanted to read Uncommon Type (Tom Hanks). I was going to use the 2016 prompt, “A book written by a celebrity,” to make that happen. Once again, I changed my plan. Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) (Lauren Graham) won a Goodreads Choice award for humor, so I decided to read it instead.

I never watched Gilmore girls and this book didn’t make me want to start watching Gilmore Girls. But, if you have watched Gilmore Girls, I imagine you would really like this book. I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls, and I liked this book. I found it as funny as the Choice Award winners for that category written by actual comedians. That might say more about the actual comedians, but I’ll leave it alone for now…

What’s on Your Book Challenge?

What books are you reading? Have you started the reading challenge? If so, let me know what you chose to read for these prompts. Comment below with your suggestions. These prompts may be used again next year, so I might need recommendations.

Don’t forget to check out my other picks for this year’s challenge:

Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

My Pick:

Here’s @oscarshead with my favorite book out of this set of prompts.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Cheryl Strayed)

General

New York City Pizza Guide

July 25, 2018 No Comments

best pizza in New York City, where to eat pizza in New York City

NYC Part 2: New York Pizza

When I was growing up, my dad had a travel rule regarding food: No national chains. We tried to eat local fare as often as possible on the road. My husband also has one rule regarding food and travel: Eat pizza. As I mentioned in NYC post #1, I tease him about being on a quest to try every slice in America. He likes to point out that, though I give him a hard time, I’m not exactly suggesting other food, and I definitely enjoy the pizza. Touché.

All of our vacations feature pizzerias from a list of 101 Best Pizzas that my husband has set to conquer, but we also go rogue and find our own places to visit. In New York, pizza is king. We’ve only been twice as a married couple, but both times have been heavy on the pizza (and delicious!) For a bit of perspective, my husband started our vacation alone in PA and met my son and I in NYC. The total time gone was one week. In that time, his pizza count was 27. That’s 27 pizzerias, not just slices.

To keep things manageable, both for our stomachs and our wallets, we usually only get one slice per stop to share. Most shops will cut a slice in half for you too! (It turned into 2 per stop with our son along!) Of course if it’s a repeat visit to an awesome shop or an actual meal we’ll get our own, but a lot of our pizza stops are snacks along the way to a destination. (Which is how several per day fit in!) So sharing slices is perfectly reasonable.

We also stick with “plain” (a.k.a. “cheese”) pizza at most locations. The plain pizza here is super satisfying and will save you money at every stop.

*This post contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase after clicking one of the links, I’ll receive a small commission – at no extra charge to you!

New York Pizza

I am not as fanatic about pizza as my husband, but I do have to say that nothing beats a good New York slice. Some of them are so good I Google apartment listings and fantasize about moving next door. Some are just okay, and of course some are just not good at all. But honestly, even a bad slice in NYC is better than a good slice at home*. There’s just somethin’ in the water. (No, seriously. Some people swear by this theory!)

In any case, as New York is known for its pizzas, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. So which ones are worth standing in line for and which are a definite hard pass? Here they are, in no particular order except the one I ate them in.

*But seriously, even though the bad slices are still good, read my list and don’t waste your time/money on the bad slices until you’ve had the good ones.

Joe’s Pizza

So nice, I ate it twice. Our first stop in New York (after the hotel, of course) was Joe’s Pizza on Carmine St. Our son heard us talk about the pizzas we ate on our last New York trip, and he requested that this be the first thing he ate on his trip. There are four locations of Joe’s, but this one is the original. It’s located near NYU and Washington Square park, and the last time I was there I ate it on the way to a show at The Comedy Cellar. On this trip, we sat in the little park across the street and ate our pizza on a bench. About half way through our snack, I noticed a sign that said we were in a “quiet park.” Oops.

We ate Joe’s again in Times Square. I didn’t even realize it was there. But after a long morning at Central Park, we were headed to the hotel to rest for a bit and I thought surely we’d be able to find something edible quickly off the subway in Times Square. I was prepared for a 99¢ slice shop, but thought what the heck and let Google tell me what was around.

So glad I did, because Joe’s is tied for #1 in my New York pizzas. The crust is perfect – it doesn’t flop when you pick it up. The cheese is not stringy and doesn’t slide off when you eat. The sauce is some of the tastiest in New York, and I love this slice.

Bleecker Street Pizza

This is the one that is tied for #1 with Joe’s for me. Also the second slice I had this trip, which is kind of a bummer as the rest just didn’t quite measure up. Bleecker Street doesn’t have the same publicity from “best pizza lists” that Joe’s does, but it can definitely hold its own.

Bleecker Street is just a short walk from Joe’s, so don’t eat one without the other if you can avoid it. These two slices may look a lot alike, but they are actually quite different in taste. Joe’s for me is all about the sauce. The other stuff is just right too, but the sauce is the star. Bleecker Street is much lighter on the sauce, and the star is definitely the cheese. My husband rates this one ever so slightly higher than Joe’s, because he’s not a sauce guy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a dry pizza – if it were I wouldn’t enjoy it. It’s a very tasty pie.

When I saw all the cheese I was worried and just knew it was all going to slide off when I took a bite. But I was pleasantly surprised. Everything stays right where it’s supposed to, and the balance is great.

*John’s of Bleecker

Asterisk, because it’s been a year since I ate this pizza. My beef with John’s is that they don’t sell by the slice (and they’re proud of that). I remember it being a really good pizza, but I am a by-the-slice kind of gal. Even when you have a group, ordering a full pizza is hard in my opinion. In my family there’s plain lovers, meat lovers, pepperoni only-ers. How on earth do you pick a pizza to satisfy everyone?? Worth eating though if you’re looking for a pizza place in this area where you can sit indoors with a large group!

Pronto Pizza & Steve’s Pizza

My husband ate these on his own while visiting the 9-11 memorial and museum. He gave them both solid, “Meh,” ratings. This wasn’t just for my sake – stay tuned because he later ate “the best slice he’d had” on his own. As in without me.

His note on Pronto – the sauce has no flavor. Steve’s – too thick, too much cornmeal. Nobody wants to feel like they’re eating sandy pizza. Nobody.

So maybe if you’re in the area, just find something else to snack on!

Famous Original Ray’s Pizza

Famous for … lackluster slices in a sea of much better slices? We stopped for a slice at the Lexington Ave. location on the way from the subway station to the Central Park Zoo. This pizza was probably my least favorite of all of the slices we ate. You can see in the photo that it’s greasy – a big no for me. It was chewy, the sauce had very little flavor, and I was able to use my Whole 30 powers and say that slice is not worth the calories I’m gonna have to walk off. I let the boys finish this one. (Because I’ve heard my husband say, “Even bad New York pizza is good pizza.”)

Prince Street Pizza

We walked to Prince Street Pizza after grabbing a scoop of ice cream at Oddfellows (highly recommend!) Morgenstern’s ice cream is closer, but I’d already been there before! (Also recommend, but Morgenstern’s is more for the exotic flavors, Oddfellows for the traditionalists!)

In any case, Prince Street Pizza is serving up an incredibly tasty Sicilian style pizza. If you go, plan on trying the Spicy Spring. It surprised me when I saw it (because I didn’t know what Sicilian style was), but it was really very good.

This is not the kind of pizza I think I would eat as a pizza craving quelcher. That’s Joe’s. But it is the kind of pizza that I would crave. It’s got a very distinct taste, and I could see myself getting in a PSP mood. Give it a try. Those crispy pepperonis are worth the wait in line. Because there will be a line. And no place to sit. But do it anyway.

Prince Street Pizza NYC — Prince Street Pizza

Artichoke Pizza

This one was an unplanned drop-in slice for us. My husband had eaten the artichoke slice (their namesake that they’re known for) on his last NYC visit, and we happened across another location as we were walking from Chelsea Market to the High Line. On this visit we just got a slice of the margherita. I am a margherita convert. The large slices of mozzarella with basil haven’t always been my favorite, but I’ve recently eaten some incredibly tasty ones. I think this was a perfectly good slice of pizza, but in my opinion there are way better things to spend $6 on. Like (almost) two slices at Joe’s.

Pomodoro

Kyle needed a slice while I was busy getting macaroons in SoHo, so-ho he dropped in at Pomodoro. I think I had a bite when we met back up, but this slice was so unmemorable that I’m not even sure if I tried it. Kyle described it as “chewy.” Which is not a good thing. If you’re really hungry for some pizza while you’re shopping, slide over to Lombardi’s – the oldest pizzeria in the country. You’ll have to sit, but it’s worth the experience! Pomodoro wasn’t the worst, but there are way, way better slices in the city.

Scarr’s Pizza

I am pretty bummed that I didn’t get to try this slice. We were split up for the morning as Kyle had some official work biz to attend to. While I was enjoying Joe’s in Times Square, my husband was enjoying several slices near the Tenement Museum. His favorite by far was Scarr’s, so that’s the only one I’ll include here. Not only was this his favorite in the area, he actually described it as “maybe the best overall.” This one is a bit off the beaten path, but according to my husband, worth the trek.

Front Street Pizza

Just across the Brooklyn Bridge, this was another one for me that just wasn’t worth it. Front Street Pizza has mostly good reviews on Google, but it just all around fell short of all of my other favorite slices. It was bland – and essentially tasted like eating a piece of crust. The best thing about this pizza was the location, which gives you the famous view of the Empire State Building underneath the Manhattan Bridge. Go for that, skip the pizza.

Some Other Places

Before meeting us at the airport (LGA) Kyle had two notable slices – Sal & Carmine’s and Patsy’s. These are both on the North side of the park (one West, one East), so if you find yourself in one of those areas you should check them out!

I’ve included a few above that we did not particularly enjoy, mainly because they are not located in pizza-dense locations and you might be stuck with a decision to make when you pass by! Some others that we ate that were just okay were Ben’s, East Village Pizza, Fahr Fresh & Hot Pizza, Kiss My Slice, and Georgio’s Pizza. I’d probably skip the calorie count on these slices.

Where to Go From Here?!?

So after eating some of arguably the best slices in the country, what are we to do now?! We’ll continue trying out the local places here in DFW in search of the perfect at-home slice. Nothing beats New York pizza, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try. You can follow along with us on Instagram @icouldgoforaslice.

For his birthday, Kyle received a pizza steel and a very official looking pizza slicer from my parents and hopes to be able to make us some awesome slices at home. (A pizza steel’s purpose is to get insanely hot in an oven that doesn’t get insanely hot. Did you know the best pizzas are cooked fast at high temps?) We’ll share some of our trials on this tasty journey here as they come.

In the meantime, what’s the best slice you’ve ever had? Have you tried any of the spots on our list? What’s your favorite New York pizza spot?

Kids

New York City Vacation (With a 6 Year Old!)

July 12, 2018 No Comments

Part 1:

New York City Vacation – The Overall Recap!

My husband and I love New York City. I have only been four times (two as a teen, two as an adult), but I love the hustle and bustle of the city, the shops, and of course the food. My husband received a summer study grant from his school that included a trip to The Big Apple. Of course I had to find a way to get in on that trip. Our 6 year old has taken an interest in his dad’s quest for eating every slice of pizza in the United States (okay, maybe the quest isn’t that broad – but it may as well be!), so we wanted to take him along to the pizza capital of the states too.

Having been to NYC before, I knew that my trip would be much more enjoyable for everyone if the 3 and 1 year olds stayed behind. I do New York at a pretty fast pace with LOTS of walking and lots of subway trips – which equates to lots of stairs. And not to mention, having more kids than adults in a busy city would just be a little bit stressful for me. Luckily, we have two sets of awesome grandparents, and they were willing and able to provide a stay-cation for the little guys while we were walking the city basically non-stop.

Our trip lasted 4 nights – we arrived late afternoon Thursday and stayed through lunch on Monday. Here’s a recap of everything from the trek there, to the food, to the accommodations, and the attractions. I think our son would qualify this as the “best week ever!” and here’s why.

The (Long) Trip There

There’s nowhere to go but up when you spend the bulk of the trip to your destination vomiting in an airplane vomit bag. My son and I were up at about 4 a.m. for our first flight (ugh, layovers), and we arrived at the airport with ample time to spare. It’s a good thing too, because when they say to leave wiggle room “just in case” the lines are long at security, that morning was exactly the case that they’re talking about. Leaving ample time at the airport has previously meant that I had ample time sitting and waiting to board a plane at the gate.

Unfortunately for my son, my previous experiences led me to believe that I did not need to consider breakfast until we got to the gate. About halfway through the longest security line ever, he started complaining about his stomach hurting and just being “so hungry.” I suspect he was also “so nervous” as he’s one of the most anxious kids I know, but in his mind – it was all about the hunger. About 5 people away from scanning our tickets after standing in the longest security line ever, he vomited for the first time that day.

Do you know what you do when your kid vomits in the security line? When you’ve been standing in said line for half of an hour and your plane leaves in another, you just keep movin’ in the queue. (Yes, I did let an official know that there was a … mess.) We ended up boarding the plane within minutes of arriving at our gate, and when we got to our seats I had just enough time to locate a vomit bag before vomit of the day #2 made it’s arrival.

I know this is already enough, so I’ll spare you the details surrounding vomits #3 and #4. After a safe return to the ground and an airport hamburger at our D.C. layover, my guy was back to normal and ready to rock.

Our Stay

In an effort to keep hotel costs down, we chose to stay in the Financial District. We found a great deal on a room there. For those of you unfamiliar with the layout of Manhattan, this is the area at the southern tip of the island. It’s about a 20-30 minute trip to Midtown/Times Square via subway. I was a bit wary about how this would affect our trip, but my need for savings won out!

There were some minor inconveniences to staying in the FiDi. For one, while there are plenty of places to eat there (I mean, the Wall Street bankers have to eat some time right?!) most of our pre-planned meals were in other areas. Another of my complaints was just that it was a big time-suck to get there and back out. I did not necessarily need to stop for a hotel break. But it is nice to be able to swing by to drop purchases off and get a short rest after a packed morning.

One of the good things about staying away from the action was that the crowds and night noise were minimal. I had no trouble falling (and staying) asleep – though that could’ve also been just sheer exhaustion. For my next trip, if I am going to be in the city for a short amount of time (think 3 or fewer days) I would want to be closer to the action. However, if you have a few extra days and time is a bit more flexible, the added travel time is worth the savings if you can get it.

The Fun

This was the longest trip I’ve ever taken to NYC. Which is a good thing of course! Our days were pretty packed, but I did not feel as rushed this time as I have in the past. (My last trip was a weekend jaunt for a Billy Joel concert at MSG. My whole family went, and it was a lot of fun. But it was literally NON-STOP!) This was our son’s first trip, so of course we had to hit up the major attractions. Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, Empire State. We hit them all. Seeing him experience it all for the first time was awesome. Our city in Texas has around 30,000 people, so life looks a lot different at home than in the city.

We spent some time in the American Museum of Natural History, and that was hands down his favorite part. He is currently on a “future paleontologist” wave, and there’s nothing that can compare to seeing the massive dinosaur fossils they’ve got. He also had an absolute blast in the ocean room.

The great thing about New York is that there is plenty to fill your day – fo’ free. We had a great balance of paid and free activities that kept us moving. I’ll share more about the specifics of our days in a future post!

We had initially planned to go up to the Top of the Rock for a view, but it kept getting pushed aside for other activities. In the end, I don’t think he even missed it. We also did not make it to the Grand Central terminal or the NY Public Library. As we told our son though – you’ve got to leave a reason to come back!

The Food

Pizza, pizza, and more pizza. As I mentioned earlier, my husband (and children) are pretty wild about pizza. And when in New York… We ate a whole bunch of pizza, but we went in with the plan to share slices (frequently) so that we could try more places. Some stops were cravings from our last trip. Some were on Kyle’s “to try” list, and some we just passed by and stopped in. Our tops for now are Joe’s and Prince Street. Two very different pies, but both delicious in their own right.

We also tried a few bakeries (including bagel shops), and I think my son was spoiled by his awesome breakfasts! Since coming home, he’s been eating a steady stream of bagels. I must say though, it is just not the same to buy them at Wal-Mart. What? That comes as a shock to you?

Which reminds me. Whenever you eat something really great, like New York bagels, do you ever feel sorry for people who go through their whole lives never experiencing that food? If the only bagels I ever ate were Wal-Mart bagels, I’m pretty sure that I could tolerate them but not *love* them. But man, do I love New York bagels.

Or if the only pizza you ever had was Domino’s. (Or wherever…) Would you really be able to say you’d tried pizza?? Don’t get me wrong. I can put back some Domino’s. But it’s not the same. Or, in my opinion, even close.

Or if the only apples I ever tried were red delicious. Bleh.

What’s your favorite food that is just not the same in the mainstream accessible version?

In any case, we also made sure we ate plenty of ice cream! (Duh.) FYI – I’m only eating butter pecan brittle from Ample Hills Creamery from now on. (If only that were true.)

I’ll give a roundup of eeeeeverything we ate soon!

The Highlights

As cheesy as it sounds, my highlight was just watching my son take in the city. He was enamored, and it was one of the best vacations I’ve ever had.

But since I know that’s kind of a cop-out, here’s some tangibles that were highlights for me. (Besides food, food, and more food.)

Exploring Central Park with no real plan. We had some time to kill, and had Bethesda Fountain as our goal when we left the American Museum of Natural History. (For the second time. We actually had to go back to the museum after the prized souvenir dinosaur that was picked out on our first trip fell out of my husband’s pocket during our Staten Island Ferry ride.) But instead of just sticking to our path, we decided to check out some detours. It ended up being awesome. We saw a great view of the lake, a guy sweating his guts out waiting to propose to his girlfriend, and a whole bunch of turtles.

The hydrangeas packing every flower bed. I love hydrangeas, and June is a perfect time to see them growing vigorously in New York. In Texas, the hydrangea in my flower bed is incredibly sad every afternoon. Though in the shade of my house all day, the summer heat here just sucks up all of its water. And hydrangeas are happy when they stay damp. I’m a bit of a flower nerd in my old (ish) age. Though my thumb is nowhere near as green as I’d like it to be. In any case, the beds there were beautiful.

Watching my oldest boy thoughtfully pick out a souvenir for his little brother. He first picked out a hunk-o-junk light up stegosaurus from the museum gift shop. My instinct was a resounding “NO!” But when I heard his reasoning, “It’s his favorite color blue, he loves dinosaurs, and the light inside will make a good night light for him,” I had to say yes. (That did not end up being the only souvenir we brought home, but was probably the one that was most loved. Among the other souvenirs was a free “pride” dog from Target. Team members were stationed to pass them out in Midtown after the Pride Parade. When he asked about the rainbow flag the dog was waving, big brother said, “He’s just really, really proud of himself.”)

Next Time

I don’t know when we’ll be back, though I’m sure it will be in the relatively near future. At the very least, we’ve promised our next boy a kindergarten graduation trip to NYC (look out, summer ’21!) The city is always changing while so much stays the same. We are looking forward to introducing another one of our boys to one of our favorite places, and getting to check off some ‘firsts’ for ourselves along the way too.