Things To Do With A Thousand Dollars

An oldie from a trip to the Smithsonian. 

As someone who regularly watches Project Runway with her children, and someone who brought those same children to the bar area at Houlihan's a few weekends ago just so she could watch a Chiefs game, I probably shouldn't judge other parents about their family's recreational choices.

And yet.

Not that long ago, I got into a conversation with someone who also lives in our pricey area on a not very big budget. (For my local readers, this person does not live in town and we're not friends on Facebook, so you don't know her. Promise.) I was lamenting that we don't get to do half as much as I'd like, family-activity-wise, because of the sheer cost of museum memberships, getting into the city and whatnot.

I mean, should our budget ever get bigger, it will probably all go toward seeing more Broadway shows, going to more museums, spending more time at the Bronx Zoo and visiting Books of Wonder on a regular basis. This may be why our budget never seems to get bigger.

Anyway. The person I was talking to, after mentioning how they'd probably spent over $1000 at Six Flags over the summer (!!), had never taken her kids to the city for anything other than a few dinners. So I said, "Oh? Do you prefer to stay in Jersey and go to Liberty Science Center and stuff out here?"

The truth is, while very few places can beat New York City for historical, cultural and artistic attractions, we do have some cool stuff right here in Jersey. Just as I was chiding myself for being all snotty about my home state, though, my conversation partner confessed that she'd never felt like she could afford anything out here either.

Which I would totally get, except that she'd just confessed to dropping over $1000 on three trips to Six Flags over the summer.

And I also get that not every family's idea of a fun time is traipsing through a natural history museum - my kids will probably not see an opera until they can pay for their own tickets, for example - there is a magazine entirely devoted to things to do in New York City, for God's sake.

They could have skipped just one of their Six Flags trips and gone to the Bronx Zoo AND Liberty Science Center, you know. Like, if you only want to visit Six Flags for your recreation, why live so close to NYC and pay our exorbitant tax rate and deal with the damn crowds all the time? Of course, I think you can find great museums and sites in most parts of the country, but somehow it seems worse willfully ignoring all the things to do here.

I know I'm being horrible and judge-y, but I can't help it.

My Night With Madonna and Shakespeare

For the first time since I can't remember when, Hot Guy and I went on a date that did not involve the local mall.* We actually went into the city, in the evening, to see the Royal Shakespeare Company.**And before the performance we ate at a restaurant that did not have a children's menu.

It was AWESOME. 

It was the last part of my birthday celebration***, as the theater tickets were a gift from my parents, as was the baby-sitting. 

We did not make dinner reservations as we weren't sure exactly when we'd get into the city (traffic is a fickle mistress), but assumed we'd find something near the Park Avenue Armory (more about that later), where the RSC is performing. After we finally found a place to park, we started wandering the Upper East Side. You know why all those women on the Real Housewives are so skinny? It's because there are no restaurants in their neighborhood. Seriously. We were about to hail a cab for mid-town when I spotted Bistro Chat Noir. ****

It was perfect in it's French/urban vibe. The service was wonderful, the people watching mildly entertaining and the food was great. Especially the gazpacho. It's a good thing I'm not pregnant, because if I was I would be sending Hot Guy in there to buy me more, it was that good. Damn, now I'm thinking about it again. 

After our wonderful dinner that wouldn't have been too expensive if we hadn't ordered drinks*****, we walked to the Armory. At one time soldiers trained there, I think, but now it's an art space. The RSC basically rebuilt their own theater inside, which is sort of like Shakespeare's Globe, but with seats. We saw The Winter's Tale, which I hadn't read since college, but remembered liking. Hot Guy had never performed in it or even studied it, so I thought he'd be more able to enjoy it.******

We had such a great time watching and then geeking out about it after. The cast ranged from great to AMAZING, the sets were phenomenal and the sound was really interesting. And the words were good too, of course. Anyone who says they don't like/understand Shakespeare needs to just go to an RSC performance. It seems somehow wrong that wherever you live you can see Britney Spears live but not the Royal Shakespeare Company, you know? Of course, I can personally attest that the Riverside Shakespeare Festival in Iowa and the Kansas City Rep are pretty damn good. 

I'm going to get all bossy now and say that if there's a Shakespeare Festival or a repertory theater near you, you should go. Even if you think you'll hate it. But if your only option is the local high school, um, start saving for that trip to London. I've seen great high school shows and I've seen great Shakespeare, but never at the same time. 

Anyway, thank you to my parents and my husband for giving me such an awesome birthday present. 

*Not that there's anything wrong with going to the movies and eating at the mall. 

**They are currently performing in New York City. Though how cool would it be to fly to England for a date? 

***Hey, how many times am I going to turn 40? Might as well stretch it as long as possible. 

****This is not sponsored, much as I wish it was. I am so not cool enough for that. But I don't think a restaurant where Madonna eats (check the link) needs me to blog about them. Although who would have thought that Madonna actually eats?

*****But at least they were strong drinks. I think. It's been so long since I've had a drink it's kind of hard to tell anymore. 

******Other options included Romeo and Juliet, which we've both been in and read a lot, King Lear, which Hot Guy had already been in, and Julius Caesar. I hate Julius Caesar. 

Newsflash: Rubber Gets Hot In The Sun

So, fellow parents and future parents, are you aware that rubber gets hot in the sun?

I remember learning this fact when I was about 8 or so. It was August and I'd climbed onto my neighbor's tire swing, only to jump off again immediately. Because it was HOT. I also remember how much it hurt to run on their driveway when I was barefoot. Because the pavement was HOT. I solved these issues by avoiding the tire swing in the afternoon and putting on shoes when I played in their driveway.

My parents did not sue the neighbors, nor demand that they put shade over the tire swing or their driveway. Obviously my parents would have failed as New York City parents. Some New York parents are suing the city because their BAREFOOT children burned their feet on playground rubber mats this SUMMER. Apparently these parents didn't know that rubber gets hot in the sun and that allowing their small children to run barefoot on it would be a bad idea.

Am I just getting all mommy superior or are these parents INCREDIBLY STUPID? (Which may be obvious from the fact that their children ran around long enough on the super hot rubber to get actual burns. I mean, my kids love to be barefoot but um, they have this aversion to pain that causes them to avoid the driveway when barefoot and tell me if their food is too hot.)

Would you ever let your kid run around barefoot on a New York City playground? Would you not understand that the rubber matting would get hot?

I'm sure we've all had our incredibly stupid parenting moments. But don't normal people feel ashamed of them? Or should I have sued Cheerios over what happened to my dining room when I left ten month old Ironflower alone with a box of them?

Now various groups are demanding - despite the signs at the playground stating that kids should keep their shoes on - that New York replace all the rubber matting. And add more shade to the playgrounds. (What are they going ask for next, monitors so that the children of lazy parents can't wreak havoc? (Actually, if they do that, I will so go into the city to use the playgrounds).

What do you think?

A Trip to the Big City

I went into the city (that's New York City, for those of you who think that there are other cities on this planet) yesterday with my parents and their friends. We went to the New York City Ballet and out to dinner. It was fun, though I felt slightly guilty leaving the kiddos with Hot Guy all day. I'm over it now, though.

What I'm not over is how I've never, ever, not even when I was a skinny, young, trendy thing, felt cool in New York City. It's not that I feel insecure, or overwhelmed or intimidated in the city. I like visiting the city. I'm not afraid of getting lost or being yelled at by a crazy person (that hasn't happened in years, I wonder where Giuilani put them all?). It's just that Manhattan has always made me feel like Ugly Betty - a guileless geek.

It struck me yesterday was that after years of feeling cool in Boston, Seattle and Kansas City and then joining the mommy crowd and not caring about coolness, NYC could still make me feel dorky. No wonder I still consider it "the city."