I found really inexpensive ($100) airfare to New York so Makai and I were off! We stayed with Jessica and Ted and this was Makai’s first trip to New York City. Makai was great in the airport and on the flight. No issues at all. When we arrived at JFK we got a cab and this is where the trouble began! It took us longer to drive from JFK to Washington Heights (Manhattan) than it took for us to fly to NYC! More than 2 hours in a cab. UGH. When we arrived we were so happy just to be out of the car!
In the morning Jessica made Makai homemade waffles. She asked if Makai wanted whipped cream (whup cream, as Makai says), and of course he said yes. I opened the fridge to find the can of whipped cream, but Jess being Jess, whipped it up homemade. Makai was not appreciative, though. He tasted it and said, “Aunty? I don’t really like to eat foods that don’t have flavor, so I’m not going to eat my whipped cream.” OMG. Get a filter, kid!
We hopped onto the subway, which Makai was a pro at from riding the CTA, and went to the American Museum of Natural History. This is both a gigantic natural history museum and a planetarium. It’s a “mixed museum,” is what Makai said, since he’s used to the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium being two different places in Chicago.
I had been to the show at the planetarium many times when I lived in New York and loved it so much. It’s so much more immersive than the shows I’ve seen at the Adler. Makai loved it. He said it felt like we were in a space ship and gasped and wowed and yelled out at all the right times.
After the space show we went to look at the dinosaurs. There were so many. Makai loves space and loves dinosaurs, so this was a great outing for him. After a while we were getting hungry. Like. Really. Hungry. We didn’t realize how late in the day it was and we hadn’t had lunch yet.
We wandered out to one of the closest restaurants, which was some variant of Ray’s Pizza. I thought this was great. Makai could have a New York slice! But all he wanted was french fries and spaghetti with no sauce! What the heck?
After our super late lunch we went back to Jess’s apartment to chill. We ended up making the hot chocolate cookies that Makai and I had make a few weeks back and that Jess saw me post a photo of. She wanted them BAD! 😀 .
Jess and Makai were good baking helpers at first but then after a while I realized they were both sitting on the couch eating popcorn and watching Toy Story 3 while I was in the kitchen making them cookies! Also, Makai’s popcorn buddy is a puppy named Laika that Jess got for him at the planetarium. Laika was a real dog that went into space with the Soviets. Don’t tell Makai, I don’t think the dog made it back! And with that, Jess had now claimed the spot as Makai’s favorite Aunty!
Jess and Makai crafted this crown over breakfast. Makai liked it so much that he declared it to be his Brunch Crown and he wanted to wear it to Brooklyn! He finally agreed to leave it home. We met Jeannette, Juliette (6 months older than Makai), and Gabriel (2 years old) in Cobble Hill at Ugly Duckling for brunch. This place had great food and service and was super kid friendly. It was VERY busy, though, so I’m glad we had a reservation.
Makai and Juliette met before when Jeannette and Yvan visited Chicago and stayed with us. In my mind Juliette was a lot older, but I think it’s just because when they were younger 6 months made quite a difference. I’d never met Gabriel before. In fact, the last time I saw Jeannette (in Miami), she was pregnant with him!
After brunch we all went to the New York Transit Museum. Makai and Juliette were instant besties as they explored all of the buses and trains. They have a similar sense of humor and both love potty jokes. I guess it’s their age! Gabrial is so cute and handsome and such a happy boy.
A lot of the old trains had period ads based on how old the train was. This ad from 1946 was really making us modern ladies mad!
We went over to Jeannette and Yvan’s house so the kids could play more. Yvan made us an amazing dinner of pressure cooker lemon chicken with homemade pesto and pasta. Jeannette, Juliette and Gabriel made some muffins for a treat.
The next morning we were to meet Jeanette, Yvan, Juliette and Gabriel at the Sea Glass Carousel in Battery Park. Through a series of misunderstood messages, Jeanette took the kids to a carousel in DUMBO! By the time we got things sorted out and tried to get a plan going, our actual meet up fell through.
Jess, Makai and I went on the Seaglass Carousel, which wes neat. It was all bright ocean animals, mostly fish. The ride was short, but inexpensive and I think Makai enjoyed it a lot.
Next, Jess, Makai and I took the free Staten Island Ferry to get a better view of the Statue of Liberty. We have Liberty Bank in our neighborhood and Makai always points out the Statue of Liberty statue and mural when we go past. I thought he’d be more impressed with seeing the actual Statue of Liberty, but honestly, he seemed a bit bored. Maybe in a few more years it will be cooler!
Also, with this trip, that made 4 boroughs that Makai visited. Manhattan, of course, then Brooklyn for brunch and the transit museum, then Queens where Jeanette and Yvan live and now Staten Island. I think it took me months, if not a year of living in New York to visit this many boroughs. It took Makai 2 days!
For lunch we went to Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar. This is a totally decadent restaurant filled with chocolate of every form. We all ate a big of “real” food and then dove into the chocolate drinks and desserts and candies. SO SO good. Makai loved it, and so did we!
Our last stop of the day was to the Lego Store. We had so much fun looking at all the different kinds of Lego kits. The part I liked best was when we each made a lego “person” from all of the parts they had available. Jess and I each made ourselves, while Makai made some kind of bad guy villain with an evil cat accessory.
Our last day in New York was Monday and Jess and Ted were back to work. Makai and I hung around Washington Heights and went to Bennett Park, which is the highest natural park on Manhattan. We had lunch at a local spot before heading for the airport.
At JFK, Makai wanted his photo taken next to this sculpture of a plane flying over an NYC skyline. When we entered the plane, the captain pulled Makai aside to shake hands and introduce himself. Then he let Makai sit in the cockpit and encouraged him to take the wheel! Makai was SO excited! Good ending to a great trip!