Before I forget...

I knew I should have written about New York right when we got back, while the flush of excitement was still upon me. Apparently, I have a short little memory and the trip is already getting a little fuzzy.

Let's see if I can fire up the Way Back machine and try to remember...

Ok. So. We woke up last Saturday morning and somehow managed to get the last-minute items stuffed into our bags. Traveling light with a baby ain't easy, but I feel like we did alright.

Our neighbors drove us to the Lancaster train station, which, even though it's undergoing renovations, is a definite throwback to a classic train station from days of yore. I was snapping pictures left and right, and we hadn't even really gotten started yet!

When we realized we still had plenty of time before our train arrived, George and Henry ran across the street where we had heard tell of a really great bakery. Let me just say, it did not disappoint.

Finally, the moment we'd all been waiting for had arrived: time to get on the train. We went down to the tracks, which looked very industrial and gritty and cool. 

After a few minutes, our train arrived. So exciting! The boys were all a-twitter (and so were the grownups). I had flashbacks to train rides in Europe, but with the thrilling realization that this particular train was a mere 20 minutes from my house. We could do this again anytime!

We settled into our seats (two facing forwards and two facing backwards) and held little Finley up to look at the window. He loved watching the world go by, and we loved watching him love it!

Before our trip, we'd been promising the boys a trip to the train's snack car, but--sadly--there was no snack car on this train. Bummer. Good thing we had all of those yummy pastries from the bakery! Biscotti, scones and--now, see? I don't remember what the third kind of pastry was. Whatever it was, it was deee-licious. I'm just sad that I have lost that little detail to the winds of time...

Luckily, I'd also packed a hearty Train Picnic, as I kept selling it to the boys. Yay! A train picnic! Ham and cheese on pretzel rolls (ohhhh, pretzel rolls. They're some kind of Lancaster County thing, and they are YUMMY), chips, fruit...and, see? Now I've forgotten again. --If I can't remember food details, why even try to go on? Oh, the humanity!

Ok, ok....Let's see. So, we rode the train (chugga, chugga), and it was about a three-hour ride. Very nice, very low-stress. (Well, except for William who used part of his time to write a school report on the kangaroo. Yeah. Fourth grade = Phooey.)

Finally, we pulled into NEW YORK CITY! I was somewhat disappointed that our final destination was the less-than-charming Penn Station, as opposed to the magnificently beautiful Grand Central Station. But, we managed to squeeze in a side trip to that lovely place the next day, so it was all good.

Our lodging for the night was the lovely, yet affordable Cosmopolitan Hotel in Tribeca. I'd stayed here once before during a girls weekend to New York a couple of years ago. This hotel definitely got us out of a jam of my own making (something a little like out of I Love Lucy meets The Sopranos--a looong story), so I am particularly loyal to this place.

It did not disappoint.

After dropping off our stuff and getting our bearings, we hit the streets--more accurately, we hit the subway. Can I just say how glad I am to be married to a man who understands things like subways? Because I really am. --I, myself, am clueless (of course). How do you buy the passes? Which track do you stand next to? Which direction should the train be facing? What is that annoucer blah-blahing over the speakers?

"Dootooconstuhcshunontheblah-blah, the blah-blah line is shutdown, so youshouldtake the blah-blah or the blah-blah-blah..." --Huh???

For George, these things are not a problem. For me? Problem. I would be running back to my comfy hotel room, rocking in the fetal position, if it were up to me. Thankfully, subway travel is not up to me. I just follow like a little puppy until we get to where we need to be. A happy, thankful, little puppy.

Ok--this puppy is tired of typing. So this is where I will end my absurdly detailed account of our trip to New York. Stay tuned for the next installment when I talk about exciting things like "Getting the Stroller onto the Subway!" and "Talking to Museum Guards!" and "Wondering if the Waitress at the Indian Restaurant Stole Our Baby!"

There's never a dull moment when Janet's telling the story--well, unless you consider way too many details to be dull, in which case I can't help you.

Until next time...