5 Boro Bike Tour

This weekend was out much anticipated bike tour.  We signed on to ride through all 5 boros of NYC, 40 miles total.

It's spring in NY and the weather is not known for being bright, warm, and sunny.  Sure enough we're in a long period of rain and cold.  None of us were exactly looking forward to this long, cold ride but we suited up in the morning and headed out.

The train from home wasn't running due to construction so we had to tram and then transfer to a subway to make it to the start.  Not the easiest start to our early morning, schlepping bikes up and down stairs.

We were tired before we even got on the bikes!  Thankfully there was minimal complain about the trash bag vests and plastic bag socks we fashioned to keep us warm and dry with our bibs displayed.

Much to our surprise everyone had fun!

It was nice to ride through the city roads without any cars, even if it was cold, windy, and raining.

Freddie said over and over that "this is my best day!"  I love his enthusiasm.

After the first 20 miles we stopped at a rest station for a snack in Queens, just a few miles from the bridge to the island.  Hans declared he was cold and ready for the warm apartment and hot chocolate.

Freddie wanted to forge on.  The kid was pretty determined to finish, but after a long explanation from Charlie about the remaining 20 mile commitment to finish, Freddie conceded and we all headed home.

We'll sign up again next year and cross our fingers for better weather.  And stop to take more pictures!(Can't bring myself to pay for these ridiculously cute photos:  HERE and HERE) 

Voted!

In the hallway of school after voting!

I love that we are able to walk to our polling site here in NYC.  I love that it is in the boys' school and they are able to come along.  I love the signs directing folks to the polling place in English, Spanish, and Chinese.  I love discussing democracy and American history with the boys.

City of Water Day

There is always something to do in NYC, even in the summer when the locals tend to head out of town, you can always find some sort of excitement going on.  The best finds are those that are free, like The City of Water Day.  We discovered the free boat tours of the harbor last year and were able to snag more free tickets this year.

Although the morning started a little rough with some torrential downpours as we were leaving our building, there was sun in the forecast so we pushed through and headed to the pier to catch our first boat tide of the day and meet up with some friends.

By the time we boarded the boat blue skies were peeking through the clouds.  This trip was an Audubon Eco Cruise along the Hudson.  Our guide pointed out some birds and explained the biodiversity that exists evening our very urban setting.

Hans and his best bud, Gabe

The boys mostly just enjoyed the views and being out on the water.  Our hour long journey ended at Governor's Island where we hopped onto another boat...a 130 year old schooner!

It was exciting to watch the sails being raised as we got out into the harbor.  

 We sailed for about 90 minutes before returning to Governor's Island.

We motored in to the pier so I wasn't able to get a picture with her sails up, but they were amazingly huge!

After returning to the island we enjoyed a picnic lunch, ice cream, and just enjoyed what turned out to be a beautiful day.

Hooray for summertime in the city!

Wild Kratts

The absolute favorite television program in our house is Wild Kratts.  In case you aren't familiar with it, I'd recommend everyone with young children check out the Kratt brothers on PBS.  The first two seasons are available on Netflix and a new season is starting up on PBS.  The boys were thrilled to learn the Kratt brothers are working on 26 new episodes, as was I since they pretty much know seasons 1 and 2 by heart.  

Before show Dunkin Donuts visit

Given how much they love the Kratt brothers I knew we'd be heading downtown to see their live appearance on Monday.  They have done a show at the Bronx Zoo before but we weren't lucky enough to get tickets for that event.  Thankfully I was able to get in on this one before the 6 performances sold out.  Yep, 6 shows sold out.  The Kratt brothers are the real deal!

Yes, we bought Wild Kratt gear.  

We were at the theater early enough to get a glimpse of the Kratt brothers arrive at the theater on their skateboards.  Rockstars.  The boys were pumped.  Seriously, their level of excitement reminded me of Disneyworld.

We had nice seats and got comfy before the show started.  The boys grinned from ear to ear through the entire show.  Freddie shouted the answers to all their questions to the audience while Hans whispered the answers softly to himself.  Opposites, those boys.

Definitely a treat to see some their favorite TV personalities.  Mama scored big hugs and sincere "Thank you"s out of the deal.  Big smiles all around.

Boo at the Zoo

This weekend we hit up Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo.

We've been before, and the boys loved it.  Who wouldn't....costumes and candy at the zoo!

We wandered the zoo visiting out favorite animals.  You wouldn't know it by looking at the boys but the temperature really dropped and I was uncomfortably cold all day.  It's going to be a long winter for me, folks.

I suppose it's time for cooler weather.  We're seeing some signs of fall.  It won't be long before the trees are bare and dusted with snow.

A little color

The boys were thankful for warm treats to warm their bellies.  nothing beats a warm funnel cake on a cold day, right?  (Except beignets and a hot chocolate but we won't get into that now!)

Although some freezing temperatures are in our future we'll still come out to see the animals.  It's quiet in the winter, which is a nice way to explore.