Plan B

The opening day of Little League was rained out.  We'll have to wait until next week to cheer on "The Robins" at the Great Lawn in Central Park.  

We escaped the rain, with the rest of the city it seemed, at the Natural History Museum.  Our old favorite never disappoints even if it is crushed with people.  We saw the new film, National Parks Adventure, and then came home to start planning a tip to the Grand Canyon.  It was certainly a reminder to get out there with the boys and see the world.  

Carnegie Hall Family Day

The kid likes his photo taken with backdrops!

Nothing like some free family fun, especially when it is put on by Carnegie Hall.  Freddie and I have been to some children's concerts at Carnegie Hall but they have recently started hosting family events for free, and they are truly amazing and very well put together.

There were several children's bands performing and several different stations where kids could participate in activities.  

We ran out of time before we were able to hit all of the events but we managed to make a few instruments out of recycled materials, see a few shows, and participate in digital music making.

The boys had a really great time.

And I do mean all three of the boys.  I had a good chuckle watching Charlie all by himself in the back of the audience following along with the lyrics.

Summer Beach Trips

We've had a few beach trips so far this summer.

I think it is safe to say that this is everyone's favorite summer activity.

We stop for donuts on the way...

...dig, lounge, walk, and play in the ocean.

Both boys now love being in the water, letting the waves push them around.  Hans is fearless and wants no one to touch him.

Sitting next to the ocean for the day is a great way to escape from the city.

We're all thankful for these days.

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!