Penny and I had our first Manhattan adventure yesterday as we headed into town for the festival of San Gennaro. For those of you from out of town, this is a huge excuse to go to Little Italy and stuff yourself full of canolis for a week and a half. Thankfully, I'm not a fan of canolis, so just went over for something in a tasty red sauce (and whatever other chocolate I could lay my hands on). I don't know why, but chocolate really does need to follow something in a red sauce.

Penny seems to have had a fabulous time. She stood up on the express bus and watched the cars below her window, checked out the boats steaming under the Verrazano, and stared at all the crazy crowds of people in every square inch of downtown. Then we whipped out the stroller and headed into a madly packed Mulberry Street, full of delicious roasting garlic smells, coils of sweet Italian sausage, and people who would swear at small children for moving too slowly. Yep, good times, right? We met up with Erica, Cameron and Kylan to enjoy some of the tasty treats and some more pleasant company. Penny and Ky had a blast making funny faces at each other in their respective strollers. They also consulted long and hard about the best possible finger puppets at a llama wool vendor (Spiderman was a fav, but made a hasty escape from the stroller, sadly). The two split a wood-fired pizza margharita while us grown-ups enjoyed the better part of a sausage spiral. MMMMMM....I love Italian sausage. Then we headed to the subway to start the journey home.

I don't know if it's true of all Staten Island commuters, but every time we go into the city, we always pass Ground Zero or something related. I remember when I first came back to visit Dan after September 11...the site was still just an ugly hole in the ground because it was only a few months after it happened. From the express bus, I could always see right down into the site, despite the really tall fences. Because the debate over what the new building should look like dragged on for years, it kept basically the same appearance for a very long time. These days, there are signs of progress as the I-beams slowly creep their way skyward. There is a lot of construction in the neighborhood, but there are many empty store fronts throughout the neighborhood. One reason they're proposing a Muslim community center in the area is because the real estate there is relatively low. Maybe instead of protesting, the folks who don't want the mosque should go through the neighborhood and shop on a regular basis - drive up the price of real estate in the area. At least that would be a constructive use of their time.

Anyway, after we finished our little subway ride, we popped out in Battery Park and Penny decided she needed a good run. She had been cooped up on buses and trains and her stroller all day, so she made a hearty break to chase the large downtown pigeons. Here she is with the sculpture that used to be in the plaza between the twin towers. She had a great time dashing in and out of Castle Clinton and generally running into pedestrians whenever she got a chance. After a quick wardrobe change to help her cool off from her exertions, we headed over to the ferry. She spent much of the trip home plastered to the railing, checking out the life preserver and even snapping a few photos of her own. Once on Staten Island, we dashed upstairs for a bus. The driver was kind enough to lower it so she could step up for herself. Such a big girl! She's ready to commute for herself.

Today Dan and I went back to Manhattan for a GWU alumni thingy where we heard a lecture from a visiting professor and then toured the King Tut exhibit. It was an amazing value: $35 for breakfast, lecture and admission (admission alone is $27). It was really cool seeing the various objects, thinking how we had been to many of the sites pictured. But the really fun part was coming home and having Penny ask us, "Bus?" Penny wanted to know if we got to ride the bus without her and seemed to be asking if she could go on the bus next time. Always up for adventure. I love our little silly!

Butterflies at camp

Penny and I enjoyed a lovely day together on Friday. We packed some snacks and water and headed over to the local JCC camp for a little hike. There was a little chill in the air, so Penny sported her favorite spotted jacket. It was an excellent day for butterfly watching. There are lots of sassafras trees around here, which may explain why there are so many spicebush swallowtails. We also saw some lovely little blue guys, and the standard white cabbage butterflies covering the Japanese knotweed, an invasive, but pretty plant that is totally in bloom these days.

As Penny explored the various areas at camp, I enjoyed the crisp air, the birds singing, the familiar feeling of being at camp. I haven't quite figured out what this little pen is for...hmmm...seems just the right size for toddlers who strayed into camp.

I was reminded of all our time growing up at Girl Scout camp. It's just the perfect time of year to be at camp. It almost seemed wrong to be at camp without Mom. It has been just about a year since we speedily headed home to help Mom. Friday is her birthday, which she spent last year in the hospice in-patient unit. That means it is about a year since Penny and Puppy befriended each other at Miami Valley Hospital. They're so cute and inseparable now. It's wonderful seeing how strong friendships can form in adversity.

Insanity

After two full weeks of working in Brooklyn and commuting with Dan, I have decided that anyone driving (and potentially those walking as well) in Brooklyn is required to be certifiably insane. Prior to this Brooklyn gig, all I really new of the borough was that I-278 ran through it. If at all possible, stay on the freeway because it's no fun navigating the maze of one-way streets, some of which are numbered, but most of which are not.

When we're having a good day, we're able to stick to nice big roads like the one pictured here - a full two lanes, plus a supposed lane next to the parked cars. The rightmost lane is really imaginary because of morning delivery trucks, people opening car doors, double-parked cars for no particular purpose, and pedestrians leading off the curb because they KNOW they can make it across all six lanes of traffic against the light if they just walk out a little bit further.

Our route inevitably takes us on at least some of the more standard Brooklyn roads - one way, with cars parked along both sides, often two cars deep. I made the mistake once of trying to drive straight through the Crown Heights neighborhood to 4th avenue, rather than going South a bit and hitting the most evil traffic circle known to man (aka Grand Army Plaza). It took me 30 minutes to go something like 15 blocks. I had to slolum between double-parked cars with barely enough room to keep my mirrors out, over speed bumps, around people walking their dogs in the street, and stopping at a traffic light at every block. I now know that to go South, I must first head North to a bigger road, where I'll risk the occasional sudden left turn from the right-hand lane on a three-lane road, but at least the lights are timed so you can go 15 blocks before hitting a red.

Parking is another matter. They have roads here that alternate which side you can park on depending on whether it is an even or odd day of the month. It's mostly multi-family homes or apartment buildings, so there are WAY more cars than street parking in most neighborhoods. We went to an event in Prospect Park (Brooklyn) not too long ago and spent a good 30-45 minutes circling for parking. It did allow Penny some extra nap time, but it's terrible on the nerves to keep circling in these kinds of conditions. We just wanted to get out of the car. We were so excited to find the space above...just enough room from the fire hydrant behind us and plenty of space ahead for the bus stop. Sadly, the law here is that the bus stop extends to whatever the first street sign is. Behind that sign would have been too close to the hydrant. So, it sort of resembles a trap to me, a way for NYC to make up their budget deficit. I also got a ticket for parking in a zone where there is no parking only between the hours of 11am-1:30pm. It was packed when I parked at 9am. I saw no sign to the effect mentioned, but my ticket indicated it was a special zone. So if you're parking around NYC anywhere, triple check your signs because if a spot looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Dan and I agree that we are likely taking years off our lives from the stress of driving around here. I can't even tell you how many near misses I've had from people squooshing my lane to avoid parked cars, merging into me, preventing me from merging so I can exit, backing into traffic, and generally people who feel invincible in their SUVs. Have you ever had a total fight or flight response in your car? It's some pretty scary stuff trying to slow the heart and start breathing again. I'll likely be switching to public transit once Dan's finished with the reasonable hours of his psych rotation. Him...well...his hours may allow him to travel at more sane times of traffic (wee hours of morning or long after rush hour). One can only hope. Otherwise, he might have to get an apartment in Brooklyn and I might have to support that just so he doesn't die of a heartattack or get hospitalized from someone else's stupidity. Pray for sanity on the roads of NYC!