jimsjournal
Sunday in the city with Sam-- 06/29/04

And for a change of pace, instead of talking about a trip to England twenty-five years ago, I wanted to share a bit of our trip to New York City on Sunday for a bit of grandson visiting. (Oh, yeah, we saw his parents too -- *grin*)

Amtrak is convenient, but a bit pricey when you're talking about more than one person. It's around $102 round-trip (that's with a 10% triple-A discount) -- and there were three of us going. So, instead, what we have taken to doing is driving down I-95 until we are past New Haven and taking a Metro-North train from, say, Milford. That's 23.50 round-trip per person, a considerable savings. The train is a local until Stamford, but then it is an express, straight into New York, only one stop (at 125th Street) on the way to Grand Central Station.

Samuel is getting to be so big! He's eleven months -- actually just a bit over three weeks left before his first birthday.

Here he is with Leah (his Mommy) and a tower of blocks Nancy stacked up for him (as is typical of his age group, he finds knocking over such towers to be a source of amusement) and a beached whale in a grey shirt -- uh, I mean, me.
Yes, he has standing figured out now.

Adam has been very busy Sammy-proofing their apartment.

That collection of cameras is safely secured behind a sheet of Plexiglas.

Hmmm, those books are unprotected, however, and I suspect that any day now Sam will make a game out of taking them off the shelves and piling them on the floor.
We put Sammy in his stroller and took a walk around. We ended up for lunch at a German restaurant that has become one of Jill's favorites. Their potato pancakes (served with applesauce and shaved carrots) are scrumptious. They also offer an assortment of absolutely delicious beers.

Sidewalk tables are always marvelous in good weather -- and are very convenient when you need room to park a stroller.
[If you are new to this journal, the people in this picture are (starting on the left) my son Adam, his wife Leah, me, my daughter Gillian, my wife Nancy, and my grandson Samuel.]
After lunch we strolled around a bit longer until we came to Tompkins Square Park, a real favorite of Sammy's (although he also enjoys a couple of parks that are closer to home).

He is especially fond of the slides. And, as with so many children, he enjoys trying to go up the slide rather than down.
This is a wonderful playground. The entire playground area is completely fenced in and gated with a latch that is high enough that only children who are in upper elementary school would be able to reach it. And then, within the playground, there are additional fenced in and gated enclosures around various play areas, keeping little ones from wandering out of their play areas and from getting into areas where bigger kids are playing.

Here Sam is showing Jill how to climb up the ramp.
And, in the picture on the right you can see Adam helping Sam to use the slide in the appropriate gravity-approved method.

Sam had been a little sleepy until we reached the park, then he was a bundle of energy. After an extended period of vigorous play in the park, when he was returned to his stroller, he was asleep before we even reached the park exit.

We continued on to East River Park, watching people playing soccer and softball and basketball and having picnics while Sammy continued to sleep in his stroller.

And then it was time for us to head back to Rhode Island.

A busy but very enjoyable Sunday.



The next entry will probably return to 1979 and a visit to Stonehenge and to Wiimbledon.


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