Coming back to The District from New York was a strange feeling. The city we live in seems more like a sleepy town. The girls are bursting with energy, despite the fact that we got back at midnight. They caught the New York bug (not that kind) and keep asking when we’re going to move there.
We won’t be moving any time soon, but I did learn a lot and we will certainly visit more often armed with these 10 important tidbits:
If you’ve got a stroller, take the bus. You may think it’s cool to be city-savvy and ride the subway, but trust me: you do not want to lug your stroller up and down the steps of the train stations. This is one area where the DC Metro is superior. DC takes elevators and escalators seriously, even providing alternate transportation if there’s an escalator outage. If you’re in New York with young kids, take the bus. Do it.
When it comes to germs, just give up. My kids cannot keep their hands out of their mouths no matter what I do: threats, bribes, beatings—nothing works. Want to know what 100 years of grit and grime tastes like? Ask Zana. She touched every single part of the New York subway system and then ate it.In her element
Taxidermy: it’s not just for hicks.I am fascinated by tattoos and have thought, for the past 10 years, thinking about what kind I want. New Yorkers don’t share my dilemma. They just stop at a tattoo parlor and get the first thing that comes to mind. Don’t believe me? Check out this girl’s taxidermy tattoo: Exhibit AJust a guess, but I don’t think she kills animals. Brooklynites have more tattoos per capita than any other place on the planet—and that includes Marine Corps Bases.
All vegans must move to The City. From hipster vegan restaurants to falafel shops and diners, every place has at least one delicious vegan option. I wasn’t sure I’d survive a weekend in New York without pizza, but here I am enjoying my falafel food coma. Pizza? Who needs it? (ha)
Zombies don’t give a warning call. Just because someone looks like they’ve had their face smashed in and is covered in blood, doesn’t mean they’re hurt. After Dave and I argued about whether to call an ambulance for a guy with a massive head wound, we found out he was fine; he was just a zombie who had risen from the dead. He and his kind were in Brooklyn for a bar crawl and left a bloody path of destruction in their wake. Fear.net has some great pictures of the event here. I’ll be sure to mark my calendar for next time.
“I’ll meet you at the coffee shop,” really means “I’ll meet you at The Coffee Shop.” Or The Donut Shop, or The Grocery Store. Whatever marketing strategist came up with this was a genius. Why waste time thinking up fancy shmancy names? Just say what it is and people will come.NYC street food
The parking gods don’t hate me after all. Not only did we have a place to park our car all weekend, but it was right down the street from where we were staying and it was free! Is that even legal?! (Note: if this happens to you, do not move your car. You will never find a space again. Ever.)
I am not a cat person. Ok, I already knew this but our weekend stay with my friend’s two sphynx catsreinforced it. I just can’t deal with animals walking on kitchen counters. Not to mention, Zana is so violently allergic that she coughs until she throws up whenever she’s around them. We learned that this weekend. Fun.Couldn't keep her away
My husband might be Jewish. While walking down Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, he was asked not once, not twice, but three times by Orthodox Jews, if he were one of them. Maybe it’s the size of his shnaz (my mom’s Jewish, so I’m allowed to make racist comments) or the Matzo ball soup stains on his shirt (he loves that stuff). Whatever it was, Dave had every Jew within a 6 block radius on high alert. When he told them he wasn’t, they seemed disappointed. “But what about me?! Am I not giving off the vibe?!” It’s like I’m invisible…
There’s no such thing as comfort footwear. I tried them all this weekend: Flip-fops, sandals, tennies, my adorable new platform wedges—they all hurt.Can you believe these weren't comfortable?!How do sassy NY natives manage to look so fashionable all the time? They must get a $25 mani/pedi every day (yes, they’re that cheap). I would, if I could find a discount place in DC. If anyone knows the secret to comfortable feet, please let me know.
And if you have any more tips about NY, share them below.
Comments
Jenny Bsays
There’s a cheap place near my casa in A-town. Next time mani-pedi here, they even have the little girl mani-pedi chair.
The trick is drink a lot to numb the foot pain…or practice moving heavy objects up and down long staircases – then the shoes won’t seem so bad just walking 😉
Poor Zana! I had no idea. The key to comfortable shoes is to give up the concept. The bi-weekly mani-pedis are key but generally, you eventually get used to the pain.
So the trip to NYC seems like so much fun!!! and of course no one tells you that the skills you learn while partying in college are just the skills you need as mother!!! Sure glad we have that down though!!!! btw your new wedges are beautiful, i want them!!!
There’s a cheap place near my casa in A-town. Next time mani-pedi here, they even have the little girl mani-pedi chair.
Oh hellz yes, it’s a date.
The trick is drink a lot to numb the foot pain…or practice moving heavy objects up and down long staircases – then the shoes won’t seem so bad just walking 😉
How could I forget to drink?! That’s rule #1 of solving any problem.
Poor Zana! I had no idea. The key to comfortable shoes is to give up the concept. The bi-weekly mani-pedis are key but generally, you eventually get used to the pain.
So the trip to NYC seems like so much fun!!! and of course no one tells you that the skills you learn while partying in college are just the skills you need as mother!!! Sure glad we have that down though!!!! btw your new wedges are beautiful, i want them!!!