Woo—it’s been a while, huh? Well my family just returned from a family trip to New York City. We stopped in Toms River, NJ heading up and back to visit my aunt and uncle, but most of our time was spent in Manhattan. Valerie and I hadn’t been to the city since late 2019, and the kids hadn’t been since the year before (too young to remember anything at this point), so everything on the trip was new to them and some was new to all of us.
New York was a hit with my children, and Valerie and I already love it, but there were some really outstanding bits this time around. The Transit Museum in Brooklyn and the Tenement Museum in Manhattan were each fantastic New York-centric attractions. The cheap-as-free trip on the Staten Island Ferry to get a close-enough view of the Statue of Liberty and city skyline was excellent, and we were able to catch the immediate return ferry. We splurged on tickets to the top of 30 Rock (see that photo at the top) and lucked out with incredible weather and expansive visibility in all directions. And my kids handled our miles of walking with aplomb, whether it was schlepping through NOLITA so mom and dad could get some coffee or walking most of the high line from Hudson Yards down to the Standard Hotel Biergarten.
It wouldn’t be a trip with me without some mention of food, but I’ll keep it to an important highlight: we had lunch at Scarr’s Pizza in the Lower East Side. I’ve had plenty of slices in NYC and elsewhere, but this may have been some of the best pizza I’ve eaten. The balance of ingredients, the flavor of the crust (let alone the perfect texture), and holy lort the sauce. Everyone agreed about this perfect pie.
We were mostly fortunate with the weather; warmer than expected on some days and a little chilly on one day. The rain mostly stayed away excepting one heavy shower as we were 10 minutes from the hotel but we had rain gear at the ready!
I think the only part of the trip that didn’t work was kind of expected: Times Square. Valerie wanted the kids to see it, and at night no less, so they could experience the chaos and lights and mass of people. Well, we all did and didn’t care for it. I already know that I hate Times Square, but now the kids are on my side as well. We also had hoped to see at least some of Central Park but never made it. Next time!
I didn’t take as many photographs as I usually like since a) I’m more careful about getting my kids' consent for pics (and separately for posting them online) and b) we had a few gray and drizzly days that didn’t lend themselves well to my photo mood at the time. But I’m still happy with a few them, and I hope you enjoy them as well.
