Home & Hosed

I can never remember whether it’s good things or bad things that come in threes. Perhaps both. That has certainly been the case for us after three wonderful days in Manhattan and one rather unpleasant afternoon – for Jenny, at least.

As soon as we arrived we were thrilled by the size and location of our apartment. On the upper east side of Manhattan, one block from Central Park, on the corner of Madison and E 91^st and in an unbelievably quiet neighbourhood, the apartment is luxurious and lovely. Here’s the view from the kitchen.

On the first afternoon, after ditching the rental car, we wandered and did a little grocery shopping. Day two involved taking Sam to FAO Schwarz, one of the best known (and worst named) toy stores in the world.

We also wandered up through Central Park where Sam finally got to captain his own ship – a remote control one on the Conservatory Pond (he loved it so much we’re heading back there today).

Yesterday began with a cab ride to the High Line, a wonderful restoration of what was once a doomed overhead railway line. Residents came together to save it and turn it into a walkway three storeys above the streets of lower west Manhattan. When our friends Mandy and Julie came to NYC in summer the High Line gardens were blooming and colour was everywhere. For us, continuing the theme of this holiday, it was blustery, cold and snowing, which in itself made the walk quite a memorable experience.

The High Line was followed by a wander through Soho and some serious damage to the credit card in clothing stores. I’d like to say Jen was the only one to spend a lot of money on shoes, but I cannot…

Finally, the day ended with a cab ride back uptown. As soon as we entered the taxi we smelled evidence of something wicked in Benny’s nappy. It was, in fact, so wicked that it began to overflow down the legs of his pants. Jenny insisted on holding him, and it was my job to ensure none of Ben’s recent delivery ended up on her new, long puffy jacket – another recent Soho purchase.

Two blocks from home, at 89^th St, Sam upstaged his brother by announcing that he was going to vomit! We somehow managed to get his seatbelt undone, his window open and his head out the window in time for Sam to leave the contents of his stomach all over Madison Avenue. Mad Men, indeed…

Once we were home and the boys were all scrubbed up Jen held Ben in the air, admiring his naked cleanliness. He took advantage of his airborne nudity by showering Jenny’s new shirt and jeans with a nice, big, warm wee. It was the third type of body fluid in the last 20 minutes for Jen. She was home and hosed!