This long holiday weekend was not gratifying at all in NYC when it came to the much anticipated warm weather. We only got "Memorial day weekend weather" on Friday and Saturday. The rest of the days here were cloudy, rainy, and in my opinion, too cold to even think of sitting outside to barbecue. (Although I bet a lot of people did anyway.) For that reason, I am so glad my older sister dragged me out on Friday when the weather was AMAZING, for a day in the city with the babies.
The past couple of times I have traveled into Manhattan with my daughter, I have always used the baby carrier instead of bringing her on the stroller. However, because this time I knew I would be spending the entire day in the city and visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I knew I would not be able to carry her all day. I decided to try my luck bringing the stroller with me on the subway! (Here's something very important to keep in mind to my fellow New Yorkers who are thinking of bringing strollers on the subway; You must plan ahead, figure out which stations have elevators.) Luckily for me, I live 2 blocks away from the train station which is a main stop, meaning, it has an elevator that rides up to the platform. Also, the train by me conveniently takes me straight into 34th street (where I was meeting my sisters) so, I avoided having to make any transfers, which can become tricky if there are no elevators. Another thing I made sure to do was to leave my home at a good time when I could avoid rush hour and over crowded trains. The ride into Midtown was pretty smooth. Like a true New Yorker, my daughter experienced her first subway show and later dozed off in her stroller the rest of the trip.
Once I got off the train and got into the busy streets of Manhattan, I began to feel frustrated about pushing the stroller. I was so used to speed walking through these streets and passing all the slow walkers. I was not used to having to slow down to let people walk in front of me or trying not to run over the back of people's feet. When I finally met up with my sister I looked at her face and immediately began to laugh because I knew she felt the same way I did. We had both been two subway commuting, manhattan working, non-moms just a year ago! The first thing she said to me even before she said hello was, "This was such a bad idea...this is the first time KJ (my nephew) comes to Manhattan on the train and it will definitely be his last!" She went on to explain to me that in the last 15 minutes since she had arrived in the city, she had already ran over the back of 2 persons feet. I knew exactly how she felt but, I couldn't help to laugh at her facial expression.
After visiting Macy's on 34th street, we stopped to grab a bite to eat at a nearby cafe. Then, we walked back to the nearest station with an elevator to begin our route to the MET museum. The bad thing about the ride was that first, the elevator we had to use to get on the train reeked of urine and then where we got off the train, there was no elevators. Our poor little sister had to help each one of us one at a time to get up the stairs and on to the street.
Finally arriving at the MET museum after the long stroll through Central Park, I was so excited to see the "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" exhibit. Being out of the fashion industry ever since I had my daughter, I was yearning for some kind of fashion art inspiration. I knew this would be the perfect thing to see to get my mind and spirit back in touch with my artistic side.
I must admit returning to the MET to see a fashion exhibition was not the same this time around. Having my daughter with me, I was not able to focus on all the details of each piece as I usually would. I recall me visiting exhibitions as a fashion student in the past. I would stare at a piece for long periods of time until I had absorbed every detail, every bit of information. With my daughter by my side, I was not able to admire the works of art as much as I would have liked to. If I stood staring for too long, she would get fussy and I would have to just keep moving.
However, being able to spend the day with my sisters and my nephew made me so happy. Watching my daughter and my nephew giggling together made all the hassles of the day disappear. Although the experience of viewing the exhibit, was not the greatest for me this time, I am glad I had the opportunity to take my daughter with me on this trip. I am so grateful to be able to share with her my knowledge and love for the arts and fashion. I only hope I can pass down to her the appreciation I have for fine art and learning. I am super excited and looking forward to sharing more experiences such as this one with her. Even if that means I have to carry her all day, in the end it will all be worth it!
...Sew This is Life!
