Bear Hugs & Piggy Kisses - Baby's 1st Trip ~ Updated 12/6: Aulani TR Started!!!

[Dugette]

Taking pictures with Lego figures at FAO Schwarz:







I loved this picture:



But I love $345 even more.

Oh, this is what Dug snacked on at the FAO Schwarz candy counter:



I had a taste, but I think my little end piece didn't really have much bacon. I don't know, it was chocolate, so that's all that matters to me.

This is how she reacted to every single subway train we saw go by:



Laughing and pointing. She likes her toy train from FAO Schwarz, by the way. I took it out yesterday and showed her. Bailey is afraid of it and keeps trying to attack it, though. Weird dog.

I've been leaving out the food pictures, since it's not WDW, but I have to include the ones from Max Brenner. I mean, chocolate! Cool cup:



I really want to eat these waffles right now, since Izzy's in bed and I can take my time and savor them, rather than wolfing them down:



Dug's meal:



Riding the subway:



Seriously, with a view like this, how could we not spot those strollers at the Guggenheim?



They must have been hiding in a room off the main area. Or something.

I guess I was tired when we got back to the hotel on the "rain & pain" day. No matter, I make a lovely toddler climbing structure when semi-conscious:



Izzy on her first carousel ride:





And a brief bit of video from it:



She had to give the giant Clifford in the library's kids' room a big hug:



The library:



Izzy insisted that I be her passenger in the little car (in the children's book special exhibit area):



The original Winnie the Pooh and friends:





Another trademark pizza shot, this time at John's:



And the ceiling there:



And I believe that's it! Hope you've enjoyed!

 

[Dugette]

Wow, sounds like you're going to see a huge chunk of the city in just a few days! So excited for you!

We did end up seeing a decent chunk. Though there were certainly some things we missed. Like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And a lot of Central Park.

On your first night I'd suggest going to the lower east side or soho for dinner. There's a gastropub called dbgb (by celeb chef Daniel Boulud) that is really good. It's also casual enough that I wouldn't feel weird about taking a toddler. But you could also check yelp or tripadvisor for those neighborhoods to see what appeals. The area where your hotel is located is a bit of a food desert, IMHO. Also be aware that the whole Wall Steet / lower Manhattan pretty much empties out after business hours, so you may want to taxi it back to your hotel after dinner...not that I think it's really dangerous or anything, it's just sort of....weirdly quiet. Like downtown Minneapolis after 8 on a weeknight...except it's New York!

Thanks for the suggestions, though we didn't end up going there. I did look them up and they sounded good, though. Yeah, it was pretty quiet walking back from dinner that first night. Felt safe, but yeah, a little weird.

My favorite lunch spot in midtown is Totto Ramen, but it would probably be too challenging with a stroller. Still, maybe you could take it to go and walk to the High Line which is OMG SO COOL. My favorite thing in New York City, hands down. I didn't suggest it earlier since I wasn't sure it had tourist appeal. But now that I see you're thinking about it, YES!

The High Line was great and I'm really glad we made it there. And despite my MIL's constant complaining/worry about it getting dark, she said the other day that it was one of her favorite things about the trip! She loved walking along it with Izzy and seeing all the views.

Oh, and FDR drive starts to build up to rush hour between 330 and 430 on Fridays. It doesn't get really bad until 5 but plan to definitely be out before 430.

We made it! Whew! It wasn't too bad - just a bit of stop and go, but nothing awful.

For strollers in the restaurant...I haven't done it in NYC but in Chicago this winter we had the stroller and we folded it up (we have a city mini so it folds in half) and then either the hostess told us where we could stash it, or we set it next to our table. The hostesses pretty much had a plan for it every time so i would just ask them the best place to put it. They never seemed surprised or confused about what to do with it.

Our stroller folds just like yours and you're right - that's pretty much what happened. Except some places didn't even need us to fold it. And we got the attitude from the one place. Otherwise, just fine. Thanks!

The biggest thing I'm seeing is all the walking. It's going to be too much. WAY too much! I would really suggest getting a metro pass and taking a bus or subway as much as you can. Honestly, even if you have to flip the stroller closed and carry it down a flight of stairs, it's going to save you a TON of time and stress and pain. With Dug's back issues all that walking is going to kill you. We always take the subway a lot and even with that my back and legs are killing me by the end of the day. Like the 55 min walk back on Tuesday, don't even try it. You'll regret it. Just take the subway!

You're totally right. Dug was really pushing himself too hard. I kept pushing him to take the subway, but he was a bit stubborn about it. At least we did it sometimes. But he was definitely hurting and needed some help from the chiropractor when he got back. My feet started to get a bit sore later in the trip, which is pretty unusual for me, since I do a lot of walking. But it was like walking Epcot every day!

Google maps will tell you exactly what bus or subway to take and how to walk yourself to the station. We used Google maps on my phone in Chicago and it was VERY easy to navigate with it. So just add the subway card $$ into your budget and save yourself pain and frustration.

I also downloaded the Hopstop app, which was mildly helpful. The subway passes were nice to have.

Again, I haven't done NYC with a stroller but we did buses and the subway in Chicago and it really wasn't a big deal to quickly unbuckle Caden, I'd pick him up, Andrew would grab the stroller fold strap, we'd walk on the bus or down the subway stairs, flip the stroller back open, and drop Caden back in it, buckle his strap again. And we had blankets and coats and the lovey to juggle too and it really was pretty painless. WAY less pain than walking!!!! lol
Taxis are nice occasionally but with the cost of 1 taxi ride you could buy yourself a subway pass and ride everywhere. And the subway passes work for the buses too.
Basically, I'd do a subway for anything that looks long or is a longer than 15 min walk. And then walk the short distance things. Then jump back on a subway to get back to the hotel, etc.

We never ended up on a bus (or took a taxi), but the subway was useful. I'm glad that I didn't bring the regular diaper bag - it was much easier for the fold/unfold scenario. We just had a small sling backpack and her little diaper change kit, so those could be easily grabbed (and even hooked together), then the stroller could be quickly folded, even leaving jackets in the basket on the bottom. Not too bad.

Otherwise it looks like a FUN trip! :-D Can't wait to hear how it all goes!!

It was and now you have!

and food ideas, one is Johns Pizzaria. It's near times square and is inside a converted old church. VERY cool and one of our favorite places to eat in NYC. The pizza is GREAT!

We enjoyed this - thank you!

Just another thought...did you check about the Statue of Liberty having some sort of stroller check? I wonder if they have somewhere at the base where you can pay $1 or $5 and leave your stroller with them like a coat check and then come back for it after you go up as a family. I would be surprised if they didn't have something like that!

Surprisingly, they did store it for free! Yay!

Having never been to NYC before I can't give you much freed back, but it looks like a fun trip! Have a great time!

Thanks, it was great!

I'm glad you're taking the Ergo. Would you consider leaving the stroller behind and just carrying your daughter the whole time? The only reason why I say that is because I did a solo trip to Dublin with DS when he was 18 months, and just carried him on my back the whole time. (I'm assuming the Ergo is a front carrier and back carrier? Mine was a mei-tei, a Chinese baby carrier, but more-or-less the same concept. DS was fab. He liked not looking at people's bottoms, he fell asleep when he wanted, and I was easily able to navigate up and down steps and on rickity paths without worrying my stroller wheels would pop off.)

We made much better use of the Ergo on this trip than on the WDW trip, that's for sure. The couple we met up with (who had the little boy) were only using their carrier (no stroller) and I can see how that would be much easier for subways and such. But I didn't necessarily want to carry her all day long, since we were out so much. And I also felt she'd nap better in her stroller. Plus, probably the biggest thing, the stroller was helpful for Dug's back when walking. I didn't want to take that support from him. But, when she was in the Ergo, it was really nice!

First, I definitely think it is not cool for people to not offer seats to pregnant women, those with babies, the elderly, etc. I always look to offer my seat and actually will just stand even if there are a few open seats just so I don't take the last one. To be that is an obvious one (that said, I try not to judge people that don't get up as you never know what physical limitations they may have that aren't apparent)

To me the dicier situation is a man offering up his seat to a perfectly able woman. I actually did that once at work and got "reprimanded" as that could be considered sexual harassment for insinuating a woman needs a seat more than a man. oh well.

Wow. Getting reprimanded for making a kind gesture - yuck! Wonder if they'd do the same if you'd offered a seat to a superior...or an older person...or whatever. I've had people offer me a seat on a bus before (I commute by bus), but if I don't feel that I need it (like before baby/pregnancy), I just said it felt good to stand after sitting all day. Which was true. And I never felt insulted or like someone was saying I was weak. But I can see how that could happen, I suppose.

**********************

OK, now chiming in with some thoughts on your NYC trip:

- Totally hear you about wanting to minimize number of bags with having all the baby stuff too. I think as long as you have one carry-on bag (be it Dug's backpack or whatever) that you can at least fit some clean underwear in for an emergency if your bags get lost, you should be ok

We pulled it off! I have to admit, we really took some risks. I don't think we even had the clean underwear in a carry-on. If we could, in theory, buy it in NYC, we checked it, for the most part. Luckily, everything was fine. And I was so glad we didn't have any extra pieces of luggage to stuff into towncars and rental cars or to pay tips for moving and storing them. It would have been really difficult to fit them in our rental car, I think. I know that Dug's parents and DS/DBIL were sharing a rental car and they seemed to be playing a very Tetris-like game with their luggage when loading the car to leave the B&B.

-As far as strollers in the restaurants in NYC, most are pretty well equipped to handle it. Depending on how much room they have they may keep it up front or ask you to fold it up, etc. Basically, they will make it work, you just might need to be a little flexible as to what they do with it.

Yep, worked out well, thanks! It was so strange to think about, because the only place we'd ever had a stroller when at a restaurant was WDW, which handles things differently. However, just this weekend, we met friends at a mall and walked around, then ate - so we had two strollers to park. They handled it much the same here. Just had never thought about it before. It's different in a driving city vs. a walking/transit city.

- As far as the diaper bag, as long as you feel you will be able to carry what you need in the changing kit, etc. they I think leaving a giant diaper bag at home makes sense. We have a few sized "diaper" page (the smallest of which sounds similar to your changing kit) and do use that quite often. You could also bring both with you (use the diaper bag as your carry on and pack the changing kit) and then see how things go with just using the changing kit for outings, but at least you have the larger bag in case you find you need it

It worked out really well. I just remember at Disney that it was a bit of a pain to remove and re-attach the diaper bag to the stroller handles (it has the clips for it, but that doesn't make it quick and easy). This worked great. Bag was quick to grab and we could either hang it from the stroller handle or toss it in the basket below. Changing kit just clipped easily to the stroller handle. It was much smaller than our bulky diaper bag, but could hold just as much it seemed, so easier to bring to our table at restaurants, etc. I'm still using it when we go out at home now, rather than the diaper bag (which I never was crazy about anyway - $100 and two of the zippers don't work? )

- Did you look into pre-arranging a town car or do you have a place you know you can just call for one? I've never done that (either had one pre-arranged or just used cabs)

We just called earlier the same day each time and that was fine. Used the Quick Ride Corp that was highly rated on Yelp. No complaints. Good prices!

- Definitely see if you have time to walk around the seaport area - assuming the weather is nice it is a very nice place to take in the views, etc.

We got a little bit in, just on our way to/from things. It was really nice, though. I never really thought of NYC as a city on the water. It's very relaxing down there.

- The plans for your first day sound good. I always allow a little extra time to walk places - just if you get off the wrong direction or get caught by lights etc. Also, I am awful with directions in the city (just get turned around a lot) so I find I use google maps on my phone to help out a bit

We definitely needed the extra time to walk places. We were SLOW. And, well, you know about our wrong-way subway incident. Although we did pretty well otherwise.

- I don't know that area very well as far as places to eat. There are a number of options near the seaport - I know there is a sushi place called SUteiSHI (I believe I recall you mentioning Dug liked sushi). There are also a lot of places near Wall St. but they are mostly either corporate/business type places or fast food/bars not a lot of family places

That sushi place was right across the street from our hotel. Dug considered going, but never made it over there.

- Another option to eat that is closer to the Ground Zero Memorial is Brasserie Les Halles. It's one of the places owned by Anthony Bourdain and actually fairly low key/not super expensive

Thank you for this! We loved our dinner here! Great suggestion and right on our way between things too.

- There are lots of nice playgrounds in the city. I don't know the Pearl St. one specifically but definitely check it out.

There really were a ton of playgrounds. Very cool. I really loved the toddler areas (I saw this in some others too). Izzy's at the age where letting her play at a regular playground is somewhat scary, as she wants to do things (like climb up and go down a slide), but there are places to fall from and it's hard for the parent to get around and keep the toddler safe. I took her to two playgrounds in our neighborhood these last two days and both were challenging. The toddler area at Pearl Street was much easier to manage - could just let her go and not worry too much and it was easy to get to her to help (I had to climb through a tunnel repeatedly to get to her at the one in our neighborhood yesterday).

- As far as taking the FDR, you should be ok as long as you are before rush hour (I'd say before 4pm you should be fine). It still might get backed up and seem crowded, but despite that it will still be your best bet vs. just taking avenues with lights or cutting all the way over to the West Side Highway

Worked pretty well! Nothing worse than a Twin Cities rush hour (we have terrible rush hour traffic, so this was actually better!)

- There are some nice areas of Kingston and some good restaurants there too if you want to stop. Also, on the other side of the river from Kingston is Rhineback which is a really cool town with tons of great restaurants and very walkable

We ended up bypassing all of that, just wanting to get there. And it was raining.

- Glad Izzy enjoys the peapod. I mentioned that to my wife that you were considering that and she said she knows a number of people who have used that with success ... let me know how it goes!

It worked great! So glad. I am definitely going to keep it in my car so we can have an option for Izzy to nap if we end up at someone's house during nap time!

- Depending on what side of the river you come down there will be a number of places you can stop at for lunch ... heck you could stop at our house since you will (potentially) go right by

Did we go by your house? Actually, I don't know where we were. I just drove where navigator Dug directed me to. I know we were on smaller roads through towns before hitting the tollway. No clue about the details, though. Would have been fun to meet up and crash your lunch!

- High Line Park is very cool - and I think you will be pretty close to the northern end of it. If the weather is nice might be worth it. There are a lot of street vendor type places on it, though I think they are further south

Hmmm, I don't remember any street vendors there. It was a great place to visit!

- Another option is just walk a couple of blocks north to Bryant Park which is on the back side of the NY Public library

We loved this park! Really nice.

- Your plans sound great - though sounds like a lot (though maybe b/c we live so close we never plan "that" much to do in one day). Also, most of the museums have cafeterias that are usually pretty nice so you can also do that.

It was a lot. But I think we did better than we did at Disney, as far as not skipping too many things. But we definitely didn't do it all.

- If you go to Rockefeller center, if you are into this, there is a really good wine bar there called Morrell Wine Bar & Cafe

Never made it inside, just that walk by. No time to go back.

- Does seem like you have a lot of walking (and don't forget that there will be a lot of walking at your destinations - museums, etc.) so if you get tired plan on some public transportaiton. Cabs can work and Subways are efficient (especially when you don't need to deal with a stroller)

The subways definitely helped out. I was hesitant to take a cab unless we really needed to, due to not having Izzy in a carseat (unless we lugged it along all day). I know it's legal in NYC, but I still didn't feel good about it, safety-wise.

- There are a lot of places to eat near where you are staying - you can just ask the front desk or concierge for recomendations. You can also just google search for family friendly restaurants in the areas you will be at.

We had some decent meals. There was a lot nearby, for sure.


More comments to come as I have time...need to sleep now!

 

[AprilRenee]

Ok I'm just gonna start replying cause I've already forgotten all my thoughts.

I'm so glad you went to Ellen's and john's pizza. Those are my 2 favorite places to eat there!! so fun!

Not really about NYC. But I totally got Andrew those giant resees for Christmas! Haha More to come....

Caden loves carousels too! So cool she got to ride one in Central Park!

You guys managed to get a lot done! I was a little nervous for you seeing your list but seems like you managed to accomplish a decent chunk of it!! And definitely got some good NYC sightseeing in!

I hope you had a blast!! I just love NYC. It's my second favorite place (after wdw of course) and your trip makes me want to go back. :-/ maybe we'll do that between Disney trips after Caden's first Disney trip!

 

[Dugette]

Catching up a bit....


First of all, have a great time on your NYC trip! It sounds like a jam-packed fun little vacation. I'm sure Izzy is going to look adorable as the flower girl.

Thanks! I think she turned out as a pretty cute flower girl!

And I have to say, traveling with a toddler to both NYC and Hawaii in one year has me applauding your energy levels and patience.

You know, there were challenges, but it really wasn't bad. We had some rough moments (i.e. airplane rides), but she is generally a pretty good kid. And I like that she is learning to love travel at a young age - I was saying that to someone the other day: she's not going to remember the details of the trips or where we went, but she's going to remember how to travel and that it's fun to explore new places, etc. I am a bit concerned about the (First Class!) Hawaii flights, though - long time in a plane for a 2-year-old!

Glad your Kona breakfast was tasty. Not to mention it sounds like it was a pretty easy going meal, and that's the best kind when dining with a baby.

Yep to both - can't go wrong with Kona!

I had no idea there were no lines or designated areas at the Poly bus stop. Wow. That just sounds like it would be a disaster.

Yeah, it can get to be a mess when it's crowded or a bus is slow to come. Luckily, we were able to take the monorail to MK and Epcot (and sort-of to DHS via Epcot).

I'll admit, I was always one of those people who gave up my seat on the bus. It really surprises me that nobody would offer you their seat. People have gotten considerably ruder over the years. Sorry you had to try and not fall over and hold Izzy at the same time.

I was really surprised, because it seems that someone always does...but not this time.

Lots of updates to comment on!! First of all I love the 18-month photos, they are all beautiful, and definitely capture her spirit!!

Thank you so much! (Especially coming from the awesome photographer you are turning into!)

Next, I am astonished that no one gave you their seat. I can see Dug, being a guy and not wearing a "I have a bad back" sign, no one would prob get up for him, but with you holding Izzy that is another story. I would be angry! Especially seeing opportunities like kids could sit in parents laps and such. (and of course knowing you were there first at the bus stop, and I'm sure some people knew that). ANyway...Kona is fantastic huh!! mmm!!

Yeah, I agree that I wouldn't expect anyone to offer their seat to Dug (unless he was holding Izzy), but I just can't believe they let a person holding a baby try to balance in the bus while they looked on comfortably from their seats. I don't know, I guess people are in their own little worlds sometimes and maybe they didn't really think about it - I know I will pay more attention to these things in the future, in case I can offer help to someone in need. And, yes, Kona was fantastic as always!

Ok and on to NYC! I was reading this post and then looked at the time and thought to myself you must have just landed! so cool!! Hope you have a blast! Love your plans. It got me thinking that Disney has been awesome to teach me how to plan trips - your trip sounded much like a WDW trip with planning dining, fitting in a playground visit!!

Can't wait to see all the pics!!

Ha ha, yes it was a lot like planning a Disney trip! And I think the Disney trip helped me to plan for NYC because we'd had that experience with having her away from home for the week and knew better what we needed and what worked, etc. And, after all, the DIS folks did help me plan this trip!

I am sure we will see no more updates until after your trip to NYC so just wanted to pop over and say have fun and safe travels to you and your family!!

Thank you! (and I even snuck in a few updates while there!)

I hope you have a great time in NYC!

Thanks, it was great!

Have a wonderful time!!!

Thank you!!

Yay! Sounds so fun!

What a bummer on Izzys flight and sleeping though...this scares me for our WDW trip!! Maddie will be 27 months by then so let's hope this is a phase that comes between 16 and 26 months, lol!!

So glad you had such great flight attendants and waiters! Woohoo!

Can't wait to hear more when you get a chance or when you get home!!

I am with you on hoping this flight phase comes and goes! Izzy will be 25 months when we go to Hawaii, so I'm hoping that things can hold her attention longer by then. Like, maybe coloring or watching a show or something that doesn't really work for her yet now. Hope both our little ones travel well!

Great NYC update. Hope you have a great weekend at the wedding!!

Thank you so much! It was a really nice time and so great to see lots of family there too.

Woohoo!! Sounds like a very successful 1st day!!

I laughed out loud about Izzy standing up in the ergo! Haha

Ha, I can't believe she was doing that. I guess it figures, though. She can squirm her way into standing in high chairs and shopping carts too, no matter how tight I buckle her in.

And toddler tantrums are just fabulous aren't they?! I'd love to tell you it gets better...but it doesn't. Lol! although we are ALMOST to the point where he can tell me why he's mad and we are to the point where I usually know when something is going to set him off. And OCCASIONALLY I can talk him down from one. So I guess in some ways they get easier.

I can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip goes!

Hmmmm, well that doesn't sound so fun... I'm with you on often knowing what will set her off, so I am fairly good about avoiding/averting them. But you can't always, especially trapped on a plane. And you just never know what's going on in those little heads. Tonight before bed she was just freaking out and screaming and reaching for Dug. It was really unusual. But, when I put her in her crib, she immediately laid down and went to sleep. So, tiredness is definitely a trigger (it was normal bedtime - she's just been very tired since the trip - maybe a growth spurt??)

You are going through what we went through - pleaseee give us some good vibes for our 6 hour flight to DL in 3 weeks! it is SO hard to keep them entertained. People behind us on flights can make or break it! LOL.

Sending the good vibes your way for your DL flight! All I can say is: if she might whip things at your face, bring lots of soft things! You know, I'm just brainstorming here, but you mentioning how the people around you can make it or break it - I wonder if bringing along some form of people she likes would help? Like a photo album or videos of people on the iPad? Izzy does like looking at pictures of people she knows. Hmmmm, I'm going to file this thought away for Hawaii...

Sounds like the room is great and dinner was fabulous!! That's awesome! HOpe you are having a great day today!

That really was a terrific day! (both days, actually)

Sorry that Izzy was so much trouble on the flight - definitely frustrating. Sounds like a bit more extreme version of Peter our last flight as he would not stay still. We were split across 2 rows (with grandparents) and kept having to pass him back and forth over the seats.

So tough to hang onto a squirmer! On the way back, had they not moved us to accommodate the carseat, we would have been next to the grandparents and aunt/uncle, so she would have been passed around like that for sure! Heck, we may have been better off that way...

Can't believe that van didn't have Latch! At least the drive knew how to handle it

Thank goodness the driver was familiar. He was used to forward facing, so I had to show him the rear-facing belt path, but he was otherwise familiar with the process and got a tight install, so that was a relief. So weird there was no LATCH, though! Luckily there was on the vehicle that took us back at the end (same company).

Love all the little parks in NYC - so great to let the kids run around a bit. Little Italy is totally like that with people on the street trying to get you in to their restaurant. I guess they are all so similar they have to do something

I was really surprised at how many little parks there were! I wish we'd had more time for her to stop and play. She really enjoyed the one we were at. And I wish the parks near our house had toddler areas like that. It was so much easier to manage her there than on the big play structures I've taken her to here this week (where she like to climb up and go down the big slides). Little Italy was pretty funny - they really tried to convert passerby to diners!

It's funny how walking around NYC is great and you want to do it to see everything but for some reason walking there seems so much "harder" than elsewhere and tiring.

Hope the rest of your trip works out!

It definitely wore us out. But it's hard to take the subway when you know there are things to see out there!

Hope you guys have a great trip! DS is going to be a little over 2 when we are thinking about going to WDW & I'm worried we'll have the same issues with keeping him entertained on the flight. He gets crabby sitting in the car for the 20 min. ride to daycare.

Hoping maybe 2 is a magic age for airplane cooperativeness here...seems that a lot of us will be traveling just after that birthday! I stocked up on novelties in the dollar section at Target and brought all kinds of snacks and toys...and still had a really hard time. Thank goodness she liked Sky Mall magazine, I guess! I'm hoping that she'll have a better attention span by 2 and maybe we won't have to cycle through things so rapidly. We'll see....

Sounds like a pretty good first day! I totally understand about the flight! Charlotte was a nightmare on the way to CO last year and the way home from WDW last summer! For us, I think the hardest age was bettween 12-26 months. But you just never know how a toddler is going to act!

Hmmm, interesting to know. Izzy will be 25.5 months for Hawaii, so hoping she finishes that stage just a tad early. Of course, she was also pretty awesome at 14.5 months for WDW, so who knows?

 

[Dugette]

You're trip report has been so helpful! We're taking our 13 month old twin girls next month and you've given some great tips and I have a little bit better idea of what to expect! Plus shes adorable!

Aw, thank you so much! Wow, you have my respect with twins! I have such a hard time managing just one. One of my mom friends has twin boys Izzy's age and I just don't know how she does it sometimes! Anyway, I'm glad you've gotten some helpful tips. I really have been trying to throw in as much helpful advice as possible, since that's what I was really needing when I planned this trip. Let me know if you have any questions or anything. I hope your trip is wonderful and magical!

Glad you had a better day yesterday and sounds like you got a lot of the sites in!

Glad Les Halles worked out for you as well!

Thanks! Thank you so much for that dining recommendation too!

Love hearing about New York- it's on my bucket list!

Great, I'm glad you're enjoying it! It was always on my bucket list, but never at the top. However, having the wedding out there really moved it up fast! We will have to go back someday!

Sounds like you're having a great trip! Can't wait to hear all about the wedding and the rest of your NYC adventures. Glad to hear the food's been treating you well, too. That's definitely what I miss most about the city....but NOT the snotty service, which I'm sorry to hear you experienced with the hostess at your first dinner. Kinda typical, I'm afraid....but the yummy food kinda makes up for it!

Yeah, I don't think we had a bad meal all week. Even hotel food was good. And we had pizza three times, so that was good too!

Woohoo! Great update! I'm loving the play by play we're getting!
And yes! It's so nice when they start walking places themselves!! Izzy is reminding me a lot of Caden while we were in Chicago. Is she about 18 months right now?
Lol I love go go go. Caden plays that game too! He also likes to yell "aaaand GO!" While in his stroller or in the car if we aren't moving. It's kinda hilarious.

You're exactly right - she was 18 months on the trip - just turned 19 months after we got back. Ha ha, love "aaaand GO!" Super cute! I pulled the Go Go Go on her last weekend. We were at the in-laws for Easter and they have a giant teddy bear. I did Go Go Go! and had the bear chase her around the house. She loved it! (and she won the race against the bear! )

I'm so glad they had a stroller check at the statue of liberty. I figured they'd have something. So many people have strollers in the touristy things. I'll betcha you really don't have much issue with any of it.

I'm glad they had it too. It wasn't anything very formal - they just tossed them behind a desk. By the time we got it back, they were pretty crowded in there.

Sounds like fun! Lovin the updates!

Thank you!

Looks like a fun trip so far! Charlotte did the same thing at Disney with her shoes, only she kept putting them in her mouth after removing them. We kept saying don't eat shoes. A statement she still repeat daily. The silly little things you never though you would have to say in your life, right?

Don't let Charlotte tell Izzy about that idea. She does love to put things in her mouth (I've explained to her that crayons are not food many times...).

It is nice when they get a little older and can do a little bit for themselves isn't! I love the Minnie place mats, its like you took a little Disney with you!

I liked the fact that I could ask her to walk with me to breakfast or stand next to me while I unfolded her stroller after a subway ride. Very helpful! That was so hard when she was smaller - if I needed both hands, I couldn't really just lay her down in a parking lot. Now, she can stand there with me - so cool! And, yes, we use those Minnie placemats every time we go out to eat! Love them! I almost switched it up and bought Mickey ones for this trip, but I'm glad I didn't. She is so attached to Minnie that she might get upset. She giggled happily when she saw Minnie several meals. And she likes to share her food with Minnie and sometimes give her kisses. It's way too cute!

I'm loving your mini NYC trip report! Thanks so much for posting it.

I'm glad people are enjoying it! I wasn't really sure about posting it. In fact, I wasn't planning to beforehand, but this board offered me so much help that I felt like it made sense to follow up on how it all worked out. Plus, I like having a record of our travel experiences! Thank goodness we're staying at Disney's resort in Hawaii so I can DIS all about it too!

You guys got a lot done in that one day! Especially since you had a toddler with you.

Yeah, I think we did better in NYC than WDW in actually doing things we had planned!

I can only imagine how...surreal(?) humbling (?) not sure what word I'm reaching for here....it would be to see Ellis Island the 911 Memorial in person. To see that kind of history up close and personal....

Yeah, it was pretty amazing. Both places, really, thinking about the history of what had happened in the very spot we were in. At Ellis Island, they had some of the original benches that immigrants waited in and encouraged people to sit down and reflect on their ancestors that sat on those benches. I didn't sit, just looked at them. Mostly because I was trying to hurry and they were crowded. But I also thought to myself, "They sat here so that I didn't have to."

Dinner sounded wonderful! What a great wait staff to clear a room for you. Seemed like just the thing you needed after a long day of sight seeing and a CRAZY ferry ride.

I totally would have eaten there every night! They were so over-the-top good to us. I forgot to mention that our waitress even rinsed out and refilled Izzy's milk sippy cup for us a couple times. All those little things really add up!

What a great day!! I'm impressed with how much you guys are accomplishing!

Thanks! We did okay, I think.

Finally all caught up!

That's too bad that you weren't able to eat at Mama Melrose, however dinner at Sci-fi sounded like a hit!

It did go pretty well, all things considered. A great waitress really helps!

Oh wow! It sounds like you had what I had when I went to Vegas. Maybe it was the combination of smoke/lights that made me get a headache all of a sudden and that made my stomach started to hurt to the point where I wanted to get sick. How strange!

You're right - that does sound like the same thing! There are a lot of bright and flashy lights in both places, I suppose. Just such an awful feeling, though! Especially when you want to be having fun and enjoying your surroundings.

I actually like when people talk to each other on the bus and converse, instead of just staring at each other awkwardly. Especially when you're facing people straight on.

Yeah, that bus ride worked out pretty well. It probably would have been awkward if the first guy hadn't been so good at starting things up. Ended up being so much fun. Better than staring into space!

The 18 month photos are absolutely precious Especially the one of you holding her. We'll miss those moments when they don't want to be held like that anymore. Awesome that you got that moment captured!

Thank you! I love that she got that picture. It was just in the midst of toddler craziness that Izzy came over for a brief hug/hold. I love that they are testing their independence, but still need that reassurance that mommy/daddy is there when they want them. On a side note, she greeted me at daycare pickup the other day by yelling "Mine!" and hugging me exuberantly.

I completely agree with you on the bus situation. Luckily for us, we were never in a situation where someone didn't give up their seat for me or DH while holding DS or we were always first in line to get a seat. But I was always in the mindset that I never expected for someone to jump up and give us their seat either.

I really wish we hadn't ended up in that situation. I guess I should have been a little more assertive in getting on the bus without people jumping in front of us.

Your trip to NY sounds fantastic so far! And i'm getting anxious about the flight already. Let's see he'll be a little over 2 (27 months) when we fly to FL and i'm so worried about how it will be. A five hour flight isn't that fun to begin with, but throw a toddler into the mix, and it just sounds terrible...

Wow, it seems like a whole bunch of us are flying right after our kids turn 2. I really, really hope that they are a bit better travelers by then and it goes well for everyone. I'm nervous about Hawaii. Very long flights (red-eye on the way home) and she'll be 25.5 months. And we'll be in First Class, thanks to our crazy price glitch deal. And, right now, that section is empty/almost empty, which sounds wonderful, but I'd imagine people will upgrade, expecting a relaxing flight to Hawaii, and instead there will be a 2 year old vying for their attention and throwing a teddy bear at them. I've got 6 months to "train" her, I guess.

sounds like you got a lot done and glad everything worked out timing wise, though sorry to hear about the issues on that last ferry.

Glad Les Halles worked out - sounds like some great service!

Service really was awesome. Food was terrific, too, but they were all so good to us and it was just a nice, calm, non-crowded environment. Really liked it.

I'm loving your NYC mini trip report! So great that the staff at Les Halles was so wonderful to you. I'm sure it made that dinner all the more special. You packed sooooo much into one day - I'm impressed!

Thanks! You are totally right about the staff making the dinner special. It's nice when you feel like your toddler is welcome and they are excited to have her there. Yes, we had some busy days!

 

[Dugette]

Oh, boy, this is my 2000th post! I just noticed that! Yay!

Uh oh! Rain and pain doesn't sound good at all
Hope a good nights rest helps and you all wake up refreshed and ready to explore!

Yes, the next day was much better. We were just all having a hard time that day. It was still filled with good and memorable experiences, but we were just done with that day by the end.

What a great time you guys are having!! Izzy reminds me so much of Caden! It's the age. Especially the meltdowns every time she had to stop doing something fun sounds VERY familiar!! Lol

Yep, she does not appreciate being taken away from something she is enjoying. Not even if it is to do something she enjoys even more. Silly kids!

Love the pic of her behind the pizza. Haha. Hilarious!

That was a pretty good one! And she wanted nothing to do with that pizza.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of New York! (I'm glad you guys went ahead and sprung for the subway!)

I'm glad we did the subway too. Izzy sure loved it!

Wow I can't believe how much you were able to do in NYC with a toddler, that's great! I'm really loving your NYC TR!

Thanks! We did get a lot done. Not everything we wanted, but not bad, all things considered. And I think Izzy had a good time too!

Wow, I'm having so much fun revisiting NYC through your mini TR. Also really, really impressed with what great restaurant experiences you're having. Barely a line at Gramaldi's?

Thanks! Guess we lucked out on not having a long wait there. It was strange, because it was right in the thick of lunch time. Maybe we caught an off day.

I don't blame Dug for taking tons of pics of the Brooklyn Bridge - it is so majestic! Hubby and I actually got married at City Hall which is RIGHT there, so we had a friend take post-wedding photos on the bridge. Pretty spectacular. Glad you got to experience it!

How cool that you had wedding photos taken on the bridge! I bet they are awesome! I really enjoyed the walk over and taking it all in. Great views and very cool bridge. Oh, what are all the locks about? Just remembered that.

And forgive me if you've already mentioned this, but is Izzy sleeping in a regular peapod or a peapod plus? I'm thinking of getting one for when we go camping with ds, and I am just not sure which size to get.

Responded to this one already in post #369. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Great pictures of NYC. Still haven't been there before, so I love seeing photos of it!

Wow, I'm surprised you haven't been there, for some reason. Of course, I was also surprised that it took me this long to get there. It's pretty cool to see in person all the things you've seen pictures and video of your whole life.

That picture of Izzy peering from behind the pizza is just the cutest.

Ha, that was a good shot! And it makes the pizza look gigantic!

Toddler bruises are definitely a rite of passage.

I had to remind myself of that as I discovered all the bruises she was acquiring.

Okay, being someone without a kid, I think that Peapod is totally cool! Like a baby tent. I'm very easily amused.

It is totally a baby tent! That's how I describe it to people. And you could use it camping too. Plus, toddlers love to play in tents, it seems. Cool invention!

I'm an extremely fast walker, so I totally get where you're coming from with slow moving people. But you deal with it, right?

I actually am a pretty fast walker too. I was cruising on that solo walk back from dropping off the rental car. But, when your baby is being pushed along by a slow walker, you find yourself slowing down or at least stopping for them to catch up pretty often. MIL just could not get over it, though. It was like she thought he was purposely walking slow to drive her nuts. She just kept getting way ahead, so then I'd try to make sure nobody got lost by walking somewhere in the middle, rather than keeping closer to Dug, which bothered him, etc. It's not like she got there any faster than us, since she would eventually stop (and complain) while Dug caught up. Oh, well.

First, just wanted to say you are doing a great job with the NYC portion of your TR. Not that the rest isn't good, but just all the planning and craziness the City can be, not to mention chasing after a toddler, just think you are keeping really good track of everything!

Hey, thank you! I appreciate it! I think this trip helped me get a bit better at Trip Reporting, honestly. In Disney, I didn't take any notes (Dug took a few, but not many) and I regret it (and hope I can remember enough to make the TR accurate). This trip, I just took a few minutes each night (usually in bed) to make some notes on my phone and pick out some pictures from my phone to include. Plus, I wrote the whole thing while the memories were still fairly fresh. Of course, WDW usually is a longer list of things accomplished, even vs. a busy day in NYC, so that makes it more challenging.

**************

yup, that picture covered in yogurt looks about right

Glad she's not the only one to do that!

nice view of the bridge from your room!

It was pretty impressive. They told us that we had a great room and they were right!

The Brooklyn Bridge is pretty photogenic! The whole history of the bridge just adds to it's legacy and iconic stature in this country

It was really cool to walk across!

Looks like a fund playground - definitely a lesser known plus to the city is all the smallish playgrounds they have around for kids to burn off steam

Very lesser known. I was telling a co-worker today that there are lots of playgrounds and he was totally surprised. It's a well-kept secret, I guess. A good one.

Sounds like you did great driving in the city - definitely can be intimidating if you have never done it, but once you do it really isn't that bad. Things like the helix for the Lincoln tunnel and some of the weird little streets downtown are some of the hardest parts.

Yeah, it wasn't so bad. And I've driven a lot of miles in a lot of states in my life, so that helped. I've driven through Chicago and LA at rush hour and this was way better than either of those. Just with way more cabs!

Calling it "pop" is a sure fire way to let people know you are from out of town

Oh, I know. It's so funny how different regions call it different things (pop, soda, Coke, etc.) We made sure to ask for soda (or the specific name - like Diet Coke) while we were there. Except for at the Ellis Island cafe, Dug called it pop on accident and got the most blank confused look from the person working there. He quickly corrected it to soda and they understood. But, if you come to Minnesota, be prepared to ask for pop!

Glad the wedding weekend worked out as a whole and you had time to spend with relatives. Also super glad the Peapod worked out!

It was a really nice weekend and quite a contrast to being in the city. Very rustic and out in the middle of nowhere. I don't think the Peapod could have worked out any better. And to think I was so worried about the sleeping arrangements there!

Izzy made a lovely flower girl!

Thanks!

I guess you get used to the $13 tolls, but I guess that can seem like a lot to people. My mother lives on Long Island and the bridge there is $7.50 each way, so I am in for $15 just in tolls any time I want to see her

Wow, that's a lot to see you mother each time! There are no tolls between here and Madison, WI, but my grandma always is sure to give me at least $20 each time - I can only imagine if she lived on Long Island! (side note = the wedding couple lives on Long Island now too). I didn't even realize the Lincoln Tunnel had a toll at all, so $13 was quite a surprise when all the other tolls had been much smaller. Worth it to get into town really near our hotel, though.

Kind of a bummer that everyone wanted to do their own thing that first day, but I guess it worked out ok

I think it worked out overall. I felt a little bad that we were doing some of the same things on different days vs. his family. But if they didn't want to plan, that's the way it goes, I guess. (Note to self: remember this if they ever go to WDW with us!)

Love the Highline and good job walking the whole length as it goes for a fair bit. Just a very nice recluse in the city

It was really nice. MIL ended up loving it and being so glad she went with us.

Awesome that Izzy loved the trains ... but then, what's not to love!

I couldn't believe how excited she got over the trains. Super cute. I might have to take her on a joyride on the lightrail here sometime. Or maybe just watching it go by.

Yeah, the Empire State Building is good to do once, but just too much effort, and as you saw, not cheap. I much preferred to go to the top of the WTC when that was an option or even Top of the Rock (though that isn't cheap either)

I was actually lobbying for Top of the Rock because I'd seen reviews that people liked that better and they also had a AAA discount. However, Dug was adamant about doing the Empire State Building, so that's where we went.

Shake Shack is definitely good - though generally not worth the wait (we usually just get it when we go to Met games as they have one there). And I am convinced that ketchup is its own food group for the under 5 set

The line was long, but the wait was pretty quick, at least. I can't believe Izzy dug into the ketchup like that...but I guess she's in good company!

uh, Tavern on the Green is super fancy and definitely not some place I would go for a soda to go. There is the Boat House which has a fancy and more casual area that would be more of an option though.

Thank you for validating my fuzzy knowledge! I was really dreading going in there and was so glad that it was closed! Sometimes Dug just gets a bit too attached to a goal and doesn't change course when I say something. I was like, "I'm pretty sure this is where people go on TV when they want to have a super fancy and romantic meal - not a quick drink!" Yay, TV for teaching me about life!

Sounds like fun at the Museum - love the pictures of her waving at the exhibits

She had a blast! And Dug was so happy she liked dinosaurs too!

wow, Izzy's first date ... you are very conservative to have to chaperone it though

They even paci-kissed at the end. Too cute!

Sounds like a fun dinner (even with the wait but the kids held up really well!0 Also sounds like a fund stop at the Disney store - always great with the workers "play" with the kids (assuming they aren't really destroying things) rather than yelling at them

It was a fun evening. I swear all of Izzy's dreams were coming true at the Disney Store. (Well, until we made her leave).

FAO Schwarz is definitely a cool store. We hit is up each year when we go in during the holiday season.

One could spend a lot of time there! So much to see!

Yeah that you got to Max Brenner! We love that place and love taking the kids there. We had gotten one of those Chocolate Syringes to put in Olivia's stocking this past Christmas

Ha, I saw those chocolate syringes and thought that was pretty awesome! I'm really glad we got there, I just wish we'd been able to take our time a bit more. And I wanted to get my dad and step-mom some chocolate there (as a thank-you for watching our dog), but we just didn't have enough time.

ok, I am picturing some of the music like from the chase scene in old Scooby Doo cartoons playing as you are rushing around the Guggenheim looking for a huge group of strollers

Ha, it was pretty much like that. I can't believe it took us so long to find them and that no guards had a clue. Darn stealthy strollers!

Wow, free in NYC is a pretty darn good deal! Though, like you said, $20/family isn't bad at all!

Worth the $20 for sure, but I wasn't going to argue with free.

Very nice of Izzy to offer you her pouch Bummer about the food delays at the hotel though. In hind sight probably would have been better/quicker to just grab something at or near Grand Central, but what can you do.

I'm thinking that we were just not hungry when we were at Grand Central. And just wanted to get "home", after the whole subway debacle. We should have grabbed something to go, I guess. Oh, well. At least the food we got was good.

Rain definitely puts a damper on things (pun partially intended) but sounds like you got to a lot of things still so that is great!

I guess we are lucky it only rained for one day. And the day prior to that had been absolutely beautiful (sunny and 70's), so I can't complain too much!

 

[Dugette]

Okay, just finished reading through your NYC trip. Let's see if I can remember to comment on everything.


Izzy's dress for the wedding was so pretty!

Thanks! Our only guidance was "green", so MIL and I came across this and both liked it - winner! Looked very cute in it.

It's great that you guys had a mix of family/friends to visit and go places with. Sounds like anytime you wanted to go someplace, there was always someone else willing to meet up/tag along.

It was cool. At times, for me, it was too much and I felt like our plans were getting messed with a lot, but it all worked out. It was nice to have breakfast with Dug's parents some mornings and such.

An hour wait for dinner...whew. At least Izzy had a friend to play with.

Yeah, that was kinda crazy to wait for. We may have bailed, but the other family coming to join us really locked us in. Luckily, Izzy was fairly mellow for most of the wait.

What a rude worker at the museum. Some people.

I couldn't believe her! I understand it was the end of the day and she wanted to go home, but really?! I couldn't believe the way she snapped at that other family while "helping" them.

I have to say, reading your report has made me kind of want to put off traveling to any busy places once Landon hits that toddler stage. You had to be exhausted at the end of every day! (But, hooray on Izzy sleeping through the night! I hope she keeps it up. Landon began doing that about 2 weeks ago, it's pretty much the best thing ever.)

First, that is awesome that Landon started sleeping through the night! I had wondered if his sleep got any better, since it seemed pretty awful on your WDW trip. Izzy has been sleeping all night most nights the last couple weeks (in NY and since we've been home). It's like a whole new world now! Don't put off traveling, though. I would have to imagine that there are different challenges at every age. Overall, it wasn't any tougher than being at home with her on a weekend. And she tends to be easier to please when she's out and about vs. at home. Might as well see some cool things while keeping her entertained.

I guess, if nothing else, the NYC trip was good practice for your Hawaii trip this fall.

Indeed! I'm so excited for Hawaii! Still feels like a crazy dream, though.

I have been lurking on your report but I had to post today I have really enjoy your NYC trip report. I cannot believe all the stuff you got done in NYC. I have a DD just a little bit older than Izzy. Shiloh was born in July. I could not imagine what all you did in NYC with her. It has been a great trip report including the Disney!!!

and thank you so much! Yes, Shiloh is not too far ahead of Izzy at all. I'm glad you enjoyed NYC. I felt a little strange posting it, since it's not a Disney trip, but it seemed like there was maybe enough interest to toss it in there. Now, I've gotta get my head back into December at WDW again! So much awesome fun still to cover!

Ok I'm just gonna start replying cause I've already forgotten all my thoughts.

I totally know how that goes...

I'm so glad you went to Ellen's and john's pizza. Those are my 2 favorite places to eat there!! so fun!

Thank you for the recommendations! Both were very cool and unique places.

Not really about NYC. But I totally got Andrew those giant resees for Christmas! Haha More to come....

Ha ha, that's awesome! It seems almost like Peanut Butter Pies (vs. cups)!

Caden loves carousels too! So cool she got to ride one in Central Park!

It was in Bryant Park. But, yes, I'm really glad we came across that. She got a kick out of it for sure.

You guys managed to get a lot done! I was a little nervous for you seeing your list but seems like you managed to accomplish a decent chunk of it!! And definitely got some good NYC sightseeing in!

I think we did pretty well. I regret not making it to the big art museums, since everyone tells me those (especially the Met) are a must-see. But I'm not a big art museum person anyway, so I'll live. Next time, I guess!

I hope you had a blast!! I just love NYC. It's my second favorite place (after wdw of course) and your trip makes me want to go back. :-/ maybe we'll do that between Disney trips after Caden's first Disney trip!

We really did have a great time. You should take Caden. I'm sure he'd have a ton of fun! And it would probably give you a whole different experience there too!

 

[AprilRenee]

Somehow I totally missed "rain and pain" day
Ooh. Rough. But it seems like you had a good time overall. Just frustrating in between times.
Weird about the subway. And totally typical that the only time you would have subway troubles would be the day you were in a hurry!
The museum tour sounded cool!

 

[Imagineer5]

I love all the photos!! It looks like you had a wonderful time! The wedding location is so neat too. You definitely ate well while there too! Yum!

 

[Dugette]

Somehow I totally missed "rain and pain" day
Ooh. Rough. But it seems like you had a good time overall. Just frustrating in between times.
Weird about the subway. And totally typical that the only time you would have subway troubles would be the day you were in a hurry!
The museum tour sounded cool!

Yeah, "rain and pain" was as you described. We had good times and made good memories, but it was just a draining sort of day. And exactly right on the subway troubles. The museum tour was cool, I wish that we'd been there for the whole thing.

I love all the photos!! It looks like you had a wonderful time! The wedding location is so neat too. You definitely ate well while there too! Yum!

Thanks! We did have a really good time. And I was a little worried about how many times I'd heard the wedding location described as "rustic", but it turned out to be very nice and a pleasant retreat from the city. And, yes, I don't think I have any food complaints!

 

[Dugette]

Once we made it off the bus, we headed down the path to the Animal Kingdom gates:



We enjoyed the themed Christmas tree as we made our way to the gates:







Our plan was to split up in order to get back to the safari and use our 9-10am Fast Passes. We’d have Dug go through the “no bags” entrance to get a head start, since he walks slower. I’d take Izzy and the bag and go through the regular security, then catch up to him. Seems simple enough, right? Well, as you may know, there is more than one way to go through the Oasis area of AK. We didn’t think to coordinate our route, though. I’m sure you can see where this is going…

So, Dug made his way in and snapped some pictures. An anteater:



Obligatory Tree of Life picture:



He picked up a Wilderness Explorer thing, as he wanted to do that later:



He was surprised that I hadn’t caught up to him yet.

Meanwhile, Izzy and I had gotten into the park fairly quickly and made our way at a good pace through the Oasis. We went to the right. Little did we know that Dug had gone to the left. I was surprised that I hadn’t caught up to him yet. How fast was he going? I knew I hadn’t walked past him, so he had to be up there.

Turns out that I completely passed him up in the Oasis. Since we’d gone different ways, we never saw each other. He stopped on the bridge to wait for me. Or so he thought. I got all the way to the safari and still hadn’t come across him. We finally got in touch on our phones and figured out what had happened. So much for saving time. The minutes were ticking down on our 9-10am Fast Pass+ window (I see a text while I was waiting for Dug that is 7 minutes before 10am). While we waited, I took Izzy over to the gift shop around the corner to play with the musical instruments. This was her favorite:



And a brief video of her playing with it:

(click to watch)

I considered getting it for her and copying Imagineer5’s tradition of buying musical instruments for her daughter each trip, but we never did get back over there later.

Dug made it to the safari entrance, after grabbing a couple more pictures on the way:





We got in the FP+ line in time and dropped the stroller off in the parking area along the way:



Time for animal-loving Izzy’s first safari!

Up next: Um, animals. From our safari. Yep. That pretty much covers it.

 

[disney ny]

Just found your trip report and am only getting started reading it but wanted to comment. I am already enjoying it and your daughter is just adorable. Ok and boy I can't beleive your luck on scoring those Hawaii tickets!! That is amazing. I wish stuff like that happened to me- I have the opposite luck in fact I often feel like Winnie the Pooh with the Little Black Raincloud following me around Anyway, I have just started my first trip report and I hope I remember all the things you do with such detail and that I remember to stop and take pictures all the time like! Very impressive that we feel like we are right there each minute. Ok now I am going back to read more!!

 

[Dugette]

At this point in her life, I would say that Izzy considered all animals to be either a “kitty” (any form of cat – lion or tiger included) or a “ghee” (“doggy” – anything that is not a kitty ). In the months since then, she seems to understand that bears are different and she recently has become enthralled with birds. And I think she understands Mickey and Minnie are mice. Maybe. At any rate, this safari would be a chance to see a lot of different creatures. And she enjoyed it. Here’s some pictures of our sightings:







The people on the Wild Africa Trek:





Looks fun:



Look, snacks:





The Baobab tree:







Enjoying the ride from Mommy’s lap:





Appears to be feeding time:







Nice reflection:







Kitties:





I guess these are the ones that knew how to behave? I read (after the trip) something about Disney having taken the all the misbehaving zebras off the safari, but then added some of the lesser offenders back:







It was a pretty good ride!

Up next: We become Wilderness Explorers!

 

[Dugette]

Just found your trip report and am only getting started reading it but wanted to comment. I am already enjoying it and your daughter is just adorable. Ok and boy I can't beleive your luck on scoring those Hawaii tickets!! That is amazing. I wish stuff like that happened to me- I have the opposite luck in fact I often feel like Winnie the Pooh with the Little Black Raincloud following me around Anyway, I have just started my first trip report and I hope I remember all the things you do with such detail and that I remember to stop and take pictures all the time like! Very impressive that we feel like we are right there each minute. Ok now I am going back to read more!!

and thanks for commenting! I hope you continue to enjoy it!

I still feel like the whole Hawaii thing is a dream. I can't say that I normally have that kind of luck, for sure. I think this trip will spoil us forever.

Looks like you have a good start on your PTR (I just perused it). Keep it up! As far as remembering details, I always feel like I can do better. I've done a lot of TRs and I'm still sitting here trying to piece together pictures, a couple random and sparse sets of notes, text messages, Fast Pass+ reservations, pre-trip plans, park maps, and vague memories (and leaning on Dug's memory a lot). What I'd like to do next time is continue to snap a lot of pictures with our iPhones (that worked well for us this trip, since it was the first trip I've had one on), but I'd also like to have better and more organized notes. I'm thinking that for stories that are hard to document in pictures (things overheard, etc.), I'll use video/voice memo on my phone to explain what happened while I still remember it. For the rest of the day, I'd like to have some brief notes of what we did in chronological order - making those notes at the end of each day worked really well for me on our NY trip, but I think WDW would be harder because of the long list of things done each day. I might have to do it a few times per day instead. Anyway, those are my current thoughts on being able to put together a TR without too many headaches, in case it helps you.

 

[Dugette]

After our safari, we headed for the Pangani Trail. In between attractions, we took a minute to watch this guy:



Until he started getting all gross. I can’t remember now, but I think he did something like: eat, regurgitate, eat again. I just remember thinking that I wish I hadn’t seen it. And I guess I’ve blocked it out pretty effectively!

Random picture from the trail:



Part of Dug’s (“Izzy’s”) Wilderness Exploration included learning about birds and their nests. He just told me he thinks these were nests for the Golden Weaver or something like that:



In general, the Wilderness Explorer Cast Members were very nice and engaging. Dug got some badges. He got one right away for identifying some animals he’d already seen in the Oasis. He learned their pledge and call. I think we had some sort of demonstration of something from a Cast Member. Foggy memories, but Dug had a good time helping Izzy earn some badges and explore the wilderness.

We spent a few minutes observing the aquarium:







Nice view:



Our next stop was the Baby Care Center. Diaper and outfit change time. I don’t know what I was thinking putting Izzy in jeans at Animal Kingdom. It is the hottest park, after all, and we were feeling it. Luckily, I’d packed a pair of shorts in her bag that day, so we changed her into those. She ran around with Bullseye Mickey a bit in the Baby Care Center:



We headed out on our way to Everest to use our Fast Pass + for 11am-Noon. On the way, we came across the drums and decided to let Izzy give them a try:







Some video (in which she is basically just looking around):

(click to watch)

Hey, there’s that tree again:



I rode Everest first and Dug did some more Wilderness Explorer things with Izzy. He also just told me that there was a booth with animal puppets and a Cast Member was using one of them and a teenage boy was freaking out and going, “Why would you do this to me?!” He said it was pretty messed up. He also did some Wilderness Explorer stuff near Everest and in the gift shop, I think.

At any rate, I had a good ride. When I came out, though, I couldn’t find Dug anywhere. I texted and got no response. This happens more than once in the next few days. We later find out that, for unknown reasons, Dug was not getting iMessage texts for some time. So, he didn’t know I was texting him. This causes some frustration, as you can imagine.

I was worried that Dug might miss his FP+ window, as it was nearly done. However, we did find each other and I believe that he made it in right at Noon and was fine. I was going to try to get a picture of him coming down the big hill, but Izzy started acting up, so I gave up on that and took her to the gift shop to play instead:





Yeti was cool and she also liked playing with bracelets.

Dug had a good ride on Everest and we headed out of the gift shop together.

Up next: A conflict of interest between Festival of the Lion King and Naptime!

 

[AprilRenee]

You're on a roll tonight!!

 

[Dugette]

You're on a roll tonight!!

Ha ha, going to bed now, though!

 

[Dugette]

We had Fast Pass+ for Dinosaur from Noon-1pm, but decided we needed to skip them if we wanted to see Festival of the Lion King and still get to lunch on time. We ended up skipping a lot of things this day, actually. Time got away from us and our plans were too ambitious, I guess. Actually, I think we changed the FP+ from Dinosaur to Festival of the Lion King. My Disney Experience is showing 1:05-1:25pm FotLK. (However, I don't believe we actually used FP+ for admittance. We may have missed the window and they just sent us in as standby guests).

So, we set off on our walk from one end of the park to the other, from Everest to Festival of the Lion King. Long walk, especially at a slow-ish pace. We got there and went to park the stroller and realized that Izzy had fallen asleep on the ride! We had different views on that, though.

Dug: We walked all the way across the park for this. I’m sore and want to sit down and see this show. It’s a great show and Izzy will enjoy it, even if we have to wake her up for it. We’ll get her up and go to the show, as planned.

Dugette: Yay, break time for me! I can actually look around and enjoy things without having to attend to a toddler! And a nap now is good, because that way she will not be crabby at our late lunch, which is what I’ve been most nervous about for this day. We could even go use our Dinosaur Fast Passes. I would have liked to see the show and Izzy probably would have liked it, but this is better for everybody.

We squabbled a bit about this in the stroller parking lot. In retrospect, I’m not sure why I didn’t send Dug into the show and go wander around with Izzy on my own. I suppose I couldn’t have done any rides that way, so maybe that’s it. I don’t know. At any rate, Dug was insistent and I gave up and we woke her and brought her in. It wasn't that full and we got decent seats in the giraffe section.

She had a blast for maybe the first half of the show. Clapping along and dancing and enjoying all the excitement. However, she did eventually get bored of that and very squirmy. So, I never really got my break, as I had to hold onto a wiggly toddler seeking escape and try to keep her happy for the rest of the show. It is always a great show, though, and I enjoyed it as best I could. Here’s a slew of pictures:























Up next: Squirrel!!!

 

[beyondblessed]

Subscribing and going back now to get all caught up! Your daughter is a doll!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Thanks so much for sharing your NYC trip! I've never been, but your pictures definitely make me want to visit.

Hahaha. You went right at the Oasis and he went left?

My nephew Grayson just turned two. And he identifies horses as anything but. "Cow!" Nope kiddo. "Pig!" Nope, still wrong.

Oh man, the toddler/nap conundrum! That's horrible. To wake or not to wake. An inevitably, you always feel like you made the wrong choice, right?