Off to a chilly start...

Packing very cleverly, we managed to only bring one suitcase into NYC for all of us. Peanut and Little Man are staying over with Tio and Aunt NYC in Brooklyn (a surprise gift!) while Grandma, Doodle and I are staying in an apartment smack between Little Italy and Chinatown -- a very exciting place to be planted.

I've already indulged in a cheap factory-style pedicure from a Chinese woman, and a handful of Italian nougat candy from a street vendor!

The apartment we're in belongs to a good friend of Aunt NYC who's on vacation and let us rent it for next to nothing. It's as funky as can be expected for an old tenement apartment. The entire place is sinking so all the furniture is propped up on one side to make it level. And it's so tiny that the toilet is in the bedroom and the shower with miniature sink is off the living room! Here's the unbelievable part: back in the day this would have been divided into TWO apartments with up to 8 people in each. Think Angela's Ashes.

Grandma toured the Tenement Museum and got the historical scoop. She couldn't say enough good things about the tour so I'd suggest skipping the Empire State Building and doing this instead if you're ever in the city. (They have a children's tour as well, but they were all sold out while we were here.)

Anyway, with so little bathroom space, the kitchen quickly became our suitcase/dressing room. After showering, I ran into the kitchen only to find that I'd forgotten to pack myself any clothes! Not a thing! Yesterday's outfit was grimy and already buried deep in the dirty clothes bag. I started to crack up standing there naked in a kitchen the size of my porch at home, right above the hustle and bustle on Mulberry Street.

Naturally, it all worked out in the end. Aunt NYC brought the kids over with a stack of CurlyTop clothes from the trunk of our car. I quickly changed and we were off for DimSum at Pings. Walking is something New Yorkers take for granted. I read somewhere that they walk 5 miles a day without even considering exercise. Such a bonus to living here, right? The kids, however, were exhausted just getting to and from the subway. Tio would say, "Oh that's just around the corner" and pretty soon, we learned that Tio's "around the corner" meant at least a 1/2 mile.

Did I mention that Little Man received a belated birthday present while staying in Brooklyn -- a Batman costume, which he wore all over NYC. He quietly stated to me, "Mom, this sword is one of the best presents I ever got. I've been wanting one for soooo long, and I know you weren't ever going to get me one." I just looked at him and said, "That's why it's so fun having Tio and Aunt NYC!"