First Day in NYC

OK, so we {finally} arrived in NY after the endless train trip with ANTS in our seats, crawling all over us, in our hair. They actually crawled off of us onto the white tablecloth at breakfast.
But that's behind us . . . we are in ny!!
Elder Son met us at Penn Station. It was perfect...we were coming up the escalator out of the train terminal and I was looking all around, worried, what will I do if I can't find him, and Little One called, "There he is." Warm relief and love rushed all over me. My Elder Son. Smiling, running to us. Afraid I hugged him too hard, afraid he will feel the insecurity and panic from the crisis two weeks ago, the happiness and joy at seeing him after so long. It's been a year-and-a-half since seeing him.
He's -- well, -- he seems so, so...settled. The cockiness has lost its edge to, well, maturity.
He was sweet and kind and so accommodating. He notices I am maturing, too. He caters to me a little.
We had to go in Manhattan Mall as Little One was starving. We had The Beast, this ungodly rolling suitcase. I know the exact dimensions, as they match up with the maximum for carry-on luggage on Amtrak. 27x24x14. Weighs a ton. Well, 50lb is the max for Amtrak, so I am guessing it's somewhere around 49 lb, 14 oz. So we're going into Manhattan Mall and, it's so classic, I hate to admit it.
- - - I - got - stuck - in - the - revolving - door - with - The - Beast - rolling - suitcase. - - -
It was exactly what I wanted not to happen. This was about the time Elder Son took over driving The Beast.
He drove it to Times Square. Through Times Square. Into, through, and out of Toys 'R Us. (We gotta go back to that place. They have a Ferris Wheel inside the store, huge. Empire State Bldg made from Legos. Statue of Liberty from Legos. We gotta go back. SOON.)
He drove The Beast down the steps into the subway station. Up the stairs out of the subway station. Through Washington Heights and to the apartment, excuse me, free apartment, he has provided for me to stay, not a couple of measly days in NYC, but a week. Did I mention it's free?
I had no clue what to expect. I had prepared myself to cope with anything, hey, it's a free apt.
Well, it's immaculate. Cleaner than home. Glossy hardwood floors, no dust bunnies. Clean bath, clean kitchen. Chirping birds out the window. Trees. No coping. It's, well, it's perfect. And, I need to mention this part, it's .......free.
So. We got supper at the local McD's and brought it back here to eat. Little One suggested it; she was too tired to eat there. It was loud and very unfamiliar. We were the only people whose first language is English, and it was packed. 8pm and you could hardly move in there. So we ate at the apt.
Stopped at a corner grocery to get OJ and cereal, milk for today's breakfast. The entire store was the size of our kitchen at home. Really, not exaggerating. It was great. Little One needs to see this! This is how people live!! Not everyone has a 25,000 sq ft. Kroger at their disposal.
So we brushed teeth. Pajamaed. Read a few pages of Harry Potter til I had to say, "I can't read anymore." For once, she did NOT complain. We slept hard.
Now it's 8:30. I've been up an hour, organizing the backpack and studying the map for today's adventures, rinsing out clothes from yesterday.
Oh, yeah. Elder Son and I each gave her $15 to spend. She has $30 and can buy whatever she wants while we are here. She can buy a bunch of little crap or she can buy one big thing to keep. I was gonna just give it to her, figured it'd be cheaper than getting her everything she begs for, and Elder Son said he'd go in halves with me IF we get something in return. I asked, "What? She can't exactly do chores while we're in NYC..." "Math?" he questioned.. "AHA! Journal entries! She balked on the train at the journal entry, and I had to write it down; she dictated it."
So, there in the middle of Toys 'R Us, we negotiated this agreement. She willingly, happily, writes her entries in the trip journal -- he needs a copy when we go home -- and he and I each gave her $15. She had $30 of her own. I wondered if she would run through the store, grabbing this and that.
Why do adults always underestimate their children?
She held on to it. "I might see something I really like later."
Today we go to Central Park. It's Saturday and they will be racing RC boats on the pond.