The cherry blossoms are in full pink in the Botanic Gardens and it was a glorious (if hot) weekend, but this still hasn't been the best week to be a New Yorker.
Not surprisingly, New York was one of the first places outside of Mexico to report swine flu. It hasn't been reported in Brooklyn yet, but I imagine it's only a matter of time. So far the playgrounds and sing-a-longs are still pretty crowded, but if things get worse, I wouldn't be surprised if they empty out.
In other news, as the New York Times reported today, New York parents who want to enroll their 5 year olds in public school are increasingly likely to find their child on a waiting list. New York parents are well known for their neuroticism about schools, but even I can sympathize with parents who can't get their kid into the local public school. I mean, isn't that a right you have as a tax paying citizen?
It is the school madness that makes me unwilling to consider staying in New York for the long haul. My kid is adorable and cute and all, but do I really think he needs to complete a full blown "application" to get into preschool? Do I really want to pay $20 grand to make sure he makes the very best macaroni art?
My husband and I said a long time ago that we would not stay in New York once Emmett hit school age. My increasing fondness for Brooklyn makes me waver on this vow, but then I look at the tuition and application process for preschool and I think that the Midwest looks better and better.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
File that under sweet but creepy
Overheard at my son's music class where children are running amok and screeching and picking their noses:
Visiting grandmother (to no one in particular): Look at all these beautiful children...
[Beat]
... it's like a garden of babies.
Visiting grandmother (to no one in particular): Look at all these beautiful children...
[Beat]
... it's like a garden of babies.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Spring Beauty
Sorry for the long delay between posts. We had two weeks of dinner parties, mother-in-law visitations and Easter madness. I cooked a roast chicken for the first time. We went to an Easter egg hunt in the pouring rain (only to find out it was canceled). Emmett enjoyed his first Easter basket. (We put such Easter-y treats as Cheetos and star stickers in plastic eggs, since most typical Easter candy screams choking hazard.) A good time was had by all.
Spring is limping into New York this year. Every 60 degree day seems to be followed by a week of 45 degree drizzle. But the flowers are finally starting to emerge, which always leads me to think about the natural beauty that can be found in New York.
Given its uber-urban nature, there is plenty of concrete ugly to be found here. The United/American terminal at LaGuardia is pretty grim. Those tree-less blocks of row houses in Queens are damn unattractive. And Co-op city has a hulking, East German quality.
But New York has some oases of exquisite natural beauty--perhaps all the more attractive because they sit cheek-by-jowl with so much that is man-made. One of my favorites is the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. I love the BBG in snow, in bloom, in mist, and in Fall. And I love it all the more now that I only live 5 blocks away. It is like having a really fancy back yard:
Next to the Botanic Gardens is Prospect Park. Like its bigger, better known cousin, Prospect Park was designed by Frederick Olmsted. Although I appreciate Central Park's wonder, I actually like Prospect Park better. It feels less crowded than Central Park (probably because there are far fewer tourists) while retaining the same wilderness-within-a-city feel. And there are some breathtaking spots:
Both parks are true "public goods" in the best sense. In a city where apartments are far too small, yards are scarce, and concrete far too common, parks are a critical necessity. And New Yorkers take their park-going amusements very seriously. On warm weekends you can observe a whole microcosm of the city living it up on the Long Meadow: urban hipsters and their hipster babies, courting Orthodox couples, soccer teams, kite fliers, dog walkers, high schoolers looking for a quiet place to make out, and weekend warriors out for a run. (I'm sure there's the occasional hooker and John also, but I've never seen them so let me enjoy my idyllic image of the park unscathed by grim realities...)
In the coming weeks, I'll try to post occasional pictures from the parks as the flowers emerge. Right now, we're on cherry blossom watch at the Botanic Gardens. There was only one tree in bloom last week, so the full glory is yet to come.
Spring is limping into New York this year. Every 60 degree day seems to be followed by a week of 45 degree drizzle. But the flowers are finally starting to emerge, which always leads me to think about the natural beauty that can be found in New York.
Given its uber-urban nature, there is plenty of concrete ugly to be found here. The United/American terminal at LaGuardia is pretty grim. Those tree-less blocks of row houses in Queens are damn unattractive. And Co-op city has a hulking, East German quality.
But New York has some oases of exquisite natural beauty--perhaps all the more attractive because they sit cheek-by-jowl with so much that is man-made. One of my favorites is the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. I love the BBG in snow, in bloom, in mist, and in Fall. And I love it all the more now that I only live 5 blocks away. It is like having a really fancy back yard:
Next to the Botanic Gardens is Prospect Park. Like its bigger, better known cousin, Prospect Park was designed by Frederick Olmsted. Although I appreciate Central Park's wonder, I actually like Prospect Park better. It feels less crowded than Central Park (probably because there are far fewer tourists) while retaining the same wilderness-within-a-city feel. And there are some breathtaking spots:
Both parks are true "public goods" in the best sense. In a city where apartments are far too small, yards are scarce, and concrete far too common, parks are a critical necessity. And New Yorkers take their park-going amusements very seriously. On warm weekends you can observe a whole microcosm of the city living it up on the Long Meadow: urban hipsters and their hipster babies, courting Orthodox couples, soccer teams, kite fliers, dog walkers, high schoolers looking for a quiet place to make out, and weekend warriors out for a run. (I'm sure there's the occasional hooker and John also, but I've never seen them so let me enjoy my idyllic image of the park unscathed by grim realities...)
In the coming weeks, I'll try to post occasional pictures from the parks as the flowers emerge. Right now, we're on cherry blossom watch at the Botanic Gardens. There was only one tree in bloom last week, so the full glory is yet to come.
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