Just a Quick Layover

Our flight wasn't delayed out of LaGuardia for the first time in a long time, in fact I don't recall the last time it left on time. Now we were standing in Toronto watching them roll back the departure times and cancel flights one after another. My anxiety started to rise as she became irritated and tired and I was beginning to feel the irritation of having too many people around me and look after a toddler. I didn't care if we were stuck in Toronto for the night, what I cared about was listening to them talk about it for an hour and still not decide what they would do with about seventy five people who were left. I just wanted to either leave or get on a plane and if it didn't happen soon I would have been in the corner crying the stress out of me. A gate agent came over and found us in a quiet corner to tell me we were the last two making the flight and I would have cried in his arms if we didn't have to sprint to the gates. I just wanted to see Dan...I only have nine days there this time and I want every minute I could get.

The Adventures of Central Park XIII

I swear to the god's, LaGuardia if you leave me standing in your airport today with my three year old daughter we may have to break up. We grabbed some snacks and sat in the long hallway with all of the gates...I fucking hate this airport. It's like they go out of their way to make the experience as uncomfortable as possible...well done. The place was packed, people were pouring out of stores just to get to the backs of lines to pay for stuff, flights were being cancelled at rapid rates and if the bitch in front of me steps on my toe one more time we may have an international incident. It's times like these that I wished I smoked, not that it would help me with being in an overly crowded airport. So far our flight hasn't been delayed or cancelled but I have hotels on stand by and at this point just wish it was decided one way or another. LaGuardia literally has one runway and if the wind so much as 'gusts' everything is on the ground and the fucking place shuts down...I've been in airports all over the world and it was in the middle of Queens, NY where I found the absolute worst one...Bosnia included.

I made my way through the wall of people to the Westjet desk and out of the corner of my eye to the left I could see a plane at the gates. Ramoan spotted me looking a little frustrated..."Don't worry Natalie the flight is ready to go". I let out a laugh, he and I go through this regularly. I squeezed my daughter's hand and let the relief wash over me...not too bad of a day. Besides, I'm back in nine days and start the struggle all over again...

The Adventures of Central Park XII

I asked the Uber driver to take us through the park, it wasn't the fastest route but it was easily the most beautiful. There is a police station right in the middle so when you have to walk through after dark it doesn't seem so scary although I only ever walk through using that one street just in case. The trees were starting to bud again and people were out and about enjoying the day. I pointed out the gorgeous stone wall and she pointed out the gentleman peeing on it...thank goodness he was turned away from us. Every now and then I'll stumble upon a street in New York that has the ability to make me forget where I am...this was one of them. We came out on the Upper East Side and the city swallowed us up again with buildings and traffic. I loved bringing my children to New York, especially my daughter so I could expose her to culture and art in mass amounts...she breathes it in and exhales hours of questions.

The Adventures of Central Park XI

I woke early to gather our things and pack up the house. I liked to be organized and settled because being or feeling rushed with a three year old is more stress than I could handle. I was already dreading the walk down the five flights of stairs but hoped I could do it in one trip otherwise I'd need a shower and change of clothes. I stood by the window overlooking the gardens while I had my cup of coffee...the first of many today. There was a little girl, just younger than my daughter by the looks of her, and she was chasing her kitten through the garden while her mother or caregiver read a book. Many people don't know about these secret sanctuaries that exist in the middle of these older buildings. They are built so there is a hollow centre to have a private garden or whatever you want to put there. I started to think about how difficult it would be to have a small child in Manhattan with limited space both in living and playing but I guess if they don't know different they can't be upset about the comparison. I mean Central Park is right across the street but unless you are a millionaire and I mean multi-millionaire raising your children in a city like Manhattan means never having your own space in the home...the shoebox apartments of many aren't equipped with free spaces.

I walked over to the bed and rubbed her back to help her wake...it was time to go to the airport and as a treat I'm taking her through Central Park one last time this trip.

The Adventures of Central Park X

Time slips by without a thought in the park and I almost fell over when I noticed we had been there for five hours without a pee or a snack. I walked over to gather her scooter and helmet so it would be easier to get her out of there. All of the parks have gates that lock so kids just can't wonder off, which is great but sometimes when your hands are full it becomes frustrating.

I walked beside her as she slowly scooted and complained that her legs were sore; I could see her looking at me out of the corner of my eye trying to look as pathetic as possible. I changed the topic to dinner and told her she could pic wherever she wanted. She proceeded to point at the restaurants she didn't want to eat at then settled on a pizza place that had Hello Kitty in the front window. It's our last night before we head home so she might score a late night shopping trip to Macy's depending on my level of exhaustion once we walk the five flights of steps. Sweet Jesus I'm only home for ten days before I'm back with Kaila...and for the first time ever, I'll be staying in Harlem. Screw it....we're going to Macy's.

The Adventures of Central Park IX

I don't know how long I held my breath for but I remember inhaling like I was struggling to breathe. He looked directly at me and turned once he was able to see the shock behind my own eyes...he knew I knew. Now for the actual dilemma. Bobby DiNero is arguable one the the best actors of my time...if you can look past Meet the Fockers and the The Intern. I mean he was in some of the best movies I have ever watched, I was star struck and I don't think there are many people who can make me feel like he did in that moment. I could walk over and strike up a casual conversation in the hopes that he would entertain me but he is with children, whether his own or his grandchildren. He was wearing a winter coat, dark sunglasses and an orange toque...but it was him...the glasses weren't that dark and I know he is close to home. What if I never get the chance to see him again let alone on his own...but he was with children. I sat there stuck in my own thoughts of what I would say or handle rejection. I mean how rude to invade the time he has with his children. All I could do was text Dan and let him in on my secret...oh, and snap a few pics...

The Adventures of Central Park VIII

We weren't that late, she said they arrived only a few minutes before us. I liked her, she was very kind and didn't gossip as much as I thought she might. Although you could easily hitch hike on the conversations of other nannies and hear all the juicy stories. I watched my daughter float around the park from one child to another and slowly make friends with the ones that were doing what she wanted. The park was not very busy but I imagine that would change as the other schools let out for the day. I found myself watching a gentleman in the corner, maybe it's the parole officer coming out in me but he is creepy and I wanted to know if he had a child in the park or was just watching...I was not okay with watching. I kept going from him to my daughter and was becoming quite anxious like I should yell 'fire!'. He walked over towards me then turned on his heel like he was pacing back and forth. I caught him talking to a woman and two small children so I silently hoped he was with them just for my own nerves to subside. I made my way over to be closer to my daughter as she was now talking to the two young children he was with...or seemed to be with. My mind was on full alert and I was just about to interrogate him when he got so close to me that I could actually see who he was...holy shit...that's Robert DeNiro...

The Adventures of Central Park VII

From the moment she opened her eyes we were counting down the hours until her playdate. Sometimes it was difficult to distract her and it became frustrating when she became obsessed with wanting to do something. We grabbed her scooter and made our way down the five story walk up...I swear I am throwing our luggage down the stairs when it's time to leave. Lugging it up was a serious workout and I thought about changing in the lobby by the time we made it to the third floor. We were heading east on 86th and once we crossed over Columbia we headed south. She was still learning how to ride and had a bad habit of watching her wheels rather than the sidewalk so I wasn't entirely surprised when she almost ran a woman off the curb. I ran up to try and catch her and in her defence the woman was walking with her head down too...although I imagine it was so people couldn't recognize her. She was smaller than I would have guessed but I had only ever saw her on TV so I really didn't have anything to compare her to. Headphones in with her head down walking up the Upper West Side to work or home and my daughter almost crashed into Kelly Ripa...it was cool seeing a celebrity although I never let on I knew who she was. I mean she has been on a lot, almost like the female version of Ryan Seacrest. She never even really looked up, just dodged the scooter without missing a beat. I gave my daughter a brief safety lecture and a wink before we made our way over to Central Park South...we're late...

The Adventures of Central Park VI

I have to admit, I was a touch surprised that the nannies don't really step in to resolve a conflict on the play ground...mine would be fired...if I could afford one. When the dust all settled it was time for William and Kate to get home and after four straight hours in that one park I was ready to call it a day too. She left without fuss on the condition that I would bring her back tomorrow, I agreed with the thought that I would try to get her to go to another park. I held the door for the the kids nanny as she lugged out all of their jackets, toys and picnic basket...even the nanny needed an assistant. Just as I thought we were in the clear and ready to head back to the apartment, she asked the kids to meet tomorrow and before I could intervene the nanny agreed and I very well could not be the bad guy...the same park it is. She likes it and I like to watch her make friends. She snapped her helmet up and jumped on her little green scooter, she already knew the way to go.

We popped out at 72nd Central Park West and proceeded north...it was one of our favourite streets in Manhattan and we stayed on for as long as we could...

The Adventures of Central Park V

She immediately made friends with a little boy William and his sister Kate...yes just like royalty except these two youngsters lived in a posh apartment on the Upper East Side and not in Buckingham Palace. She fell in between their ages and the three of them got along perfectly with one another. Their nanny was from Mexico City and was not only funny but as attentive as you would want a caregiver to be. Her clients are some of the most elite in the city and I imagine her stories are chalk full of juicy gossip, but I won't ask...although it's not like I would turn off my hearing either. I always wondered if the nannies and other staff traded stories about their employers...they do...and in great detail. She was tactful in her story telling and even went as far as to make excuses for their behaviours like the mother having her take the bus in three hours early so she could get her makeup for the day done or begin her hours at the gym, which was about four a day. They appeared to care more about their appearance than anything else but keeping up appearances is expected when you're rubbing elbows with the who's who of Manhattan...it sounded exhausting to me. I don't even put on a bra when people came over so there was no way I was spending my days in a make up chair, hair salon and gym just to impress my friends. I thought to myself that I needed to find someone to take me to one of these parties but I would have to trick him into thinking I was more refined than I actually was...I could fake it for an evening. The amount of high end stuff I would need just to fool them would cost me a house...no wonder people find sugar daddy's. I was brought out of my day dream of being with the rich and famous when William started throwing an epic fit about a swing situation...what do you expect when you get several children together that have never really heard the word 'no'...but I was about to tell him because she had it first...

The Adventures of Central Park IV

It took a little longer than usual to get to the park but on the plus side there weren't any buildings to run into...just tourists and benches. She finally figured out that where she looked was where the scooter went so slowly she got better with direction. We cut through Strawberry Fields every time because I want a picture of her on the 'Imagine' memorial but she keeps turning me down...I hold hope she will cave to my request one of these days. I held her hand and her scooter when we went down the steep path to avoid injury to herself and the ridiculous number of people heading our way. It is one of the best walks through the park, but maybe I just think that because I am in love with Poet's Walk...it is simply beautiful and shown on likely any movie that has any scenes in Central Park. There is a saxophone player that sits on one of the benches and just plays the days away for your enjoyment so I let her do a few laps up and down the paths while I listened to him and watched him get lost in the music. New York is full of these amazing people that are true artists and play for the sheer joy of the music and a couple of dollars throughout the day. I wondered what his story was and thought of asking but decided to make one up for him instead. I caught her as she came flying by me for the third time, she is getting faster and braver...it's time to get to the park...this is when all of the nanny's bring the kids to the park and I can't resist the story sharing they bring.

The Adventures of Central Park III

Let's just say she was not born to ride a scooter and may have ran into a few buildings. I had to check it because it kept veering left...turns out it was all her. It made me smile watching her try her best to get a good run but failed time after time...she was clearly my daughter as her stubbornness was showing loud and proud. "Alright birdy where should we go?" She looked over at me when the front wheel got stuck in a crack in the sidewalk, "Mama is it broken?" Good question, when it's not easy it must be broken..."No bird, it just takes practice and we have all day to practice."

When I look at her oddly enough I see my sister Patty, all the confidence in the world coupled with knowing she is so unsure...but those words will never leaver her mouth. She makes me miss my sister like nothing else and I am immediately happy that they remind me of each other. "Want to head to your park?" I watched her stop in her tracks...of course she does.

The Adventures of Central Park II

Trying to locate one of those scooters proved to be a little more difficult than I thought it would be when it came down to it. But sometimes Manhattan doesn't have the convenience factor...like trying to locate a Home Depot; it exists there but you really have to look for it. After two hours online and about the same amount of time over the phone I found one at a Toys R Us in Manhattan Mall...great I'm upper west and the scooter is 34th in the Harold Square area. I really didn't care where it was but I hated having her anywhere near the subway during certain times because of the amount of people rushing on and off trains and up and down the stairs so we decided to walk through the park and Times Square to get it. She knows so many places in NY already and likes to flex her skills as we walk down the trails. Central Park is truly remarkable because of it's size and where it is located...arguably one of the busiest cities in the world. It was perfect because it gave you everything the rest of the city couldn't and had the ability to charm you into staying for the day...

The Adventures of Central Park

She was no stranger to the city anymore and she had preferences about where she wanted to spend her days and evenings. She preferred the Upper West Side around the mid 70's, hole in the wall pizza places, shopping and the short walk to Central Park. At three years old she had her favourites, on any given day in the city we had to see the Statue of Liberty, shop at Macy's in Harold Square and wander through the park to find anything new...except for a kids park...she had her favourite and there was no compromise in that regard. The walk alone from our flat to the 'preferred' park was about 45 minutes with her little legs and I watched her eyes catch the kids flying past her on their scooters. I imagine the kids have scooters because there is not enough room for bikes in the city. "Mama do you think I can use one?" I squeezed her hand a little to reassure her that I was listening, "Wanna try?" She looked up at me with her brilliant smile, "Yes mama. Can we get one?" I smiled to myself as I looked up at the sky and silently thanked the universe for the beautiful weather and life, "Yep, we sure can."