New York wasn’t on our radar because we had visited several times before. Still, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Bryce’s brother and his family. Having visited four times before and having filled those days to the max I thought I had pretty much done everything there was (See list below).
But then my sister-in-law pulled out New York for Kids tour information and I realized I hadn’t even scratched the surface. To keep with our goal of being frugal and family orientated we started our first day at Central Park.
We started with the carousel which is $2 per person (including babies) and lasts 4 minutes. I put Lincoln on a horse with me but before it got started his legs were shaking and his lip was quivering so I quickly hopped off and got the two of us into a stationary carriage. After a few times around Lincoln was having a blast, waving at everyone and smiling at dad when we went past him on the sideline. We were also very fortunate to have incredibly generous family who let us use their Central Park Zoo pass. Lincoln loved the penguins and we enjoyed the cool air on a hot day. 
After the Central Zoo we went to the petting zoo. This zoo is very interactive and fun. You can feed pigs, goats, lamas, cows, etc as well as touch iron sculptures of the animals which make the animal sounds, even if the real animals remain silent. There are reinforced lily pads to walk across. We even saw a brave young man in a wheel chair go across them. There were cement sculptures of turtle shells and eggs, logs and bunnies to play on. There was also a clock that went off every half hour with animal sculptures that went around in a circle.
After we exhausted ourselves of the heat we headed outdoors, just one block down to FAO Schwartz. The famous toy store has a live solider saluting you as you come in, even in the hot summer days. The store is overwhelming to look at but divided nicely into sections. We loved finding the Little Miss Matched shelves, which is connected to our hometown, and seeing that you could have a muppet made any way you wish. Lincoln also practiced walking on the piano from Big. We ended the day by cooling off at an amazing Mexican Restaurant that our family introduced us to by Lincoln Center. They were having an ice cream fest all summer so we sampled their ice cream including corn and tomato ice creams. My favorite was the mint pomegranate and Bryce’s was the Mexican chocolate.
Day two turned from heat to rain. We took an hour train ride down to Coney Island and at every stop watched as the rain picked up. We went to the aquarium to view animals that looked just about as drenched as us. Lincoln loved watching the walruses swimming as well as the sharks and turtles. We were unable to see some of the animals due to a flood in the building. I’m not sure if it was an aquarium window, the rain coming in, or a toilet overflowing. We were surrounded by school groups all walking under garbage bags spread over their heads like little ants with leaves. Kudos to the teachers who thought of that. They started singing “Rain, Rain, Go Away” as loud as they could and soon the rain dissipated. After our tour through the aquarium (we used the same pass as the Central Zoo) we walked the boardwalk of Coney Island. It was Lincoln’s first glimpse of the ocean and it was a dismal one. 
We were hoping to ride the Wonder Wheel, but that will have to be on the to-do list for our next visit. All the parks were closed due to the rain. Almost all the shops were too, except for one very special one that I wanted to visit. The first Nathan’s Famous. We ate our hot dogs by a giant electronic billboard counting down the days until the next July 4 hot dog eating contest. The rain picked up again so we headed back to the apartment for more time with family, great wine and good pizza.
1. Times Square on New Year’s
2. Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center
3. Stood on World Trade Center Observation Deck
4. Stood at Ground Zero memorial
5. Ice Skating in Central Park
6. Dinner at the Plaza
7. Tour of Rockefeller Center, Rockettes Show, David Letterman Audience Member
8. Climbed Statue of Liberty
9. Toured Ellis Island
10. Staten Island Fairy as dusk
11. Comedy Club and Soul food in Harlem
12. Stock Exchange ringing of the bells
13. Two Broadway Shows
14. Chinatown (China Town Bus), Little Italy, Greenwich Village
15. MOMA, the Met, the Frick
16. Tenement Museum
17. Churches and Cathedrals (St. Pats, St. Johns)
18. Shopping (Apple Store, Tiffanys, etc)
19. Imagine in Central Park
20. Pizza in DUMBO, walking the Brooklyn Bridge
Adventures with Lincoln 