We went to NYC for a whole week. I got to go into the ocean!
Zoe came along too, but she did not get to go into the ocean.
Kim and Emma walked me to the beach on the first day.
After that, I pretty much did what I felt like doing.
Zia Mary helped me get accustomed to the Atlantic--or, as Dad calls it, the Sewage Basin to the Right.
This is Shirley and Lulu--or, rather, Lulu and Shirley.
And here's Ethan and Jenn in what would be a touching photo if he were not depositing toys into her shirt.
My friend Sydney brought her dad to the beach ...
... and she brought her brother Adam too.
Lulu is teaching Emma her best techniques for avoiding medical waste.
Emma wasn't too worried about it.
OCEAN!
After a long day of UV exposure, nothing hits the spot like a two-fork bowl of spaghettini.
You can really taste the -ini!
Aunt Ellen makes this weird gesture when she's encouraging me to do silly things, like whip up a delicious Spaghettini Soup Sundae.
This is Aunt Ellen's "That's what I'm talking about" gesture, but I have to admit I had no idea what she was talking about.
Good times.
For reasons I don't completely understand, people kept giving me stuff while I was in New York. This is a stamp kit that I like to stack. I'll stack just about anything. Try me.
Aunt Ellen took a break from encouraging Disturbing Nutrition to pose with Haley.
The best dessert after a two-fork meal is a two-spoon course of ice cream.
This is me with Grandpa Les. Dad says "Tres Primos" is Norwegian for "The canpake lens continues to impress."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Grandma Marianne chilled out with Baby Zoe.
Then Grandpa Ira squeezed her walrus cheeks.
I've seen that all before, so I strode purposefully to the ocean ...
... and made sure the tides were still working.
Yep. All is well on Riley Potamus's watch.
We met up with Grandpa Joel to see the strangest thing.
In Queens, they have cell phones _attached to the walls_ and the phones take "quarters."
Baby Zoe thinks that's hysterical.
Judy and Becky seemed to like her a little bit.
I got this really cool cookie-baking set. Over on the right, there's a rare Dad-hands sighting.
Since _everybody_ loves the great taste of black licorice, I'm adding licorice scotty dogs to some of these cookies.
The next day, we went to Grandma Annette's apartment in Manhattan.
We had authentic New York ice cream ...
... and saw authentic New York garbage. (Dad checked for squirming rats. The results were inconclusive. Those squirms could have been anything.)
In New York, they put water parks right in the middle of everything.
This guy was taking a shower on the way to work.
Elephant!
ELEPHANT!
Dad says there's no comfort to be found at the "COMFORT STATION," so don't even look.
What could possibly go wrong?
Yep, this is how they roll in NYC.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch again with Grandma Annette ...
... Zoe was doing her thing.
Uncle Eric (who made me a really cool red panda puzzle with his robot machine) took me outside for some bubbles.
Dad says this is a "Brooklyn porta-potty." It's nice that it seems to be open all day, but it doesn't look that portable to me.
On my last trip to the beach, I traded my pants for a kite and a stick.
Zoe seemed surprised by that, but I have plenty of pants. Hey Zoe, what do you think about coming back to NYC for another visit one day?
Zoe says that would be exxcellllent.
Really enjoyed this synopsis of your trip, Riley! You look like you had a great time, and it felt like I was right there with you! Maybe I can go to NYC someday, too.
Your sister is getting big, as is mine. We’re headed up to CO in a few weeks and hope to be able to see you all. Will send out an email with more info when we figure out a plan.