Kiddo was up at 6:30, an hour before her usual time. We showered, had granola cereal, and I tried hard to keep her from destroying our host’s home while getting ready. Our first stop was the Staten Island Ferry, and a free peek at the statue. Not only does M like the “choo choo” (subway), she also enjoyed being on the water. She even made a little friend from Ireland!
It was then time to let M go free(er), so we visited the Children’s museum of Manhattan. It was several hours of play, and M was completely wiped out afterwards, which was the goal.
Next was a trip to Times Square and the Disney Store. M was grabbing at practically everything. It’s basically a money pit/kid paradise. Except for an pacifier incident instigated by my little angel, we escaped unscathed.
Last stop: 9/11 Memorial and World Trade Center site. It really is an amazing place to visit and the museum is awesome. Unfortunately, my almost two-year-old was in no mood to be solemn and reverent, let alone 
respectful, so I had to make a fast exit with her screaming and laughing maniacally when I tried to tell her sternly to be quieter. So we found a bench by the exit and ate cheese and apple slices while my girlfriend finished the exhibits and bragged about how amazing it was.
So while toddlerism presented great challenges, it was still a lot of fun to visit one of my favorite cities in the world. Our hosts were more than gracious (even when M peed on their rug), M peed on the potty twice even when we were on the run, I got to show my girlfriend the sites, and my daughter is on her way to being more flexible and adventurous. She slept just fine in our apartment in Brooklyn, and has been generally quite good. She’s going to make a fine traveling companion someday!
Across the Never Sky 