This Stuff is Made In New York City

 Once again Brandon's studies have taken us on the road.  He shrewdly chose a poet who lives in the Big Apple and then found a way to score an interview with him.  While we were there we figured we might as well see a few things.
After we dropped the big kids off with their grandparents we hit the skies with Rosebud who still gets to come, mostly because she flies for free.  Taking an infant around the city was a hassle but probably ended up working to our advantage because she would turn on the charm with her blue eyed stare and melt the hearts of even the toughest of New Yorkers.

Rosy thought the planes were a lot more interesting when she was looking at them from the outside.

 She proved to be a pretty good little traveler despite the fact that she is a wiggly little one.

We saw all the usual tourist attractions and crammed ourselves into the masses at Times Square.  We were there before dark on a Wednesday night and it was overwhelming.  I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like on New Year's Eve.

 Of course we had to stop in at the Toys R Us.  Brandon was...well, he was like a kid in a candy store.

 Rosy, not so much.  I tried to convince her that a box of Nerds that was bigger than her body was something worth noticing but she just wanted to sleep.  Unfortunately at $24.99 it was out of our price range which is a bummer because I would have enjoyed the annoyed faces of our fellow passengers when we tried to use it as a carry on for the flight home.

 We also, in true Rigby fashion, found a bunch of out of the way places of interest that are off the beaten path.  We stayed in Astoria in Queens at a place he found on Airbnb.  I had never done it before but Brandon got a great deal just renting a room for a week.  I personally was a little hesitant but it ended up being much more comfortable than a hotel.  The host, which was a middle aged dude, Eddie, from Croatia was pretty surprised when we showed up with a kid but she behaved herself so he didn't seem to mind. We in return didn't mind when the people from the downstairs apartment were having a huge party that lasted late into the night.  I learned a valuable lesson that it is easier for me to sleep through conversations when they are being had in a language I don't understand.

Since the trip was officially for study purposes Rosy and I had quite a bit of time to wander while Brandon was working in libraries.

 He had to sneak into the library at Columbia because when he called to get an appointment the special collections director told him it would save everyone a lot of work if he just said he was there to see an exhibit.  They would have given permission anyway but I thought it was more interesting this way.  Being on the campus already seemed like being in a movie and breaking into the stacks of books made it into a thriller instead of an artsy foreign film.

 Once again, Rosy wasn't impressed.  I was shocked because she usually loves a library.

We rode the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.  Because of the amazing zoom on our camera you will just have to trust me that this is her.  You might not want to, now that you know that the Rigbys have secret underground dealings in New York.  It could all just be a cover up.

 On Sunday we crashed the Manhattan 1st ward and got to see the temple.  It was really great.  I always try to think of reasons that I should skip church but when it comes down to it there is no better place to be on a Sunday morning.  It is good to know that in a city with so many different kinds of people that there are a few Mormons around too, and I don't just mean the actors in the musical.

 Central Park ended up being the place that we gravitated to.  I loved the hustle and bustle of the streets but my soul just yearns for space.  I have heard tons of great things about Central Park and it still surpassed what I had imagined.

 The New York Public Library was another place that we were both drawn to.  I knew in advance that we were in for a treat because I have seen Ghostbusters about a million times.  While we were there we did not see any ghosts but we did get to see the original Winnie the Pooh toys.  There was some baseball card that was worth like a billion dollars too but you'll have to ask Brandon about that.

 While Brandon hit the books Rosy and I hung out with the crowds in the park.  She was supposed to take a nap but instead we spent the time people watching.  I found that people are all basically the same.  I mean, we are all really different too but in the end we enjoy hanging out with friends, eating together and lounging around on a pretty afternoon.  It was just like the park in Eugene, only with better clothes and less space between the blankets.

 The thing that Rosy liked the most of all was riding the subway.  It seemed a bit ironic that after all the sights she snoozed through that she was most active in the one place that everyone else was trying to sleep.  Because people would get on and off at every stop she constantly had a fresh set of new faces that she could try and amuse.  It was like she had a personal goal to get a smile from each person.  It was pretty funny to watch because the Metro is a place that people do not interact.  Making eye contact and talking are things that generally seem annoying, but apparently babies can do it and still be cool.
One time she smiled at the crazy guy that everyone else was working hard at avoiding and it turned out that he was a prophet.  He told us that he doesn't usually share his prophesies but he wanted to let us know that because we were taking good care of our baby that she was going to bring us thousands of dollars.  He emphasized that it wasn't one thousand dollars, but that it was for sure going to be thousands and thousands of dollars.  I didn't want to be rude but I sort of wanted to ask if he was sure he was reading his revelation correctly because I'm pretty sure that she is going to cost us thousands of dollars.  But then again, there are tax returns.  She is already starting to pay off.

 Chillaxin' on the Hudson River.

 We spent some time in the Puerto Rican neighborhoods because the poet is in that scene.  I thought it was fun because it reminded me of my days in Boston.  We ate at this Caribbean restaurant and it brought all kinds of great memories back.  I had forgotten about how much I love Dominican food but it all came back in one plate of the rice and beans and Mofongo.

Rosy was beat after the show she put on in the subway so she slept all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge.  I am sad that she missed it because it was beautiful.

 When there wasn't anyone on the subway she stayed entertained by smiling at herself.

 Brandon was great at navigating us all around the city.  There are so many tourists that it is always kind of embarrassing to be pulling out a map so he would try to be discreet.  By the end of the trip we must have perfected the bored and slightly pissed off look that the "natives" had because there were a few times that wide-eyed people stopped us to ask for directions.

We stopped in at the FAO Schwarz to play the Big piano but there were a bunch of kids using it.  Instead we had to be content seeing the Newborn Nursery that Elna Baker told about on This American Life.  If you haven't heard her story about Nubbins you should find it.  I would put a link but it is already way past my bedtime.

 Guess which baby is real.

 This picture really made me laugh when I looked at it.  The Shake Shack is famous for having a long line.  We usually try to avoid things that "everyone is doing" but I couldn't fight the curiosity.  I just had to know what they were doing to their burgers that made people willing to wait that long for them.  We showed up right as they opened at 11 when most people are still eating breakfast and didn't have to wait in line.  I still don't know what they did to the burger but it really was amazing.  I like the photo because even though the burger was good it really didn't deserve its own picture and I know you are all thinking that it is just another shot of my kid in her stroller like the 600 you've already seen, but in this one she is wearing a bib.  Hilarious.

 Brandon pointed out that Coney Island is Daisy's dream.  It is the place where you can be on the coast and ride a roller coaster at the same time.

You will all recognize the spaceship towers from Men in Black.  We were going to take them for a test drive but we had to catch our flight.
And that, my friends, was our trip.  If you made it to the end of this post you are truly a friend indeed.