New York - First Visit

Now that I’ve left New York, here’s what I had started capturing.

Ella: She’s too tired right now to narrate, but there’s a few funny highlights from her day. One of the challenges I gave the kids was to find the first official New York City rat. Ella scored the first point and was very proud of that. She also spent much of the day chasing pigeons and generally being a rascal. Of all the things she noticed, it was stuff like a pair of tennis shoes hanging from a cable line. Gotta love the perspective of kids.

Karis: I think I waited too long to get anything from her. She politely declined any update, and she’s essentially passed out asleep on the bed.

Karsten: We did stuff. Fine I’ll say more stuff. We walked and walked and walked some more, we went to a museum and talked to one of dad’s friends and that’s about it. We walked and walked… And walked… Seriously, Dad can I be done now?¹

Sheldon: Well, my reticent children didn’t give me a lot right now. I can’t really blame them considering it was a pretty long day. Setting the challenge of finding a NY rat and seeing it acccomplished within the first day was a funny win. Happened to be pretty crowded due to Halloween. Got to meet one of my friends from work, Jamieson and his wife Michelle (sorry if I got the spelling wrong). During my quick tour of New York, I had the best pizza (gluten free!) at Don Antonios. I paid for this with selling one my children to them, but it was worth it.

The New York subway was suprising in it’s efficiency and speed. In contrast to the French trains I’ve been taking (and will post on later), it rockets off, has bare metal everywhere, and feels like it just fits the New York sense of efficiency. Waiting on restrooms in lines was also a good taste of what was to come in Europe.

New York is a remarkable city to visit, but I don’t see myself ever wanting to leave there. The value I have to a slightly slower pace, more space, and legroom just don’t gel well with that city.

Sarah: She had her hands and mind full so no details to add right now here. We wouldn’t have this trip without her incredible effort, so gotta give her a break here 😁.

This is the level of energy you get to deal with and why Central Park was a godsend. Karsten's continued series. "Strange Faces in Peculiar Places"... This one I found in the muesuem. Ella being a good model for me from our hotel room window. Another happy Pomme Frites eater. I had to fend off the kids from their deliciousness. Truffle Pomme Frites... I was in heaven. Ella was getting tired and not thrilled about wearing the GoPro. 🤣 Karsten started getting into photography for the first time and it was fun to see him go at it. Some of the pictures on the trip are all him! Karis vlogging at the New York Natural History Mueseum. Karsten & Sarah giving a solid smile. It's hard to get a teen to smile on camera but Sarah does a great job. I'm a lucky guy! Another happy kid at Don Antonios in New York. At the time, I felt the entire trip to New York was worth that pizza it was so good. Gluten free magic was on that plate. Sarah & I being a little crazy. I work with this swell fella, Jamieson. He's been a great friend and continue to help me grow as he's a stellar software engineer with an open mind. Iron sharpens iron! He & his lovely wife made it out to visit with us, making New York feel just a bit more welcoming. 🎉 Karsten decided to look for faces in objects, so decided to name this series "Strange Faces in Peculiar Places". I had never seen one of these light patterns in jewels. Apparently, this is called Star of India (actual Jewel there), and known for the light effect called asterism. One of my favorites, Ella was focused and engaged on that material. This is really how she is when she gets her mind set on things. An otter. It's a team mascot, so I found this funny and sent it to them. One of my coworkers sent me backing a viking funeral image and now I can't unsee that. Times Square. This is us doing our due diligence in tourist photography. Karis astonished at the pizza in front of her.