Jenny From the Block

While in New York, I implemented Step 4 of our New Toy Strategy. I don't remember what steps 1-3 were, but I think they related to the hippo pool and the toy telephone.

Anyway, at the Transit Museum in Grand Central Station, I bought Iain his name in letter-block train pieces and one New York subway car. Which one?

Obvy, I asked a local (Natalie) which train Jenny from the block rode. "Oh, the Six. 'On the 6,'" Oh, right. Duh. So that's the one I got. It happens, by fun coincidence, to say "Lexington," so that's just a dandy thing, too.

Iain finds the magnets freaky. But he likes throwing the trains at me. So that's something. Right?

More New Yawk

What a trip. No joke, we were going from dawn to dusk every day. But there was time for fun, too. For example, here I am downtown. I've just come from dim sum in Chinatown, and in the process of walking it off, I found myself (with my homies) at a house where Eleanor Roosevelt lived from 1933 until 1942. Good vibes.


Later, we traveled to Ellis Island, where our group toured the hospital buildings (not open to the public) and the main island (definitely open to thousands and thousands of the public). You can see the Statue of Liberty from the island, which tends to make you particularly sympathetic to those who had to stay there - the sick, those to be deported, and new immigrants not yet cleared to board a ferry to the city.

Though I am not a huge fan of ferries, the one to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island passes by the statue and provides truly beautiful views. Of course, my reaction echoed our experience at Mount Rushmore, where I thought, "gee, that's not really as BIG as I expected."


After Ellis Island, after the Tenement Museum, after Katz's Deli, we rode the subway back uptown to our digs. Our gang, christened Twee Fury by a colleague (weapons of choice: AHA totebags twirled above our heads with historical verve), dominated the train.

Jamie took this picture - as you can see, I'm watching.