So quick warning here… my next 10,000 posts are all going to be New York based. Main reason being there is a lot of stuff to do in New York. A LOT. I didn’t get to cover everything off that was recommended to me by you guys.. but I sure as hell did try! 😉

I had this JAM-PACKED itinerary set out, and told my two girl friends that this was the plan for us. Noting that all 3 of us would have our kiddies in tow.. they were both alarmed and amused by the itinerary and questioned how we’d be able to do it all. When there’s a will, there’s a way!

First stop was at my Aussie girl friend’s place, which was actually at the very start of the trip, even before Princeton. I’ve missed her so much! We go way back, when I was working at eBay and her at Google. I was her client, and so we met up at least weekly, and talked every single day. It was a business relationship that quickly became a friendship, because we were soooo similar. All my memories of her and I are of whimsical shopping trips and food frenzies.. so it’s pretty surreal that here we are, now living on 2 separate continents, and both married with children. How time flies.

She lives in a GORGEOUS apartment in Brooklyn, overlooking the city and full of glass windows to let in the natural light. I only got to visit once, which was disappointing because I would’ve loved lounging in her lovely apartment and letting the kids run wild in the living room 😉

Hunter, though, was Mr Grumpypants. Boy, he was in a foul mood! It was because we’d just stepped off our 24-hour flight (SG->NYC), where he had little/no sleep, was in a daze, and in NO mood to socialise. My girl friend’s daughter, however, was in a brilliant mood and most excited to have an older man in the house!! She was smiling, eagerly trying to take his hand, and play with him.

But Hunter was having NONE OF IT.

He scowled, ignoring her best he could as she tailed after him. Por girl!!

So when we got to NYC, I stayed at another girl friend’s place, located at the Upper West Side. This was an American girl friend that I met when we lived in Shanghai, when both of us were still kid-less. Ohhhh the fun we had with our fab dinners and lovely weekends out with our husbands! All a distant memory for us now.

Her place is gorgeous too, with sweeping views of the Hudson River and way up high. I had Carter with me, and it turned out to be a brilliant idea because Carter got the luxury of being in a proper home, with all the baby-related amenities already there since my friend has an 8 month old son.

Hunter, on the other hand, stayed with my parents in a hotel nearby. It was painful being separated from him, especially because I missed his wakeups and bedtimes (both of which are very precious to me).. but it was best that way as my friend’s place would’ve descended into chaos with 3 kids, and it’s better having both my parents looking after him.

The 2 boys did Skype each other.. which was very cute, though it was a bit of a one-sided conversation with Hunter babbling away and Carter just staring with fascination 😉

Fortunately, Hunter had a blast staying with my parents.. soaking in their undivided attention 24/7 😉 He’s super-close to my Dad, so didn’t have any separation anxiety from being apart from me. Though, I hear he gave my parents a pretty tough time because he knew he could push all the boundaries!

Splashing in the bath tub before bed
httpv://youtu.be/Qs9j0J4y_h4