Hudson’s actual birthday was scorching hot (which was fitting, actually, considering he was born in a heat wave), and made our initial plan for a picnic in Central Park seem out of the question. We wanted to do something that he might choose if he could, so after loading him up on raspberries, we took a taxi up to FAO Schwarz. None of us had ever been and it seemed like one of those things one does while in New York. Right?
Actually, it was Aron’s idea and I was a little skeptical at first: it will be too crowded… he won’t actually get to run around… they won’t let him touch (i.e. lick) anything and he’ll just be upset… blah blah blah. But it was fantastic!
It wasn’t empty, but it never felt overcrowded. And because the store was, for the most part, filled with parents, you felt a little less concerned about his being stepped on. In fact, screeching mini-people were expected! We took a photo with the real toy soldier holding the door and found ourselves loving watching Hudson darting around the stuffed animals and gasping in delight.
Children of the Tom Hanks-in-Big generation, Aron and I both were curious to see the giant piano–and I couldn’t resist jumping on it with Hudson. (It was smaller than I’d imagined.)
Bouncy balls and train tables and giant nerds and giant lego people… it was quite overwhelming, but a lot of fun. And when Hudson collapsed into a sleepy heap on Aron’s chest an hour or so later, we walked across the street and looked around in the adult toy store, Crate and Barrel (though the real equivalent is more aptly the Apple Store, right across the plaza).
I get the sense that if you want to have a pleasant and not completely overwhelming experience visiting the legendary toy emporium, that you should try to visit on a weekday–the earlier the better. There did seem to be a mark-up (I laughed when I noticed a swaddle blanket with an MSRP sticker still in place beside the FAO label–the MSRP was lower!), but if you’re visiting from out-of-town and have your heart set on a one-pound gummy bear, I heard they will at least deliver things to your hotel for free.
A few favorite photos from Hudson’s first birthday party, yesterday. It turned out to be such a beautiful day in the park, beside the Hudson River with the Empire State building to one side and the Statue of Liberty to the other. I did my best to play up the Hudson theme, with Hudson Bay blanket stripes on the cake Aron and I made (that Hudson loved) and on the party hat that I decorated (that Hudson hated). And we all fell hard asleep last night–a sure sign of success.
P.S. I love that photo of my friend’s gorgeous daughter by the cake–we’ve totally tried to pin the botched frosting on her sweet little hands, but it’s all the box’s fault. (Oh, and notice the backward One? Ha!) And babies making each other cry for no reason? Also a top rate picture.
I have some more Hudson-turned-one related posts in mind for this week. Indulge me!
I realized I was going to be early to one of my last check-ups with my OB before Hudson was born and decided, instead of sitting in the waiting room reading magazines, to have a taxi stop short and drop me in from of the UN so that I could walk a little ways. A few minutes later I had been lured into a beautiful building I had never noticed before–the Ford Foundation. It was like a calm oasis in the midst of midtown, a quiet and tree-filled atrium just blocks from the chaos of Grand Central Station. (It’s actually sort of incredible the wealth of beautiful architecture that stands in that short stretch: the UN, this place, the Chrysler building, and then that beautiful train terminal.)
Designated a National Landmark, a plaque for the building reads:
Built in 1963-67 and designed for the Ford Foundation by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo Associates, this is one of New York City’s most distinguished modern buildings created after World War II. An elegant twelve-story glass cube, framed in exposed Cor-ten weathering steel and South Dakota Granite, it encompasses a full-height atrium with offices lining interior walls. The design creates both a working community in which members are physically aware of each other and a landscaped garden set apart front the bustling midtown environment. This landmark contributes to the rich variety of New York City’s architecture. (1998)
There’s a wonderful description of and background given for the building on its Wikipedia entry as well. It set a precedent for public spaces in Manhattan’s office buildings and affords most of its resident employees a windowed office. Occupying a full city block, the giant cube is truly striking and I couldn’t believe it when I happened upon it for the first time, one year ago.
I’d been meaning to return and take Aron–and share some photos–ever since.
