saturday in soho

on thursday the 22nd, mike & i got our 2nd vaccinations (!!!!!!!!!)-- based on our weird lingering side-effects after the 1st, i blocked off the entire week. just in case. it's sunday, and i'm so happy to report SO FAR SO GOOD! other than being crazy tired, we're feeling great! the weather has been incredible the last couple of days so we made a little trek downtown yesterday. unicorn ice cream at taiyaki, lunch in little italy, and chocolate chip rice pudding from rice to riches consumed in 30 seconds flat at the playground... 
"The 5 of us walked the streets of Chinatown, Little Italy, and all around SoHo today. The street vendors with their whispers and their knock-offs were back. The crowds and the Megabuses were back. The STYLE WAS BACK. There were lots of masks, and lots of distanced lines outside lots of businesses, but today felt *normal*? (For what normal is worth anyway.) 70° sunshine in the springtime has a way with people, and these adult Petersen bodies that have thus-far handled that second Pfizer dose better than the first, felt good. Really good. Walking these streets again feels sentimental and bittersweet- but good. Getting our unicorn ice cream cones and chocolate chip rice pudding felt (tasted) good. For all that feels horribly off-kilter with life right now, this, THIS felt goooood."

FINALLY!! the guggenheim! *girls only* AND THE MOST PERFECT WEATHER!

it was one of the most beautiful-weather-weekends i ever remember. the temperature where all you notice is that it actually feels perfect no matter what you're wearing. although saturday started out chilly, around lunchtime it went straight heavenward. 

after some early (chilly) shoots in central park, and a quick appointment on the upper east side, i had the brilliant idea to stop into home depot to buy a new plant (ours was a dead stick) + potting soil. there's a new car-fare-rate-hike so i decided i was too cheap for a taxi and instead, i took the subway. *psa: there are no trains that go from the ues to the uws. it's not far- maybe 1.5 miles- but it requires a trip downtown to times square, then all the wayback uptown on a local train. it takes about 40 minutes on a weekend, and involves at least 8 staircases and no seats on the busy trains. it was a nightmare, and i regretted it immediately (should have sprung for the $25 taxi). too late! BUT AFTER I RECOVERED (*arms are shaking just typing this*) we took off to spend the rest of the day together in the sunshine. it was about 65 at this point, and every living creature was outside enjoying the sunshine. we walked through the park.... eventually elle & i ditched the boys because they complain too much, and we went to the guggenheim. FINALLY!!! saturday nights are pay-what-you-wish at the guggenheim, so we showed up about 40 minutes early and got in line (it was around the block and down the street already). while we waited we looked up riddles and laughed far too hard...

i can't believe this was my first visit to the guggenheim. the hilma af clint exhibit is closing soon, so it motivated us to go asap, and did not disappoint. i was engrossed in the architecture of the guggenheim- that rotunda!!!!! it felt so much like epcot to me. and elle and i couldn't stop talking about paris. it felt just like we were back there- just us two, perfect weather, and sore feet. (also, the bathrooms at the guggenheim were awesome. not that i went, but the set up of the whole thing was just brilliant.) also, i have no idea how those hundreds and hundreds of people in line with us just absorbed into the circles, but they did... i give the guggenheim a 9/10. 

we walked home the long way through the park as the sun set. the flowers are blooming and smell better than i remember flowering trees ever smelling. SPRING! SPRRRIIING! 

elle lets me take as many pictures as i want. and she's a perfect muse. WIN-WIN-WINNERY!

the whitney museum & meatpacking district (film)

 some film from our saturday in the meatpacking district. it was insanely windy. like, you have to stop walking and affix your feet to the ground-kids are screaming that they're going to die-can't breathe, windy. it was also really cold. but, saturday! and a work-free saturday at that. and we never get down there all together. although, we're out of our rhythm re: family outings, because this one was fraught with a couple substantial meltdowns. but that's ok. 

the andy warhol exibit got thumbs up from everyone in the family. particularly elle, who had visited a few months ago with her school; she learned so much then, and told us about some favorite pieces (like the one above), and how it was created. a lady stopped us when she saw our "huge" family, and my film camera, and offered to snap a few photos. which are perfectly blurry. and that's fine because, well, we all know what our faces look like anyway. 

the whitney also has a kids center where they were doing these awesome polariods and warhol-inspired art on this particular day. it was really cute. and fun. i liked it at least as much as my kids did.

we walked around chelsea market, ate overpriced burgers with the saturday crowds, stopped at a british store for mike, and then at empire cakes for me (#BLACKANDWHITECOOKIESSSS). 

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aaaand also, here are a handful from my phone...