Tribeca Film Street Festival

Since the beginning of the week, I promised David that I would take him into the city on Saturday, and every day this week, David has been reminding Nataliya and myself... you know... in case we were to forget. We weren't sure if he was more excited of the fact he was going to the city with Daddy, or whether he was going to ride on the bus and on a train.

Having the benefit of a week to plan allowed me to figure out several options. However, the best choice seemed to be a dual festival, The Family Festival Street Fair and Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day, both sponsored by the Tribeca Film Festival. The festival was more fun for David than I even expected, as the festival was actually geared to children. The ESPN Sports area featured various video sports games (which David was curious about but had little interest) to larger events, like hitting a baseball, shooting goals with a hockey stick, bouncing around a bouncy football obstacle course, an X-Games Freestyle BMX Demo, and perhaps David's favorite, watching the NY Jets Flight Crew. (It might have been my favorite, but I'm not allowed to admit such a thing!)

David takes his turn at bat.

Making his way through the NJ Jets obstacle course.

Having fun in the Gazillion Bubble Garden

For a time, David was glued to the main stage which featured all sorts of musical acts, including performances from such Broadway shows as Grease and Legally Blonde. There were a few other things that caught David's attention and many freebies throughout, so it was definitely worth the trip into the city.

By the time we knew it, we'd been at the festival for over three hours and it was time for lunch. After a quick side trip to a bathroom by the security desk of a condominium (don't ask...) we headed to Washington Market Park to eat some lunch and play in the park.

After all that walking, I took David back to my office to relax for a bit before heading out to our next destination. (Too bad I'd only planned the day up to this point.)

David produces yet another masterpiece.

Making some last minute plans, we decided to meet up with cousins Marko and Daria in Central Park.

David wonders where the strawberries are hiding.

Cousin Marko presents David to the playground crowd.

After joining them for dinner, we headed on a crosstown bus, hopped on a B train, transferred to an A train to the Port Authority and then on a bus home. David was asleep by the time we got off the bus and I had to carry him home.

David enjoys the roller coaster-like ride of the MTA subway system.

All in all, it was a fun day, and offered a little quality one-on-one time for both children. For David, he had a great fun day in the city with daddy, and after 12 hours, I'd finally exhausted him! (It probably took a bit longer because he was riding on my shoulders for a lot of the day...)

Tomorrow morning, I know I'll be in a lot of pain from all this!

My Day At Work - By David Meyer

Weekdays usually mean that Daddy takes a bus and a train to go to work to make money. He leaves early in the morning and returns at night. The Daddy that comes home is more tired than the morning Daddy. I thought it would be a good idea to tag along one day, just to see how difficult his day really is.

First was the wait for the bus. That took a little while, but I found the cool morning air refreshing.

Once on the bus, it was a short, enjoyable ride into Manhattan. (Hey, any ride where I'm not strapped into a toddler seat is enjoyable!)

Next it was onto the train. This was a bit scarier than the roller coaster rides I went on during the summer - I actually had to hold onto this ride! I can't believe they don't offer seat belts on this thing!

Once in the office, I had a hot cocoa and got settled in. After fielding a few phone calls...

... I made some modifications to some software design issues that were plaguing Daddy.

After all that hard work, I went out with Daddy for lunch. While Daddy got some Chinese food, I opted for a delicious peanut butter sandwich that Mommy made for me which I brought from home.

Once back in the office, I got right back to work and wrapped up a few computer-related issues before calling it a day.

All in all, it was more fun than exhausting. Still, by the time we got home, Daddy looked ready to collapse in bed while I couldn't wait to tell Mommy all about my day!

So when do I get paid, Daddy?