park it here, part deux

As it turns out, I did not jinx myself... Saturday was a gorgeous day. The Madison Square Park Kids Fest was really pretty cute... we walked around, dodged wandering toddlers with our stroller, saw kids doing the downward dog on yoga mats, and resisted the urge to get our faces painted. If the cotton candy line hadn't been a mile long, I would have been stuffing myself with pink sugary air. Oh well. Baby S was enthralled by all the wee ones, but what caught her attention most were the musical instruments available to play. Lately, she's taken a liking to beating on any flat surface within reach, so not surprisingly, the drum was her favorite. I can only hope a drum set is not in our future.

After a margarita break lunch at Salsa Y Salsa, we headed over to another park on the Hudson River, next door to Chelsea Piers. If you're in to counting piers, it's #62 and #63. Chelsea Cove is brand spankin' new and absolutely beautiful... there are manicured gardens, dense greens down the middle of Pier 63 that make you think, well, that you're not in NYC. Not to mention the lawn... it made me want to kick off my flip flops and do a happy dance (I resisted). I actually saw a child rolling down one of the hilly slopes. I tried not to think of grass stains, but of all the fun he appeared to be having. For all those not inflicted with balance issues, there's a skateboarding/rollerblading park.

And saving the best part for last... there's a carousel! Needless to say, Baby S went on her first ride (on a crawfish, no less). Sure, they made me pay $2 for her (I thought by batting my eyelashes at the guy I'd score a 2 for 1 special... no such luck), but it was well worth the money. Pictures can be found here. Considering the depressing fact that so many parks have recently closed in NY state, I'm just grateful we have access to a pretty fabulous one right here in our neighborhood.

A carousel three blocks away... I'm doing a happy dance.