Emma in Brooklyn
A huge consideration in our decision to move to Brooklyn was Emma’s experience (she’s about 20 months old now). Before we visited here, it would have been easy to imagine that a city this large would be a terrible place to raise a kid. Four weeks in though, I can confidently say that Emma’s having a great time.
Now that we’re car-less, Emma’s becoming pro on the subway.
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Rachel even took Emma to the transit museum to learn more about the MTA’s history.
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But trains aren’t the only method of transport we’ve been using. There’s been a lot of city exploration on bike, scooter, and ferry.
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And of course, most adventures are on foot, like the time we stumbled upon a block party in Cobble Hill. The street was closed, the fire hydrant was open.
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We’ve been doing some touristy stuff too, like visiting the Statue of Liberty with our good friends from Chicago, Jon and Judith Sol-Deyes.
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Emma dug the audio tour, though she didn’t realize that it wasn’t a phone, so she alternated between listening to it and trying to take selfies.
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Emma’s favorite part of New York though has got to be the playgrounds. All day long we hear, “Park. Park. Walk. Emma walk. Park.”
Feels like there’s a playground every half-mile. Carroll Park, three blocks from our apartment, is Emma’s home turf. Rachel takes her there nearly every day.
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But when Carroll Park starts feeling tired, there’s a bunch more options within walking distance. Last Saturday we we hit up three playgrounds in three hours.
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The playgrounds have great diversity too. On one end of the spectrum there’s this natural one in Prospect Park.
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And then you’ve got this one in Cobble Hill that’s stocked with toddler toys:
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There’s also the playground in Brooklyn Bridge park near where our friends Hannah and Ricky live.
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Brooklyn Bridge Park also has a carousel. If there’s a carousel in this world with a better view, I’d love to see it.
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Of course, all that playing works up an appetite. Emma’s had, perhaps, too much ice cream over the last month.
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Not that she minds.