The Journey is the Adventure

I told my Mom I wanted to bring Alex to the Staten Island Zoo for a few reasons. The first is because I so fondly remember it from my own childhood. I couldn't have told you any details about it. Only that it was a place I remembered loving as magic. The second was that I want to make sure that Alex regularly visits all 5 zoos in New York City plus its aquarium. The last is because I know that traveling to the SI Zoo will involve riding the Staten Island ferry, a trip Alex loves to take.

Our journey to the SI Zoo actually took between 2.5 and 3 hours one way. The first leg is on Metro North, a trip Alex always appreciates. The second leg is the 4 train from Grand Central to Bowling Green, another adventure for Alex. He LOVES the Battery Park area and Battery Park.

Then came the ferry. We walked through Battery Park calling for Zelda, the wild turkey who lives there. Then Alex wanted to know why we weren't turning toward the South Street Seaport. I told him that it was time to ride the SI Ferry. He didn't want to now. He wanted the Seaport Museum, because the Ambrose is one of his favoritest places ever. I bribed him into the ferry terminal with a big salty pretzel.

We arrived in plenty of time to get on a 10 AM ferry. After calling my mom to tell her when to expect us at the zoo, I found Alex his pretzel. A REAL salty pretzel; soft and hot. Alex complained that it was even a little too hot, but I think he preferred it warmer than the carts usually keep them.


On a nice, sunny morning in the harbor, the outdoor deck was pleasant. He wanted nothing to do with it. "No!" he shouted. "I'll be too chilly!" It was only on our return trip at a really chilly 5 PM that he wanted to stand outside for the whole trip. Brrrrrr!

The last leg of our trip was a trip on the S48 to Broadway from St. George. Alex kept asking about everything he saw and verifying that it was, indeed, in Staten Island. Even as we walked from our stop to the zoo, he kept asking if we were still in Staten Island.

He was a real trouper on the way home. He went without a nap all day through a bust and exciting day. He fell asleep on the ride on the S48 to the ferry terminal. I had to wake a grumpy gus to get him into the terminal to get on the ferry.

While we were waiting there, a toddler in a stroller was kicking up a mighty fuss. She was kicking off her blanket and trying to slide out of her restraints. Her mother straightened her back up, tightened her restraints and wrapped the blanket around her again. At this, the tot wailed and shrieked. Her mom warily just rocked the stroller hoping she'd get lulled into a calm. No luck.

"No nap?" I said to the mom, recognizing the symptoms. She rolled her eyes and nodded. The baby continued to cry.

Alex asked me why the baby was crying and why she won't listen to her mommy. "She didn't nap", I explained, "So she's a Grumpy Blue Gus" (a symbol on his chart indicating "No nap"). Alex took it on himself to advise the youngster.

"BA-beeee," he said with his hands out gesticulating in a lecturing pose, "You gotta take a nap!"

"Take his advice", I said to the little one, "He's not using it." That brought on a hearty chuckle from the suffering mom and the stranger-helper mom in front of the baby who had been unsuccessfully trying to entertain her.
Yeaaaah, he's a PRO at those naps, boy. All about taking them when he needs them.

Thankfully, there wasn't that much acting up on the ferry on this No Nap day. Well, actually, there was some. There was that insistance on going outside and then trying to climb over a chain towards the front of the ship. Calmness was bought with some hot chocolate chip cookies at the snack bar.
A mellow state followed on the subway and commuter rail ride home, but boy did he need some sleep when he got home.
As Mary would say "WHAAAAT a day!"

Friday, October 22, 2010