X-Mas misadventures

The morning started off great with the realization that I forgot to buy more milk for kids' breakfast. While Shlomo was getting dressed, I ran out to get milk, fortunately without any lines.

After shipping the kids off to their respective schools, no bus by the way, the plan was to go to Pavilion Theater and use my expiring soon groupon to watch Monsters Inc. 3D at 11:25. Since I was the only one awake that early, the trip got moved off to the 1:30 showing.

Out of the house and on Coney Island waiting for B68. Twenty minutes later, at 1pm, the bus shows up and is actually making great time until it gets to Church Ave at which point it stops. Waiting...waiting...waiting...finally the bus driver announces that we're waiting for the next bus driver who, being a good union employee, is now over 10 minutes late. The bus driver announces that he has no idea where the other driver is but there's another B68 coming up and we should all get off and board that one.

We finally make it to the movie theater with a few minutes to spare when I look at the movie poster and realize that this is not a sequel, but a 3D version of the original movie. Don't want to see any of the other movies which are playing and because Pavilion is so small, they're anyway hours away.

Google "showtimes 10003", Parental Guidance at AMC Kips Bay at 2:30! Off to F we go. F local is so slow, but we still got time. B'way-Lafayette is showing Downtown 6 transfer only? We'll see about that. Interesting...apparently going up and down stairs and walking doesn't count as a transfer according to the MTA. 5 minutes until the next uptown 6. 4...3...delay...delay...delay...train goes by without stopping...6 minutes?! Yeah, not gonna happen. But, the 6 stops at Union Sq which is near kosher food and both AMC and Regal.

We walk to Regal...2:30 showing...perfect! $14 for a ticket?! Wasn't it $12.50 a couple months ago? Movie theater is packed so end up sitting in 4th row. Movie was fun, though you may need to be a parent to really enjoy it.

It's now 4:30, we left the house at 12:30, and now we're hungry. Fortunately, University Pita is 2 blocks away. Unfortunately, because of the fast on Sunday and the long weekend, they're closed! Went home and stopped by Mountain Fruit to get some non-Chinese Food takeout.

At least/unfortunately didn't get into a fight with anyone at this outing.

Winter Vacation 2012

Today was day 2 of the kids "winter vacation" and I was planning on going with the kids and Barb to Sony's Wonder Technology Lab.  It's a good thing we met the local PA Nachum Weingarten (he's across the street from Glatt Mart, 718-627-0213), who was heading to Times Square with his family and told me that the museum is probably closed.  Apparently most, if not all, museums are closed every Monday.

Barb suggested going to the Time Square Toys R Us and that's where we went.  Turned out the PA was heading this way too.  Kids went on, and very much enjoyed, the Ferris Wheel.  When Shlomik was on the Ferris Wheel, he noticed the live size animatronic dinosaur on the second floor.  Shlomik, together with Barb, ran to the dinosaur.  Even though he thought it was real, he walked up to it and petted it.  Nochum wanted to see it too, at least when he saw it from the Ferris Wheel.  A few feet from the elevator, when he got a closer look, he decided the dinosaur wants to eat him as he was literally terrified for his life and was hiding behind me and dragging me the other way.  Picking him up did not help at all.  When it was time to leave, I actually had to drag him to the elevator as he didn't want to go anywhere even remotely near the dinosaur.  Wasn't bothered watching this clip at home though.  Kids played around with some of the toys and almost wrecked the build your own robot display.  I wouldn't buy any of the toys there though, only online, specifically because other kids have played with them, drained the batteries and grabbed everything with dirty hands.  I was, however, very tempted to buy the robot starter set.

We were near the two kosher street vendors and I was really hoping one of them would have a corn dog, something I've only seen on TV.  The first one had falafel and salads and I really don't understand what the point of  vegetarian meat balls is.  The second was not where it was supposed to be so we went home.

We went home on the B.  Cutesy of the MTA, I completely forgot that B runs on the Q line in Brooklyn.  Good thing Barb was there to remind me.  There was a seriously weird ad on the train for LIM college.  Not sure what this face expression is supposed to be.  Is she yawning? Yelling? Growling? Having a seizure?

We parted with Barb on Newkirk.  Now here's the setup.  I put the stroller in the middle of the platform, away from both sides.  I'm standing right in front of the stroller and facing the kids.  Nochum is in the stroller, Shlomik next to him and I'm telling them, albeit in Russian, to behave.  Then, while still standing right next to the stroller, facing the kids and keeping an eye on them, I decide to check in on foursquare.  Well, this jackass who was on the platform since we got off decided to tell me what a bad parent I am.  Told me that instead of playing with my phone, checking stocks, I should be paying attention to what my kids are doing and that they should be taken away.  ORLY?  Told him to keep his mouth shut and mind his business and took a pic of his VIP self.  Told him this will be online tonight and here it is.

Thanks goes to Barb for being the tour guide and helping with the kids.

Still want to take the kids to the Sony museum and about time to visit the MTA museum again.  But, Sundays are crowded and Pesach probably too.