Fly Away: The High Line in NYC

We've been waiting to go to the High Line -- a public park in NYC built on a historic freight rail line elevated above Manhattan's West Side -- for what seems like forever. It was at the top of our list on our winter trip, but the weather was just awful, and we've read Peter Brown's "The Curious Garden," a sweet children's book inspired by the elevated garden, about a million times. So even though we rolled into NYC a little late in the afternoon on our last trip, mom wasn't taking no for an answer. We dropped our bags and hopped right on the subway to the Meatpacking District's entrance.

It was a scorching afternoon in a city that had clearly sat and baked all day in the sun, but it felt about 15 degrees cooler up on the High Line. Add to that a splash river for toe dipping and fab shaved ice from People's Pops, we were quickly obsessed with the space. We walked along the line looking for colored plants and flowers in a rainbow scavenger hunt. Mom would have liked to spend more time looking at the public art placed throughout, but we weren't really in arty moods. In fact, even though  the line is open until 11 p.m. during the summer hours, once dinner time settled in, we had had enough. No worries, that means we'll have to go back AGAIN!

Fly Away: NYC's Governors Island

Our last trip to NYC was during the middle of a cold, rainy winter and while we did get some outdoor time, we spent the vast majority of that long weekend exploring indoor spots of the city. It was awesome, but mom and dad were super excited to get us up there during warmer weather, which we were able to do a few weeks ago. And it was warm all right. Scorching, in fact. But instead of heading indoors for air conditioning, we packed up plenty of water, our bathing suits and set off in pursuit of cooler spots in the city.

So we hit the water and headed a short distance (800 yards) away from the concrete jungle to Governors Island. For almost two centuries, the island served as a military base. Then, in 2003, the government sold most of the island to the city and retained a small percentage for a national monument overseen by the park district. Much of the island is currently under construction for new park and public spaces, but the portion that is open includes several historic buildings, parade grounds, and parks. It was amazing.

The quick (and free) ferry ride gave a nice view of the city and was full of strollers and bicycles (there are no vehicles allowed on the island, but plenty of bikes to rent there), so we knew we were in good company. There were several different events going on the weekend we visited, including Fete Paradiso (a festival of vintage French carnival rides and games) and an interactive sculpture garden and mini-golf course. You can check out the full calendar of events here, although both Fete Paradiso and the sculpture garden will be there all summer. Note that the Children's Museum of the Arts offers hands-on activities each weekend -- we didn't go on this visit, but that museum was our most favorite winter destination.

We spent the most time at the carousels and games -- it was the weekend before Bastille Day afterall. I was REALLY into it, Kane was into being a punk and running away and hiding. It was hot and he kind of starts to break down in the heat. We all pulled it together and took a family ride on a carousel powered by people riding bicycles! The adults were the only ones allowed to actually pedal so Kane and I had a blast. Mom was a little worried once the thing really got moving. Then we rode backwards! It was crazy.

After that, mom promised Kane we could go visit the monument on the island -- Castle Williams (his current obsession is knights. and, well, everything having to do with weapons). There were tours available (including the opportunity to go up on the roof), but we weren't in the mood. And the building was neat, but not much to it. So his mood didn't improve much.

Everyone's spirits lightened, however, when we hit the King Avenue Food Court and picked up a delish (and very cleverly packaged) lunch from Perfect Picnic AND coconut water sipped right from a coconut! There are a ton of food and drink options on the island (see list here -- New Yorkers appear to always need choices, choices, choices for food), but plenty of people brought their own food with them as well.

Figuring we had a little time fueled by lunch, we checked out the sculpture garden and mini-golf course (although we didn't play). The sculpture was fantastic and interactive -- especially a giant cloud made from plastic water and milk bottles. Awesome. And then we headed back to the ferry, which leaves every 1/2 hour, to hit up a sprayground in the city by our apartment. Good thing we traveled with our bathing suits -- it was just what we needed -- some nice, cool time to play freely.

The island is open to the public from 10 am - 7 pm every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Monday through September 29th.

Grub It Up: "Homemade" Shave Ice

After our recent trip to NYC, where we cooled down on the High Line with delicious lemon mint and strawberry basil shave ice from People's Pops, mom decided to go with making homemade ice instead of snow cones as we planned on our bucket list. And, let's be honest, any snow cones we make would be the equivalent of shave ice anyhow.

So she talked to us about flavors, bringing up the ones we tasted in New York. We both responded pretty clearly: those weren't sweet and we wanted to bring the sugar. Mom didn't. But she also wanted us to enjoy them. So she shelved the sophisticated flavors and went with a recipe for "homemade" syrup she spotted online. No herb-infused simple syrup here -- this recipes relies on an old summer staple of Koolaid. But since she was giving us the chemicals, mom at least tried to keep a light hand with the sugar.

First, make yourself some shaved ice or ice chips (we got a shave ice machine on sick sale at Target, but you can use your blender to make ice chips, too). For the syrup, you'll need:

- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- one packet Koolaid drink mix (we used Target brand, so store brands are fine, too).

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil (can boil in a microwave). Remove it carefully and add sugar. Whisk until dissolved. Then add 1 packet of drink mix and whisk until dissolved. Allow to cool fully. Serve over shave ice and store leftover syrup in refrigerator.

We made both cherry/lime and grape syrup and because you only need a tiny (1 tablespoon'ish) amount of syrup per shave ice serving, we have had these almost every night for a week and still have a ton leftover. Really, this makes a GIANT batch of syrup, so maybe half it unless it's for a large group of people.

Miscellaneous Madness: Cloud Viewing and Classification (and a freebie)

Among the 50+ items on our Summer Bucket List is the activity "finding shapes in clouds." Seems simple enough, right? So obviously mom had to make it more complicated and turn it into a science lesson. First, she decided to make our very own cloud viewers. She'd seen a few floating around the web and designed up a handheld viewing window that includes photos of all the basic cloud shapes. With a chopstick handle, of course.

Once those were ready, Cam and mom hit up the library to check out a few books about clouds, including "Clouds," by Maryellen Gregoire (the simplest and a good one to start with); "Clouds," by Trudi Strain Trueit (the best of the batch -- for kids, but included enough detail to really cover all cloud types); and "the kids' book of Clouds & Sky," by Frank Staub (more detailed and probably for a slightly older age group of kids, but interesting nonetheless).

We packed up our viewers, a picnic and our books and headed over to our local Meridian Hill Park for some cloud viewing. It was hotter than H outside, but we still scored a spot in the shade with a good window through the tree branches for spotting clouds. There was really only one type of cloud gracing the sky that day: big puffy marshmallow cumulus clouds. So we ditched the viewers and took to finding shapes: dragons, butterflies, turtles, etc.

When the local squirrels started to form a posse for our pistachios, we decided it was time to pack up and check out the park's waterfalls. Mistake. Out of the shade it was about 110 degrees (seriously). Turns out cloud viewing is good for a hot day because you aren't moving. We should've stayed put, but didn't dare challenge those city squirrels.

Want to check out some clouds, too? You can make your own cloud viewing window! Mom uploaded our template to google docs (CLICK HERE), so all you have to do is print it on heavy cardstock, cut it out (don't forget to cut out the middle window!), and tape on whatever handle you wish. Mom also put a layer of packing tape over ours to make them a bit sturdier and waterproof. Much like the hidden murals, now that we're in the know, we can't stop looking for and classifying clouds. Come to think of it, we might need an extra travel cloud viewer.

Keep It Local: Geocaching Street Mural Tour

Mom was very excited when she found a great geocache series of DC's Hidden Murals. Our goal is obviously to find the geocache, but we have had so much more fun just searching for the hidden murals in the first place (especially seeing as we rarely find the caches hidden there). We've schlepped, metroed and explored our way through our neighborhood (and neighborhoods adjacent) in search of hidden street art (and all sorts of things along the way). And we give our best go at finding the cache, but when mosquitoes descend and garbage runoff gets old, we declare that finding the mural itself was good enough. The series includes a total of 23 murals and most descriptions of the cache contain a good explanation of the art's history.

We are finding out that geocaching in cities presents several difficulties. To begin with, many of the caches are "nanocaches," meaning they are TINY containers (large enough only to hold a rolled-up log) and are either stuffed into tiny crevices or are magnetic and hidden inside, behind or on top of metal objects. Once you get to the general coordinates, it's up to you to use your "geosense" to search and find these miniscule caches and, even with the hints given on geocache.com, we've still been having a hard time finding them. Also, they are generally hidden in dirty city alleys and while mom is not germaphobic, even she has limits on dumpster searching with alley rats. And, as we are learning, one of the goals of city geocaching is to find the geocache stealthily and not alert the "muggles" in the area. We are many things, but stealthy we are not. We do our best, but we generally draw the attention of a lot of people in the vicinity who are wondering what the H we're doing poking around in alleys.

But, we've so loved finding murals that we constantly look for them all over -- it's amazing how many are in the city. And you can go explore them without geocaching, too! It turns out that many of the murals we saw are actually part of a project called Murals DC, which aims to help replace illegal graffiti with artistic works while teaching young people the art of aerosol painting. Even if you don't want to geocache, you can check out the online gallery of works and put together your own tour or participate in a bike tour of past murals (see schedule here). But, if you see us scampering about in alleys, look the other way!

Grub It Up: Sundried Tomato Halibut Kebabs & Caprese Bread Salad

One of mom's most favorite foods in the world is sushi. And raw oysters are up there as well. But as soon as you cook fish, she thinks it tastes too, well, fishy. So she rarely ever makes it at home, despite the fact that it's really good for you. But this Armommy recipe looked so delicious, likely because it was accompanied by bread salad, that she thought she'd give it a try. The grilled fish itself isn't anything outstanding, BUT the sundried tomato sauce .... Amazing. Well, mom and dad thought it was amazing. We ate the obligatory three pieces of fish to get down from the table. But that's three more pieces than we'd otherwise eat. And mom liked that the sundried tomato sauce was easy to keep separate from the fish for the kids. Plus, we all loved the bread salad. So, all in all, a big win in our house.

p.s. the leftover halibut was delish in fish tacos (we'll all pretty much eat anything you put in a taco) and the bread salad was great with a little egg white omelet mixed with the sundried tomato sauce in the a.m. (and in hunks eaten out of the refrigerator, too).

Armommy's Sundried Tomato Halibut Kebabs & Caprese Bread Salad:

Kebabs
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 lbs halibut filet, cut into 2" chunks (you can use halloumi grilling cheese to keep it veggie)
- 2 lbs small zucchini, ends trimmed, cut into 1" slices
- wooden or metal skewers

- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In small food processor, add the sundried tomatoes through balsamic vinegar. Garnish with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade: oil, lemon juice, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Prepare kebabs by alternating halibut and zucchini slices. Marinate in oil/herb mixture for at least ten minutes. Heat grill to hot or medium high.

Cook halibut skewers, approximately 1-1.5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Dip into sundried tomato sauce or gently brush sauce over the top of skewers after cooking.

Bread Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cubed, toasted hearty bread of choice
- 1 cup finely chopped boccancini style mozzarella balls
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Greek pitted olives, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:
In large salad bowl, mix ingredients together. Let sit for approximately 15 minutes prior to serving.

Keep It Local: Mini Golf at East Potomac Park

This past winter, we had a fabulous time discovering East Potomac Park - Hains Point and made a mental note of the mini golf available there during warmer weather. The mini golf is actually part of the larger East Potomac golf course, which looked like an awesome, laid back place to play a real game too. Like every other day this summer, it had been raining on and off. We decided to make a go for it anyways and caught a mostly rain-free period. As usual, we don't stick to the technical rules, which was perfectly fine here. But it was HOT and Cam was in a mood and spent a lot of time pouting all over the course. Fortunately we had it mostly to ourselves.

It's not a fancy course, but it's nice and shaded and very low key. When it eventually started to really rain, we headed over to the main course's concession stand and cooled off on the balcony overlooking the short game area while eating italian ice. Click here to get the hours and rates information -- you can pay cash right on the course or use a card inside the pro shop.