One New Thing: East 79th Street Library

On Mondays and Wednesdays I take Elliot to therapy after school. On warm days I take him to a nearby playground, but now that it's freezing there's no way. My butt would probably get frozen to the bench, which would be a little on the embarrassing side. I had been taking him to Nancy's straight after school so we would be somewhere warm(ish), but she likes to comment that we got there 'very early', which I assume means, "Please stay away". So then I was stopping for pizza beforehand, but I no longer have money for such delicacies as slices of grease laden pies. So I racked my brain and realized libraries are free and welcoming to all.

There was one on the way at 96th street, but for whatever reason this is closed on Mondays. So yesterday I decided to take him down to one on East 79th street. The bus ride took longer than I had imagined it would, but I got to see a neighborhood I've never been to. I passed the Guggenheim, which was a very fun building, and I finally saw the Met. Our walk down 79th street also took much longer than I expected, but there were tons of pretty buildings lining the way. About halfway through the walk Elliot finally asks, "Are you sure this is the way to Nancy's..." I didn't tell him where we were going because I thought it would be fun to see a kid confused. When I told him where we were going and that it had taken longer than expected, he said something along the lines of "We traveled all this way for a library? Why, Megan, why?"

Finally we made it to the library and had about 10 minutes to read. We're starting the Wizard of Oz series. I found a set of nice editions through Books of Wonder and bought him the first one for Christmas. When we finish this one, I'll get the next. It was really hard to find a matching set out there! Most publishers haven't gone beyond the first installment, and those that have have failed to think about the importance of illustrations.

So then back onto the bus, which was also a new thing. First, it was a new line. Second, it was one of the long buses with the accordion middle that I've never been on. I didn't realize this at first, because when it arrived I was already standing at the front door. I got on and thought, that bus driver is sure seated high up. And then as I walked to the back of the bus I thought, this sure is a long walk. The stop buttons were inconveniently located along where the ceiling met the walls -- high up. Luckily someone else pressed the button at our stop, otherwise I don't think I would have been able to reach!

And that was our whirlwind adventure for the day!

- Megan Leigh