....back in August we went to NYC

Trying to play catch-up here because I have things I'd like to post but can't since I haven't posted about things we did months ago.  So, here we go.  We went on a trip to NYC at the beginning of August.  Jordan's baseball team was playing in the AABC World Series in Brooklyn so we all tagged along and made a family trip out of it.  These trips are always an adventure........we never know what the schedule will be or what the field environment will entail so it usually is a plan-as-we-go type of thing.  Generally, there are games every day so we hop back and forth from sightseeing and cheering on the team.....without much relaxing in between.  This year has been better because Eli is a bit older and doesn't nap anymore so we can be a little more flexible with the schedule.....he also won't ride in a stroller so we had to be vigilant to ensure he didn't get run over by a taxi/double decker bus whilst walking down the streets.

We stayed on Staten Island so we took lots of trips on the Staten Island Ferry to get back and forth from the city.  It was great because it was free, it ran all day, and afforded us great views of the city and Statue of Liberty.  

We did a bus tour for a couple days because we had limited time and wanted to see all that we could.....it was great and the kids loved riding on top.  I wish we would have had more time to hop on and off but we did get to see a lot and had several very entertaining guides.

We also hung out at Times Square and got to know the subway system quite well.  

Here are all the boys......we had a good time one night all going to dinner but it was a little nuts maneuvering such a large group of people in Times Square and on the subway.  

Eli was super excited to see Woody.......he was quite aggressive after the picture until he got his tip:)

The fields were right around the corner from Coney Island so we took the kids and walked around for a bit.  It was pretty old-school as far as rides go, I guess that is what makes it charming  but you have to pay for each ride individually and lets just say my kids were only allotted one ride each......which still wasn't cheap:)  Think $5 each for old rickety carnival type rides.  But, Zoltar was there and that was cool.

We spent a good portion of our time in Brooklyn which was a little nuts but we really did get a true "Brooklyn" experience.  The fields were nice for players but not so much for fans.......we were right under the subway so every few minutes, the train would rumble overhead and we were completely fenced in on all sides so it felt like watching from a cage.  We had a hard time finding places to eat other than McDonalds so we asked some locals where to go.  The answer was (in a very thick Brooklyn accent), "Well, whatsamattawit L&B SpumoniGahdens??"  So, we went and were glad we did.  The guys who took orders were very gruff, very Italian, and very cranky.......like the Soup Nazi.  I had to go to the back of the line a couple of times for not knowing exactly what I wanted.  It was great......and we all only spoke in Brooklyn accents for the rest of the week.  

This is one of our players, Jake, he already looks like a man as you can see but is truly a 12 year old boy.  It was quite funny to see him next to Jordan, who will most likely hit puberty at 16 or 17. 

We had a great showing as a team and ended up winning the World Series against some tough competition from all over the place.  Travis and Jordan couldn't have been happier.

Gratuitous trophy pictures......Eli with melting ice cream, and Travis with his good friend who coaches the Brooklyn High Heat team.  

It was great to end the week on a high note.....so proud of the boys.

I made a music video of the experience.......it was a blast to make and the boys/parents were such good sports about going along with my crazy idea.  I know I've already posted most of this stuff on Facebook but enjoy it again here!