My Thanksgiving tradition started Wednesday, making a trip to Union Square greenmarket to pick up some fresh herbs and vebetables. Taiyo slept through the whole trip in comfy sports utility jogging stroller. Late afternoon, we met up with Lynne and headed uptown to see the balloon inflation for Macy's Thanksgiving parade. We saw Snoopy, Spiderman, Hello Kitty, and some other bunch. It was so crowded we had enough just going through one block, half of the event.

We stopped at Cafe Con Leche on Amsterdam between 80th and 81st. It's a cute small latin joint. We were offered a table in the back with a bench, which was of course great for Taiyo. They also offered us a high chair, but Taiyo was already stretched out on the bench to check its comfort level. Taiyo's mind was all set for rice and beans. They brought his water in a paper coffee cup with top with a straw, which gets high points for being a kid-friendly restaurant. I settled on pork stew. It tasted pretty good, but pork was too cruncy and chewy for stew- the lighting was too dark to decide it was actually grilled pork with sauce or meat was simply dry and tough. But otherwise, service was friendly and Taiyo was happy with his rice and beans. He also chugged down more than half the plate of plantains Lynne ordered. The restaurant is pretty small and tables are close together- strollers may have hard time manuevering or finding a spot, but over all nice place to dine with a kid. Fairly recommended.

So it was Thanksgiving day. My plan was to do much of the cooking while Taiyo takes nap- we walked out early afternoon to pick up a few more things from a store, and he seemed pretty much ready for a little napping. But after half an hour I realized I'd better get back first and put my turkey in the oven. Then Taiyo was super upset that we didn't stop at the supermarket. While I threw turkey into the oven, he sat in the stroller in the doorway and kept screaming "SOOOOPER MAAARKKEEETTTT!!!!" into the street. Finally we rolled out again but Taiyo was super upset and kept screaming. When we got to the Chinese market on Clinton, the guy at the fish deparment gave him some chocolate and finally Taiyo stopped screaming. He held two chocolate, one on each hand, and sobbed for a while then fell asleep. I ran back thinking that I got two hours to get most of cooking done. So I thought. But only one hour late Taiyo woke up, and he was very needy. He had to sit on my lap, and wouldn't let me get up and cook. So until Mark and Steve arrived to distract Taiyo I wasn't able to get much done and it was a bit stressful after that trying to get everything ready in two hours. But all was well in the end with roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, my famous stuffing with cashews and sausage, garlic mashed potato, caponata, roasted zucchini and turnips, pumpkin and corn salad, and yuzu-tuna wrap. Taiyo made a mistake stuffing himself too early with cheese and crackers, but he still enjoyed turkey and cranberry sauce. Then he went totally high after green tea cheesecake and went running outside, taking hands of my guests one by one.

We enjoyed sleeping late today. It was a beautiful warm day and I took him out to Guitar Center on 14th Street. This place is a heaven for him with all kinds of music instruments! He went crazy in drums department, then we picked up a new uklele (on sale for $30!). Last one was broken after being banged around in his rock'n roll action.

We lunched at Japonica on University and 12th St. The bench was confortable with a pillow and Taiyo immediately jumped on it for a while, but he decided to take a chair on the other side of the table. They brought him a plastic cup and a straw with a tiny pinwheel, which was of course a high point for a kid-friendly restaurant. It kept him in the seat for a while. There was too many things on the menu, but I settled on lunch special box with eel and avocado donburi and shrimp tempra roll, and steamed shumai appetizer. The box was not quite impressive with mixed green and pinapples, and I felt there should've been just a little something like hijiki instead of edamame, but overall it was a great value. Taiyo immediately cleared eel- he couldn't wait for his fork to arrive and started grabbing it by hand. Then he of course enjoyed nice big shumai and finished all the pinapple. Dining room is fairly spacious and strollers should be able to find a room to park. Recommended.

We finally made it to the 'Bring Your Own Kid concert' at TribecaY sunday morning. The place was packed with babies, toddlers, and mommies and daddies for Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could. Their music was fun and rocking, and the little girls first occupied the floor. Taiyo was serious observing and studying the band. Then he was jumping around with the other kids for a while and then started snapping pictures of the band. Yes, the above picture was one of his shot. But because of not having enough lighting he wasn't able to snap good photos and he was frustrated and threw the camera on the floor. I took it away from him and he started screaming. The music was loud enough his loud scream wasn't that noticeable- also it was getting close to the end of the show there were other kids screaming here and there. So I just let him have his fit. I shook my head and said, no, I'm not giving you the camera. He was finally through by the time the band finished. We watched some artworks in the lobby before heading out. It was pretty cool beginning of the day.

We stopped for brunch at Josephine on Greenwich and Harrison. It was spacious and sure enough, almost every table had a kid or two or three. We were not offered one, but they had high chairs. The nice leather bench was comfy and easy to climb up for Taiyo. Immediately Taiyo took a picure of a little pumpkin on the table. We went for french toast (oh, yes, we were in a French cafe, oui, oui) and corn soup. French toast was of course big hit for Taiyo, and it turns out a perfect finger food despite of almond slices and powder suger on top. He ate pretty much ate the entire plate, and finally decided to try the soup, which was almost gone. "Yummy!" he exclaimed, and finished the rest. It was comfortable dining experience, and food was very nice. Recommended.

Just down the street we found this amazing playground in Washington Market Park. Three gyms with interesting designs, a wooden choo-choo train, and a tunnel. Taiyo ran around the park, made some friends, and truly enjoyed every corner of it. He protested when I finally grabbed him to head home after two hours. But within a few blocks he was sleeping in the bike seat.

I was feeling a bit burned out. I lost a staff (again!) and last week some very inappropriate candidates showed up and I was totally discouraged. I just couldn't deal with this process of interviewing, and then training whoever I get. I decided to take a few days off. It was a great little break- since it's the most beautiful time of the year. We went up to the Central Park Zoo, biked around aimlessly, took a long train ride to Hall of Science, and cheered for runners of NYC marathon. It was a bit too warm for the marathon yesterday, but neverthless, it is the greatest street party this city offers. As soon as we got off the bridge, Taiyo started chanting, "Go runners! Go runners!" Then he blew his whistle. For ten years I lived for this race. It was never easy, but always fun. Since the opening of SOY, I always ran with "SOY" headband- people cheered for me "Go SOY!" everywhere. I feel that I need some cheering again these days.

We stopped for lunch at Dokebi on Grand between Bedford and Driggs in Williamsburg, right by the marathon course. Taiyo was immediately comfortable in this Korean joint, climbing up on the benches here and there. It was fairly quiet when we walked in, but more families with little kids and strollers walked in after us, proving that this is a kid-friendly establishment. Spacious dining area has lots of room for strollers, plus room for them to run around- which they did. Taiyo soon joined two other toddlers running around the restaurant, and they also enjoyed climbing up on hays and slapping big pumpkins here and there. They had interesting fusion brunch options, but we went for bibim bahp. It was delicious, although Taiyo only ate rice from the bowl. Nighttime would be a different scene there, but for a brunch it was very accomodating for a little one. Service was moderately kid-friendly; Taiyo got a glass of water with a straw immediately, but I had to ask for a bowl and a utencil for him. Overall, it was nice experience, in a sunny restaurant. Recommended.

A few days ago we had lunch at Souvlaki Gr on Stanton near Essex, where my old laundromat used to be. It's a cute restaurant with interesting Greek themed interior. They were established as a food truck first before they settled at this location not long ago. Taiyo just woke up from unsatisfying nap when we got there, and was rather cranky, but soon felt comfortable with the presence of owner's young boy in the restaurant. They did have a high chair, but Taiyo decided my lap was a better seat. We ordered Greek fries and a bifteki sandwich. I wasn't sure if Taiyo would like the greek fries, topped with feta cheese and oregano. He loved them and didn't ask for ketchup - it was salty enough and tasty! The sandwich was fairy small- which was good actually since fries were a big plate. Taiyo only ate the pita bread, which was fresh and tasty. Well, the sandwich was indeed fresh and tasty. Just a little tricky to enter with a stroller, but yes this place is recommended. Easy on the wallet, too.

I had to send my little camera for repair and I feel a bit off-balanced. It also helps me remember the details of our day. It was another warm beautiful day. We were up little late this morning and missed a concert at Tribeca Y. So we started our day at OpenHouse New York's Family day at Center for Archtechture in Greenwich Village. We enjoyed doing some craft projects. Taiyo thought putting a cocktail umbrella on a little box was the greatest invention ever. Well, he just fell in love with the tiny paper umbrella period. Around the corner we stumbled upon Pizza Mezzalunaon Houston and MacDougal. It's a nice little Italian restaurant set up in a small space more appropriate for a pick-up pizza joint. There's only two tables for four, one table for two, and three seats against the front window. Taiyo quickly settled on a small stool by the window, but the seat was too slippery and he fell off it. Then we had to move to a small table anyway because three more people were coming in. Waitress brought him a plastic cup with a straw for Taiyo, and also plastic utencils. Very good kid-friendly service. We had margherita pizza and minestrone, and they were both so delicious! Especially minestrone was the best ever, and Taiyo had big satisfying laugh while enjoying it. Food was so great and kept Taiyo in his seat, but seating situation is difficult for very small customers. There's also no room for a stroller inside. If that can be acceptable, this place is highly recommended. Since Taiyo was still awake after lunch, we made it to La Mama's street fair on the way back on East 4th Street. It was La Mama's 50's anniversary. There were big pupperts roaming around, some wacky creature crawling around the floor, lots of crafts projects for kids, great music and even some free food. The crowd was interesting and it really had the feel of good old East Village. It was the best street fair we've been to. Taiyo crashed within a few blocks when we left.

It was still so beautiful out after a long nap. We headed out on bike again to Terakawa Ramen on Lexington near 23rd Street. I was recently tipped that they had great authentic ramen. Taiyo immediately loved the large red lantern hanging outside. We were able to get a table immediately, while a party of three was waiting at the door. The place was full, and after us there were always a few parties waiting outside. Service was fairly quick, although this busy restaurant was served by only two waitresses who were running back and forth constantly. Taiyo loved Takoyaki, and Terakawa ramen with delicious pork broth. They screwed up on our order and gyoza didn't arrive until the end of our meal. Taiyo was too busy working on the soup and didn't touch the gyoza. He laughed out again looking up to the ceiling to express his satisfaction while having the soup. The decor has quite authentic Japanese noodle joint feel, and they may be too busy to offer you one but there's high chairs available. Price is pretty good, and sunday was also a gyoza night for only $1.50! Recommended.

A long weekend has began! After a lazy morning, we took a bike trip across town to Fire Museum on Spring and Varick. It's a low-key touristy joint, but the little place had some beautiful old fire engines and artifacts. The museum was pretty quiet and empty, and Taiyo enjoyed running around for a while. There was no activities he could participate in, but being a big fan of fire trucks, I think he kind of liked the place.

We stopped for lunch at Hiroko's Place on Thompson between Spring and Broome. It's like a cafe that every Japanese town has, with non-traditional Japanese food. Menu had pictures on it, so of course Taiyo picked "Anpan-Man Omu Rice" which had his favorite Anpan-Man drawn with ketchup, a Japanese red-bean bun superhero. The young waitress brought him little kids utencils and small cup of water with hello kitty on them. Taiyo of course loved them. We were first served a little bowl of salad with carrot dressing, which he pretended to eat but didn't. He's not a salad kind of a guy (yet). While waiting for his main dish, his chair tripped backward because he was standing against the back. Then he started banging on the glass table top and we were moved to next table with no glass top. Taiyo's Omu Rice, omlette covered ketchup flavored rice arrived just as pictured. Being a ketchup lover, he first scooped up all the ketchup and then start digging into the rice. He didn't like potato salad or omlette covering, but ate all the rice inside, carefully eliminating chicken, onion, and green pepper pieces. My seafood doria, rice casserole covered with creamy sauce and cheese, was not bad, but a bit too heavy. The place is fairy kid-friendly, with the cute and anime-themed decore, but there's no high chair. Service was very Japanese and friendly, but they did one funny thing- each table had a basket of napkins, but ours was taken away before food arrived. A small diner always need extra napkins, and their napkins were tiny and thin to begin with. So I let extra mess around the table as Taiyo shook his spoon to spread the food. And the price was also Soho price for what it was. Not terribly recommended.

Air was crisp and sky was blue. We headed to the west side to Children's Museum of the Arts at their new Charlton Street location. The bright room was full of great art activities for little people. Taiyo immediately got busy with markers and brushes. We enjoyed music time where Taiyo got a chance to practice some drumming. The place is beautiful, but it was way overcrowded. And probably because of the location the crowd was too Tribecca- so many pushy brats! Exhibit about Public Art was pretty cool but I felt I wanted a bit more out of this place. Even though it's a longer trip, we'd rather frequent Brooklyn Children's Museum where there's so much more than we can explore every time. We thought the coolest thing was the pedal operated water fountain (above) that was just a beautful piece of art. Taiyo marched out of the museum chanting for gyoza, but he fell asleep on bike again only a few blocks away.

Lynne joined us for Indian dinner at Raj Mahal on 6th Street Indian row. We picked this place for a Sitar player in the window. It's hard to get in with the stroller with steep stairway down to the half basement restaurant, and there was not much room inside. The hauler outside told us he'd watch the stroller under the awning. Upon entry, the waiter immediately placed Taiyo on the musician's lap but he was more scared than thrilled. "Help." He extended his little arms to Lynne to be rescued. We took a table right next to him, and Taiyo was soon enchanted with the music. He also enjoyed all the food, mixed vegetable pakora fritters, chicken tikka masala (although he wouldn't touch chicken), rice, daal, and fluffy poori bread. It was definitely the most food he ate in a restaurant in a while. In my opinion, the food was ok, not bad, but nothing special. But for the music and kind of funky decore including chili pepper lights on the ceiling and poster of Cuba beside our table, it's super recommended. We were having a great time until this older couple seated behind us and before they ordered the meal, the man said to Lynne who was sitting facing their table, "Are you staying?" Taiyo was sitting next to her at the time. "Are you talking to me?" she replied. "We'd rather be close to the music but if you're staying there we'd rather move to another table." Seriously? "We're staying," she replied, even though we were pretty much done with our meal. Oh, yes we were staying here for the long time! They stood up and moved to the far back of the restaurant. How rude those people were! Taiyo may have shrieked once or twice, but did they really have problem with this lovely child? Or did they think we were lesbian couple and they had a problem with that? Either way, that made our heads shake to know how hostile this world could be, even for Taiyo who gets picture taken by strangers everywhere we go. But otherwise we had a great time. Staff were very much amused by Taiyo, and the Sitar player encouraged Taiyo to sit next to him so he can watch closely, but Taiyo was still a bit scared maybe because of his beard and turban. At the end they brought us free dessert of bright orange goo with coconut. Taiyo spit it out. Yet this place is recommended overall.

It was the best birthday ever for him, or it was simply the best day ever in two years of his life. Saturday was his 2nd birthday, and he was already too excited with the balloons in the morning, I was worried that he would crash before his birthday party at noon. But he kept his high energy up through the afternoon, enjoyed tearing open presents, running around with his little friends, doing his birthday gig on the sidewalk, blowing out the candles, chugging down a big piece of cake, and so on, and on. His happy spirit was contagious and everyone seemed to really enjoy celebrating with him. Party continued later in the evening, when my staff and his babysitter arrived. He asked to blow out the candles over and over and over and over. Each time he received applause and he was just the happiest being ever.

I thought he might be still too tired next day, but no. His energy was still up. We headed to Dumbo Arts Festival and and saw some coolest exhibitions. Then we found enormous tent lined with paper, providing the largest canvas for little people. And Jane's Carousel, beautifully restored on the scenic waterfront was now up and running! This is going to be the must-visit spot for parents or non-parents alike. The setting is stunning, the old carousel is amazing, and to top this experience there was no wait at all. Followed by the last weekend's Makers Faire, Dumbo Arts Festival is going to be our must-attend event of the year, but without it, Jane's Carousel will be the
destination for us.

Before heading home, we stopped for lunch at The Gallery on Jay Street at York Street. It was not so crowded being off from the center of Dumbo, and it had ocol and hip interior but casual enough atmosphere for us to feel comfortable. The menue is described as (new) American, which includes sandwiches, burgers, and such. Nothing really struch my eyes, but I settled for roasted vegetable panino and the soup of the day: carrot-ginger soup. The panino seemed to have no seasoning at all, which was actually nice to taste just plain roasted vegetables, but Taiyo only cared for the crispy fries that was lightly battered to have the crunchy coating. Carrot-ginger soup was a hit for him, especially he had it with the fried pastry thing that was floating on top. It was an interesting dining experience- we didn't think it was exciting menu, but the food was quite fresh and decent. Staff seemed pretentious, and they didn't offer a high chair even though they had one available. But I think we had pretty good service and nice dining experience. When we checked out the spacious and clean bathroom, I thoguht they would get a high points for installing a changing table, which they had more than enough room for, but I guess the architechts and designers hardly think about that kind of functionality. I would highly recommended it if they had a changing talbe in the bathroom. Overall, it is still recommended.

Then we hit San Gennaro Festival on their last day in Little Italy in the evening. Taiyo just loved riding in the teacup, and I couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun riding in one. It was just an amazing weekend, for both of us.