Silver doors quickly slide open, and my family and I piled into the subway car with everyone else. All of the seats were taken: It was morning rush hour. But, our five year old whined, “I waaannt toooo siiiit.” Mortified, we tried to hush him thoroughly. But before we did, a man in his fifties … Continue reading Surprising love in a city of strangers
Popcorn, beer, and fans in blue surrounded us. Summer sun was beating down; a cool wind comforted us; and the crowd roared when a homerun soared over the back wall. His face glowed with hope and joy as we sat: My son and I perched in the Bronx. He knew that I didn’t like staying … Continue reading Fatherhood: Reflections on the last days of summer with my son
New York can be a hard place. People are rushing around you, treating you as if you weren't human, only something in their way. The bustle can be overwhelming. You can get lost in the shuffle and feel like a number. But living here with a family has been very different, especially with a newborn. … Continue reading How New Yorkers react to our five pound baby
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and we were in Washington Square Park, the iconic park in downtown Manhattan. The large marshmallow clouds marched in rows over the skyline; there was a slight breeze that brought comfort from the warmth of the sun shining down on the sea of humanity. The fountain was spraying water … Continue reading The Saturday afternoon we lost our son
Over the years, my family and I have honed our sleep habits, and we love it, even though it is odd. Most nights, I'm asleep for seven to eight hours. I know, it's solid. We are in bed by seven o'clock—all four of us—the whole family. And because of our new baby, my wife is … Continue reading Want to sleep better? Eight things we do to get better sleep
On an episode of the Tim Ferriss Show, one of his guests, Ramit Sethi, talked about prenuptial agreements, or prenups, which are contracts signed before people get married that dictate rights to property and what happens after there is a divorce. They were both in favor of them. It was interesting. I don't mean that … Continue reading Have you ever considered a prenup?
The smells of New York City are usually the butt of a joke (which is often associated with the smell of a butt). But in the spring, there is something sweet in the air. It’s surprising. There are trees that are scattered all over downtown that have this refreshing scent that overtakes your senses, your … Continue reading In NYC, spring is in the air
On our way home from school, a stream of neighborhood children cross at an intersection where a woman with a rich Latin-American accent greets every child by name as she helps them across the street every day. Dulce’s our crosswalk lady. She makes our neighborhood feel like home. Dulce’s always wearing her uniform and a … Continue reading What the crosswalk lady said unsettled me
My wife just gave birth to our second son at home (on purpose). And five days later, our pediatrician pushed us into the ER because our baby had a low temperature. We thought he was just jaundiced (something a lot of newborns get but can be easily treated with special lights). But we weren’t prepared … Continue reading Did our five-day old baby really need three spinal taps?
NYC is notorious for being competitive...for everything—even preschool. That’s right, we aren’t talking about college, Ivy League, Harvard...Nah. I’m talking about the institution where your kids go to play with blocks, take naps, and get milk and cookies. Parents are rabid about getting their kids into the right preschool here. Public or private, it doesn’t … Continue reading One of the greatest challenges for an NYC parent: Preschool
