Emma in Brooklyn

A huge consideration in our decision to move to Brooklyn was Emma’s experience (she’s about 20 months old now). Before we visited here, it would have been easy to imagine that a city this large would be a terrible place to raise a kid. Four weeks in though, I can confidently say that Emma’s having a great time.

Now that we’re car-less, Emma’s becoming pro on the subway.

Rachel even took Emma to the transit museum to learn more about the MTA’s history.

But trains aren’t the only method of transport we’ve been using. There’s been a lot of city exploration on bike, scooter, and ferry.

And of course, most adventures are on foot, like the time we stumbled upon a block party in Cobble Hill. The street was closed, the fire hydrant was open.

We’ve been doing some touristy stuff too, like visiting the Statue of Liberty with our good friends from Chicago, Jon and Judith Sol-Deyes.

Emma dug the audio tour, though she didn’t realize that it wasn’t a phone, so she alternated between listening to it and trying to take selfies.

Emma’s favorite part of New York though has got to be the playgrounds. All day long we hear, “Park. Park. Walk. Emma walk. Park.”

Feels like there’s a playground every half-mile. Carroll Park, three blocks from our apartment, is Emma’s home turf. Rachel takes her there nearly every day.

But when Carroll Park starts feeling tired, there’s a bunch more options within walking distance. Last Saturday we we hit up three playgrounds in three hours.

The playgrounds have great diversity too. On one end of the spectrum there’s this natural one in Prospect Park.

And then you’ve got this one in Cobble Hill that’s stocked with toddler toys:

There’s also the playground in Brooklyn Bridge park near where our friends Hannah and Ricky live.

Brooklyn Bridge Park also has a carousel. If there’s a carousel in this world with a better view, I’d love to see it.

Of course, all that playing works up an appetite. Emma’s had, perhaps, too much ice cream over the last month.

Not that she minds.