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Say what you like about New York City, it isn’t as full of surprises and comedy like Warsaw Indiana. There’s a lot more to do here and a billion more choices of where to go and what to eat, but it’s not providing me with material for hilarious blogs. There was poignancy for sure as along with the towering monuments to capitalism and the American dream comes the human suffering of the homeless on almost every corner. As we came out of a corner restaurant having dined on breakfast to the point of nausea we saw an emaciated lady lying on the ground, wrapped around the Walk/Don’t Walk sign, making a half-hearted attempt to beg. Phoebe in her pram caught the lady’s eye and they waved at each other. My daughter unable to judge or ignore or see anything but a person. And despite life having battered this woman until she was literally prostrate, she still smiled at a baby.
We spent the morning in Central Park, Phoebe trying to scale the rocks and running across them without fear and then blowing kisses and waving goodbye to them when we had to move on. She doesn’t even judge inanimate objects. Everything is equal to her.
We were going to go to the zoo, but it started to rain and we headed back towards the hotel. Then the Heavens opened and we were soaked. But at least we had somewhere to go to escape it.
We entertained Phoebe by putting on some Peppa Pig. There’s an episode with Uncle Pig, Daddy Pig’s big brother, who is called Uncle Pig even by his own daughter. Which suggests that he was christened with that name, which saw some foresight from his parents. But then they also called Daddy Pig, Daddy Pig which seems a big responsibility and a cruel trick to play on a child. But then they were christened Grandma and Grandpa Pig so were probably just getting their own back. Of course the writers of the show have done this on purpose, knowing it will amuse any adults. But have they damned Peppa and George to a life of never being parents? Or will they just be the cool kind of parents who let their kids call them by their first name?
We then went to do a bit of shopping to escape the bad weather. The Apple Store looks like it’s going to be different and exciting as it’s underground, but once you’re down in the lift it doesn’t look that different from the ones in the UK. Still if you ignore that it’s like being a James Bond villain who buys his computers in a subterranean computer shop.
Later we went for a pizza and I made a last minute decision to have a small beer with my meal. It just seemed the right thing to do. Even though I was just 15 nights away from my self-imposed target. But even though I only drank two tiny beers tonight it did make it feel more like a holiday. I am glad I haven’t been drinking all the way through, as I think in Warsaw I would have done nothing but drink. It made it feel more like an occasion and we had a lovely time as a very mildly tiddly family (though Phoebe stuck to water). It was nice to have a beer and maybe it was good to do it for no good reason. I fancy a cocktail before I go too but I think I might return to abstaining once I get home. 85 days sober. Not bad. So near but yet so far.
