Exploring this city, safely, the way to learn, the way to grow.

My daughter is almost 15 months. Although we live in NYC it can feel that we live in a little enclave of urban suburbia, a bit too isolated for the immense diversity that the city offers.
So we get up, we go through the rituals of breakfast, dressing, chasing each other, slipping, falling, crying, getting up again, chasing each other again, changing diapers, finishing dressing (dresses), getting the bag ready, getting the carriage ready, getting water, snacks, sun protection, shoes, money, metro card, and then, only then we exit the house to walk to the bus stop.
We wait for the bus at the beautiful bus stop surrounded by beautiful houses with manicured lawns and when the bus arrives Maman is ready with the carriage folded, with Bubu in arms, with bags on shoulders, and the really cool bus driver waves and says get on.
We get on, there are very few passengers, so we get good seats, how nice it is to live at the end of the bus route.
We take the bus to its other end, to Flushing, to where the madness of crowds, shops, restaurants and many many many different people intertwine. W walk to the elevator and we press the button. The elevator takes a really really really long time. Not really. But when you are standing on a Flushing Roosevelt Ave at Main St block, when people are zipping by you with maddening speed walking pushily, driving their cars or rolling carts with who knows what, you feel as if the elevator shouls rush too. Bubu is fascinated by it anyway.
We arrive at the bottom, where the 7 train huddles and we get on . We get good seats again because it is the end of the route, again.Though in rush hour that woud hardly be the case. We ride the train all the way to long island city - and Ava is fascinated with a girl who is polishing her nails while drinking a a huge cup of coffee at the same time.
The train rattles and at some point Ava falls asleep and a few stops later it is time to get off.
Maman picks up the carriage and a nice man helps her up the stairs. Mamam is on the street at the foot of the Pulaski bridge and she decides to walk over to Brooklyn, over the Newtown creek. There is a look-over stop on the way from where Maman sees the sailboats docked illegally down on the creek and a very very cool bench fashioned from salvaged wodd. Ava would love to explore it. She is still sleeping by the way, which is awesome.
Maman decides to go down the steep stairs and this time does not hesitate whether that is a good choice or not, it is the only choice. On the way down she sees huge objects in industrial yards that remind Her of sculptures.
She also sees graffitti, lots of big yelow trucks and bird poo.
They get down, they are on Box St.
They walk over to Milk snd Roses, a cafe which Maman is enamored by. Baby is still sleeping. Maman seizes the opportunity and gets an incredibly wonderful latte and catches up on the news. She also orders an overpriced salad, out of curiosity of what exactly antchovy crostini is. It's ok. Petty fat, a spread.
Maman devours it and continues reading the news and then moves onto the Oped and fashion and style sections.
She guesses the password for the free wifi, looks around, marvels at the wonderful free young peope, around also consumers at the cafe and bloggers.
She enjoys enjoys and thinks, all of this thanks to the fact that I wanted a good coffe and the machine at home was broken this morning and I just had to come here and get a coffee.
It is hot and marvelous and the cafe does not give ice, which is fine and very real, and a way to imprint the summer's inevitable stamp.

Fast forward a few hours. Baby shops for the first time- an orange.
Back home baby has her first conversation with daddy on the way back home, who's put her on speakerphone. She mimics the talking and listening and it is fascinating and cute and all too grown-up.