Baby's First Subway Ride

Spring in Central Park

A baby has a lot of exciting firsts: rolling over, crawling, steps, words. In New York, add "subway ride" to that list.

Paul didn't think it was such an important milestone, so I didn't feel too bad when I packed up Edith, a full diaper bag and a blanket on Tuesday and headed to Central Park. No taking it easy for us: We dove right in with an hour-long subway ride.

Ready for the subway and a Central Park picnic.

No worries. I learned that the subway is akin to the car and stroller -- that is, so soothing that it puts Edith to sleep. She was in dreamland before the second stop.

Still, it was an adventure. One woman raved over her silver sparkly Toms-lookalike shoes. A man (with an accent, so language barrier, perhaps?) asked if she could see. ("I hope so!" I replied.) Another woman didn't realize she was sitting next to a baby until several moments after she sat down -- Edith was tucked so comfy cozy in the Ergo.

The second lady said she didn't notice Edith
because she blended in too well with me!

We made it to Central Park without a problem, although I forgot to account for one thing. It's so early in the season that none of the trees have leaves. That made it difficult to find a shady spot, but after some searching I found some space not directly in the sun across from the Central Park Carousel.

While I ate my picnic lunch (peanut butter sandwich, banana and a chocolate-banana scone picked up from Alice's Tea Cup on the way), Edith played with a couple of toys and listened to the carousel music. She might not have known the difference, but I say that when a carousel plays "Locomotion," the magic is lost.

On the way home, we caught the Q train, where courtesy is alive and well. No fewer than four people -- men and women -- offered their seat to me, even though I declined the kind offers since it's easier to calm a fussy baby standing. Still, I think more people offered than ever did when I was pregnant.

All in all, it was an extremely successful trip. And if I can take my baby on a Central Park picnic alone, I can do anything.