Streetsblog carried a sweet kid- or mostly kid made video about safe streets in New York.
The antidote to that sometimes-when-you-are-raising-kids-in-the-city feeling, that you should move far away into the country to homeschool your kids and go to the beach a lot, is to watch other city kids talk about living in their city. ( visit beautiful SouleMama for her long running Friday moment for the country mouse heart tug)
Our children were pretty rapt watching this, partly because they love New York. Especially the Broadway traffic free zones because you can ride almost the length of the island (well, half of it) on a totally protected traffic free lane. On visits to New York we have whirled down Broadway together on the tandem, stopping in Times Square, at parks and snacky places all the way from Central Park to Battery City.
Partly the guys loved the video because they spend so much time on city streets here, and that city kid sense of being able to really get somewhere on your own on two wheels or two feet is so familiar to them. And the ghost bikes. And the traffic.
The city is so messy and full of every kind of surprise. Cranes, deep holes in the street. Busy mornings flying out the door hopefully on our bikes. Maybe on the train. Sometimes (alot) lately neither. It's what they know and they like seeing other kids talk about their messy busy crowded place. And the bike lanes that are coming. Really.
So instead of feeling like I should get out of here and find a big house with a barn I'll just try to remember that having a public school kid who knows where to find the best handmade tortillas at Maxwell Street Market and trawl Working Bikes for used lamps is kind of living the life too.
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