Actually, the New Yorkers ate her up! They loved her! Nowhere have so many people stopped to look at her and declare (unprompted by me) that she is the cutest thing. Since the lifestyle in downtown Manhattan can make it difficult to have lots of children, we think that people were amazed that such a small thing would be brought into their midst. At times we felt like Anya was a celebrity: Men and women alike would stop us just to look at her, people would crane their necks to get a glimpse of her, passengers on the subway would freely give up their seat for her... At one point the group of surrounding admirers almost reached critical mass where people began to stop and look just because other people had stopped.
Anya also had four personal attendants which would carry her around to all the sites... I guess that is even above celebrity status. After all, most celebrities will at least walk around a little... but Anya... nope. She was carried around like a queen or a pharaoh on a chariot of plastic! Anya would allow three of these slaves to be in pictures with her from time to time:
Uncle Jay and Aunt Kjerstina dealt with her flamboyance gracefully and even gave up their own bed for Anya's two head slaves... while Jay and Kjerstina were banished to the outer chamber on an air mattress that would be deflated by midnight. But I think they were glad to have a visit from Anya (or at least they faked it well) despite the severe fatigue that plagued everyone of us. In fact, they treated Lindy and me like celebrities as well with some fantastic meals! They also took time off work to babysit Anya a few times and come with us on many of our "tourist site" trips. Anya sure loved them and all the attention they gave her.
Jay and Kjerstina, thanks for having us and stopping your fast paced lives for a little visit from our swamps!
In the next few weeks or so we will be posting pictures and stories about our trip to New York. (I have a few more things to mention about our trip to Utah so perhaps I'll slip that in somewhere as well.) But to add to your anticipation just a wee bit more, we even have a "guest" public transportation system (the MTA) story for our next Marta Moment... Wild ;) ... Stay tuned!
