FAOh-Boy!

Who says the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year? Without the long lines, cold weather and crowds of tourists, who needs holiday shopping when our campers can enjoy nearly empty stores right now! With the city at their fingertips, the New York City Explorers enjoyed the magic of the season in 85 degree weather with a trip to FAO Schwarz on Monday morning. While Haven enjoyed a day with her Mama, Brittany and Kai Yiu led the rest of the junior campers, along with special guests Lili and Simone from the Explorers Club on a tour through the most kid-friendly store in Manhattan! While story hour in the children's book section was the main destination on Brittany's brain, our intern Kai Yiu, from Hong Kong, was so amazed by the toy soldiers that she could barely stop taking pictures of them long enough to give the campers a chance to pose next to the six-foot tall live-action men dressed as toys!
Our campers may not be old enough to have watched Tom Hanks' younger self entertain millions with his rendition of Chopsticks in Big, but they were certainly old enough to enjoy playing some tunes of their own on the giant floor-style keyboard on the second floor of Manhattan's famous toy store. The line was long, but our campers were unanimous in their verdict: four minutes of uninterrupted jamming was worth the wait!
The campers' day was completed with a visit to another, albeit, less well-known New York City treasure. The Billy Johnson Play Ground on 67th Street and 5th Avenue gave Sebastian, Audrey and the rest of the group the perfect way to work off energy after keeping their behavior on the up-and-up in FAO Schwarz. Giggles and screams filled the park as the campers took turns going down the giant slide built into the side of a hill! The only thing that could have made this play session any better would be a pool waiting at the bottom the best slide in the city!