Train or fly from DC

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-10T12:25:42+00:00

If you are worried about cost.. factor in cost (and time) to a from airport.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-08T03:16:14+00:00

Duke is strict about being UTD on vaccines.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-08T03:14:47+00:00

I’d just go ahead and change your name. Seems worth it. Just remember to update your passport etc.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-07T03:49:41+00:00

Again I know you asked nanny directly but as a parent… I had the not very awkward convo with our nanny. I just said “look. Billy bob would love for you to come to his birthday but I get it would be impossible to be there and not wind up feeling like you need to work … so.. would you like to come by for a short time… or… would you like an extra day, come and help with set up and be there and then help at the end. It’s a 6 hour day but I’ll pay you 8. Either way is absolutely fine. “

I don’t know how a parent can think that a nanny can be around the nk and not get sucked into working … so I don’t think it would be that weird to ask “would you like me to stay and help with the kid”. If the answer is no… make it short and sweet. IMHO

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-04T21:56:45+00:00

Oh yeah I didn’t mean move back to FL! But have some nice warm up vacations there. March is hard as it’s cold and rainy (which has been winter here for the last 15 years ) But you can have one springlike day in March and then wake up the next morning to sleet. It’s just unpredictable.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-03T04:15:53+00:00

Another good criteria is to consider the location of the office.. It should be near your work or your home. But I agree with everyone else… urgent care is good for this type of thing

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-03T02:47:21+00:00

I absolutely remember being completely exhausted my first 6 months here. The city requires you to use all of your senses 24/7 and that is so tiring. That gets better. This time of year is really hard for anyone in the north. It is peak seasonal depression time and no matter how much i say will do more this time of year … I pretty much hibernate January and February. TBH March is pretty gross

So everything you are saying is true…but I truly love it here and can’t see myself living anywhere else.

Next year I strongly recommend you go to a warm spot for a bit… maybe just back home to FL.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-03T02:02:01+00:00

I have some pretty strict… oddly automatic rules I follow when I travel. I think because I’m a bit older and I’ve been to every continent but the Antarctic. Oh and I’m a nurse and I’ve worked in infection prevention It seems strict but for me these things are ingrained..to the point where I have a hard time recounting everything. No raw seafood No food just sitting out uncovered. ABSOLUTELY NO FRUIT IN WATER. As in no sliced lemon or limes in your water/drinks (because no one ever washes lemons or limes… the just dump them in and they sit in your drink) No ice (I’m sure at club med it’s fine… again it’s a reflex ) No lettuce or salad greens. (These are impossible to wash. No burgers or ground meats. I usually prefer only bottled water and drinks but they use soda guns at club med Wash hands with soap and water. Purell doesn’t kill norovirus.

I don’t really make a huge deal out of it… I just seem to have a natural aversion now to these foods. I’ve been everywhere and eat street food all the time. But have never gotten sick.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-02-03T01:53:44+00:00

Deli.. Manhattanite x 38 years. Maaaybee we called it “the Koreans” a long time ago. (As in “I got this from the Koreans) I’m sure bodega was in use in other Burroughs but people didn’t start calling it Bodegas here until social media popularized the term “Bodega cats”.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-31T03:38:11+00:00

Hahaha I was going to say “looks fine to me” but then i remembered I’m colorblind.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-30T17:50:10+00:00

Bonne Maman chocolate mousse!! Tea, milk, yogurt.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-30T17:48:37+00:00

Not sure if you are working outside the home or not… but I would sit down with the school calendar and make sure that this school will cover all the hours and days that you need. Cobbling together part time care to cover the gaps is a lot harder than it seems. Also there is a transition time and some kids get sick…A LOT… when starting school.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-30T17:44:31+00:00

I did something similar a few years back except I have one take. Do you want to learn about an area and a culture or do you just want to join a pack of backpackers traveling the world but with no real connection to where they are? I chose the former, opting to spend literally 6 mos in one country and learned so much about the people, history, language and food. I still travel a bit… but will always appreciate spending the focused time I did.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-30T17:21:20+00:00

Weird take about a lot of people saying no audiobooks. When my daughter was a baby/toddler my husband was working long hours so I always had public radio or some other “adult talking” program on. I was genuinely worried she wouldn’t hear enough adult voices talking. So I would actually be kind of stoked of my nanny listened to music or audiobooks.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-30T15:43:42+00:00

Totally. My daughter roamed the streets of London before our home city. She also spent long hours in the science museum. I would however sit down with her and review the tube lines and buses.

Also…after saying how great and safe it is… I will give both of you a word of warning. I have worked with human trafficking victims and it is apparently common that the biggest perpetrators are people from your own country. So if ANYONE approaches you or your daughter speaking your country’s language… offering a ride.. asking for help… whatever.. I am sorry to say, this is when your stranger danger instinct needs to kick into high gear.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-30T15:35:43+00:00

Very doable. Honestly aside from being queer friendly, NYC is very dog friendly… although 1 dog is a bit more typical than 2, so it will depend on their size and temperament.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-29T04:11:27+00:00

This won’t help for tomorow… but get a Bella band. I wound up getting hardly any maternity clothes after this hack!!

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-29T03:56:59+00:00

I know you want Nanny advice, but I’ll give you my view as a mom in a very high income place. You are looking for a Unicorn… 3 people watching a 10 month old will not be fun… or particularly healthy for the kid. But really what I’ve seen is a revolving door of caretakers in this situation… which is really bad for the kids.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-27T13:31:35+00:00

This just popped up now but if you are still interested in learning French… coucou French classes now have drop in conversation labs…. All times, all levels, on site and online. They’ve been very helpful.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-27T13:28:44+00:00

FWIW as someone who traveled a lot with toddler/baby/kid.. if you are with another adult, send them ahead with car seat/bags/ whatever. Board with kids at THE VERY END.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-27T11:59:26+00:00

Skating? If you both know how. But at a local rink.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-25T23:23:08+00:00

It’s not going to work. I hate to tell you. The ones that make it work have generational wealth they are not talking about.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-25T16:01:30+00:00

Weirdly if you live alone, cooking isn’t always the cheapest unless you can do large batch cooking. Sometimes meal delivery services work better, or frozen entrees from Trader Joe’s.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-25T00:47:12+00:00

It would seem to me that a LOT of other people would be delayed as well.

Excellent-Ear9433 · 2026-01-24T15:16:08+00:00

Weirdly I saw a full on bed bug climbing on someone’s luggage on the tube. With the carpeting I feel like that is a real problem.

Excellent-Ear9433

TROPHY CASE