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North America, Travel
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June 25, 2009

In The Rain at Madison Square Park

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It’s been raining a lot in NYC for the past couple of weeks.  This has caused me to get somewhat creative in the things I do with the boys do during the day.  Luckily there is always something going on at the different public libraries throughout the city.  I tend to venture to other neighborhoods just for a change in scenery,  at times the just go to the bookstore, or museums.  But with all the rain, it seems that all those activities inside aren’t enough to get rid of the desire to do things outside.  So, more than once, I had settled with just getting wet.

Today was such a day.  The forecast promised rained, and it had already been drizzling on and off.  I had an event at the ever fun-tastic Apple seeds and was excited to take the kids with me.

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They had a great time at Apple seeds, the play area is big, and colorful, and tons of fun.  The boys were the last to be picked up from the reserved play area they had for the event, and it took me a little while to get them out.  Eventually, I got them out by taking them through the gift shop and getting them little toys to play with.  I rushed out, realizing way too late that I had left the 2.5 year old’s shoes behind.  It started to drizzle, but as we were about to enter the train station someone told us that the uptown trains weren’t working.  At that point the rain started coming down, hard.  I started getting frustrated, but then I looked down at my boys, and neither of them cared.  They were so distracted by the little toys that the heavy rain had no effect on them at all.

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So, I took a deep breath and headed over to Madison Square Park, to walk around, in the rain, and take some pictures while the boys played and splashed around in the puddles.  People hurrying by stared, some smiling watching us as the boys laughed at the joy of getting wet.  My 3.5 year even sat down next to a lady who had an umbrella and tried to encourage her to come out from underneath it and join him in play. (She gently refused).

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It was great to walk through the uncrowded park, and I did see that there would a few people who also didn’t mind being in the rain at all, these were the happy souls standing on the very, very short line in front of the often ridiculously busy Shake Shack (shame, had I planned it better, I wouldn’t have eaten so much at beforehand).  As a matter of fact, I’ve never had a shake from this location, even though it is the original, because the lines are always so long! Thank goodness for Shake Shack on Columbus Ave!

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We also took some time to sit down for a bit and watch the people working around the stage that had been set up for Madison Square Music, which are concerts that happen every Wednesday night till August 5th (I can’t wait to see The Jimmies on June 30 as part of Kid Fest). It seemed for a moment as if it weren’t raining at all, there was a quietness brought from the rain, which inspired me to close my eyes and enjoy it.

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I have always loved getting caught in the rain.  When I was very, very young I lived with an aunt in the poor rural countryside of Puerto Rico.  We lived in a cinder block home, with no running water, dirt floors, and a tin roof. My aunt would bring in water and pour it into a bathing tin and this is where my sister and I would bathe.  But when it rained, we would both go out and “shower” with the water pouring out of the drainage pipe my aunt had installed for such occasions or just by standing in our muddy garden letting the rain pour on me. I remember these times as being some of the happiest from my childhood.  As a teenager then living in a troubled home in the Dominican Republic, I would escape to the roof of my father’s home when it rained and I would lift up my face and close my eyes, imagining the rain was washing away this sad, lonely existence and allow a better one to surface. It was in those instances, at that time, when I felt most at peace.

Sitting there in Madison Square Park, letting the rain soak me, my children, and all we carried with us, it seemed those years were someone else’s life rather than my own past, but yet the rain, and seeing the joy in my children’s faces as they played in it reminded me of both the poor little girl in PR, and the sad teenager in DR, who found freedom and refuge in the cool drops that fell from the sky, and though I know that that life is nothing like what my children have experienced in theirs, I was glad to see that they were, like me, able to really appreciate and enjoy it.

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As the heavy rain starting becoming a soft drizzle, we got up and started making our way back home, dripping wet, with squeaky shoes (those who had any), and a big smile on our faces talking about what fun all that was.

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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4 Comments
  • Lisa
    July 1, 2009

    I love walking around in the rain but I hate having wet clothes 🙂

    They looked like they were loving the rain..

    Reply
  • Jessica
    September 28, 2009

    Just discovered appleseeds, AND ShakeShack- OMG. Words cannot describe my JOY!

    Reply
  • Jessica
    September 28, 2009

    Your boys are absolutely adorable.

    Reply
  • Hotel Giraffe: Catering to Couples, But Also To Kids in Tow | NYCity Mama
    August 25, 2010

    […] on Park Avenue South and 26th street, it is near a lot of my favorite spots, such as Madison Square Park, where you’ll find the first and famous Shake Shack, as well as the location where many free, […]

    Reply

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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A message about yesterday’s event: Happy Monday A message about yesterday’s event:

Happy Monday, y’all. Woke up in time to enjoy the soft glow of sunlight that shines its way around our house in the morning, and sipped on a cafecito without being rushed for anything. So already today is a win. 

Yesterday we worked our longest day yet for our little coffee cart that could (7 hours!!!) at the Heritage Fiesta in Ithaca, NY. 

Though we were ready for a crowd, the reception was also unexpected because there was a popular coffee shop just steps away. 

But we had Cómodo Fam stop by, family (who also fed us 🙏🏾), and soooo many members of the Latinx and BIPOC community who were just excited to see a small business like ours representing. 

I want to share that we were ALL worried about potential harassment and assault by 🧊and fliers were handed out to prepare us. And you would think that it would’ve intimidated the community enough to not come out…BUT WE DID. In numbers. 

And for hours that little parking lot next to Press Bay Alley was packed with all sorts of Latinx and non-Latinx community members, eating, laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking all the cafecitos and refreshers we had to offer. Literally. We went home cleaned out!

All this to say that we are all aware of the threats but we also understand the power and importance of coming together as a community and a people. By no means are we all the same, and Lord knows a lot of Latinos have a lot of self-reflecting to do based on the choices they made, but yesterday was a testament to the best of us, and I thank @yenospina and @lcatompkins for putting together such a wonderful event, for inviting @cafecomodony to be a part of it, and to all the friends, old and new, who came out to support us and la cultura. 

#fingerlakes #newyork #cafecomodo #coffeelover
Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite lazy day pastimes of the season: market shopping for fall goodies - which in the Finger Lakes is especially bountiful. 

📍Joseph’s Wayside Markey, Naples, NY

#fingerlakes #newyork #octobermood #fallday
Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The proce Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The process is busy and noisy but also exciting and fun to watch. 

This cloudy morning seems to have calmed things down a bit, but not for long I am sure. These families work hard!

Bonus: they set up roadside stands so we can purchase and taste them 🍇 I highly recommend picking some up if you see some in your drive. 

#fingerlakes #lifeinthecountry #newyork
The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️ The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️
I want to take moment to send out love to my fello I want to take moment to send out love to my fellow Latinx and immigrant community. 

To send strength to my community of glorious misfits who are out in the world making good trouble and emboldening us to not give up hope on our dreams, our livelihoods, our future, our country, our people. 

The country our parents worked so hard to get to so that we could fly. A country they helped build and bring to prosper. A country our communities help to feed and house and care for. 

I am my immigrant parents dream come true, and my children are a continuation of that dream. 

I just want to remind all of us who represent the targeted, of our worth. Of the value of our contributions. In our languages, our culture, our insights, our work ethic and skills and knowledge. Of the things we bring to the table.

I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or to us. But, as someone whose family lived through a dictatorship, I have an idea of how this story will end. And all I can advise is that we remain on the right side of it, our convictions unaltered, our core values untethered. Our spirits unbroken. In these stories, the monsters might scare us, and even harm some of us, but they never, ever win in the end. 

I am living proof of that. ❤️ And every time you succeed and feel joy, you are too. Pa’lante, mi gente.
Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes. Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes.

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