• About
  • Blog
  • Working together
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
/
June 25, 2009

In The Rain at Madison Square Park

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share

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.

IMG_8088

IMG_8085

IMG_8086

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.

IMG_8091

IMG_8092

IMG_8096

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).

IMG_8098

IMG_8105

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!

IMG_8103

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.

IMG_8099

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.

IMG_8108

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.

IMG_8110[subscribe2]

Related

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share
Pin this Post
Share this Post
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.

You May Also Like...

Christmas Tree Hunting in Long Island, NY

December 12, 2008

Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, NY

December 10, 2008

Winter afternoon in the Bronx Zoo, NY

December 16, 2008
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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Post
The Little Red Lighthouse, Ft. Washington Park, NY
Next Post
An Evening in Pictures: Big City Lights

Categories

  • Asia5 Post(s)
  • Caribbean17 Post(s)
  • Central America4 Post(s)
  • Europe54 Post(s)
  • North America318 Post(s)
  • Oceana1 Post(s)

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

Contact

  • caincarol@gmail.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

Bucket list coffee shop: @mercurycoffeeco 🤎 Fr Bucket list coffee shop: @mercurycoffeeco 🤎

From a mobile coffee cart that started in March of 2024 to a brick and mortar that opened in the cool Rochester neighborhood of South Wedge in June 2025, this sweet little shop is serving up cool vibes and delicious coffee. 

Was it my third cup of coffee of the morning? Yes. Was it worth it? A million percent. 

Go give them some love. 🫶🏾☕️

#rochesterny #fingerlakes #coffeetiktok #coffeelover @visitrochester
Two things easily sooth my soul: coffee and books. Two things easily sooth my soul: coffee and books. And this afternoon was for books. Enter this cool bookstore find in Pittsford, NY: @bookculturepittsford. New for me, but this gem has been a part of the Pittsford community since December of 2021, with another location in NYC on 112th and Broadway. (Founded as Labyrinth Books in 1997).

It looks small on the outside, but it’s a massive space taking up two shops, and a garage in the back dedicated to kids’ books and gifts.

Honestly, they have such a diverse collection I am surprised I only walked away with three books. Could have easily done more damage. 

Pittsford itself is a pretty area outside of the city of Rochester and a short drive from the same, with tons to do including enjoying a bike ride on the trail along the Erie Canal (or take a cruise!), shopping in cute stores, and dining in quaint locally owned eateries. A very sweet experience. 

Add this shop to your book lover’s must see. 

#rochesterny #pittsfordny #fingerlakes #booklovers #bookshops @visitrochester
Just a video of two sleepy coffee lovers hitting u Just a video of two sleepy coffee lovers hitting up one of their favorite coffee spots in ROC, @uglyduckcoffee. Never disappoints. 🫶🏾

#rochesterny #coffeelover #coffeeshop #fingerlakes
I am on a photography assignment this week in Roch I am on a photography assignment this week in Rochester and what I love about this whole area is that no matter how often I am here, for work or leisure, I am always left impressed and in love. Here’s little gem from today (so far). Come on a stroll with me along Devils Bathtub in Mendon Pond Park. 

#mendonny #naturelover #trail @visitrochester
Moment of zen. I love the ocasional walk in the ra Moment of zen. I love the ocasional walk in the rain. Something so calming about it. ❤️

#fingerlakes #momentofzen
Today is the day we drop off our youngest, @liamca Today is the day we drop off our youngest, @liamcain._, at college. While it is an exciting period of change for all of us, it feels surreal. There was a time this moment felt so, so far away….and yet, now, it feels like it came so quickly. And  while I am thrilled for him, and for us, I am also sad. So much to process. 

Wishing my “baby” boy all the luck. ❤️

#collegedropoff #freshmanyear #college

Copyright © 2025 Girl Gone Travel | Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice