Photo Shoot Friday: Family Life in the Big Apple

As I walked around the Upper East Side and Central Park today, I couldn't help but to wonder what it would be like to raise a family in Manhattan. At the moment, when I close my eyes and try to picture another city I could see myself living in, I come up blank. However, I had the most wonderful childhood growing up in the beautiful suburbs of Kentucky, so it's hard to imagine my future children not having a similar experience. 

 This is a playground in Central Park, near the Metropolitan museum. Notice the lack of kids on it? Kids are easy creatures to amuse—throw a few swing sets and slides in the middle of a grassy lawn and they're good to go. I'm not so sure the money invested in this futuristic-looking playground was worth it. 

 When I saw this cute little girl, I wondered whether or not my children would go to a private school where tidy, crisp uniforms were required—or, a public school where they could rock cute little Lacoste shirts and colorful mix-matched socks if they so desired.

 I breathed a sigh of relief when I came across this playground where the kids were hanging upside down, and actually looked like they were having fun. There was a row of nannies sitting on a bench (typical), and I wanted to take a pic, but I noticed them staring at me so I decided against it. I was already feeling like a child predator snapping pics of the kids, so I didn't want to push it. 

I walked by this private school, and while I don't doubt the educational system is nothing short of fantastic, it looked pretty darn stuffy. You should have seen the long line of moms waiting to pick up their kids. Half of them had a Starbucks cup in one hand and a tennis racquet in the other—just coming from a private session from their hot instructor named Pierre, no doubt. 

 I caught these two doggies checking each other out—it was so cute! Having a dog in this crazy city is not incredibly practical—unless of course, I lived in a sweet apartment like this:

 I just love this charming—and spacious—apartment. Maybe one day (you know, when I'm not still living paycheck to paycheck!)

Tell me: What do you think it would be like to raise a family in the Big Apple? Do you think it would be Gossip Girl-esque or do you think it's possible to be somewhat "normal?"