01 September 2010

This Is How It's Done

When my mom was with us, she got to see first hand how we get around the city, and she thought that our friends on Planet America would like to see how it's done.

So let's go for a walk to the metro...

First, make sure you have everything you need for the kids:  Diapers, changes of clothes, snacks, drinks, burp cloths, you know the drill.
Then grab your keys and passports for everyone.
Next, buckle up Isaiah in his wheel chair and strap Nadia into her carrier.  Depending on the time of year, this can take anywhere from 20-45 minutes, but now you're ready to go!

We leave our apartment and walk down the hallway.

that's our door at the end, so we get to walk past all the stuff in the hallway on our way to the big metal door

Unlock the thick metal door.

it helps to pull him through backwards
the door behind Mama is to the stairway

Wait for the elevator.



Looks like a decent size, right?

Then push Isaiah in and there's room for two more people, thankfully that's usually all we need, and we don't mind squishing a bit.

see that little space to the right?  that's for me.

Exit the elevator and go down the "handicap accessible" stairs.

kids, don't try this alone!

Go out the apartment building door and down the "handicap accessible" stairs to the sidewalk.



Then walk about 15-20 minutes to the metro, pull Isaiah up a couple steps (at our station, that is), go through the heavy glass doors (thankfully during summer there's only one heavy door!), go through the turnstile area and down the escalator, yes with the wheel chair.


And then you're ready to get on the train and ride wherever you're going.

So now you know how it's done.

3 comments:

Julie Fuller said...

WOW. From a stroller perspective, I wish lots of places had those "handicap accessible" stairs... but from a wheelchair perspective, I imagine you'd rather have something more substantial (and that kids could do by themselves)! :-o

Anonymous said...

My ex-husband had a spinal cord injury and was in a wheelchair. We went to France one time and were amazed at how un-accessible that country was. Cabs wouldn't even pick us up when they saw the chair!

The Nelsons said...

I'm tired and I haven't even gotten anywhere!