Just got this heartwarming email from a new dad who, at one point thought that, if it weren't for all the celebrities and Bugaboos crowdin' up the joint, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn might be an alright place to raise a kid:
Back in when the first images of the latest Bugaboos were leaking, I was a new dad-to-be. I came across your site and found many like-minded fellas and got a lot of comfort from the great insight and sense of humor. I read some of your thoughts on the new Bug and did some investigating, as my wife was beginning planning what gear we needed.Wow, changing his tune on the Bugaboo and supporting local merchants? Next thing you know, he'll be nominated for an Oscar for his gay cowboy movie. Good luck, pardner!I did some number crunching and thought that, while these strollers were overpriced, if you compared what you'd spend on a bassinet, stroller, car seat adapter stroller, etc. you'd spend as much as you would on the new Bug. (Not really, but still it wasn't that far off.)
So I presented my idea to my wife, who was against it. I am glad to say that I now get to say I told you so, as she asked me to buy one the other day. But before I enjoy in the very rare moment of being right after all, I must confess:
I became a Bugaboo-Player Hater. I'll easily admit a small percentage of envy from the days of the Frog, but I just had this conservative side saying what many have been: "Why in the hell should you pay almost a grand for a stroller?"I am angered at the marketing to new parents that fosters materialism run amok. But the people pushing these things in my 'hood were clearly using them as a status symbol, and it was just silly. These parents looked silly. I once went to a large baby store and watched with horror as the shallow parents fussed over the new models. [umm...was that you glaring at me?? -ed.] They talked as if they really had no regard for the kid. It really sealed the deal for me against Bugaboos. Then things changed...
We had a Universal Greco stroller adapter that we pushed around our Brooklyn streets, and it just sucked. [ouch. But that is a pretty uneven smackdown, the Universal vs. the Bug -ed.] Our boy wasn't taking to his bassinet upstairs, but loved sleeping in the babyseat stroller. My wife, who had now been spending more time out during the day pushing the crappy $50 stroller around, began to see the point of the Bugaboo. When she asked me to get it, I said, "No problem. You buy it and buy it from a local Brooklyn store." We did, and we've never been happier.
Easy on Heath mate. I thought Jake looked the more consenting of the two, not that I saw it or anything...'course being an Aussie, no blokes are allowed to see it. You'd have to relinquish your passport and move to NZ.