NYC, Baby!

Have I mentioned lately that I (heart) New York City??? Well not recently enough. This video reminds me just why I love it so, so, so much. I can't stop watching it. Certain parts make me laugh out loud. It fills up my heart and makes me happy. Hope you enjoy it too! Doesn't it make you want to be there?

People are just so cool sometimes. I especially love the blue umbrella part, the Buzz Lightyear moment, the woman in the floppy black hat (I crack up every time ~ she's fabulous!), and how NYC makes people want to break out in song on the street. I've even done it myself once or twice. (Smile)

And how can you not love Improv Everywhere?

{found on Color Me Katie!}

PS ~ Speaking of New York City, has anyone seen "The Lottery", the education documentary? I finally got to watch it in full today and let's just say that it tug at my heartstrings. I thought it was quite powerful and definitely worth a watch.

PPS ~ Happy Halloween to everyone!!!

Snapshots of a Weekend in NYC!

We're back. Already. It always goes by so fast. There's no way to slow it down. There will never be enough time to fit everything in. I don't ever want to leave when I'm there. I'm always a little melancholic to come home ~ I can't help it ~ it's a totally different life. This time, with a little one arriving soon, leaving was hard because I don't know how soon I'll be able to return.... (sniffle)

Can I just say that the weather was DIVINE? We couldn't have chosen a better weekend. Not one drop of rain. Beautiful sunshine. Fair weather (unlike HOT Charlotte).

There were some overcast moments but even those were beautiful in their own way.

And then one always has the vibrant colors of Chinatown to liven things up...

Spring was in FULL bloom everywhere we looked.

We visited old friends and met some new "friends" too.

The T-Rex at the American Museum of Natural History was a real highlight for Sophie! Mom was rather partial to the elephants in the Hall of African Mammals and the Blue Whale (WOW!).

As always, I dreamed about city life and what it must be like. This second image is my dream address ~ 1 Gramercy Park.

We checked out some of our favorite places.....

{The Chrysler Building is my favorite skyscraper. Love ARTDECO!}

{The Flatiron Building}

{The Empire State Building}

{The Guggenheim Museum}

And even visited some new ones...

{The High Line....oh how I loved it!}

{The famous Apollo Theater in Harlem}

{Grant's Tomb. I had no idea this was in Manhattan!}

{Not sure what this building is but just enjoyed the architecture!}

Oh New York, New York....you are already missed....

NYC Wish List for April 2011

It's that time of year again! The family will be heading to NYC in the next month to celebrate my birthday. How much can we possibly squeeze into 3 days? We'll see. I'm going to try to fit in the below. Wish us luck....

~ Take Sophie to the Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History

~ Take Sophie to the Whale Room at the American Museum of Natural History

{Photo by Denis Finnin/AMNH}

~ Visit Moomah

{photo via Moomah site}

~ I didn't make it to Pop Bar on my last trip. While this isn't high on the priority ranking, I'd still like to check it out....especially if the weather's warm.

~ Enjoy another picnic on Cherry Hill in Central Park (the last time was just too good NOT to be repeated, Sophie talks about it all the time)

{my own image from last year's picnic}

~ Visit the The High Line; I've heard and read so much about it...it's about time to see it in person.

~ Take Alain & Sophie on a tour bus (you might remember I did this in August and I LOVED IT!) and take more inspiring pictures (see here and here)

~ Possibly visit my dear friend, Helena, and her brand new baby (due April 10th - or is it the 13th?!?!?!) out in Westchester - I know Sophie would go NUTS over the train ride!!!

~ Visit with "Uncle Jordie"

~ Wish Mr. Kaplan a great big "Happy Birthday" in person!!! :-)

~ Stop in Fishs Eddy. Yes, this is on the list every time.

~ Wander with no destination. Discover something new.

~ Be amazed....

Happiness is.....

~ Having my 24-week checkup with the doctor Monday morning and seeing my baby girl wiggling around on the ultrasound. Normally, there wouldn't have been an ultrasound during this appointment but my doctor had some concern because this baby girl hangs REALLY LOW, ALL THE TIME. The nurse had a hard time finding her heartbeat, even after I'd warned her that the baby was extremely low. As it turns out, everything is GREAT, GREAT, GREAT. This baby is currently in breech position, sitting on my bladder, and her feet are right around my hoo-ha (which is where I feel all of her movement and kicks). There is absolutely zero sign of any pre-term labor. Her heartbeat is very steady at 156 bpm. I was amazed at how large she's become and how she's starting to fill out my entire uterus. Wow. And I almost fell off the table when my doctor said we'll start the 2-week checkups after next month's appointment. WOW. This pregnancy is flying by and that was my wake-up call. So...very happy appointment!!!

~ Receiving a lovely, lovely handwritten letter/card in the mail, from my wonderful sister-in-law, Bianca. (I am blessed with two wonderful sisters-in-law actually and consider myself quite lucky!) She saw my blog post about the 52 week/52 letter challenge and decided to beat me to the punch by sending me a handwritten little sumpin', sumpin'. While she apologized for the picture on the front of the card, I LOVED IT. It made me giggle because I thought it was more than appropriate given my current "condition". What do you think?

~ Also, with regard to the 52/52 Challenge, I mailed letters #2 and #3 today! And, see, you thought I'd already forgotten....

~Fresh flowers in the hooouuuussseeeee. It's been my splurge lately. And it really does make me happier....

~ Planning our next family trip to New York City. I'm working on my current wish list (here's the wish list for my solo trip last August) and it makes me so very excited!!! I can hardly stand it....so much to do there and so little time always.

~ Watching and singing The Sound of Music with Sophie. Last weekend we planned a family movie night to let Sophie watch The Sound of Music for the first time. What a great idea! She LOVED IT and now asks to watch the "Music Machine" (a special feature showing all the songs from the movie) almost daily. It's very fun to watch and sing along with her. It's also so heart warming to listen to her sing and dance from the next room!

~ Sophie's art work brightening up the kitchen.

You could say that I am obsessed...

....with New York City hotels. I have this undying fascination. So I was particularly intrigued when I heard that The James New York was under construction in SOHO. It opened in September. I finally had a chance (and remembered!) to look up the website and check out the gallery. Swoon! This is definitely on my NYC Wishlist (which is quite long, thank you!)....

Below is a guest room. It's so very sexy....

A corner guest room....

This is a shot of the urban garden up on the roof! A little zen for the city folk.

The rooftop pool. Ahem.

And I've saved the best for last. The exterior shot of the building.

I (heart) the architecture!!!

So the next time you see me and I'm looking a little *dreamy* and spaced out, I may very well be visiting here in my mind....

NYC Flower District

Last summer I read this article in the Travel section of The New York Times. I'd never been to the Flower District before....honestly, I didn't even know there was one. So I added the Flower District to my "NYC TO DO LIST". Finally, on this trip, I made it there....

As Cara recommended, I started my trip at Guy & Gallard. Yes, good move. I had a Chai that was just belly warming and delicious. It was a delight and a good find. The place was booming...

Then I walked over to West 28th Street. My first sight were these Van Gogh sunflowers. Swoon. They gave me a flashback. I had two of the most beautiful dinners ever at La Grenouille a couple of years ago. These sunflowers will always remind me of those particular dinners & that restaurant. When we organized the dinners, the restaurant allowed us to pay additional money for more flowers. We did and I'd recommend that to anyone planning a private party there. The flowers were so magnificent and the bouquets included tons of the Van Gogh sunflowers. I was so pleased to turn the corner and run into them.....

Cara Buckley described the sidewalk here as "a lush hallway" and she was right. I tried to capture this in a photo. I love the juxtaposition of so many plants, all this nature, set right up against the cement, street signs, manmade structures, etc.

You expect to find a lot of things on a New York City street but maybe not these.

I walked into a few different stores here to browse around. Wow. I LOVED the store above....thought I'd walked right into ribbon heaven. I helped a total stranger pick out ribbons for her mother's 80th birthday party. I'm always tickled at the encounters I have with random folks when I'm visiting New York. People often incorrectly assume that people are rude in the city. I would strongly disagree with that.

I love anything to do with presents, gift wrap, ribbon, presentation, etc. so I enjoyed this display of stacked presents hanging from the ceiling.

I'm really glad I visited The Flower District. It's so tiny....not even making up an entire city block. I don't agree with Cara that this will take you half a day. I was there about an hour and a half. But it was worth the trip. My guess is that, over time, this "district" will get smaller or disappear all together. I hope I'm wrong.

Inspiration in The City

When I'm in New York, I feel constantly inspired. By everything.

The colors (how about these rainbow file folders?).

The advertising.

The architecture (ah, the architecture!.....).

The little touches of nature. Sometimes you have to intentionally look for it.

The randomness.

Even the mundane (Knuffle Bunny, anyone?).

Scenes from The City

I am back from New York.

I had a wonderful trip. Six full days.

But even six days is not nearly enough.

I am already longing for my next trip there.

I can't get enough.

"Eat Your View"....Brought to Life

Blue Hill at Stone Barns. A dream of mine. A mecca of local and seasonal eating (a huge passion for me!). Artisanal wine. A long dinner with great friends. What more could a girl ask for?

As I've mentioned, I'm heading up to New York City soon. Helena has surprised me by making dinner reservations at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. I look forward to this dinner with so much anticipation. Mostly, I can't wait to spend some time with my lovely friends. Helena and I had dinner at Blue Hill, in Greenwich Village, about a year and a half ago. It was a memorable meal ~ the food, the ambiance and the company. I had cauliflower steak (I'm a vegetarian) and I am pretty sure that is still the most original entree I've ever eaten. And that's saying something considering the restaurants I've had the pleasure of visiting.

What will this dinner bring? I can't wait to find out.

NYC, Baby, Here I Come!!!

I am heading to my favorite place on Earth next month. New York City. Each time I go I have a long list of places I hope to visit. This time is no different. I'm composing my list here....

1.) Pop Bar. Yes, it's ridiculously trendy right now. But I am going in August and I'm sure it will be hot out. And who can resist this choice of gelato on a stick??? Maybe I will skip a meal so that I can sample more than one. Yum yum.

2.) I am reading one of the books that I posted about here. It's titled In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise. A couple of nights ago I was reading a chapter that discusses pocket parks. These are "small patches of landscaped nature generally built on vacant building lots or scraps of urban land that fall between the cracks of real estate interests". I love the idea of a little oasis of nature and quiet (actually "water masks the grinding city sounds") right in the middle of Manhattan. One of these parks - Paley Park - is near my hotel. It's also one of the oldest pocket parks in the US, having opened in 1967. I will definitely visit this one. There are two others mentioned as well. If time permits, I will try to visit at least one of those. They are Greenacre Park (51st St between 2nd and 3rd Aves.) and 1221 Ave of the Americas.

Greenacre Park Image via New York Times

3.) Brooklyn. This chick, in about 30 visits, has never left the confines of the borough of Manhattan. I intend to visit Brooklyn on this trip. I am really hoping (fingers tightly crossed) to walk back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge. This is something that has been on my list for YEARS.

4.) Fishs Eddy. Okay, I visit here on every trip. But I love this store and it's always worth the time and effort to get there. Since I'm already there, I will most likely also stop in ABC Carpet & Home.

5.) A walk through the Flower District. Oddly enough, I've never been to this part of town. Hoping to take an early morning walk there....

Flower District Image via New York Times

6.) The whole purpose of this trip is to celebrate my dear friend, Dori's, birthday. In her birthday celebration plans, she is fulfilling a long-held dream of mine......to go to a private karaoke bar. I feel like a kid going to the world's biggest candy store. Let's just hope all these ladies want to remain friends with me after they hear me sing. (I hope they sell alcohol there.) Hmmmm......I'm wondering if they'll have The Dixie Chick's "Sin Wagon" on the playlist.

7.) I am heading up early so that I am able to visit my very sweet and lovely friend, Helena. She currently resides in Sleepy Hollow, up in Westchester. I am so thrilled to spend the night with Helena because, well, I just love spending time with her. We go way back. But I'm thinking maybe we could visit the famed Sleepy Hollow cemetery. Great for photos. Helena, are you reading? What do you think? (Side Note: Helena and I took the best bus tour over in England. It was my first and only foray outside of the city of London. One of our stops was Stonehenge. The massive bus pulled into the parking lot....Helena and I viewed Stonehenge from across the street.....agreed that we'd "Been there, done that"....and then sat on a bench eating snacks purchased at the refreshment stand......and we were as happy as clams....I love that about us!)

8.) Since I'm training for the race at the end of September, I'm thinking it would be cool to take one of my runs around the Reservoir in Central Park. I would SO feel like a native. Maybe I'll pass by Charlotte York. Oh yes, wait, that is only a character.