Another Early Morning

Friday wore us out but we were up and ready to go at it again Saturday.  We decided to try and get standby tickets for the season opener of Saturday Night Live.  If you go the the 49th Street side of NBC Studios on the morning of the live taping they distribute standby tickets for both the 8:30 rehearsal and the actual show. Well...that didn't work out.  Apparently people had been waiting since Thursday night! 

We got over our minor disappointment and excitedly headed to the Union Square Farmer's Market.  Boy were we impressed!  The flowers, food, people and atmosphere made for such a great experience.  I am sure we would be hard pressed to find an equal.  I can't wait to be able to go back with a meal in mind!

To Brooklyn...

To Chinatown and Beyond!

Friday evening meant heading to Chinatown (Joe's Shanghai) for dumplings that were supposed to be the best in the world  according to one of Alexa's former professors.  Well, we were not disappointed!  The dumplings were scrumptious though we weren't quite sure how best to eat them.  I was the hasty one and tried to use my chopsticks while my tour guide took extra care to evaluate the situation before digging in.  Attempting to spare me embarrassment in front of the seasoned dumpling connoisseurs,  Alexa quickly and quietly informed me that the obvious spoon looking thing beside my plate might be a better choice.  Too late.  I had already stabbed the doughy treat with my chopsticks.  Oh well, I was the free entertainment for the eclectic mix of people at our family style meal.  I can handle that!

On the way home we stopped by the wonderful Fairway Market.  Everything was so neatly displayed and colorful with huge loaves of artisan breads, all sorts of cheeses and buckets of olives.  However, don't plan on buying Band-Aids there (I tried).  This is a grocery market not a drug store people!

The subway was a special treat for me!  I was pleasantly surprised with the musicians playing their jazz, the efficiency of the system (usually) and the lack of rats!  We had several entertaining moments with a few passengers where we learned a few things.  Alexa has mastered the maze under the city and I was in awe watching her problem solve when we ran into a snag!

To be continued...

Where do I begin?

This past weekend, I went to NYC to visit Alexa.  I guess that's a good way to start since the rest of the trip was a whirlwind of sights, sounds, interesting people, great food and the most excellent of company.

Ever since I came back, I have been trying to piece the whole trip together.  Let me tell you, it has been difficult.  We filled every waking moment with some touristy and not so touristy doings.  We accumulated around 15 hours total of sleep for three days and by the end of my visit we both had sore leg muscles and blistered, worn out feet (Sorry David, once again, neither of us heeded your practical advise).

So here it goes.  I will chronologically attempt to retrace our bazillion footsteps through beautiful, quirky NYC.

• Arrive and pay entirely too much for a cab from Newark Airport to Alexa's studio.  Advise...stick with the yellow cabs.
• Stroll down to Shake Shack for a divine experience in Burgerdom. Fries and a vanilla shake complete the ensemble. Stroll a little more and chat :o).
• Fall asleep to the sweet sounds of garbage trucks, blaring CSI, and clomping high heels above.  AHH!  I love New York!  Alexa, being the New Yorker that she already is never heard a thing!
• Awake to the sound of an alarm at 5:15 am.  Oh wait...Alexa turned it off and didn't remember.  Awake at 6:15... I think.
• Hop on the subway to NBC Studios to watch the Friday morning Today Show.  Yes we acted like all the rest of the goofy tourists hoping to get on TV.  Hey!  You only live once!  Alexa got a picture of me with Lenny and that totaly made my day!  Sorry Matt, Meridith, Al, and Ann, I love Lenny!  Oh yeah, and while we were there, a guy that works where I do recognized me and said Hi!  Small world!
• Ate real NY bagels, saw where Alexa works, wandered around Bryant Park and visited Grand Central Station.  Thank goodness Alexa was photographing the same things as I was because I somehow lost the pictures of part of my first day.
   
• We then marveled at all the pretty things at Anthropologie and while there, I perused a book about things you must see in NYC and stumbled across a button store called Tender Buttons. This place was so quaint and housed thousands of buttons, new and old.  We wondered if maybe designers possibly frequent this shop to adorn their fashions with old, rare treasures.  Some of the buttons were priced in the hundreds of dollars!

 

• We mozied our way to our 1:30 reservation at Serendipity for a frozen hot chocolate and sandwiches.  And yes, the frozen hot chocolate was just that and you have to get one if you ever make it to Serendipity.  Tiffany Lamps decorate the adorable restaurant and they have a $1000 dessert and a $70.00 hot dog for those who really want to impress!

• After our serendipitous lunch, we headed to Central Park.  All I can say is WOW!  I saw runners, cyclists, children playing, boaters rowing and sailboats sailing!  I saw green, green and more green.  It is so pretty and so amazing that this place resides in the middle of a metropolis such as Manhattan.

Oh thank you Alexa for hosting me in your new home!  I can't wait to come back!  Time for bed!...still cathching up.  More of our adventures to come!

My first camera

In 1988, I took my first and only photography class.  I was a freshman in college and loved it.  I was fortunate enough to "borrow" my dad's practically brand new Nikon FG (he bought it in 1983 so he and my step-mom could take it on their honeymoon to New England ).  I learned so much about the camera and even learned how to develop my own film. 

Well...

It is now almost 23 years later and guess what!  I still have that camera in my possession.  It is a beauty and has taken many pictures over the course of it's lifetime.  It has captured all of my son's early years, family gatherings and many vacations.  Birthdays, holidays, and milestones.  I have gone through so many rolls of 35mm film that I wouldn't even dare to guess how many. 

I pulled this camera out today to see if the original flash would work on my new Nikon D5000, (IT DOES!Thanks Nikon!) and I realized how nostalgic it made me feel to have it in my hands again. 

After I got my first digital camera, the FG tended to get left behind more and more as the small, handy digital took it's place.  This little camera didn't need film, I could delete pictures I didn't want and I could load them on the computer with ease. The FG burrowed further back into a corner in my closet. 

But getting that camera out today, I felt grateful for that trusty 35mm and I will always be thankful to my parents for letting me "borrow" it!

Here's to you my little FG!

Have I ever mentioned I love our city?

Well yes, maybe I have.  But it can't hurt to say it again and show off some more pictures of our

"Little Treasure in the South".

A thank you note to our children

Dear Alexa, Zach, and Davey...

Thank you for being your unique selves!  The three of you offer us so much joy in your own individual ways and we consider ourselves the luckiest parents in the world!  We love you with all our hearts and will stand beside you every step of your ways.  We are so proud of you and can't wait to share in all of your accomplishments and experiences.  You guys and gal really are awesome!

XOXOXO

Alexa

Dear Alexa,

At this moment, you are flying north to a great big city called New York, hopefully getting a little shut eye!  Well, rest up my dear!  Life for you is about to get really exciting!  You will step off that plane and claim NYC as your own and I believe with all my heart she will welcome you with open arms. 

You are living the dream of so many of us who just didn't have quite the will and determination to get where you are right now.  You have taken every experience you have ever had, good and bad, and made something of it.  You have worked hard, dedicated great amounts of time and energy to your passion and carried yourself with your head held high. 

While tackling ALL of this, you still managed to find time to check on the ones you love, create an amazing blog and add new friends to your life.  What are you?

I love you so and I can't wait for you to be our tour guide real soon!

Christy