Dec 24, 2014
Dec 23, 2014
NYC NYC: Saturday
Since we were only going to be in New York for 2 full days I decided it would be best to just focus on the upper half of the city so we could enjoy the scenes of Christmastime. Next time we go we'll explore Lower Manhattan. We really enjoy walking cities. It's the best way to see and get a feel for where you are. Over the two full days and two half days there, we walked over 27 miles!
Because of the time difference and not wanting to wake up early on our vacation, we took each morning slowly. Sleeping in is lovely. We stayed in Midtown/Chelsea. We were planning to have breakfast at The Breslin but decided against paying $17 for yoghurt and grapefruit. We had breakfast at a diner on our way to walk the east side of the city.
Walked past the Chrysler building and into Grand Central Station.
Walked past the U.N. building (this area of the city was clean and quiet) on the way to the Roosevelt Island Tram. This was another one of our favorite things. The island was such a contrast to the noisy, dirty city. We hardly saw anyone else there. Being surrounded by the East River and the sea smell reminded me that I was on the coast, which you'd never guess by being in Manhattan. The view across was nice. Walking hand in hand in the quiet rain was perfect.
Back to the Upper East Side, we walked to Maison Kayser, our favorite meal of the trip! The owner and executive chef is one of the best in Paris. He recently opened this location and we were excited to taste his fare. Since it was still cool and raining outside we ordered Gratinee a l'Oignon. I'm a sucker for French Onion Soup but many times it's bland. This was NOT bland. It was the best soup I've ever had! Rob agreed. We ordered a side of Jambon de Paris (house-smoked ham) and a baguette. For dessert? Financier Pistache (like a pistachio cake) and Plie aux chocolat (chocolate and custard croissant) with an eclair chocolat and yuzu (japanese lemon) pastry to go. French desserts are so different from American desserts. They are so much less sweet that you actually taste flavors other than knock-you-down amounts of sugar. The first bites are always like, "Well that's a little bitter and bland for a dessert" but a few bites in you can't stop eating it because of all the nuanced flavors and textures. It makes your mind think about what you're tasting where American desserts you have to stop after a few bites because they're so rich and sweet. We had such a nice time at lunch that we didn't really want to leave the warm restaurant (warm restaurant...how often does THAT happen??) back into the rain but the rest of the day was calling.
We walked through the lovely, sweet, well-to-do neighborhoods then on through a small section of Central Park.
Into the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We knew we wouldn't have time, nor would we want to, walk through the whole museum so we chose a few sections to visit. We'd already been to fine art museums in Paris so we wanted to see something different here.
Arms and Armor
Musical Instruments
The Costume Institute. The current exhibition is titled "Death Becomes Her: A Century of Mourning Attire. I was so impressed and loved viewing the beautiful pieces. I was only disappointed because I thought there would be other costume exhibitions as well. I wanted to see more! Textiles are so fragile that they can't be on display very long so they can only show a portion of their collection at a time.
Then we saw a few other sections as we walked by.
It was dark when we finished at the museum and a long walk to our next stop so we hopped on a bus to FAO Schwartz. I promised the kids we would Facetime them from the big toy store. I was expecting a large expansive space but it's actually kind of closed off and dark and looking a little old. After the kids chose their souvenirs of toys they can buy from a million stores right at home, we went off to get dinner.
There are two food halls in The Plaza Hotel but only The Todd English Food Hall was open so that's the one we chose to dine at. The ambiance was cool and slightly upscale and the food was good (Chicken and Ginger Handmade Dumplings with Lemongrass Pesto, Pappardelle Pomodoro with toasted garlic, tomato, basil, and whipped ricotta).
One funny thing, though. We were sat next to a couple of obnoxious women talking about their daughters menstrual cycles and how horrible it was try and get along with the girls. I ran to the restroom in the middle of this so Rob was left alone having to listen. He was glad when I returned.
By this time the weather was very windy and cold and it was getting late so we took the subway back to our hotel. We had an absolutely magical and marvelous day full of sites and tastes.
Walked past the Chrysler building and into Grand Central Station.
Walked past the U.N. building (this area of the city was clean and quiet) on the way to the Roosevelt Island Tram. This was another one of our favorite things. The island was such a contrast to the noisy, dirty city. We hardly saw anyone else there. Being surrounded by the East River and the sea smell reminded me that I was on the coast, which you'd never guess by being in Manhattan. The view across was nice. Walking hand in hand in the quiet rain was perfect.
Back to the Upper East Side, we walked to Maison Kayser, our favorite meal of the trip! The owner and executive chef is one of the best in Paris. He recently opened this location and we were excited to taste his fare. Since it was still cool and raining outside we ordered Gratinee a l'Oignon. I'm a sucker for French Onion Soup but many times it's bland. This was NOT bland. It was the best soup I've ever had! Rob agreed. We ordered a side of Jambon de Paris (house-smoked ham) and a baguette. For dessert? Financier Pistache (like a pistachio cake) and Plie aux chocolat (chocolate and custard croissant) with an eclair chocolat and yuzu (japanese lemon) pastry to go. French desserts are so different from American desserts. They are so much less sweet that you actually taste flavors other than knock-you-down amounts of sugar. The first bites are always like, "Well that's a little bitter and bland for a dessert" but a few bites in you can't stop eating it because of all the nuanced flavors and textures. It makes your mind think about what you're tasting where American desserts you have to stop after a few bites because they're so rich and sweet. We had such a nice time at lunch that we didn't really want to leave the warm restaurant (warm restaurant...how often does THAT happen??) back into the rain but the rest of the day was calling.
We walked through the lovely, sweet, well-to-do neighborhoods then on through a small section of Central Park.
Into the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We knew we wouldn't have time, nor would we want to, walk through the whole museum so we chose a few sections to visit. We'd already been to fine art museums in Paris so we wanted to see something different here.
Arms and Armor
Musical Instruments
The Costume Institute. The current exhibition is titled "Death Becomes Her: A Century of Mourning Attire. I was so impressed and loved viewing the beautiful pieces. I was only disappointed because I thought there would be other costume exhibitions as well. I wanted to see more! Textiles are so fragile that they can't be on display very long so they can only show a portion of their collection at a time.
 |
Then we saw a few other sections as we walked by.
It was dark when we finished at the museum and a long walk to our next stop so we hopped on a bus to FAO Schwartz. I promised the kids we would Facetime them from the big toy store. I was expecting a large expansive space but it's actually kind of closed off and dark and looking a little old. After the kids chose their souvenirs of toys they can buy from a million stores right at home, we went off to get dinner.
There are two food halls in The Plaza Hotel but only The Todd English Food Hall was open so that's the one we chose to dine at. The ambiance was cool and slightly upscale and the food was good (Chicken and Ginger Handmade Dumplings with Lemongrass Pesto, Pappardelle Pomodoro with toasted garlic, tomato, basil, and whipped ricotta).
One funny thing, though. We were sat next to a couple of obnoxious women talking about their daughters menstrual cycles and how horrible it was try and get along with the girls. I ran to the restroom in the middle of this so Rob was left alone having to listen. He was glad when I returned.
By this time the weather was very windy and cold and it was getting late so we took the subway back to our hotel. We had an absolutely magical and marvelous day full of sites and tastes.
Dec 12, 2014
NYC NYC: Friday
A few months ago I opened a Marriott Rewards Premier Visa card with the sole reason of getting a vacation out of it. They had a great point incentive and we use Marriotts all the time so it was a no-brainer. The first thing I love about this card is that it is made out of metal and is hefty so whenever I pull it out and hand it to someone I feel so sophisticated and elite :) The cashier always comments on how cool it is and my pride kicks in. So lame of me! Of course, the second thing I love about this card is that it was super easy for us to earn a bunch of free nights of hotel.
When I was deciding when and where to use our hotel nights I wanted to optimize. We get Friends and Family rates anyway so I didn't want to use them in California or something like that because the rates there are relatively low anyway. I saw it as a waste of use. But in New York City, well, hotel nights are easily $250-$600 per night. Badda-bing! Rob and I had been wanting a weekend getaway to NYC for a few years now and this was perfect timing. I had just missed the chance to go to Israel so was anxious for a trip and Rob wanted to cheer me up. All year we had focused on the outdoors so this city with a good dose of culture was calling me. Plus, how fun would it be to go to NYC at Christmas time? The stars aligned.
Early Friday we caught our flight and arrived at dinner time. Rob had his heart set on using Lyft to get to the hotel and it worked out well. We dropped our bags and went to get some pizza-by-the-slice (another thing he had his heart set on).
We walked in the rain to the Morgan Library & Museum and made it in time for free night with beautiful live classical music being played in the Court.
This was one of the places I had most looked forward to visiting and it did not disappoint. I have no idea why this isn't a more popular attraction for tourists because it's wonderful.
The shelves were filled to the max with first editions of about every classic book you can name dating to the 1500s including an entire wall dedicated to different editions and versions of the bible, again dating back to the 1500s. Amazing.
Some of the collection's highlights for us were the Crusader's Bible made in Paris around 1250, Charles Dickens original manuscript of A Christmas Carol, original manuscripts of Mozart and Beethoven, a draft of the Declaration of Independence, and Benjamin Franklin's copy of the U.S. Constitution. WOW!
Even the building itself was awesome. It was truly a treat to visit.
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On the way back to our hotel we walked past the Empire State Building enshrined in clouds.
We also ran into a large, loud gathering. We realized it was a protest so we turned around and walked the other way. Minutes later, at least 20 NYPD cars with their lights on drove down the road we were walking on. Then, we walked straight into the very head of the march. Again we turned around and eventually made it out of the mess back to our hotel. We called the kids while we waited for things to die down in the vicinity and then went out again for doughnuts.
And doughnuts they were!! The best doughnuts Rob and I have ever had. We ended up back at the same shop stuffing ourselves three more times. Our favorites were citron, chocolate hazelnut, coconut cream, creme brulee, orange blossom, etc, etc, etc. We brought some home but found out they have a very short shelf life and the life had been sucked out of them. By the time we got home they were dry and stone-hard. So sad :(
And check out the bathroom! Sweet!
So that was our wonderful first day.
Dec 3, 2014
Home Decor: Porch Update
I already showed my porch a while ago but after revamping it a little I decided to post an after after. That doesn't make any sense...
(Phone pics follow. I'm getting so lazy that I only take out our big camera for special occasions. Tsk, tsk. Everything looks really bright blue and orange in the pics but the colors are more toned down in real life.)
So our concrete kept peeling and peeling and was getting really bad. The concrete work has already been redone once so we were thinking about our other options. We settled on the cheapest, quickest, and easiest. A rug.
(Grow little tree. Grow! My second tree perished earlier this year.)
It's amazing how just putting a silly rug in a space makes it feel so much bigger and better! I wanted our porch to feel more like an outdoor sitting/gathering room rather than just an entrance/exit point. We did pay for that square footage, after all so why waste it? Our family (and the entire neighborhood) go in and out so many thousands of times a day and I wanted the space to be welcoming and comfortable. We always hang out here sitting and chatting and watching the kids play.
I shopped for what seemed like forever for a 5-foot bench in my price range and style. The metal ones seemed flimsy so I decided on wood. Many of those are flimsy, too. But I finally found this bench on Amazon. It's still lightweight but it's stronger because there are many small wood slats running width-wise instead of a few long strips running length-wise. It was exactly what I wanted except they had discontinued the gray color, which is the one I fell in love with. I found a different black wood bench that I liked but it was a more traditional style and I was worried that I'd have too much matchy-matchy black on my porch. After a few more weeks of humming and hawing Rob finally convinced me to just order the dang thing in this color instead. When it arrived I didn't like the color and felt like it was too orange and too warm for the rest of my decor but decided to live with it. I kinda like it now.
I like to make my own pillow covers. The plan is to make two new covers for each holiday or season. These are for Thanksgiving.
These sticks are not my favorite. I bought this as some of my very first home decor 9 years ago. I desperately needed something tall or on the wall in this corner but haven't really liked anything I've come across. So I took this out of my living room (finally giving me an excuse to go buy a large floor lamp) and stuck the sticks here. They're old and raggedy. Let's just call them a place holder.
Caroline was so sweet to peel of the "g" from my sign on the door. Now, depending on my mood du jour, it is read in a southern accent or urban slang.
It gets so cold and windy up here that I'm considering of getting an outdoor heater to put out here.
Thanks for taking a tour of my porch.
(Phone pics follow. I'm getting so lazy that I only take out our big camera for special occasions. Tsk, tsk. Everything looks really bright blue and orange in the pics but the colors are more toned down in real life.)
So our concrete kept peeling and peeling and was getting really bad. The concrete work has already been redone once so we were thinking about our other options. We settled on the cheapest, quickest, and easiest. A rug.
(Grow little tree. Grow! My second tree perished earlier this year.)
It's amazing how just putting a silly rug in a space makes it feel so much bigger and better! I wanted our porch to feel more like an outdoor sitting/gathering room rather than just an entrance/exit point. We did pay for that square footage, after all so why waste it? Our family (and the entire neighborhood) go in and out so many thousands of times a day and I wanted the space to be welcoming and comfortable. We always hang out here sitting and chatting and watching the kids play.
I shopped for what seemed like forever for a 5-foot bench in my price range and style. The metal ones seemed flimsy so I decided on wood. Many of those are flimsy, too. But I finally found this bench on Amazon. It's still lightweight but it's stronger because there are many small wood slats running width-wise instead of a few long strips running length-wise. It was exactly what I wanted except they had discontinued the gray color, which is the one I fell in love with. I found a different black wood bench that I liked but it was a more traditional style and I was worried that I'd have too much matchy-matchy black on my porch. After a few more weeks of humming and hawing Rob finally convinced me to just order the dang thing in this color instead. When it arrived I didn't like the color and felt like it was too orange and too warm for the rest of my decor but decided to live with it. I kinda like it now.
I like to make my own pillow covers. The plan is to make two new covers for each holiday or season. These are for Thanksgiving.
These sticks are not my favorite. I bought this as some of my very first home decor 9 years ago. I desperately needed something tall or on the wall in this corner but haven't really liked anything I've come across. So I took this out of my living room (finally giving me an excuse to go buy a large floor lamp) and stuck the sticks here. They're old and raggedy. Let's just call them a place holder.
Caroline was so sweet to peel of the "g" from my sign on the door. Now, depending on my mood du jour, it is read in a southern accent or urban slang.
It gets so cold and windy up here that I'm considering of getting an outdoor heater to put out here.
Thanks for taking a tour of my porch.
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