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Posts Tagged ‘Living in Manhattan’

September 11, 2011. 10 years later. And I live in New York City. I love New York City, I honestly can’t imagine living anywhere else in the world right now. And yet, right now I am feeling a little unsettled, a bit on edge, anxious. I am not afraid, no I am not. I will NOT be afraid.

I just feel not quite right because the city feels not quite right. This is NYC and New Yorkers are resilient and strong. Β The security level is high, there are traffic check points everywhere and the news is on a non-stop loop of the horror that was September 11, Β 2001. Β But still, we carry on with our lives as usual. Although in reality not totally true, because there is that unspoken feeling, glances shared on the subway, stories told quietly among friends. We are carrying on as usual but the city is remembering and mourning, everyone in their own individual way.

We all remember where we were on that day, how could we not? It is a day that forever changed the world as we know it.

I can only imagine the pain and emotions that the people who lost loved ones and dear friends are feeling on this anniversary. My heart goes out to them as well as to all of the first responders, volunteers, recovery teams, flight crews, construction teams and so many more. They are all truly heroes.

My New York never included the Twin Towers and the World Trade Center. My first visit, where I lost my heart to NYC was in March 2002. But like the rest of the world, I will never forget them.

Tomorrow, I will take the time to remember, to grieve, to say a few prayers for peace, to hug my family a little tighter and to also embrace this incredible city and be fiercely proud to live here.

LOVE

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Today, we met up with a few of R’s former classmates at the American Museum of Natural History to hang out on our last day before the start of school. We decided a great meeting place would be the “Whale Room”. You can imagine our surprise when we got to the large hall and found that the exhibit was closed due to whale vacuuming. Yep, you heard it right, the giant whale was getting an over due make over. Not something you see everyday!! Hope you have a good one =)

Now that is a large whale....but I guess all whales are large πŸ˜‰

That is a lot of dust...

Way more interesting than vacuuming the apartment.

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Well, it is Labor Day and with it comes the unofficial end to summer. Soon the weather will be turning cooler, the sun filled days will shorten, school will start and schedules will need to be followed. And while I have to admit I am very much looking forward to the promise and excitement of new adventures to come in the fall, I am always get a wee bit sad at the end of the lazy, hazy days of summer. Luckily we managed to jam pack tons of NYC adventures in to this past weekend and I feel like we did our best to have a rockin’ good time saying bye to a fabulous summer =)

My brother was in town this weekend and it inspired us to do some exploring and galavanting around Manhattan. We started the day off on Friday morning by taking the Staten Island Ferry over to SI and back. We waved at the lovely Statue of Liberty and took in the breathtakingly beautiful sunny views of downtown Manhattan from the water.

Well, hello there Lady Liberty

Hopping off the boat we made our way to the World Trade Centre site, amazed at the awesomeness of the Freedom tower and taking a moment to reflect at the memorial for those who lost their lives on 9/11.

The Freedom Tower

We will not forget

We continued to South Street Seaport where we had lunch and took in the views of the Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO. The kids even convinced us to let them stop and play at one of their favorite parks- The Imagination Playground.

Paul, Andrea and the girls with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background

Can't you just feel the sibling love?! πŸ˜‰

View of downtown Manhattan from the pier

For a change of scenery all together, we jumped on the subway and headed right into the heart of Times Square. The girls wanted to show Uncle Paul some of their favorite places which included ToysRUs and of course, The Disney Store. By this time we had already but in a long day and we soon realized the crowds and chaos of late afternoon in Times Square on a Friday, was something we had very little patience for. Cool drinks back at the apartment were the perfect end to a jam packed touristy day.

Hanging out with a new friend at ToysRUs

Gotta appreciate the honesty... oh Times Square

On Saturday we spent the day doing a whole lot of walking. We ventured from one side of Central Park to the other and then we made our way to Chelsea where we had a deliciously late brunch at Dos Caminos, sampled some treats at Chelsea Market, got yelled at (me) for taking a picture at Hogs and Heifers (where I had to do penance shots and BARELY left with my bra), eye balled some crazy behaviour at the Standard Hotel (gotta love those windows) and strolled along the beautiful HighLine park.

Wall of bras from Hogs and Heifers- Meatpacking District

Street view from the Highline

Yesterday was truly one of my best days in NYC, it was my first NY Yankees game! What a thrill, it was an awesome time. It really is hard to describe the feeling you get when you enter the stadium among the sea of blue and white jerseys. The air is filled with excitement and the die hard fans are ready to cheer on their team. We had a blast! It was an exciting game and fittingly they were playing my old home town team the Toronto BlueJays. Don’t worry we were cheering for the Bronx Bombers as they easily defeated the Jays. There really is nothing better in the summer than sitting in a baseball stadium in the afternoon, sipping on a beer watching a great game.

On the subway on the way to the game...

Yankee Stadium

The view from our seats

My little Yankee family

And today, well today we decided to hang out at the park and go for a walk with Dopey. (Bogie wanted to stay home in the air-conditioning). It is supposed to rain tonight and the weather is going to cool off. I am already getting organized for the first day of school for the girls on Thursday. Shopping needs to get done, activities are scheduled. Yep. It is that time of year again. But right now, I think I am going to cherish these last few hours of summer and the weekend by chilling out on the couch with a good book and a cold drink. I am sure I can convince someone to join me πŸ˜‰ I am raising a glass in your general direction- “To Summer!!”

Saying goodbye to the lazy, hazy days of summer

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The most wonderful time of the year is almost here. I can say that now because I am currently not teaching and am not going back to school πŸ˜‰ This week we (I) have been spending time getting us organized for the new year. Today was the day that the girls and I went out to do some clothes shopping, something they are actually excited to participate in. In NYC there are a lot of shopping options and I fear that they are already getting a love of discovering the perfect dress or pair of shoes *sigh*. And so it begins… Here is a cute pic of the tired shoppers taking a refreshment break.

Happy shopping and back to schooling πŸ™‚

The shopping divas and their juice boxes

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So… it’s coming… the big hurricane that is Irene. And well, we are ready. I guess we are ready, as ready as a family who has never experienced a hurricane and lives in an apartment on the island of Manhattan can ever be. We have extra food, water, flashlights, candles, batteries. We are charging cellphones, iPads, Nooks, DS’ and all other electronic devices. I mean God forbid the power goes out and we would actually have to TALK to each other for two days straight πŸ˜‰

I am trying to make light of the situation because I have to admit I am a little bit freaked out. It is all over the news and I recommend that you DO NOT watch CNN as all it will do is reduce you to panic and hysteria- “there is a hurricane the size of Europe about to make a direct hit on NYC!!!!” “Here is the worst case scenario that could happen in Manhattan…blah, blah, blah”. Yikes, thanks guys, that is really reassuring to all of us who are trying to chill and ride out the storm. We get that it is a dangerous situation but inducing us to all panic is not helping anyone.

The one thing that I did find disturbing is that they have closed all the public libraries in NYC. C’mom, we have all seen “The Day After Tomorrow”, that was my escape plan, I was just going to hop in a cab and head on over to the library and start burning books until I was rescued. I guess we will have to resort to Plan B. We have stocked the kitchen with junk food, downloaded some great family movies, made sure that we have lots of wine and of course we are hoping the children will learn to appreciate the value of a good mid-day nap πŸ˜‰

To all our friends and family we will keep you posted and don’t worry, we are safe and sound. The only time we will be in jeopardy will be when Ron and I are duelling it out deciding who will have to take the dogs out for a quick pee out front of the building- the rock, paper, scissors battle could get ugly.

Here are some pics that I took about an hour ago when we went on a family walk to burn off some energy and get outside before being apartment bound for the next couple of days.

Have a great weekend, lots of love- The Guirgi xox

Quick run to the park to burn off the pre-hurricane energy!

Chirping Chicken all taped up

Signs like these on most businesses around the city

Nice!

Dude, I think we will need a bigger umbrella πŸ˜‰

Does NOT look good!

Notice at the 72nd Street Subway Station

A bit of humour from the Trader Joe's gang (No laughing matter to those panicking because stores are closed)

The line at the Duane Reade was about 100+ people long

Only one bagel left but don't worry...

They still had beer πŸ™‚

Fairway- Closed (An eerie sight)

Starbucks closed, this shit is getting serious!

Here comes the rain!

Good choice to leave the bike parked

Dopey is clearly stressed out

The stash!!

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This past Saturday our latest family adventure took us to the weird, wacky and wonderful Coney Island. We explored the piers, walked the boardwalk, visited the New York Aquarium, ate the world famous Nathan’s Hotdogs and marvelled at the Midway. There were many interesting sights and sounds. We had a blast! Here are some of the pics from the day. Enjoy and have a fantastic day πŸ™‚

Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs- we all enjoyed the delicious cheese dogs!

Hot Dog Eating Contest Wall of Fame- 68 Hotdogs in 10 Minutes- BURP!!

The Boardwalk

My gang checking out the sights

The Beach

Gazing off the pier

The top of the Pier

The Cyclone

Games, games and more games!

New York Aquarium

Row, row, row your boat...

Showing off πŸ˜‰

Feeding time

Dancing on the Boardwalk

LIve music on the Boardwalk

For once I am left commentless, perhaps you can leave an appropriate description... πŸ˜‰

Exhausted and asleep on the subway after a full day of fun!

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Don't make me laugh... my abs hurt πŸ˜‰

As I sit here, I am recovering from a brutal strength training workout. I mistakenly thought that I was in fairly good shape. I mean, I HAVE been walking everywhere non-stop, this is NYC, you have no choice AND I have actually been getting up at the crack of dawn to go to spinning classes at the gym. These efforts did very little to prepare me for my sports doctor’s fitness workout on Thursday evening.

I have been doing very little running lately because I have hamstring tendonitis and the running tends to aggravate it. This is a nagging injury that has been bugging me for over a year and I finally decided to see a doctor about it. The injury does not bother me when I am actually in the process of running, cycling or working out but it flares up after I work out. Mainly it hurts when I walk, which is not good because again this is NYC and I walk everywhere! The first doctor I went to see dismissed my sore knee and didn’t really take me seriously. My x-rays were fine and since I wasn’t an “elite” athlete he told me I should just treat it with advil and ice. Right. I am no doctor but I am pretty sure that this would not help me in the long run OR help me go for a long run. So, after leaving Dr. Arrogant, I was fortunate to have a friend refer me to a wonderful doctor/surgeon who even though regularly treats professional athletes and is an ironman himself, made me feel like I actually mattered and that I should be able to enjoy recreational sports and walking pain free.

All you need is a wee bit of motivation...

Anyhoo, after a trial in physio, Dr. Ironman (Ron objects to me calling him Dr. McCutie!) assessed my hamstring and told me the cold hard facts- I needed to do some serious strength training and that was the only way that this injury would go away permanently. Right. No way around it, I would have to start building some serious muscle to help support the running and cycling that I love to do. Dr. Ironman runs his own strength training workshop once a month where he offers a class to his patients. He leads the class in various exercises that are designed to help athletes avoid injuries through strength training. He suggested that I attend his next class to get started on my muscle building journey.

So, on Thursday I headed to Equinox in the Village to attend this class. I was very nervous. I knew it was going to be a tough workout and I had survived many bootcamps and cry or puke moments in the past but this guy is an Ironman!!! And, I was NOT disappointed. This was definitely one of the toughest classes I had ever attended. The class was full of extremely fit people including a kid who would be attending Yale in the fall on a full basketball scholarship!! Gulp! There was a lot of abdominal torture, plyometrics, burpees, mountain climbers and weight work. There were many moments when I was tempted to just walk out and quit. Instead, I stayed and did the best I could.

It was an eye opening experience for me. I left the class exhausted, I was definitely not in as good of shape as I thought I was. I have been making choices to eat healthier and be more active but I also need to work on those little things called muscles πŸ˜‰ As I inch closer and closer to the big ahem, 4-0, it seems to be Β a bit harder than when I was younger to be strong and active but not impossible. I am actively choosing to be strong and not just on the inside. I have signed up for a cycling class tomorrow morning but I am also going to make time for a wee bit of strength training too. That is, if I can lift my arms over my head by then πŸ˜‰ Right now I am going to limp over to a nice hot bath and relax… ouch… those forgotten muscles are reminding me not to forget them again!!!

Good to know πŸ™‚

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It sounds kind of crazy, but every once in awhile it is tough to actually figure out what to do in NYC. I know this sounds weird especially in the city that never sleeps and has a million and one activities going on at any one time. Just yesterday 15,000 people stood on line at the MET to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit!! But see, this is exactly the problem, there are soo many things to see and do that it can be a little bit daunting. I know, I know, you are probably thinking “nice problem to have, now shut up and stop whining!” and I get that, but hey, it’s my blog so I am going to whine if I want to πŸ˜‰

On Saturday, I was reading the NYTimes and there were numerous ads and stories for exhibits, shows, events and performances taking place in the city. Soo many exciting and wonderful opportunities to take part in, right here. Too many in fact, I felt like I needed a piece of paper to write down all of the things I was interested in doing or seeing. As I sat there in my p.j’s drinking my cup of tea, I started having this irrational fear that we were missing out on the really cool and amazing things going on in the city. I feared that we were getting stuck in a bit of a NYC rut. Sure, we had been visiting a lot of the sites with recent visitors but I felt like we hadn’t been anywhere “new” as a family in quite some time. The past few weekends have started with the question “What do you want to do today?” and we always have fun but we usually end up staying in our neighborhood or not venturing off to see anything new. I vowed that this weekend would be different. Ron, used to my crazy rants and outbursts, readily agreed and we gathered up the children and hopped on the subway.

And did we throw caution to the wind? Did we stay up to all hours? Did we walk until our legs could walk no more? Did we try out new and fancy restaurants? See one of a kind exhibits? Wait on line to see limited engagement performances?

Not exactly. BUT, we did have an incredible time as a family hanging out in the most incredible city in the world and really that is all that matters πŸ˜‰

On Saturday, we decided that we were going to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge into DUMBO. We had never fully walked over the bridge into Brooklyn and we had a fantastic time making our way through the crowds of people to the other side. There really is no better view of Manhattan. It is spectacular.

View of Downtown Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge

Once in DUMBO, Brooklyn (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) we feasted on delicious pizza at Ignazio’s and then had ice cream on the pier. The kids had fun playing at the park and we explored this very cool and artsy neighborhood before the clouds moved in and we decided to make our way back home.

On Sunday we again hopped on the subway this time making our way to the West Village. The girls wanted to see where the original Magnolia Bakery was and I have to admit Ron and I caved and we all had cupcakes… they just smelled too darn yummy. From there we wandered up Bleecker Street to So Good where the girls spent time perusing all of the jewellery and Ron checked email.

Too many choices!!

After So Good, we continued down the street to two of my favorite places Murray’s Cheese and Amy’s Bread.

I LOVE cheese!!

From the Village we walked into Soho, had a great lunch at Dos Caminos (hello Margarita!) and then ventured down Prince St. with stops at various stores along the way. We came home tired and happy to chill out on the couch in the air conditioned apartment. I felt like we had definitely made progress crawling out of the rut or in NYC it could have just as easily been a pothole πŸ˜‰

The girls watching a 3D movie with very cool 3D glasses at the Oakley store

A little down time and sisterly love in the Scholastic Store

Don’t get me wrong, I am still working on my MUST DO/SEE list for New York City. I consider it a bucket list of sorts and I plan on adding to it daily. This is an overwhelming city and it can be a bit daunting but I plan on tackling it one adventure at a time!! =)

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So, now we are fish people. Or better yet we are learning to become fish people. There is a tank in our apartment and it contains fish, six fish on last count. Miraculously we have not “lost” any yet.

Our latest addition

How did this come to happen, you might ask? I mean I have always been very adamant that I would never have a pet in the house that required cleaning of it’s cage/home. And yet we are now the proud owners of fish. Huh. Let’s just say that R can be extremely persuasive πŸ™‚

It all started sometime after Christmas when the youngest started becoming fascinated by all living things in the water. She loved fish, the ocean, visiting aquariums etc. Then the asking started “Mom, dad, can I get a fish?”. The initial answer was no, but she continued to ask and then one day when my defenses were low, I said that MAYBE she could get a fish for her birthday. After all, July seemed a long, long way away. This answer seemed acceptable and the “can I get…” question stopped. I thought she had forgotten.

Of course she didn’t forget, children NEVER forget! In June the question started again and then in another moment of weakness (or insanity) Ron and I decided that it might actually be a good present and that we would look into it when we returned to NYC from our trip.

The minute we returned home, R asked about the fish. What could we do, it WAS her birthday present?? We could put it off no longer. My one caveat was that we would get the aquarium from an actual fish store where people could answer my numerous questions. I was actually a bit terrified about the whole process, since I knew nothing about the care of little friends from the water. I wanted to avoid the pimply teenage kid at the big box pet store cockily telling me that owning a fish was no big deal and convincing me to get a pet shark πŸ˜‰

In the end we found an incredible place on the Upper West Side called Fauna. I cannot recommend this place enough. Daniel patiently spent a couple of hours with us answering my numerous questions about fish, care, water etc. I came out calm and reassured and actually excited about our fish tank. The two young guys who installed the tank were professional and thorough again taking the time to answer my questions.

Fauna- 87th @ Broadway

The amazing guys from Fauna setting up the tank

The fish have been a great addition to the apartment. Although I have to admit Β that I sometimes stop and nervously count to make sure all six are still swimming and that no one is floating on the top πŸ˜‰ The girls have creatively named them- Squirmy, Red Rose, Swim Swim, Shiny, Chocolate Chip and Buttercup.

R feeding the fish =)

The verdict is still out on which pets are easier to look after in Manhattan- two big dogs or an aquarium of little fish, I will keep you posted πŸ˜‰ In the meantime, just keep swimming…

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Ron and I are off galavanting in Europe thoroughly enjoying our time together as a couple. It is almost like a second honeymoon. So, tomorrow as we celebrate 10 amazing years together, here are a couple of pics of us throughout the years. Feel free to laugh all you want πŸ˜‰

And to you Ron, I can’t imagine life without you. You mean everything to me- I love you- forever and always, always and forever.

On one of our first official dates... meeting the family!!

Hallowe'en in Ottawa

July 7, 2001

One of my favorite pics!

A NYC trip

First Christmas with A in our first house

Canada Day 2004

Welcoming R

Me and the girls

The Whole Damn Family πŸ˜‰

Daddy and his girls

Cheers! To Us xox

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