Posted in Uncategorized, tagged life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Riverside Park South, Riverside Park South Pictures, Taking the dog for a walk in NYC, Wordless Wednesday on September 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »
It is not often that you smell fresh cut grass in New York City, but on Monday morning that sweet smell was what was wafting through my nostrils as I took Dopey for a walk in Riverside Park South. It was a spectacular almost fall day and I took a few photos to share with you. Enjoy and have a great week!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Back to School Pics, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Running in the Resevoir, September, Wordless Wednesday on September 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Well, it is definitely September… We are up and running at full speed, back on schedule and enjoying the chaos. Here are some pics taken the past week or so as we jump right in to the crazy! Have a great day, hope your September is starting off spectacularly!!
Love this ad... Might have to take the advice!
Back To School Divas
Ready to conquer the world or at least 4th and 1st grade!
My city girls *tear*
A crowd of people watching the US Open in Madison Square Park (LOVE this city!)
Family Reunion and Brunch =)
A September morning run in the Reservoir (Central Park)
Fabulous running buddies!!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Hurricane Irene in NYC, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, my first hurricane, passing the time waiting for hurricane Irene on August 29, 2011| 3 Comments »
Well, hurricane Irene has come and gone. Good riddance I say. After a weekend fraught with the anxiety of will she or won’t she land a direct hit on Manhattan and how bad would the devastation be, we were very fortunate to be in an area that had very little damage from the hurricane. In our neighborhood there are some trees down in the park and the river swelled, some areas are water logged but that really is the extent of the damage. I know that many are not so lucky, dealing with extensive flooding, blackouts and water and wind damage. There are areas that are still in the dark and power will not be restored for days.
Today in Manhattan, we woke up to a beautiful sunny, crisp morning. The subways and buses were up and running, almost to full capacity, the streets were once again filled with citizens and in true New York style it was business as usual. You would never even have known that only a mere 24 hrs earlier the city was in full lockdown waiting with bated breath to see what Irene would bring. The city that never sleeps was forced to hunker down and wait out the storm.
An empty Grand Central Station (photo: NYC MTA)
During the day we calmed nerves by playing board games and watching movies but as the day progressed the waiting and fear of the unknown was a bit un-nerving.
A rousing game of Sorry!
Dance party in our living room
The bedroom fort 🙂
I have to admit that I was quite freaked out. On Saturday night as daylight faded and the streets were eerily deserted and the weather deteriorated I began to feel anxious. We tucked the girls in to bed and of course they slept soundly all night while Ron and I tossed and turned listening to the rain fall outside. The next morning we took the dogs out bright and early fearing that it was only going to get worse so we should get them out for a quick pee break while we could. The wind was picking up and the rain seemed to be coming down sideways. It was a pretty bad storm.
Stormy, deserted streets
Luckily for us, it never really seemed to get any worse. In Manhattan especially in our elevated area we experienced a pretty nasty storm but the brunt of the hurricane did not reach us. My heart goes out to those who were not as fortunate. And to those people who are complaining that Mayor Bloomberg and the city over prepared for a hurricane that never showed its’ full force, shame on you! If we had not been prepared and the worst had happened the end result would have been tragic.
I guess the positive of Irene for us and many people I have talked to is that it forced us all to slow down our lives a bit. We hung out with family and friends, reached out to check in with others and maybe even reflected a bit on what is truly important. As wonderful as it was to see all of the people out and about on the streets again, I have to admit I wouldn’t have minded another day of snuggling on the couch 😉
Not that I would have had any room:
Do and Bo
P.S. Thank you to all of our friends and family that sent well wishes our way and contacted us to make sure we were “weathering” the storm. Your love and support were/are greatly appreciated xo
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Birreria, Eataly, Enjoying summer in NYC, Enjoying summer vacation, Flatiron Building, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Madison Square Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pics of NYC, staycations in NYC, summer adventures in NYC, The Empire State Building, The High Line, Victoria Gardens on August 24, 2011| 8 Comments »
Wow, it has been a whole week since I posted anything on the blog. There is no big excuse except that we have been out enjoying some awesome summer adventures. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler, the back to school ads are looming at every corner and the pressure is on to make every last day of summer be a great one. Here are some pics from our latest outings. Have a wonderful Wednesday =)
A lovely walk along the Highline with Sandy
Another great Ad from Manhattan-Mini Storage
Madison Square Park
Amazing food and beer at Birreria (rooftop beer garden at Eataly)
Mmmmm... Gelato 😉
Flatiron Building
View of the East from the Empire State Building
View north from the ESB
View west from the ESB
View south from the ESB
The tippety-top of the Empire State Building
Hanging out with some formidable friends at the MET
The beauty that is the MET
LOVE this building (MET)
A beautiful piece of art outside of the MET
The whole gang at Victoria Gardens in Central Park
My girls in their city 😉
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Anything Goes, Broadway in the Park, Bryant Park, Hair, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Phantom of the Opera, The Fantasticks, The Lion King, Traces, Wicked on July 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday I finally did something that I tried to do all last summer but was always foiled by bad weather, cranky kids and scheduling difficulties- the girls and I went and saw Broadway in the Park at one of my favorite places, Bryant Park. If you live in NYC or are visiting NYC and your trip falls over a Thursday, I highly suggest you go to this event. It happens every Thursday in the summer from 12:30-1:30 in the park and features numbers by performers from current Broadway shows. The setting is beautiful and the performances are incredible. Yesterday we had the pleasure of seeing stars from the shows “Phantom of the Opera”, “Traces”, “The Fantasticks”, “Hair” and our personal favorite “Anything Goes”.
Broadway in the Park at Bryant Park
A pretty spectacular venue!
Park Views
Don't forget to look up 😉
“Anything Goes” is our favorite show on Broadway right now because our very good friend Robert Creighton is in the show and we are a little bit biased 😉 It was a special treat for the girls to see “Uncle Bobby” on stage in the park performing as Moonface Martin singing “Friendship”. Ron and I had the privilege to see him perform the full role on Wednesday in the full production and I am still in awe of his incredible performance as Moonface. Way to go Bobby!!
Bobby C and "Friendship"
Where else but NYC can you grab your lunch, picnic under the Empire State Building and listen to Broadway performers?? While it is a little bit hot (there is no shade) it is definitely worth the heat. The girls and I enjoyed this weekday adventure and are already planning to go next week especially when we found out that there would be performances by “Wicked” and “The Lion King”.
I truly heart this city!!!
Getting her groove on!
Maybe day dreaming of being on stage one day...
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Acting like a tourist in your own city, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Mary Poppins, NYC heatwave, Times Square on July 26, 2011| 1 Comment »
Well, it has a been a few days since I have written a post. I always find the return from vacation and back to reality to be a wee bit hectic and chaotic. On top of that, we also returned to NYC in the middle of a massive heat wave. The temperatures have topped out into the 100’s and that is without the humidex!! Not much fun in the concrete jungle where the sidewalks and pavement absorb the heat and send it sizzling upward. It is essential to find ways to stay cool and keep your cool 😉
We had a lot of fun this past weekend reuniting with good friends visiting from Ottawa and touring around the city, but we had to be a bit more creative than normal so that we would not all dehydrate or become cranky messes- I am talking about ME here :). NYC, is a walking city, a cab or subway will only get you so far and then it is your own two feet that carry you to your destination. In a heat wave it would definitely be preferable to get in and out of an air conditioned car but that isn’t how it works well, unless you have a driver and we don’t. Hmmm, maybe Ron should work on that 😉
Stopping for a drink in Central Park
I have to admit the kids really were troopers and there was very little complaining. On Thursday we walked through Central Park making sure that we stopped at a playground to cool off in the sprinklers and then continued on our journey to all of the important AIR CONDITIONED stops such as FAO Schwarz, American Girl and Lego World. We stayed hydrated with the two hot weather musts- water and ice-cream. We topped the evening off with a picnic of Shake Shack burgers on the steps of the American Museum of Natural History.
Playing the BIG Piano in FAO Schwarz
On Friday, one of the hottest days in history, we played it pretty low key, taking the ferry to Staten Island to check out the lovely Lady Liberty and then returning to the apartment to chill out (literally) and conserve our energy to go and see Mary Poppins that evening. Mary Poppins was a huge hit with everyone as the magic of the show and the charming story, portrayed by talented performers delighted us all.
The girls patiently waiting for "Mary Poppins"
No visit to NYC would be complete without a trip to Times Square. We decided the best plan of action to avoid massive crowds and try not to get too overheated would be to go as early as possible in the morning. So, up we got and headed to Ellen’s Stardust Diner for breakfast. This is a fun spot which will certainly wake you up as the energetic singers belted out numerous tunes while serving. Note: Definitely do NOT go here hungover as it is loud 🙂
One of the singing stars/waiters at Ellen's Stardust Diner
The rest of of the morning we spent visiting all of the favorites- M&M World, the Disney Store and of course Toys R Us, where we even rode the ferris wheel. It was a great weekend enjoying the sites and sounds with wonderful friends.
The kids in Times Square
Stinky and I in Times Square =)
On another note, one of my favorite things about living in NYC is that it is a city where people want to come and visit which means I often have the opportunity to connect with friends even if it is for a quick cup of coffee. Last night I had the pleasure of having dinner and wandering around the ‘hood with a friend from high school. We had not seen each other for 20 years!! Our daughters had a great time together, the husbands bonded over electronics and Colleen and I were able to catch up. A very special treat!
A little MSS Falcon reunion 😉
Our girls becoming fast friends!
Right now, the girls and I are currently on the train on our way home after being upstate for a couple of days. We had some fun escaping the heat and spent some fabulous time swimming and roaming the wide open spaces. Ah, summer, how I love you, even when you are hotter than hell 😉
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Pics of NYC on July 20, 2011| 2 Comments »
We arrived home in NYC late yesterday afternoon. It is good to be back even in the middle of a stinkin’ (literally) hot heat wave. Oh, NYC, I missed you so. Here are a few pics from last night and today that I snapped of our home sweet home. Enjoy and have a fabulous day 😉
Spotting Adrian Grenier at the Entourage Premiere on our way home from dinner =)
Summer time = Construction Time
Back in the U S of A
Set of cycling tourists heading to the river along 73rd street
We all Screme for Gelato on the go!
Neighborhood news stand
Local transit and advertising
Love this subway entrance
Only way to stay cool- lot of shade and water in the park
Sisters- happy to be home 😉
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged life in Manhattan, living in NYC, pics of odd things in NYC, strange and wonderful happenings living in NYC on June 27, 2011| 2 Comments »
I have to admit that I am a bit bogged down right now in the middle of laundry, apartment cleaning, packing and just plain stressing for our upcoming trip. So, for this last Monday in June I thought I would share 10 of my favorite pics from our first year in NYC that fall into the category of strange and wonderful. New York City truly is a city where the unexpected happens daily. You never know what you are going to see when you walk out your door. This is one of the reasons I absolutely LOVE living here. After all, my motto IS “It’s always an adventure” so I tend to embrace each day with the thought that absolutely anything could happen and usually does. There is rarely a dull moment walking down the street so if you keep your eyes open and your attitude positive you just never know who or what you may see!
Enjoy the day 😉
1.
The Most Festive Barista!
2.
Creative Car Design
3.
Dogs in Strollers- I will NEVER understand this!
4.
The Large "Throne" in Times Square
5.
Cross Country Skiing Down Broadway
6.
Beware of Sewer Life 😉
7.
Litter Artwork
8.
A Large Hand Looming Over the Top of Buildings
9.
Filming 30 Rock- Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin
10.
Interesting Restaurant Front
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Ads, Graffiti, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Messages found on the street, NYC in pics on June 22, 2011| 3 Comments »
In keeping with my almost one year in NYC top ten theme, here are ten of my favorite ads/graffiti/messages that I have found in the city. Hope you enjoy!
1.
Love the sentiment behind this ad
2.
Macy's at Christmas
3.
"I learn, I go to school"
4.
Even funnier before I realized it was an ad for a movie!
5.
Sad to say both dogs have peed on this hydrant
6.
This running ads in Times Square always give me inspiration
7.
Good question 😉
8.
Always makes me giggle!
9.
LOVE Lady Gaga - Subway entrance- 50th street
10.
As seen from my apartment window. Luv you too!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged concrete jungle, Kids playing in the park, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, picnics in the park on June 8, 2011| 1 Comment »
Well, it is June and that means that there are a million (only a slight exaggeration) end of year school events. On Monday night A had her third grade picnic at Riverside Park. What struck me most about this event was how awesome this simple gathering was and how it promoted just getting out and playing. Sometimes it can be difficult to find some time with nature in the Concrete Jungle. There are days when you feel like all you have done is pounded the pavement and ducked in between one looming building to the next. But then you remind yourself to take a breather and head out to one of the many parks. Monday night was exactly that, a bit of down time from the craziness of the hectic June schedule. It was wonderful watching the kids getting down and dirty and playing in the wide open spaces. Hope you enjoy the pics!
My third (almost fourth!!) grader
Making mud puddles
Family picnic time
Sharing a blanket
Baseball, soccer, dodgeball, tag, finding fairies, mud, climbing trees...
Taking some time out to just "be"
Looks like it is bath time 😉
It's Always An Adventure 