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Posts Tagged ‘Macy’s’

2016: “Look Around, How Lucky We Are To Be Alive Right Now”

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 30, 2016| 4 Comments »

The line from “Hamilton: An American Musical” keeps running through my mind right now as I sit here reflecting on the insanity of the year that was 2016. This year has been a whirlwind of ups and downs. And yes, there have been many downs but we are still here. We ARE lucky to be alive right now and to enter 2017, fierce and strong and ready to meet challenges like the badass people we have proven to be. Yep, I am talking about YOU! Go get it my friends!! =)

Sorry, I haven’t written in awhile, one of the resolutions I hope to keep is to get back to my writing. It really does soothe my soul and make me happy.

I have spent the last few days of 2016 with my girls and Memphis. I was lucky enough to get the week off of work and we spent Christmas in Bedford celebrating with good friends and meeting new people in a beautiful setting. We have also had some quality time chilling at home binge watching “Gilmore Girls”.

This time of year is still a bit tough, I find myself with a bit too much time to think and reflect. Not necessarily a bad thing unless I start being a little too hard on myself. I have to remind myself to take a deep breath. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. This year we said goodbye to Dopey dog but it also brought us Memphis. The girls and I have become closer, we are our own little family unit. I have a job that I enjoy, it is chaotic and crazy, it forces me out of my comfort zone. I don’t see my extended family and out of town friends as often as I would like but they are doing a-okay and that makes me smile. Here in the big city I am surrounded by my NYC family and these friends are the glue that hold all the pieces together. My heart is full. For that I am so very humbled and grateful.

I do feel a little uncertain as to what 2017 holds, but I do know this, together, we will be okay. Kindness is key. And love really is the answer. Be well my friends. Happy, Happy, Happy 2017!! -Sandra xo

(I leave you with a few pics from the last few days of this year- Enjoy!)

 

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The Magic of New York City During the Holidays

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 8, 2013| 2 Comments »

One of my favorite things to do at this time of year is to simply walk the neighborhoods of Manhattan checking out all of the incredible decorations and window displays around the city. New York seems a bit nicer at this time of year, its tough edges softened a bit. There is a warm glow around the city and even though the rush and crush of people reaches an all time high (tourists, tourists and more tourists!), New Yorkers themselves seem to have a higher patience level and are more apt to be generous in giving and spirit. We also know exactly what areas of the city to stay away from and when. Macy’s on Black Friday? No way!! Midtown on Saturday during the day? Not a chance. And the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center? Looks just as good at a healthy distance.

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See?

A gingerbread Flatiron building at Citarella on the UWS.

A gingerbread Flatiron building at Citarella on the UWS.

Last night Ron and I secured a sitter and our date night consisted of an evening to simply walk the city and see the sights. We hopped on the subway and made our way downtown to the Canal Street stop on the N/R train. From there we continued through Soho up into NYU territory and Washington Sq. Park.

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Washington Sq. Park

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5th Avenue heading uptown

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Love all the festive doorways

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Beautifully decorated brownstones

We also stopped for a little liquid cheer at a pub called “Half Pint”. Hey, it was cold outside and we needed to keep our energy up 😉 And, the beer in the NYU neighborhood is pretty darn cheap, by NYC standards. We continued to Union Square checking out the holiday pop-up stores.

Beautiful gift ideas for everyone at the holiday stores- go see for yourself!

Beautiful gift ideas for everyone at the holiday stores- go see for yourself!

Leaving Union Square we continued walking up towards the Madison Square Park area, the beauty of the Empire State Building lit in honor of Nelson Mandela, seemed to be guiding our way.

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The Mighty Empire seen from the Flatiron Building

We honor you Mandiba!

We honor you Mandiba!

After another pause for a quick drink we continued on our way and headed into the Herald Square area to see the window display at Macy’s. They are really magical this year. My advice- go later in the evening, we arrived around 9:30 and the crowds were definitely manageable.

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Macy’s

Believe

Believe

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One of the best areas in NYC at any time of the year is Bryant Park. It really is incredibly festive around the holidays. Shhh… don’t tell anyone, but I actually like the Christmas tree here better than the one at Rockefeller Center. I find myself being a bit mesmerized by the skaters dancing around on the ice in the shadow of the beautiful public library.

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Skating at Bryant Park

The beautiful tree at Bryant Park

The beautiful tree at Bryant Park

Selfie!

Selfie!

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Always look up 😉

The Empire State Building looking over the library

The Empire State Building looking over the library

After Bryant Park we walked up Fifth Avenue and took in the annual light display. It never disappoints. Saks Fifth Avenue department store always has such interesting and unique windows. I love the Yeti!

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At this point in our adventure the wind was starting to pick up and well, we were getting cold… But we had to continue up to see the Tiffany Star.

Cartier

Cartier

Fendi

Fendi

Decorated street cart

Decorated street cart

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Swarovski

St. Regis Hotel

St. Regis Hotel

The Penninsula Hotel

The Peninsula Hotel

Harry Winston

Harry Winston

Bulgari

Bulgari

Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co.

The Tiffany Star

The Tiffany Star

After checking out the star, we hailed a nice warm heated cab and headed home with hearts full of the Christmas spirit. So much so that we went out this morning and picked out our Christmas tree. She is a beauty!

Hello Santa!

Hello Santa!

BRRRR!

BRRRR!

Making the decision...

Making the decision…

Getting into the spirit =)

Getting into the spirit =)

Taking it home, NYC style!

Taking it home, NYC style!

The whole apartment is filled with the wonderful smell of the tree and the fake fireplace is on the t.v. It may be cold outside but it is warm and cozy in here.  Feeling grateful for time with family and for this city. Have a wonderful Sunday, hope it is filled with warmth, happiness and a bit of holiday cheer!

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Wordless Wednesday: Macy’s Holiday Windows

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 21, 2012| 1 Comment »

With the celebration of Thanksgiving tomorrow, NYC is being transformed into holiday magic. Lights are being put up, Christmas trees are arriving, parade balloons are being filled, decorations abound and the beautiful store windows are being unveiled. Last week I was able to take a wander down 34th street to capture a glimpse at the beauty of this year’s Macy’s window display. They were still putting on some of the finishing touches but as usual they did not disappoint. Here is a peek of this year’s theme. Enjoy the pics and to my American friends- Happy Thanksgiving! I know that I am feeling extremely grateful this year for my many blessings including my incredible family and friends. Love and happy Turkey to you all =)

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Wordless Wednesday: NYC- All Dressed Up!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 1, 2010| 3 Comments »

The other night Denise and I met up with my good friend Carol (NYCity Mama) who took us on a beautiful walking tour of Manhattan to see the sights all decorated for the Holiday season. Here are some of the pictures.  Enjoy!!

Macy's

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus- Macy's Animated Window Display

Skating at Bryant Park (Empire State Bldg in the Background)

Kate Spade Store Bryant Park

Max Brenner Chocolate- Hot Chocolate- like drinking a chocolate bar =)

Window at Sak's

Rockefeller Center (The unlit tree infront of the building)

Sak's

Sak's

Cartier

St. Regis Hotel

Bendel's

Bendel's

Tiffany's

All I want for Christmas... (Tiffany Window)

The Plaza

The Lobby of the Plaza

The Beauty of the Stars at Lincoln Center

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The Kids Are Going To Be Alright… and the dogs too.

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 5, 2010| 2 Comments »

When we were first even considering making the big move to New York City my first thoughts revolved around the children.  How would they deal with such a big move? What would life be like for them? We would be moving from a house in a community surrounded by green space and a big backyard to an apartment with no outdoor space and very little room to run around. What would their new school be like?  Could they handle the constant noise, fast pace and frenetic energy? How would I cope with two young children and the traffic, small spaces, distractions and the crowds of people.

Put quite simply, it has been a learning experience for all of us.  I shudder at the thought that I have actually said “Do NOT lick the subway pole”.  Yet, it was only last night that I came to the realization, that the kids are adjusting just fine.  As I was chilling out in the bathtub (a spot where I do all of my best thinking) I reflected on our NYC day.  That morning we had done our back to school shopping in a very crowded Macy’s, dragged our purchases home on the subway, and then visited a local Asian restaurant for dumplings and noodles.  Back in Ottawa, my children would never have suggested dumplings for dinner. Here in NYC, they seem to have adopted a much more open mind, I think you have to.  After dinner it was a truly glorious evening. Ron and I walked through Central Park while the children rode their scooters up ahead.  They manoeuvred through the throng of people like old pro’s and they never once complained that they were tired.

This is the thought that struck me last night.  The kids are no longer complaining about the walking.  They have found their NYC legs.  For those of you that have ever visited NYC or live here, you will know exactly what I mean.  It is impossible to not come home after a long day of pounding the pavement and not feel it in your tender tootsies.  Over the last couple of weeks the kids have stopped complaining about not having a car and put on their running shoes and go.

A reading to R on a subway ride

Now, trust me, things are not all sunshine and lollipops and I would be lying if I said I did not have days when I feel like having a meltdown because one of them has to pee and there is absolutely no clean place around to do so OR when they have a moment of homesickness for friends OR one of the children just breaks down because they have had a really long day in a City that can sometimes be very unforgiving.  And I am sure that there are many challenging moments ahead. But, all in all, these moments are outnumbered by the many positive adventures and by the fact that I still think to myself, “Holy Fuck,  these kids are growing up in NYC- what an amazing opportunity!”  A truly amazing opportunity indeed.

A different day, a new adventure!

Now, as for the dogs… well it would be going a lot smoother if Dopey would just get over the whole pooping on pavement thing… but I think I will save that story for another day! 😉

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Distracted By Shiny Objects

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on August 31, 2010| 21 Comments »

For those of you who know me, you know that I am a huge procrastinator and can be easily distracted by even the smallest of things. We moved to NYC, see the problem? As soon as I walk out of my apartment in the morning, I quickly forget what I am doing as there is soo much to look at, see and do.  But, I digress.  My mission today was to do some back to school shopping for the girls while they were at camp and would not drive me crazy with the constant “can I have…?”.  So, I set out, determined to get things done.

Back in Ottawa, there are malls where one goes to get back to school clothes.  You wander through the mall, popping in and out of various stores, back and forth, buying different items.  NYC, not so much.  There are stores EVERYWHERE but there is no such thing as a mega mall. I decided that I would head on down to Macy’s (at Herald Square) because I reasoned that they would have a large selection of clothes.  As I got off the subway, I took a wrong turn and ended up in front of JCPenney.  In I went… huge selection of children’s clothes but I soon realized my big mistake of shopping without the kids. While it was nice and relaxing and whine free, I had no idea what would actually fit them. As a kindly woman said to me “It is like going shoe shopping without bringing your feet”.  Right.  Epic Fail.

I decided that I would view my adventure as a recon mission for future weekend with the hubby and the girls to make things go more efficiently and headed on over to Macy’s.  In I walked and was blinded by the purses. It is a woman’s dream come true- rows and rows of beautifully layed out handbags.  I tried to keep my eye on my goal but I just couldn’t resist the wonderful colours and the smell of leather.

A girl can look, can't she?

And is it really my fault that the children’s clothes are on the same floor as the women’s shoes?  I tried to resist, I really did but the escalator was right there!

Dr. Seuss Converse- Educational, no?

In the end, I did manage to remember that I was supposed to be ‘looking’ for the kids and that I had numerous other errands to attend to like ordering dog food, writing my first blog post, getting thank you cards etc.  So, I took the incredibly cool wooden escalator down to the main floor and managed to escape into the searing heat without buying a single thing. (The MAC lip gloss does not count)

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Macy's Lobby from the escalator

My plan for tomorrow is to go out and buy school supplies, a job that does not require the children to actually be present.  Hopefully I will not be distracted by something more interesting.  I mean what else more exciting could possibly be happening on this little Island of Manhattan? Excuse me, I just remembered there is a shiny pair of rain boots I want to order online.  What?  There is a hurricane coming, right?

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