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Posts Tagged ‘NYC’

Wordless Wednesday: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside!”

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Well, the cold weather has finally arrived in New York City.  Yesterday morning actually felt like an Ottawa morning and that is saying something!! The big puffy jackets have come out of the closet, Uggs in all shapes, colours and sizes are pounding the pavement, dogs are wearing coats and the complaining has started. Welcome to winter in NYC!! Here are a few pics of the cold, cold city.  Good thing you can get a cup of joe or a hot chocolate on every corner 😉 Hope you enjoy!

A Seasonal Vendor

A Light Dusting of Snow in the Park

A little overkill on the salt, yes, that is salt, NOT snow!

The BIG boys don't seem to mind... don't ask them to wear a coat!!

Lucy happily wears her fashionable coat

The horses also wear coats!

These guys aren't messing around...

Neither is he...

Or this traffic cop!

Apparently no tourists are brave enough to sit up top!

Don't worry if you forget your hat, mittens or scarf, these vendors are on every corner to help you out.

Cold day to be shooting a scene from"30 Rock", right Mr. Baldwin?

Ms. Fey?

Just keep smiling!!

And find ways to stay warm 😉

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The Guirguis Inn is Closed for a Week! ;)

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on December 12, 2010| 2 Comments »

One of the best things about moving to NYC has been the visitors.  It is my absolute favourite thing to show people around Manhattan and play tour guide.  I love doing it.  But, I have to admit, today I am tired.  We just finished a wonderful visit with my sister-in-law and nephew.  While they were here I saw THREE Broadway shows, I have not seen that many shows since moving here!  We also shopped (including a crazy adventure for purses on Canal Street), dined out and visited with friends and family.  It was amazing. But, I have to admit, playing in this city can be exhausting.  So, now it is time to go back to reality for a bit.  It has been a month of visiting, galavanting, exploring, wining and dining.  I really don’t know how celebrities do it 😉

Cousins!!

Z and Line in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center

CHICAGO!

Ted, Claudia & Robert Creighton (Amos Hart) backstage at "Chicago"

So, today on this rainy, gloomy day in the city, I am enjoying some quiet time with the family. The Christmas tree is lit, the girls are watching movies, the smell of Ron’s stew is wafting from the kitchen and I am getting organized.  Checking off items on Christmas lists, adding to the the “to do” list, working on the pile of laundry and generally just enjoying not really having to leave the apartment. Don’t get me wrong, there is always room at Casa Guirgi and my heart is full of love when people come to stay, but I am looking forward to a week of being ordinary.  My “big” plans for the week include doing groceries, helping with homework, watching back episodes of shows on the PVR and baking Christmas cookies.  I figure this will last for about a week and then I will be itching to go out and share this incredible city with well… maybe YOU!!  On to the next adventure!

Mr. Blue and I!

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‘Tis the Season: A Whirlwind Weekend of Holiday Fun!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 6, 2010| 5 Comments »

It is the crazy season that is for sure!  Crazy busy, that is.  There is always something to do in NYC, but with the holiday season in full swing there seems to be even more exciting things to see and do.  This weekend with very special guests from Ottawa along for the ride, we ventured out to enjoy the holiday festivities.

A & P Skating at Bryant Park

Our weekend started off at a skating birthday party in magical Bryant Park.  It was an absolutely beautiful morning.  Watching the girls skate around the rink made me a bit nostalgic for Ottawa.  I have to admit I was proud of the Canadian girls holding their own on the rink ;).  Bryant Park, nestled among the surrounding buildings including the Empire State Building, is gorgeous this time of year. There is the outdoor rink where you can skate for FREE, the temporary craft and gift shops lining the park as well as the amazing food stands.  I had a cinnamon and sugar crepe, which was not nearly as good as a beavertail but was still pretty yummy.  There is a beautiful decorated tree that towers over one end of the rink with the New York Grand Central Library in the background.

Krista and Sandra under the tree at Bryant Park

After some well deserved hot chocolate we headed into Times Square to meet Uncle Bobby, our very talented friend Robert Creighton who is currently playing Amos Hart in the Broadway musical “Chicago”, for lunch.  The girls begged and begged to go to the matinee but we had to tell them AGAIN that the show was not age appropriate for them, so they had to settle for walking him to the theatre.  They had been spoiled before being able to see him in both “The Lion King” and “The Little Mermaid”.

Hamming it up with Uncle Bobby

We continued on our way to explore a bit more of Times Square but eventually the overwhelming crowds coupled with tired children forced our decision to head home.  The children had a special treat that evening as our wonderful neighbours invited them over to help light the candles on their Menorah for the fourth day of Hanukkah.  It was a very special moment for our daughters who have been learning all about the Jewish traditions at school and from their friends.  It truly warmed my heart and made me realize how lucky we are to live beside such caring people.  A & R have both invited our neighbours over for Christmas as they “think that they would really like it”.  Very funny.  I love the fact that the girls are embracing all that is new with such incredible enthusiasm.  Truly a lesson to be learned from the children.

Krista and I spent the rest of the evening touring Manhattan and enjoying all of the wonderful holiday sites even stumbling across the Mitzvah Tank Parade on 5th Avenue. There is always something unique and interesting going on in this city!!

The Lit Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Centre

Sunday was indeed a spectacular day for all of us as we started off by picking out our Christmas tree and then we went and saw the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. It really is a magical event.  The Rockettes are mesmerizing.  You would have to be Scrooge himself to leave this show and not be feel the Christmas spirit.  The girls loved it! It really is literally, a kick off to the festive season.

The girls all dressed up to go to the Christmas Spectacular

Anxiously awaiting the show at Radio City Music Hall

After the show, the BIG girls were able to unwind from the whirlwind weekend by enjoying a fabulous dinner at Buddakan (thanks Ron!).  Yep, we packed a lot into the weekend and I do have to admit as much as I am already missing our good friends (tears!). And as much as I love having visitors, I am really looking forward to putting on the Christmas music, starting up the fireplace (t.v. channel 699) and decorating the tree with the family and the dogs. There are even snow flurries falling outside the window… Spectacular!

The Tree!

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Immigrating to the Land of the Free- Field Trip to Ellis Island

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on December 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

After two successful field trips with R’s class, I was very excited to finally be going on a field trip with A’s class.  So, on Monday morning after the extra long Thanksgiving weekend A and I headed out on a beautiful, crisp, sunny day. We walked to the school playground to meet the rest of her classmates to go on our big field trip adventure to Ellis Island.  This wasn’t a kindergarten trip, this was a third grade trip and we would be out of school for the full day.  I was armed with my lunch, sunglasses, iPhone and tylenol (just in case).  Off we ventured to the Subway where much to the dismay of the daily commuters, 24 energetic and loud students, plus chaperones boarded two cars of the train to ride it all the way to the very end of lower Manhattan- South Ferry.

The woman with the book must be able to block out anything =)

Once we all arrived in lower Manhattan we headed to the Ellis Island Ferry, but not before our little third grade goof balls took a quick class photo on the statue of immigrants.

A's third grade class acting like third graders =)

Due to the fact that the Ellis Island Ferry also stops at Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty resides, the security is extremely strict to get on to the ferry.  I told A not to worry about it, that it was just like getting on an airplane.  To which she responded that she had never been on an airplane (except when she was 4 months old).  Oops, I really am a bad mommy!  Once we made it through security we boarded the ferry and enjoyed a beautiful ride to Ellis Island.  The views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty were incredible.

Lady Liberty

D, J & A on the ferry

Lower Manhattan

A and the Lady

Once we arrived on Ellis Island the students were treated to an extremely informative interactive tour of the building itself and all of the various steps that immigrants faced when arriving on Ellis Island with all of their hopes and dreams tied to their new life in America.  Not only did they have to struggle with surviving the pricey passage across the Ocean, most of them in tiny, cramped Steerage quarters, they were also subjected to numerous tests upon arrival.  This included passing the medical, financial and mental tests before you were able to be re-united with family.  The good news is that 90+% were eventually admitted into the United States but I can only imagine the hardship and stress that this journey would have caused.  I guess it is a small price to pay for freedom and opportunity.  The students had numerous questions throughout the day and were engaged and well behaved.

Our tour guide, explaining how groups were separated

Ellis Island Immigration Center

I think most of them left with some sense of how lucky they were to be living in this country.  They all realized that at some point they or one of their family members had been an immigrant.  A. was proud to raise her hand as a new immigrant to the United States.  I even felt a bit choked up when I thought about our journey here and how we had made a decision to move to this country just like my father’s family had so many years before.  One thing I can say, is that I am very glad that we did it in 2010 and NOT 1910!!

Overall, a wonderful day and learning opportunity for one and all.  And, I didn’t even need the tylenol although I sure did sleep well that night.  Whoa, kids are exhausting 😉

Heading Home Sweet Home

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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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A Weekend of Thanks

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on November 30, 2010| 1 Comment »

It is already Tuesday and I am just finding the time and the peace and quiet to sit down and reflect upon our first American Thanksgiving in New York City.  Many of my friends here in the city asked us if we would be celebrating US Thanksgiving since we had already celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving in October.  My response to them was of course, we wanted to start our new family traditions and also, with all of the hype and anticipation surrounding Thanksgiving how could we not? Thanksgiving here in the United States is a BIG deal.  It is a bigger holiday celebration than Christmas.  As soon as Halloween is over the plans for Thanksgiving begin.  Travel arrangements are made, get togethers are organized and menus are planned with meticulous detail.  At this time Manhattan is turned into a magical holiday place.  Store fronts are transformed, trees are covered in lights and lamp posts are decorated.  The whole city becomes a frenzy of holiday cheer and excitement.

Radio City Music Hall

We were very fortunate to have friends and family with us to help celebrate Thanksgiving.  We kicked off the extra long weekend on Wednesday night by heading on over a couple of blocks to Central Park West and 81st to see the inflation of the balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  There are only certain streets in Manhattan that are wide enough to inflate the balloons for the parade and that is why they use the streets on the Upper West Side.  This is also where the parade starts and then it continues on into midtown towards Macy’s.  The balloon inflation used to be a neighbourhood secret, but word has gotten out and it is now a favourite thing for many New Yorkers  and tourists alike and the crowds are huge.  The best part of this adventure for us is the fact that it is only a couple of blocks from the apartment and we went for a half an hour and then returned home without having to jump on a crowded subway!!

The Smurfs are back!!

On Thanksgiving morning the kids woke up super excited to get going to the parade.  We turned on the t.v. at 7:30 am and saw that people with front row views at the barricades had arrived at 4:30 am!!  Our troops were not quite so dedicated and we left the apartment 10 minutes before the parade started.  We had no idea what to expect.  The crowds heading toward Central Park were huge but everyone was in a festive mood and the excitement and energy of the children was infectious.  Luckily, a wonderfully kind woman allowed our group to watch the parade from her brownstone stoop and we had an excellent view to see the spectacular floats, balloons and of course the guest of honour himself, Santa Claus!!

The crowds looking towards the parade route on Central Park West

Spiderman!!

The Gang on the Stoop

After an incredible time at the parade, the whole gang headed home to our warm and cozy apartment and did what all good Americans do on Thanksgiving- watched football, played games, snuggled on the couch, drank good wine/beer and enjoyed an incredibly delicious feast! A HUGE thank you to Ron, who, once again made an amazing turkey dinner 🙂  All of us were reminded throughout the day that it is the non material things that we are truly thankful for, our friends and loving families.  Well, and maybe one material thing- expandable pants 😉

The BEST thing about American Thanksgiving is that it lasts FOUR days!!  Boy, do they know how to do it right.  I woke up the day after Thanksgiving reflecting on what a great day it was and then I remembered that it was only FRIDAY.  We still had an entire long weekend to be with the family and that really is what holidays are all about, spending time with those people that you love, even if it means having an extra drink sometimes ;).  The gift of time is wonderful.

As we move onto the insanity of Christmas, I do so with a full heart, surrounded by the warmth of the people around me and for that I am grateful.  Thank you.

However, enough with the warm and fuzzies, it IS December tomorrow and I have not started my shopping.  I guess I had better jump into the crowds and get to it! OR, I could go online…

The crowd at Macy's on Saturday... pass me another drink!!

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Wordless Wednesday: It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas…

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on November 24, 2010| 3 Comments »

On the weekend the family and I wandered through the Upper East Side into Midtown and stopped at various stores along the way.  With Thanksgiving only days away at that point, many of the decorations were up and the beauty of Manhattan decorated for the holidays was starting to come alive.  Here are a few photos from our adventure, enjoy!!

Dylan's Candy Shop

They Yummy Looking Tree at Dylan's

Bloomingdale's

The Holiday Bear at Bloomie's

Ralph Lauren

The Star on 5th Avenue

Tiffany's

It's Snowing!!

Cartier

Rockefeller Center

THE tree in the process of being decorated at Rockefeller Center

The Swarovski Star that will placed on top of the tree

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Delivery??, Yes Please!!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 19, 2010| 1 Comment »

Okay, I realized today that I may have a small obsession/addiction to having things delivered to my apartment.  I came to this realization when the dog food delivery arrived at my door by FedEx.  Now, in my defence, dog food really is one of those things that you cannot go out and buy in Manhattan.  It is not exactly easy to schlep home two 35 pound bags of dog food through the mean streets of NYC.  Maybe that is why most people have dogs that are small enough to carry around in purses… hmmm… guess it is a little late for that =) Anyhoo, back to the dog food delivery.  I was very pleased with myself that it arrived and I would not have to carry it any further than to the closet.  Although, when ordering I must have forgotten that I live in a small Manhattan apartment, because I ask you this, where the hell am I going to store this much dog food????

Apparently the Dogs will NOT be going hungry this winter!!

As I was unpacking the dog food I started thinking about the other things that I had delivered this week- workbooks for the girls from Amazon, new shoes from Zappos (these arrived within 24 hours), a gift from Disney and of course, my groceries from Fresh Direct. It was all incredibly easy.  My addiction continues… And it is not even frowned upon.  EVERYONE in NYC is doing it.  I have to say that it is one of the perks that I am loving about living in New York.  And, since we live in a doorman building you don’t even have to be home to receive your deliveries, they magically appear at the apartment door.  With the Holidays fast approaching and the thought of jam packed stores and the Christmas rush I can only see this addiction continuing.  I can avoid the crowds, sip on a cup of tea, click away on the computer and voila! the parcels will appear at my door.  Yikes, someone better hide my credit card!!!

Oh, and it is Friday, my AVOID making dinner day, so soon I will be perusing through the delivery menus to figure out what we will be having for dinner.  It is is a good thing I have to walk everywhere to do everything else, because this kind of lifestyle could make one start being very lazy 😉  Now, if only Starbucks would start delivering…

The Delivery Menus

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Wordless Wednesday- “Taking The Boys For A Walk”

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on November 17, 2010| 1 Comment »

Yesterday was a gloomy fall day in NYC.  A slight drizzle was falling and it was a perfect day to stay in sip a warm cup of tea and read a good book.  Unfortunately, the dogs had other ideas and kept bugging me to go out.  So, I put on their leashes and out for a walk we went.  Here are some of the images from our walk, which in the end, turned out to be quite a beautiful and refreshing trek. Enjoy!

The Rules

Dogs on a leash- Bogie and Dopey

To Take A Stroll...

Or To Sit And Enjoy A Moment...

The View

The Colours

A Late Bloom

The Street

Bogie

Squirrel!!

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Finding a Little Moment of Peace and Quiet

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on November 15, 2010| 4 Comments »

Today has been one of those truly insane crazy Mondays.  The kind where the weather is grey and gloomy, the kids didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning, we were scrambling to get to school on time and then the to do list seemed to get longer instead of shorter.  It felt like there was barely a moment to catch my breath.  The evening wasn’t much better- patience waning, cranky kids, piles of homework, dogs behaving badly and of course, a husband out of town.  The kind of day that made me want to run from the apartment and get on the crazy train… although I am not really sure anyone in NYC would have noticed =)

That's right Monday, you can suck it!!

So, that is why, in a day like today it is hard for me to fully realize that I had one of my true moments of peace and quiet since moving to NYC.  How is this possible, you might ask?  Well, I am a reading buddy.  Yep, once a week I meet with a first grader and I read to him for half an hour.  That is all.  We find a quiet spot in the school and I read to him. Today was our first day and it was truly magical.  The highlight of my day really.  We had met one other time with the rest of the reading group and he told me what stories he liked.  Today I brought him stories that revolved around dinosaurs, the misadventures of the Berenstain Bears and The Magic School Bus.  He was thrilled with the choices, although he informed me that next week he would like to go to the library and pick out some books because the library is a cool place.  Yes, the library IS a cool place.  They have books there AND peace AND quiet.

For half an hour today, it was just Christopher and I and the books.  No cell phone, computer or other outside distractions.  We got lost in the land of dinosaurs, a wacky bear family and a teacher with frizzy hair.  I relaxed and enjoyed the moment.  While walking back to class he turned to me and said “I had fun, let’s do it again”, I smiled and said “I had fun too and not to worry I would be back next week”.  I think my sanity depends on it 😉

 

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