Christmas in Seattle

Merry Christmas everyone! We are in Seattle for the week and will post some new photos when we are back in NYC. We had a semi-white christmas (it snowed for about an hour but didn't stick to the roads in Fremont). We may be getting some more snow tonight!

Have a great week and check back in a few days for Seattle photos.

Predicting the Future

This is a "just for fun" entry.

Take a look at this old photo I found. Notice the writing on my shirt and then look at the date in the corner. This was taken long before Ethan and I were married, let alone knew we were moving to Brooklyn someday. A coincidence? I think not.... :)

Rockefeller Tree

For the second Christmas in a row, we visited the Rockefeller Center tree. We went on a Saturday (big mistake) but thought if we went during the day, the crowds might be less insane. It was packed and we stayed long enough to look at the tree and take a couple pictures. We walked across the street to Saks Fifth Avenue and looked at the window displays. (My mom told me that the folks who design the displays spend the whole year preparing for the winter holiday windows). What a cool job!

Vintage V-Train

On every Sunday in December, New Yorkers get a chance to ride on a piece of NYC history. The V-line (which doesn't run on weekends) is lending it's tracks to antique subway cars. There is one vintage train, running from 2nd Ave (downtown Manhattan) to Queens and just goes back and forth from 10 am to 5 pm each Sunday. Ethan and I waited for an hour at the 2nd Ave stop and it was definitely worth the wait. It's not everyday you get to ride on one of these trains. (You can see them at the Transit Museum but being on a moving car is a whole different story). There were 7 or 8 different cars and you could walk to and from (kinda scary) while the train was moving. No doors in between cars! The heat worked, the ceiling fans whirled and the ads on the walls were entertaining. I put a video shot of the train leaving the Rockefeller Plaza station at the end of the post.

Turkey Day in VA

Ethan and I had a great time visiting Roanoke for Thanksgiving. It was an 8 hour drive from NYC, but we learned from our x-country trip that Cracker Barrel is a lifesaver. We stopped at one in NJ and checked out a book on cd. I don't even remember what it was called, but it was a crime mystery and passed the time well.

As you may have seen in the video, we were lucky to have great weather during our visit. I never thought I'd be wearing short sleeves in November! We spent the time relaxing at Ethan's parents house, playing with the kids and enjoying time away from the big city. Marcia cooked a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner complete with cornbread stuffing and sweet potatoes. Next time, I'll be sure add the Thomas touch with some mandarin orange Jello. :)

Note: Click on the photo collage to enlarge the pics.

Happy Thanksgiving

Weekend in Newport

To kick off the holiday season, we travelled up to Newport, RI to visit Erin, Mark and the kids. As usual a good time was had by all. Not shown in the pictures is the suped-up, tricked-out Chevy HHR that served as our rental car. Imagine a PT Cruiser on steroids. Not a terrible car, but the windshield was designed for drivers who are 5'4'' or shorter. I had a hard time seeing stoplights without leaning forward.

Anyway, the weekend started as it always does in Newport; playtime with the nieces and nephews. Erin gave Kira some tips on playing man-to-man defense, and Graham gave us all some lessons on how to ride a scooter. He's pretty good for a 3 year old. Then it was on to a local farm/orchard to pick apples. We were a bit late in the season, but there were still plenty of apples to choose from. It literally took about 20 seconds for the girls to fill our one $15 all-you-can-fit sack full of apples. Graham, in a display of his ever increasing testosterone levels, entertained himself by stomping on the rotten apples on the ground. Erin used some of the apples to make an apple crisp for that night's dessert.

After the orchard, it was off to the bowling alley located on base. I must say it was one of the cleanest and newer looking bowling alleys we'd seen in a long time. Bowling has come a long way in the past 20 years. Back when I was young, if you weren't strong enough to roll the ball all the way down the lane, bowling was not much fun. Now they've taken the frustration out of it for the younger kids by adding metal ramps that help get the ball moving. Genius!! At the end of the game, they even provide stats for each bowler, including the average speed for your first and second rolls. Very high tech. For the record, Erin was able to outbowl her husband, but fell just a few pins shy of her kid brother.

We also celebrated Kira's birthday during our visit. You can see her tossing her new polar bear up in the air. For her present, we adopted a real polar bear in her name from the Defenders of Wildlife. They help protect polar bears in the Arctic Circle (and other endangered species around the world). Each adopting parent receives a picture of a polar bear, plus a stuffed animal. Kira named her adopted bear Snowflake.

We had some arts and crafts time after dinner, as each kid got to assemble their new paper bag puppets. Kira's puppet was a monkey, Madeline got a frog, and Graham got a lobster. The kids had a blast putting them together, especially Graham. Graham met a friend at a seafood restaurant one day who he named Mr. Lobster. Mr. Lobster consisted of the lobster tail shell that Graham's cousin had ordered for lunch, and who Graham played with throughout the entire meal. Needless to say, he was very excited to get to play with his pal Mr. Lobster again. Madeline is shown with her newly completed Frog.

Madeline had a gymnastics meet on Sunday up in Massachusetts. Unfortunately we couldn't make the trip up for it, so Madeline gave us a preview of her floor routine in the living room. Very graceful and very cute. She also tried to show me some of her stretches. I guess at 30 you're not as limber as when you're 8 because I literally could not move.

Sunday morning, Elin and I headed out to tour the Vanderbilt's "summer cottage" called the Breakers. The "cottage" consisted of 73 rooms (27 of which are bathrooms), a carriage house, ample lawns/gardens and a view of the Atlantic Ocean. 99% of the furnishings on display were actually owned and used by the Vanderbilt's when they lived there (the 1% consisted of the copper pots hanging up in the kitchen) . Lucky for us, they had just decorated for Christmas the day before we arrived. It was quite an awesome sight to behold: bath tubs cut from slabs of marble, faucets for both salt and fresh water, walls lined with gold and platinum, and a special room just to prepare the daily floral arrangements. The kitchen was bigger than our apartment!!

We weren't allowed to take photos inside the mansion, so Elin scoured the internet looking for some indoor shots. These pics don't do the Breakers justice- if you are ever in Newport, you need to go on a tour of the Breakers to see it in person.

Heading to Rhode Island

We are driving to Newport tonight to spend the weekend with Erin and Mark (Ethan's sister and brother-in-law) and the kids. Stay tuned for photos when we return on Sunday! Hope you all have a good weekend.

Update: We had a great time in RI last weekend! We're in Roanoke now for Thanksgiving. I've loaded up the Newport photos but haven't had time to write any details. Check back on Sunday for the latest. I went a little camera crazy. :)

Goodbye Washington License...

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of having a 4 day weekend. Here in NYC, schools and universities close on Election Day! I decided to use the days off to get some errands done. I needed to get my New York driver's license (even though I don't drive) because my WA license expires in January. I went to the DMV office, armed with a slew of paperwork (license application, social security card, birth certificate, marriage license). Getting a license here is serious business. Unfortunately, I had to surrender my WA license. I had a feeling this might happen, so I took a farewell photo the night before. Guess that means I will officially be a tourist when I come home for Christmas. Sad.

NYC Marathon

It was Marathon weekend in NYC! On Saturday, the Men's US Team Olympic Trials were held at Central Park (I think they did 5 loops around the park). On Sunday, the world famous New York City Marathon took place. 38,000 participants ran on a course that began on Staten Island, went through all five boroughs and ended at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. The Mile 7 mark went right through our neighborhood, so we walked a few blocks down to 4th Avenue and watched for about an hour. We got there just in time to see the elite men run by. They are so fast! It was amazing to watch people who are truly gifted in their sport. It was also inspiring to see all the "regular runners", those who have been training for months and putting in lots of hard work. We were on the lookout for a few people-- Seamus, one of Ethan's coworkers and Lane, a guy Ethan knows from grad school were running. It was hard to find them in the sea of runners, but we managed to spot Lane.

I have never been a huge fan of running, but there's something about actually seeing a marathon in person that makes you want to do it. There were people from all over the world in the race. The crowds were cheering the runners on and supporting them in their challenge. It was so cool. Ethan wants to run it next year and thinks that if I stay motivated, I can do it too. We'll see about that. (26.2 miles is a long way for someone who can barely run 3!)


The guy in the blue shirt/red shorts is Martin Lel from Kenya, the winner of the marathon. The guy in the neon shirt came in third.

So many people!

Free bananas to folks who need energizing!

Happy Halloween!

I thought this would be an appropriate post for Halloween. As I waited at the 14th St. station last Friday, I heard a familiar voice. I turned my head and saw a man walking past. It was Crispin Glover, better known as "George McFly" from Back to the Future. Also known for playing some rather creepy characters (Willard, below, and the Thin Man in Charlie's Angels).
I wonder if some of the rats in Willard were subway rats? :)

The Big Lull

There hasn't been much to blog about lately, sorry! We are having a lull in visitors and have stuck closer to home over the weekends. Fall has finally arrived (about a month late) and it's been rainy and much cooler. Time to put away the tank tops and get out the sweaters. Trees are just starting to lose their leaves, although I'm a little disappointed. I thought there would be more red and orange lining the streets but instead it seems like the leaves are just dying and falling off the trees a nice shade of brown. People here tell us you have to go outside the city to see all the spectacular colors. I'd like to take a day trip out to Pennsylvania or up to Connecticut-- anywhere we can be surrounded by wide open space, no crowds and fresh air.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The End of an Era

The Joe Torre era is over for the Bronx Bombers. It's a sad day in NY for all the Yankee fans. But a happy day for us! Let's hope the team starts to unravel. Maybe the Mariner's will sign Torre and make the playoffs for the next 12 years. :)

Ethan's 30th Birthday

Ethan turned 30 yesterday and we celebrated over the weekend. Ethan's brother Matt flew up from VA and their cousin Joel drove over from NJ. On Friday, we went out to eat at restaurant/bar near Madison Square Garden called Stout. We watched the Indians/Red Sox game and had some good food.



The next day, we headed back into Manhattan. We stopped at FAO Schwartz ---that place is a zoo---complete with any kind of toy ever made. There were demo people showing how to play the toys (including someone getting really excited about a Dungeons and Dragons type game). There were people playing the lifesize keyboard--- you know, the one from the movie Big. It was fine when kids where playing and hopping on it...but once the 2 FAO Schwartz performers started playing, it was hard to watch.... a little too cheesy.

Here's the brothers at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. As you can tell, it was a beautiful, sunny day!



I had to include this shot. I spy with my little eye the Wizard of Central Park.



Saturday night, Matt, Ethan and I went out for Ethan's birthday dinner. I surprised E by getting reservations at Wild Salmon, a Pacific NW themed restaurant. The chef at Ray's Boathouse moved to New York and opened up this restaurant, complete with salmon dinners, Tillamook cheese and NW beers. Ethan was very excited and we had a great time at dinner. It was like being back home again...

Since yesterday was Ethan's actual b-day, I baked him a cake. We had a laidback night, went out for Italian, talked to family and that's about it. Turning 30 takes a lot out of you!

Celebrity Sighting!

We saw Robin Williams walking down 57th St on Saturday. Ethan saw him first and pointed him out to me. As Ethan says, "He is a tiny, little man".

Wonder who else we'll see.....

Rooftop Garden at Rockefeller Center

It was Open House Weekend in NYC on Saturday and Sunday. This meant that 350 different buildings throughout the five boroughs held open houses, celebrating design and architecture. There were historic sites, churches, museums, monuments, hotels, architecture firms, artist studios, etc to visit---all open for visitors. Some are never open to the public except during open house weekend. We went out on Sunday, with our number one choice in mind. The British Empire Building in Rockefeller Plaza has a rooftop garden and reflection pool ---and apparently is one of the sites off limits to visitors during the year. This was our chance to go somewhere we'd never be allowed again. Here are some photos from the roof--- it was only seven stories up, but high enough to make me nervous while looking over the edge). We had a good view of St. Patrick's cathedral and the Polish parade happening on 5th Ave. It seems like we always discover something happening when we are in Manhattan. Today it was a parade.


The Rockefeller ice rink opened this weekend---in 80 degree weather. There's nothing like ice skating in shorts and t-shirts!

The Polish parade is just getting started. After going back down to street level, we waited a bit by the parade route, hoping to see some floats, a band, something. No such luck, we were at 50th St and the parade started at 29th..... But we did overhear a funny comment from a kid. His family was telling him that the Polish parade was today and the Italian parade was on Monday for Columbus Day. He asked his mom, "How come there aren't any American parades?"

Well, that does it for the open house weekend. We only stopped at one place....it was hot and humid and trekking around the city didn't sound too appealing. So instead, we headed to where there was air conditioning --the movie theater. We saw 2 movies this weekend. Michael Clayton and The Assassination of Jesse James. Two real pick-me-ups. :)

Subway Reef

Looks like the transit folks have figured out a creative way to get rid of old subway cars. About 600 cars are being dumped off the Jersey coastline and starting a new life as a reef for fish and other Atlantic Ocean sealife. Pretty clever.

Columbia and Iran

You may have heard a little story on the nightly news about the President of Iran coming to Columbia....

There was tight security on campus today, Columbia ID's were required to enter the main campus. Security and Secret Service were walking around, student groups were protesting and a huge crowd gathered on the Butler Library lawn to watch and listen to the live video feed of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speech. Here are some pics I took with my cell phone camera, not the best quality but you can see the crowd. I heard him speak a little during my lunch break but will read the online transcript later to get the full details.

Via Visit Part 2

Ethan's parents came to town for a long weekend. We both took Friday off, so we were able to spend 2 whole days with them. We went to breakfast in our neighborhood at a place called Dizzy's. It's a couple blocks away from our place. We saw a famous actor there, sitting against the wall, reading a book. Anyone recognize this guy?

Steve Buscemi, from Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, etc. apparently lives in Park Slope.

Anyhow, after breakfast, we were on our way into Manhattan. We ended up seeing a movie at the Times Square theater (Bourne Ultimatum). The best one of the three, in my opinion. Very exciting, with the whole movie literally as one huge chases scene.

After the movie, we ventured up to Central Park. The ice rink was getting assembled again, a sure sign that winter is right around the corner...although it was a beautiful day on Friday.

Saturday, however, was a different story. The weather forecast was for sunny skies, 85 degrees. We thought it would be the perfect day for a boat cruise around Manhattan. As soon as the boat left the dock, the clouds rolled in and the raindrops fell. The view wasn't very clear but it was still cool to see parts of Manhattan you can't see from land.

Southern tip of Manhattan --- helipad used for VIP's. Bush lands here when he comes to town, and he just so happens to be here right now for the UN General Assembly.

Empire State Bldg in the clouds.

Some of you may remember this children's book. It's a true story! Below is the actual red lighthouse and the great gray bridge (the George Washington Bridge).

NYU's crew house --- the nicest crew building I've ever seen. But....I would much rather row in Greenlake or Lake Union than the East River. Ick.

Riverside Church in Morningside Heights (Columbia's neck of the woods). See that circular building with the pointed roof? That's Grant's Tomb. I haven't been here yet, but I imagine it would be a nice walk to take during my lunch break.

We ended the day with a trip to Rockefeller Plaza and an early dinner at an Irish pub. It was nice to spend time together and relax a bit before they headed home on the train. The next morning, Ethan and his parents left for Penn Station. Ethan joined them for part of the trip back home. He got off the train at DC en route to a fun week of training at Quantico. Luna and I are holding down the fort until he comes back next weekend.