Christianson Visit

My grandma, uncle and his girlfriend were in town over the weekend. They couldn't have asked for a better weekend (the weather was perfect) to see the sights. As soon as the sun came out, NYC was in full springtime flair. Leaves started budding out and blossoms were blooming. The whole city was in a good mood and had a different energy than before.


My family saw many parts of the city---with lots of tasty meals and plenty of exploring. My grandma was a trooper and traipsed around town on foot and on the subway. They saw Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Prospect Park, MoMA, and the Lower East Side. For anyone who comes to visit us, we will take you to at least one of these two resteraunts: Clinton Street Baking Co. (for brunch) and Supper (for fabulous Italian). We went to both of these places this weekend and our stomachs were very happy.



Enjoying the view at Belvedere Castle in Central Park.

Turtle Pond---with actual turtles!

The Great Lawn

"Cleopatra's Needle" ---an obelisk from Alexandria, Egypt---the oldest man-made object in the Park.

Standing under the magnolias.

Up close with Starry Night at MoMA. Don't get too close or the guards will yell at you.

Warhol's wall of soup

Lounging at the Park Slope Inn Garden Apartment.....

...watching the diverse Brooklyn wildlife. We discovered that squirrels can climb ladders.

It was so much fun to have family come out, we miss all of you! You are welcome anytime. My parents come on Friday for 10 days, so there will definately be more pics coming soon. (Keep an eye out for Yankee Stadium pics).

Easter in Newport, RI

Ethan and I ventured out of the city for Easter. We rented a car near Grand Central Station and headed out to New England. Luckily, it was Good Friday when we left Manhattan and there was no traffic because the city literally seemed to shut down over Passover/Holy Week. We made it to Erin and Mark's place in Newport in about 3 hours. We had a fun weekend with them and their kids. It was nice to finally meet Mark and to see the whole Leavitt family together. We just wish they were going to be on the East Coast with us for longer than a year.

I was still getting over my cold, so I wasn't feeling 100%, but it was nice to get outside and breath the fresh clean sea air. It was however freezing cold, so when we went outside, it wasn't for too long. We walked along the water near Mark and Erin's place at Fort Adams. I would compare it to Fort Casey on Whidbey, with the stone/cement forts, lots of water and green fields. Kira and Maddie explored the shore with Uncle Ethan. We also went out to a park and the boys flew a kite. Saturday night, a babysitter came to watch the kids and us adults went out to a great dinner at the Red Parrot. The next day the Easter Bunny came and left a bunch of treats and chocolate. "One chocolate, two chocolate, three chocolate and another chocolate" as Graham put it. Erin cooked a yummy brunch and we lounged around and watched Star Wars: Episode 3.

We'll have more Newport photos come May, when we go back for Madeline's first communion.

Have a good weekend!

Philadelphia

It's official: I have been to all three of our nation's capitals. Now living in the first, visited DC 2 yrs ago and I went to our nation's second capital last weekend. Philadelphia is about an hour and a half away from NYC by train. Cara was in Philly all week for an anthropology conference, so I went to visit her there over the weekend. We spent most of our time in the downtown & "Olde City" areas, seeing historic sites and doing a little shopping. Philadelphia is a nice city, from what I saw. It had a small city feel to it and was a nice change from bustling and humongous NYC. Cara and I had a good time exploring and here are some pics:















Independence Hall---Where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Constitution drafted and the Liberty Bell once hung.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

City Hall

Ethan and I are headed to Newport, RI this weekend to see his sister and family. Stay tuned for more photos! Happy Easter!