We are in Roanoke, VA for Christmas with Ethan's parents. After a 2 day delay due to a super fun bout with the stomach flu , we hit the road on Monday and drove through 6 states to Virginia. We are enjoying our time here and will post some photos after the holiday.
We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!
This one is our favorite!
PC Guy, also known as John Hodgman, gave a book talk at our neighborhood Barnes and Noble last night. He is a fellow Park Sloper and has been spotted out and about (i.e. waiting in line to vote). He is best known for playing the very funny PC Guy on the Apple commercials. He is also a writer and Daily Show star. He spoke at Barnes and Noble about his latest book, "More Information Than You Require". He is an entertaining speaker/salesman and I think Ethan is ready to go read his books. It was a fun night!
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| Intrepid Museum |
It feels like winter, with high's in the mid-30's and wind chills in the teens. Not fun. We know it's officially cold when Luna starts using her "love bucket". She ignores this bed for most of the year, until even she can't handle the cold (fluffy fur and all). We have learned while living here that radiator heat is NOT an acceptable source of heat. Last night, we lit all of our candles and turned on the space heater so we could watch our Netflix without freezing. This may be our first real NE winter, since the previous two were very mild. Maybe we'll see a blizzard this year!
Election Day was a holiday for most schools in NYC, so I voted in the morning and walked up to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in the afternoon. The trees were still showing their fall colors and it was a very pretty walk. 
Even bonsai trees can change color!
The Rose Garden had some blooms hanging on through the last warm days.
Next, the elite men raced by. The winner is wearing the neon yellow shirt, Brazil's Marilson Gomes dos Santos and he finished in 2:08:43. 
Some of the 38,000 runners......
As we walked down 5th Avenue, along Central Park, we passed the Guggenheim. Most of the time we've lived here, it's been covered in scaffolding for restoration. Now it's back to normal. We also came across a set for Gossip Girl - they were trying to film on the sidewalk next to the park but were having some difficulty with pedestrians walking through the set. 
Dog walkers in Central Park - these dogs were so well behaved. The man in the tan pants was like Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, with his "sssst" commands. Those of you who watch the show on National Geographic know what I am talking about. :)
We went to the Columbus Day parade - this is when the motorcades were coming down 5th Ave. There were cops from NY, NJ, and CT who all had their sirens turned on. 
We watched the parade next to St. Patrick's Cathedral. We went inside for some quiet time after the motorcade passed by. 
We took a day trip up to Cold Spring in upstate NY. It was an hour train ride up the Hudson River. The trees were just starting to turn color along the scenic route. We passed Sing Sing prison and Westpoint along the way. Cold Spring was a very cute town with lots of antique shops and friendly people. It was nice to get out of the city for a day. Here we are at the Cold Spring riverfront. 
There is a Jeff Koons rooftop exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. Sarah, Chad, Ethan and I went to check it out - it's been on our "NYC to-do" list since the spring. We are so glad we trekked up to the Upper East Side and paid the $20 "suggested donation" to get into the Met. Suggested donations are tricky because you feel guilty for not paying the full amount. I wonder if people ever just pay a penny?
