Mom and Dad Visit Part II

I was able to take a couple days off to hang out with my parents. On Thursday, we went to a museum, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, braved Times Square and saw Rockefeller Plaza.

The New York Transit Museum is located in an old subway station in Brooklyn. It showcases the history of the subway system, bridges, and tunnels in NYC. The subway platform holds many old subway and trolley cars, which you can walk inside, sit down and hold onto the straps.

A springtime view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Promenade.

Heading to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge.

Stay tuned for more pictures....

( We'll be in Florida for Jim and Amy's wedding this weekend, so I won't be able to post again until next week.)

Mom and Dad Visit Part I

Family photo in Prospect Park

There are lots of photos from my parents visit, so rather than see them all at once, you will have daily installments. :)

My parents were here at a perfect time, when the weather was excellent and the city was starting to look green and pretty. They were in town for ten days and were able to see many of the places on their "to-do" list. During the days Ethan and I worked, my folks explored Manhattan on their own and saw things that we hadn't even seen yet. (Parts of Central Park, Greenwich Village, the Met, etc) They even saw a celebrity--Janeane Garofalo--doing some drugstore shopping. (Sidenote: Ethan saw Sarah Jessica Parker in Chinatown last week).

It was nice to have them in town for an extended visit. They had a chance to see what our life is like here and experience what a New Yorker's day is like. They mastered riding the subway (with only one mishap--they got separated), the adopted the art of jaywalking (everyone does it) and manuevering through the crowds on Manhattan streets.

Our first full day together included a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens during the Cherry Festival. Ethan and I invested in an annual membership, so don't be surprised if you see photos throughout the year from these cool gardens. Here are some pics from the festival:

Anyone want to make an origami frog?

I know some of you are hoping to see pics from the Yankee/Mariners game (Pete, Grandpa) :) I'll post them this week, I promise. I'm off to bed now. Good night!

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!

Ethan's Parents Visit

Ethan's parents came to town last weekend for a 4 day visit. Ethan had Friday off and took them up to the top of the Empire State Building and to the Brooklyn Promenade. We had many good meals while they were in town....the best NY pizza we've tasted so far at Lombardi's, some sinful desserts at Ferrara's---that must be why my pants fit a little tighter today. On Saturday, we spent part of the day at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It turned out to be a sunny, somewhat warm day and we enjoyed ourselves while we learned more about a piece of American history. We had a fun weekend and we only hope we didn't tire them out too much with all the walking and subway riding.

Here are some pictures from our visit:

This is the original torch, now seen in the museum at the pedestal of the Statue.

Ellis Island, with lovely Jersey City in the background.

Three weeks later...

It's been a while since our last post. Here are some photos from the past few weeks.

I cut Ethan's hair for the first time (don't worry, the front "poof" was just for laughs. And yes, Ethan asked for it that short). :)

We've had some snow and freezing temps. Here's what our street looked like during one of the snowy nights.

Ethan and I had brunch with some friends from Seattle (Ellen from my teaching program has a son at Columbia Univ, so we met up with them while her and her husband were in town).

Ethan and I visited the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest gothic cathedral in America and Columbia's nearby neighbor.

And just for fun, here's yet another cute photo of Luna. She loves to sneak into Ethan's dresser when we put away our laundry.

We're standing in the middle of campus at Columbia. The building behind us is Low Library, which is no longer a library, but used as administrative offices instead. The Grad School of Architecture is in Avery Hall, which is the building on the right--- the one with the greenish roof.

South Street Seaport Village

Seeing how the temperatures had risen to 30 degrees , we headed outdoors and explored a part of Manhattan we hadn't seen before. South Street Seaport Village is downtown, on the East River. It has a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the pier, as you can see in the picture. There are 5 old boats moored on Pier 16---schooners, tugboats, and cargo ships.


I cannot take credit for this photo---I got if off the Seaport Museum website. Maybe we'll actually see this boat sail when the weather is warmer. The NYC Water Taxis also leave from Pier 16---they can take people to the Statue of Liberty, among other places. There are also lots of restaurants and retail stores at Seaport Village. I am sure it gets pretty crowded there in the summertime. Tomorrow we are off to have brunch with my friend Ellen from Seattle, who is in town with her husband. Their son goes to Columbia, so they come to NYC every so often to see him. I am hoping to take Ethan up to the campus and take some photos there too.

Luna's New Friends

Luna discovered a surprise on the fire escape this morning.....two pigeons close enough for her to touch. If only that glass wasn't there!

Justin Timberlake at MSG

Last week, K and I went to the Justin Timberlake concert at Madison Square Garden. We were surrounded by screaming, teenage girls who were dressed like they in their 20's. I feel old just saying that, but it's true. High school fashion sure has changed in 10 years. But back to the concert---it was an awesome show. He played old songs and new, even threw in an old N Sync song too. His performance definately exceeded my expectations. Here's K and I in the stands; security said cameras weren't allowed into the concert so I had to resort to the cell phone camera. (The stage photo is from the internet). And Madison Sq Gdn is an interesting building. I was expecting to see a stadium like key arena or the rose garden, but instead we saw what looked like an office building from the outside and a HUGE arena on the inside.

The First Family Visit

Kathleen was in town for the past week, during the coldest temps of the winter. It's not too fun to walk around and see the sights when every part of your body needs to be protected from the wind and cold air. We did some shopping, ate a lot of good food and did a little bit of exploring. I think next time she comes it will be in the spring or fall, when the temps are perfect. Kathleen, you left just in time!---there is a snow storm predicted to hit NYC tomorrow. The first big snowfall of the year....we'll see if it happens or not.

On Kathleen's last night we ventured into Times Square to go to the movies. It's a dream come true, two GIGANTIC movie theaters right across the street from one another! (Each one has 25 theaters and shows all kinds of movies). We've seen Pan's Labrinth and Marie Antoinette there, and on Saturday we saw Little Children.

Of course we just had to get our haircut while Kathleen was in town! :) We went to a beauty supply store in Manhattan and bought clippers to cut Ethan's hair. K taught me how to cut, although I am sure the first time I try, it will take me hours.

Here we are at our neighborhood subway stop---the F train, 7th Avenue. If you ever come visit us, this is one thing you'll need to remember if you go out exploring while we are at work. :) Kathleen, you missed a crazy sight on the subway after we dropped you off at the airport....I'll tell you about it sometime.

In a few days, Kathleen is moving to San Fran. We wish her the best and hope she finds a job and a nice place to live soon. Will we be seeing a SanFranThomas blog coming soon? :)