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? :)

Danica's here!

Danica arrived on Thursday, in town for work and also for a mini-vacation. She works for a company that sells ribbon, gift boxes, wrapping paper, etc to various stores and companies. Her company is participating in the the New York Gift Trade Show this week and I got to see firsthand how much work it takes to set up a booth. It was a fun day and I learned all about ribbon! I want to buy some to use on my cards--it's beautiful and so colorful.

The show ends on Thursday and we'll begin the real New York adventure then. We are going to explore neighborhoods like Soho and Chelsea and maybe even see some famous people. NY Fashion Week starts in a few days and apparently, lots of celebs are in town. Kathleen arrives on Saturday, so we can all explore the city together.

The two of us at Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope. It was so cold out, Ethan had to take this photo super quickly so his bare hands wouldn't freeze to death.

First Snowfall

Luna in awe of the 1/2 inch of snow on the fire escape.

This past week we had our first snowfall and the coldest temperatures in two years. Imagine waking up in the morning and discovering it's nine degrees outside. Friday was a "wear long underwear under your clothes" type of day. And an "I wish I had a ski mask" day as well. The wind chaps your cheeks and takes your breath away.

Our first visitors

Ethan's brother, Matt and his wife Courtney, came to the Big Apple over MLK weekend. They tried out our new humongous air mattress that barely fits in our living room. (Kathleen and Danica, your turn is next!) It was a fun weekend full of football, walking, and lots of eating. We tried out a Mexican place near NYU which turned out to be really good. They served lots of spicy dishes, which Ethan of course LOVED. :)

We watched the big game and unfortunately, I was the one who suffered the major disappointment of it all. But now that Ethan's team is having their turn in the Super Bowl this year...Go Bears!

Matt and Courtney and the view from the Brooklyn Promenade. Great place to see Manhattan.

The E & E Rivalry

It all comes down to this Sunday. Elin's Seahawks vs. Ethan's Bears. We went through it once already this season and we all know how that ended. This photo was taken before that terrible game. We are both ready for round two....and since I am the one who types this blog, I have the right to say.....GO SEAHAWKS!!! :)

A New York Birthday

I turned the big 2-9 this week. Ethan surprised me with tickets to my first Broadway show! We saw Wicked at the Gershwin Theater. It was a fun show--Ana Gasteyer from SNL played Elphaba. Ethan and I both read the book last year, so we could tell that there was a lot left out of the show---and a lot was changed. The ending was completely different and the plot was more "kid-friendly". After the show, we went to Union Square and explored a bit before heading home to watch the Seahawks-Cowboys game. I wore my jersey for good luck and it actually worked! What a crazy game that was.

Elin has a job!

As of January 3rd, Elin will be a full-time employee at Columbia University. She will be working as an assistant to the Finance Director in the Grad School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. The job is relatively similar to jobs she's done at SPU---paying invoices, filing, updating budget spreadsheets.... It feels great to have two incomes again!

Christmas in Virginia

Richmond

Ethan and I spent two days in Richmond with his brother Matt, sister-in-law Courtney and Peyton, his nephew. Uncle "Ethey" had fun getting tackled and throwing the ball around with Peyton and Aunt "Kaylie" had fun playing woo-woo (trains).

We saw some Christmas light displays near their neighborhood. One of the houses has been showcased on the TLC channel as one of the most decorated in America. There are lights covering everything and the electric bill is almost $3000 from Nov-Dec.

Roanoke

Our first Christmas as a married couple was a good one. It was hard for me to be away from my family for the first time ever but being with the Via's was the next best thing. They made me feel right at home. Marcia cooked an awesome Xmas dinner---Ethan requested a turkey dinner and he got it!

Fixated on the train in Polar Express.

The Big Tree

Christmas at Rockefeller Plaza

About few days before Christmas, Ethan and I visited "The Rock" to see the holiday sights. We braved the crowd, saw the gigantic tree and watched people ice skate. We would have joined them, but the mile long line changed our minds. Maybe after the holidays....

St. Patrick's Cathedral

We walked farther down 5th Ave, just past Rockefeller Plaza and came across this huge cathedral. It's odd to see such an old building surrounded by skyscrapers. We were able to go inside St. Pats and see how nicely it was decorated for Christmas.