brooklyn

This morning after picking up my tickets for next week's commencement ceremonies, I took the subway down to South Street Seaport to meet Lauren for our planned trek across the Brooklyn Bridge.

As we searched for the entrance to the bridge, we were approached by a man who said, "Excuse me, ladies. Could you walk on the other side of the street? We shooting a film here." Sure enough, they were. And, sure enough, it was Matt Damon with fake blood in a fake car crash for The Bourne Ultimatum, to be released August 3, 2007. (That's him in all black, next to the director's chair.) We found the entrance to the pedestrian walk, above the cars, over the Brooklyn Bridge and we joined what must have been hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists in crossing over, stopping along the way for multiple pictures. It was actually a gorgeous day for this sort of touristy outing; the sun was shining and there was just a slight breeze.Once in Brooklyn, we headed to the famed Grimaldi's for a New York style pizza lunch. Patsy Grimaldi, the founder of Grimaldi's, learned to make pizza at his uncle Patsy Lancieri's pizzeria in 1941 at age ten. Grimaldi believed coal-fired brick ovens produced the best pizza, and it was illegal to build new coal ovens in Manhattan, so the pizzeria ended up opening in the 1990's on Old Fulton Street under the Brooklyn Bridge. Grimaldi’s is small and very popular with tourists and locals alike; before being seated we waited for about half an hour in a line that stretched down the street. Unlike most pizzerias in New York, Grimaldi’s sells only whole pies (a sign that reads “No Slices” and "Take Out, Same Line" is displayed in the front window), so we ordered a small with pepperoni on one half and garlic on the other. Rated as the best in the city by Zagats six consecutive years running, Grimaldi’s is known for going light on the sauce and heavy on the fresh ingredients –- including mozzarella slices made on the premises. Our crust was perfectly crunchy and chewy, with a hint of smokiness from the oven. The fresh tomato sauce was tangy, the mozzarella was slightly salty, the pepperoni was spicy, and the garlic was sweet and crunchy. We left with full bellies and smiles!

(See Lauren in the line? We still weren't at the front...)

We took a short walk down to the river to look over the water toward Manhattan, take more pictures, and relish the pizza goodness. We had planned to try the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory - another famous New York eatery - for dessert, but we were just too full and instead we headed for the subway and home. It was another great New York Day!

(Looking back at Manhattan.)

normal

Well, sorta. Today was sorta normal. I mean, I got a lot accomplished - even before noon - and I was able to enjoy this fantastic city I live in. I had an appointment with a nurse at 10:00 am to start my physical for my new job in China. Then I had an appointment at 10:40 with a nurse practitioner about my wrist. The bump I've had since December? Turns out it's a ganglion cyst and I have to go to a surgeon to have it drained. Yuck! From there I went to the post office to mail a few packages, and then I headed to the hospital for a chest x-ray, also for my job in China. Then I strolled down Broadway, enjoying the sunshine and the people, and hopped on the subway to Union Square. There I grabbed a cheap lunch of gyros from a street vendor and sat in the park to eat and people watch. I stopped in a couple of shops, and I went to Trader Joe's for wine for my Thursday night class. Also browsed in Barnes and Nobel and at the Farmer's Market. Then I came back up north to go to "counseling" before I could get the HIV test, also required for my job in China (that was an experience, let me tell you!). Then I had to go to the lab to get blood drawn for the HIV test and two other tests for my job in China. And the medical requirements still haven't all been met yet! I have an appointment on Friday for an EKG, and then another next Wednesday for a physical and to see all the results. What a pain! Although... I did get to see my ribs, lungs, and heart today, which was cool! Other things I saw in New York today? Two girls tap dancing in the subway stop at Times Square, an MTA bus "in training" that didn't quite make it's turn and stopped traffic in an intersection, and two people with old fashioned little popcorn machines passing out free popcorn on a corner. Love this city!

visitors

Mmm... So nice to finally have a few minutes to sit down and write and get caught up with my blog. I've had so much work to do for school in the last two weeks, and, additionally, I've had VISITORS! Brian was here April 17 through April 20, and Heidi, her mom, and Katie came April 19 through April 23. Yes, their visits overlapped, and I was one busy tour guide!

Brian stayed with our friends Jerad and Liza in Queens, and we met up during the days to (a) print my group's 400-page curriculum project and get it bound (b) eat Chinese food and get a free cone at Ben & Jerry's (c) explore Greenwich village and (d) check out the i-pods at the Apple store. Also, I skipped my science class on Wednesday night so I could join Brian, Jerad, and Liza for some of Jerad's home cooking and some catching up in their kitchen. Brian and I picked up fresh cheese, bread, and a pie at the farmer's market in Union Square.

On Thursday night, Heidi, Katie, and Heidi's mom arrived, and I met them and Brian in Times Square for drinks. My original plan was to take them to my favorite lounge - Flatiron Lounge, but the Wisconsin visitors were reluctant to get on the subway that night. The next place I suggested was way too loud, so we ended up at a lame pub where there was a real live dog sitting on the bar and guys walking around with their beer bellys hanging out. It felt more like northern Wisconsin than New York. I even had a beer. Oh well. I ended up staying that night and the next at the hotel with the girls because:

Two nights eariler a Columbia University grad student had been followed home from the subway to her apartment in my neighborhood, and the man broke into her apartment and raped and tortured her for nineteen hours. He was later (on Wednesday night - the night I came back from dinner in Queens) seen at the grocery store across from my dorm (just fifteen minutes after I got back to my dorm, at night by myself). Needless to say, I was a bit freaked out. He has been caught now, though. Thank heavens!

And so. I spent Friday playing tour guide to the Wisconsin girls. We actually made it on the NBC Today Show; their families at home saw us! Then we went to South Street Seaport for Broadway tickets and lunch outside. It's finally spring here, and we definitely enjoyed the weather. After lunch, we did Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty, and Ground Zero. Then I sent the girls to Central Park to relax, and I met Brian at the Metropolitan Opera, where Jerad is doing an internship. Jerad gave us a full backstage, underground, around-the-block tour of the Met. Absolutely awesome! I'm so glad we had the opportunity to see what most people never do; it gives me a whole new appreciation for what happens at the opera every day. From there, I came back to school to get changed, and then I met the WI girls for dinner at an Italian restaurant and to see Curtains! on Broadway. After the show, I took Heidi and her mom to the Flatiron Lounge. Apple martinis to die for.

Saturday we explored Soho, Noho, the East Village, and the West village, we had lunch in Little Italy, and we shopped in Chinatown. We managed not to buy too much, but it was wonderful to walk around and see all the beautiful signs of spring. We went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then we had dinner at Cafeteria. We all four ordered the heavenly baked mac and cheese - "It's like angels peeing on your tongue!" as they say in Greece. After dinner, the girls went back to the hotel and I went to a birthday party at Latitude for Jawahir and Christian. Wine, anyone?
Sunday was spent working on my Master's Thesis, which is now officially done and turned in, as of 10:25 am today. Pray for it! That it will be approved so I really can graduate! In the evening, I went to church and then met the WI girls for "dinner" at Max Brenner. I finally tried the chocolate pizza. Oooh. Delish!

Today finally felt like a normal day. I got to go to the gym, run errands, do school work... all that daily life stuff that doesn't happen when company comes. And guess what. More company comes in two days. Really, I'm looking forward to it!

waterworld

When I watched the news at 11:20 last night, we'd gotten 6.4 inches of rain in Central Park - yesterday alone. This morning on the news they said we're up to 7.5. The usual rainfall for the month of April in New York is 4.3 inches. We're soaking wet! It's my first nor-easter! There's flooding everywhere, and transportation problems abound. Luckily (yeah right) I had so much work to do that I didn't have to go out in the rain. The curriculum project I'm coordinating for my group reached 330 pages yesterday, and it's still not done. I wonder how many hours it will take to print! So, if you're wondering what I'm up to... it's writing papers. I am in grad school, so I suppose it's to be expected!

Here's the picture from the front of the New York Times for today. The caption? "Think of May flowers..."

angela came

So... I've been pretty busy with school work until the last week or so, and I know I need to catch you up on lots that has happened in February and March. I thought I'd give you the highlights of my friend Angela's visit. She was here March 15 - 20, and we did it ALL while she was here - including some awesome things I hadn't done before!

Thursday, March 15
* Took the bus to the airport to pick Angela up, and we took the bus back to school
* Angela gave me a funky up-do and we got ready to go out
* Went to Radio for happy hour
* Went to bed around 3:00 am



Friday, March 16
* Times Square; got Broadway tickets
* Lunch in Little Italy - Angela had her first cannoli
* Walked through Chinatown (It sleeted and snowed 5.5 inches on us that afternoon!)
* Visited Lower East side Tenement Museum - New to me, and so interesting... They used census records to find out who used to live in the building, restored the apartments to what they would have been for those families, and told us the stories of how the families made their livings, etc.
* Spamalot on Broadway

Saturday, March 17
* El Museo del Barrio - They had an exhibit titled "The Disappeared" - Again, new to me, and really interesting but also quite sickening to see what governments in Central America have done to their people.
* St. Patrick's Day Parade on 5th Avenue
* Rockefeller Center, NBC Studio Experience Store, Dean & Deluca, Radio City Music Hall (Here met up with Jane and Trixy who teach at Concordia in Shanghai and who were here for an art educators' conference.)
* Top of the Rock - Also new to me, and waaaaay cooler than the Empire State Building.
* Chinatown for Shopping
* Dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant
* Dessert in Little Italy

Sunday, March 18
* Ground Zero
* Historic St. Pauls Chapel (I didn't realize you could go in here! This is where George Washington used to go to church. It was also a relief station after 9/11.)
* Wall Street and the Financial District
* Statue of Liberty
* South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge
* Lincoln Center
* Barnes and Nobel for coffee and a rest
* Central Park
* FAO Schwartz to see the guys dancing on the piano from the movie Big
* Church
* Dessert at Max Brenner, the chocolate restaurant, in Union Square

Monday, March 19
* Lunch at Carnegie Deli - The best pastrami I've ever eaten, plus homemade pickles. Worth the hype. (I hadn't been before.)
* MOMA - I hadn't been there before, and I absolutely loved it! We saw VanGogh's Starry Night. Plus, I got in free with my student ID!
* Starbucks for a rest
* Shopping in Greenwich Village
* Washington Square Park
* Dinner with Liza and Jerad, a friend from high school, at a French restaurant in the west village.
* Cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery

Tuesday, March 20
* Breakfast at home
* Off to the airport. It's always hard to say good-bye. We had a lot of fun and shared a lot of new experiences, and we were both exhausted by it all!

orchid show

Today Amanda and Lauren (two girls in my math and science classes) went with me to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden. I had seen an advertisement for the show while riding the subway back from the Elephant Parade, and I looked up the garden online, where I discovered the Orchid Show is an annual occurrence. We arrived shortly after the garden opened, toured the conservatory housing the orchids, visited the Children's Garden, and stopped in the Garden Shop. According to the website, we visited an exotic world where we delighted in the mesmerizing and seductive wonder of the nation’s premier orchid exhibition, overflowing with the dazzling shapes and breathtaking colors of the world’s most coveted plant. We were surrounded by thousands of orchids of every description—delicate, elegant, intriguing, bizarre—from all over the world. It was magnificent! After touring, we took the D train to Columbus Circle, where we had lunch at a bakery. We all ordered sandwiches served open faced on small stone cutting boards.

After lunch, I came home to do schoolwork (though I haven't actually accomplished much), and at 10:00 tonight Seana, Alison, Jen, and I are going to see Gutenberg! The Musical! In this two-man musical, a pair of aspiring playwrights perform an audition for their new project - a big musical about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg. They hope one of the producers in the audience will give them a Broadway contract. The pair of actors will sing all the songs and play all the parts, using only baseball caps to differentiate between the show's 30 characters. Gutenberg! The Musical! was the winner of the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing. It's billed as "hilarious," and I'm looking forward to it!

UPDATE: It really was hilarious! When we left my cheeks hurt from laughing so much!

elephants

Yesterday was a beautiful day in the city! We finally reached a high of 78 degrees, so I headed to Central Park. I grabbed an ice cream bar, spread out my towel on the side of a hill next to a tree, and reveled in the warmth of the sunshine and the sweet sounds of chirping birds. The park was alive - dads and kids playing Frisbee after school, grandparents out for a stroll with baby in the carriage, toddlers digging in the dirt, young professionals enjoying the fresh air on their way home from work... I spent a couple of hours enjoying spring, watching people, and reading (a textbook, of course).

After class in the evening, from 7 to 9, and a brief rest in my room, I went back out for an annual unique New York event I had heard about and didn't want to miss. Last night the Ringling Brothers Circus came to town! The elephants are too big to truck or train onto the island, so every year they have to walk across the Queens Midtown Bridge, down 34th Street, past Macy's, all the way to Madison Square Garden. They began their journey across the bridge at 11:59 last night, as I and hundreds of others waited in anticipation along 34th Street. I found a spot near Lexington Avenue, and the elephants reached me at about 12:25. I took pictures as they passed, and then I joined the crowd in running to catch up with and get ahead of the elephants for more pictures. Plenty of news crew photographers and animal rights activist protesters were in the mix, but, overall, there was a festive spirit in the air as everyone ran along snapping pictures and laughing at the sheer silliness of our actions. If you happen to be in New York when the circus comes to town next year, be sure to stay up late for the elephant parade!

valentines

I hope cupid had a coat to wear today! He certainly needed it for visiting New York! We had our first true winter storm, starting last night and continuing throughout the day today. We had snow, sleet, ice, and more snow. The official measure was two inches in Central Park, but it certainly felt deeper than that as I slogged around town, trudging through the massive piles on street corners. Oooh, and the wind was blowing, too. The ice pellets felt pretty sharp in my face, and at one point I was literally blown down the street! But I had to go out in it. I had to visit the elementary school to work on my research project (due March 14!!! Ahhh!!!), and I had to go to a bakery to pick up cupcakes for our Valentine's shin-dig.

A few of us gathered to order dinner from a Chinese delivery place and to watch American Idol. And then I met with a few others in Jenn's room for chocolate-covered fortune cookies, cupcakes, candies, truffles, cheese and crackers, and pink drinks. We had a great time chatting and reminiscing about middle school. Not a bad Valentines Day, especially when you throw in the fact that my professor cancelled my science class tonight because of the weather! Yay!

Oh yeah. AND MY SISTER IS COMING TO VISIT TOMORROW! YAY!

today in NY

Today a state senator from Brooklyn said he plans to introduce legislation that would ban people from using an MP3 player, cell phone, Blackberry or any other electronic device while crossing the street in New York City. Sen. Carl Kruger is proposing the ban in response to two recent pedestrian deaths in his district, including a 23-year-old man who was struck and killed last month while listening to his iPod and crossing the street.

stop the madness

Seriously. Stop it! If I were a person who swore, I would have cursed up quite a storm this morning. And if I had a gun, I might have used it! I'm entirely fed up with the person who lives somewhere in my neighborhood and who visits the supermarket across the street at 6:20 every morning and who ties their big black dog to the bus stop shelter and who allows said dog to bark incessantly - a deep "woof"-ing-wheezing bark that reverberates off the buildings on both sides of the street - and who apparently is a leisurely shopper because the dog keeps barking (EVERY MORNING) for fifteen to twenty minutes nonstop! Argh! Not a nice thing to be awakened by or to be kept awake by. I can sleep through fire truck sirens, delivery truck backup signals, kneeling bus whooshing sounds, and even noisy inebriated college students. But that darn dog! And its owner!

Also about dogs, I went to Barnes and Nobel this afternoon to do some reading and have some coffee. I thought the coffee would help me warm up, since it's only about 9 degrees today, but it was even cold inside the store! Anyway, I accomplished my reading - a very interesting article for a course called "The Teacher" (I'll post some excerpts later), and then I spent time wandering around the kids section. I discovered a book I'd never seen before, copyright 2006, and its title made me laugh out loud! Hehe! Here's a picture for you:

a tale of two cities

Or, in this case, two tales of a city.

I was supposed to meet Jared for dinner the other night. (He's started his internship at the Met and is apartment hunting before his wife joins him here.) I told him I would meet him in front of a store at a particular subway stop, and then, after waiting there for, oh, about 1.3 minutes, I realized how silly I had been. It was freeeeezing cold outside! So I went down into the subway stop, hoping I hadn't already missed him getting off and going upstairs. I waited patiently as two successive trains arrived, and Jerad did not. And, surprise of surprises, the station agent came out of his booth to ask worriedly, "Ma'am are you ok? Is everything ok?" How nice was that? I told him that, yes, indeed, I was ok and that I was just waiting to meet a friend. After two more trains arrived (mind you, I'd only been there about ten minutes), he came out again and offered to let me go onto the platform, via the emergency gate, without paying, so I could sit down to wait! New York is full of nice people! (And, yes, Jerad did arrive and we had dinner at a diner. I had some of the best chicken pot pie I've ever had. And, by the way, do the chicken pot pies you usually eat have cheese right under the crust? Because the two I've had in New York so far have. Odd, I think. But still good. Anyway, I digress...)

And the second tale? Alison, Diana, and I were seeking student rush tickets to Jersey Boys, but there were far too many people in line ahead of us, considering they only have 12 student tickets each day. So, instead we went to Dunkin' Donuts for hot chocolate to warm us up. As we were sitting there, an elderly lady asked if she could share our table since the others were full. "Of course!" we said. I was in the middle of telling a story, and I continued - now with an extra audience member who, as soon as I paused for a breath, spoke up and asked, "What are you talking about?" She proceeded to interject comments into our conversation, extolling the virtues of ballet in New York and telling us of her 80 year old friend who used to be a principal dancer and who now teaches or advises dancers at Lincoln Center. If you say so... And then, the conversation took an abrupt turn as she revealed (well, not exactly revealed) that she was only wearing a nightgown under her coat and scarf. She also told us that she cuts her own hair (In my opinion, she probably shouldn't do that.) and that she was planning to get a manicure later that day. Then she opened her mouth to show us that all of her front teeth were missing because she'd recently been mugged in front of her apartment just across the street. Of course, that brought on three more onslaughts of loquaciousness - one about how she made it to the precinct and that the police have someone in custody, one about how awful dentists are, and one about how we should never, ever put our purses down or go anywhere alone. "You, young lady, you should pick up your purse. I'm not going to snatch it or anything. But you never know." Hmm... skinny bare legs, unkempt hair, no teeth. It made me wonder if all her stories are true, or if she's just a very verbose story-teller. Did she need help? Or just a friend? Should we worry about her or be afraid of her? Either way, New York is full of odd people. Eventually, we managed to extricate ourselves from the somewhat uncomfortable conversation and move on. (No Broadway show for me, after all. I ended up coming back to school and working on my research project. Which is what I should be doing now!)

big apple christmas tour

Yesterday I spent a few hours touring the city just to see all the Christmas displays. It was definitely worth the time! Enjoy the pictures. And Merry Christmas!

Window Displays at Macy's
The windows on 34th Street held scenes from the movie Miracle on 34th Street. The windows on the Avenue of the Americas had some original, creative depictions of Christmas. All the scenes were animated.

Inside Macy's

Santa Land at Macy's

Lord & Taylor - Inside, Outside, & Window Displays

Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, Cathedrals, Trump Towers, and Shops on Fifth Avenue

Window Displays at Bergdorf Goodman
Really detailed. I'm impressed with the artists who designed these!

Museum of Natural History Oragami Tree

On Monday I visited the museum just to see the oragami tree. The oragami tree is an annual tradition at the museum, and all of the paper folding is done by the oragami society. This year's theme was "Animal Safari."

santa and the girls

Tanya e-mailed the pictures she took the other night when we went to the South Street Seaport. (My camera battery died.) Here you go!

singing tree

Last night Tanya and I met at the South Street Seaport to see the Chorus Tree, an annual New York tradition. There is a 50-foot tall lighted tree on display in the square at the seaport, and the Big Apple Chorus, a men's acapella group, sings carols on tiered risers in front of the tree. The performance was set to begin at 6:00, but we met at 5:20 and walked over to see the Brooklyn Bridge from the pier. Then we waited with the rest of the crowd for the singing to begin. We even got our pictures taken with a very real Santa! (They're on Tanya's camera, though.) At about 6:30, they finally announced that the sound engineer had gotten a flat tire and they couldn't start without him. We talked to the director, and he told us they'd probably begin at about 7:00 (which is when the second show usually starts), take a break, and then do their second performance at about 8:00. So... we went to dinner! I had a bowl of delicious clam chowder. When the show finally started, we were able to see the singing tree from inside the restaurant, but we couldn't hear them. Unfortunately, they must have decided not to do a second performance, so we didn't get to hear them at all! Such a bummer. We decided to spend the rest of the evening browsing the shops at the South Street Seaport mall.

I was quite disappointed about not hearing the chorus, so I went back today for their 3:00 performance. It was such fun! And the men looked like they were having a good time, too. Almost all of the singers were elderly men with big bellies and gray hair, so they fit right in with Santa! The music was really good, too. I wished I would have had some cash so I could get the CD! After the show, I went to Prince Street to do some more Christmas window shopping. I didn't buy anything, but I had fun!

The men sang on the east side of the tree. This is the view of the west side.

celebrate

I'm celebrating... friends, birthdays, desserts, decorations, shows, shopping, Christmas, the birth of my Savior!

Last night, I joined a group of girls from school in celebrating Jenn's birthday. Jenn chose Cafe Lalo as our dessert destination, because she was craving some chocolate cake. The Cafe is also the site of one of the scenes from the movie You've Got Mail. The dessert menu is huge! We each chose something different so we could taste a big selection. Carol, Jenn, and I also splurged on champagne! As we were finishing, the waitress brought Jenn a little cookie with a candle in it, and they played "Happy, happy birthday, baby!" On our way back to school, we walked through the main Columbia campus to see the Christmas lights. What a wonderful night!L to R: Jenny, Jenny's friend from CA, Alison, Me, Carol, Jenn

This morning, Drew, Alison, and I went to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. And spectacular it was! My favorite part of the show was when the Rockettes did their thing, but there was a lot more to the show than that! There was a movie of Santa flying over and landing in New York... a 3D movie, no less! At one point, a section of the stage rose up from below the main stage, and it held a full symphony orchestra! Then the platform they were on moved around on the main stage. At another time, an ice skating rink rose up, and a couple did some ice dancing. There was singing, lighting effects, live animals (a horse & carriage for the NY scene and sheep and camels for the nativity scene), moving sets, little people who played Santa's elves, dancers in teddy bear costumes, and so much more. And the Radio City Music Hall itself was nothing short of spectacular! It was far bigger than I imagined, and it was quite full considering we were there at 10:00 am on a school day! After the show, we went for a warm lunch (because it was soooo coooold outside today), and then I did some Christmas shopping. I also stopped by Bloomingdales to see their Christmas window displays. I'm definitely feeling the Christmas spirit, and I'm looking forward to heading home for the holiday! L to R: Me, Drew, Alison

eeewww!

This morning I saw my first subway rat. Yuck! But I couldn't keep myself from watching it scurry around on the tracks....

snow, cheesecake, and the grinch

It snowed on Monday morning!


Just a tiny little bit around 10:30 this morning, but the 3rd graders freaked out! And I'll admit I was excited, too!

On Friday night, I went with Cody and one of her college friends to Junior's, a restaurant which supposedly has the best cheesecake in New York. The original restaurant is in Brooklyn, but we went to the one in Times Square. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a table, but even the dinner was worth it. I had meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Cody ate part of her sandwich, and then she helped me with the meatloaf. After dinner, we ordered two slices of cheesecake to share, and we couldn't even eat half of them! They turned out not to be very much like cheesecake, but were good nonetheless. The strawberry shortcake cheesecake had a layer of white cake, a layer of strawberry sauce, a layer of strawberry cheesecake, another layer of sauce, another layer of cake, and a layer of frosting. The devil's food cake cheese cake was like a layer of chocolate fudge, a layer of cheesecake, and another layer of fudge, all topped with frosting and shavings of chocolate. Really, two bites of that was enough. Good, but rich. We decided they should have let us seen pictures before we ordered. Then we would have only gotten one piece.

After dinner, I met Seana, Alison, Agnes, and Drew at a theater on 42nd to see The Grinch on Broadway. What fun! The costumes and sets were adorable, and the songs were upbeat. There were lots of kids in the audience, and it was fun to hear their reactions to that nasty grinch! We were all surprised when it started "snowing" in the theater and again when red and white confetti shot out of the walls over our heads at the end of the show! It wasn't the most spectacular Broadway singing and dancing of seen, but it was definitely a fun Christmasey experience, and one I could see myself repeating as an annual Christmas tradition!

L to R: Seana, Drew, Me, Agnes, Alison

lincoln center lights

Last night Alison and I enjoyed the festivities of the Lincoln Center Christmas Tree Lighting! They said on the news today that we were among an estimated 10,000 attendees! Although we stopped at Barnes and Nobel for hot chocolate, most of the kids were eating ice cream. It was sixty-one degrees! The live news broadcast began at about 5:34, with two local TV news personalities. Then, before the actual lighting of the tree, there were several performances. One was an excerpt from the opera currently showing at Lincoln Center; I believe it's called "The Magical Flute." The Lincoln Center jazz band also played, there was an excerpt performance from The Nutcracker Ballet, two fire juggling clowns from The Big Apple Circus performed, and a gospel choir sang some Christmas tunes. Then Mickey and Minnie joined the news crew on stage, and at 5:58 we began counting down. The tree was beautiful when it finally lighted up! Wedgewood designed special ornaments for the tree this year, and I'm thinking about getting a replica from the gift shop. I'm already counting down to Christmas!

Before the tree was lighted:

After the tree was lighted:A close-up of the Wedgewood ornaments:

And Alison & Me!

visitor

Kevin's here visiting for Thanksgiving, and we've been keeping busy with lots of touristy activities!

Friday - Kevin arrived at about 7:00 pm. We had some pizza for dinner and then went to Times Square for a walk.
Saturday - We went to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, and a Chinese Restaurant for dinner (for which some of my school friends joined us).
Sunday - Kevin went to the Mets Stadium while I worked on a paper. Then we went to the Yankee's stadium, St. John the Divine's Cathedral, RPC Church, and dinner at Cosi.

Kevin's NOT a New York Yankees fan!

Monday - I substitue taught and had class, and Kevin kept himself busy during the day. Jerad came in from Connecticut and met me after school. We went to Kitchenette for an after-school snack before I finished my paper for my night class. After class, Kevin and I met Jerad for drinks at a sports bar in Times Square.
Tuesday - We went to South Street Seaport to see about getting tickets to a Broadway show, but didn't find one Kevin wanted to see. We also wandered around China Town and then had lunch in Little Italy. We went to Times Square Visitor's Center to find out about student rush tickets, and we managed to get standing-room-only tickets for Monty Python's Spamalot for $21.25. We stopped by Starbucks before heading to Central Park for a walk, then we had a rest and dinner back at the dorm. Around 7:00 we headed to our Broadway show. Spamalot was hilarious!

Wednesday - We stood in line starting at 6:20 this morning to get tickets to the Conan O'Brien Show. Then, after we finally got stand-by tickets (with admission not guaranteed), we toured the NBC studios and Rockefeller Center. We tried to get rush tickets to another Broadway show, but had no luck. Instead we rested back at school and then went to Central Park to see the inflation of the balloons for the Macy's Parade. Then we went to the taping of this coming Friday's Conan show at 7:00. Long story short, we almost didn't get in...but we made it by the skin of our teeth! Only one more person in line behind us got in! We had to pretend that we'd already eaten Thanksgiving dinner, since the show will air after Thanksgiving. After the show, we grabbed dinner and then went to see the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center and the window displays at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Rockefeller Center Artwork and Architecture Tour

Inflation of the Balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,
and the Window Displays at Saks Fifth Avenue

Lots of fun so far!

chocolate

Tonight I went to the 9th Annual New York Chocolate Show. The show is also held in Tokyo, Moscow, Paris, and Beijing, and it is billed as, "...the ultimate festival of world class exhibitors, chef demonstrations, chocolate fashion and showpieces, tantalizing gifts, and more!"
At first it's only open to those in the industry, but then they open it to the public. Last night tickets cost $200 and included a viewing of a couture fashion show - with chocolate accessories! Tickets were much cheaper, though still pricey, today, but well worth it! I could smell the chocolate as soon as I walked into the convention center. Yummy doesn't even begin to describe the experience! There were over 60 vendors there -from small chocolatiers to major manufacturers. And all most all of them were giving out free samples! I nearly ate myself sick on the most divine imported dark chocolates I've ever had. Each vendor was giving out teeny tiny pieces, but they were so rich and sweet that a sliver was enough. I tried a couple of kinds of truffles, chocolate with orange, chocolate with dried berries, chocolate with lavender and nougat, a chocolate filled with banana flavoured marshmallow creme and crunchy peanut butter, mint hot chocolate, strawberries and white chocolate hot chocolate, a peanut butter chocolate brownie bite, cinnamon swirl peanut butter, holiday hot tea, four dessert wines, white chocolate, chocolate with peppermint, a chocolate brownie with chili pepper, and so much more I can't even remember it all! There were a couple of chocolate fountains, chocolate sculptures, and the chocolate fashions on display. Barnes and Noble was there, too, with autographed dessert cookbooks. I sat in on a couple of demonstrations by chocolatiers showing how they create their masterpieces. And the peanut butter booth gave me peanut squeeze toys for my next class when I told them I'm a teacher! What a night! What a "dinner"!