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.)

sand in my shoes

Sand in my shoes, and rum in my tummy!

Today Jenn and I took a day trip to Atlantic City. We headed out at 6:45 this morning, took the subway to Port Authority, and then took a bus to New Jersey. The bus left at 7:30, and we almost missed it! God sent us an express train, and we booked it through the bus station - causing one man to whistle after us and say "Woo! Heels on wheels! Look at 'em go!" - bought our tickets, and made it to the line for the bus with about two minutes to spare.

After a leisurely two-hour bus ride, including naps and reading, we arrived in AC to an overcast sky and a chill in the air. Nevertheless, we were ready for some outlet shopping! We spent a couple of hours shopping, and we each came away with a couple of things, and the sun started to peak out. Then we headed to Cesar's Palace for "The Buffet," as the signs said. Mmmm... shrimp! And pepperoni bread, seafood salad, marinated mushrooms, lasagna, egg rolls, chocolate lava cake and ice cream... We stuffed ourselves and got our money's worth!

Next, we headed to the casino and the slot machines. Jenn chose penny slots for us, and she played and lost $5 quickly. Then it was my turn. And I won! I put in $5, and came out with $14.75. I guess it's good she convinced me to play! We collected my winnings and then went to the boardwalk.

We walked in the sunshine for quite awhile, put our toes in the freezing Atlantic water, and stopped in a couple of tourist trap shops.

Before we headed home, we found a bar where the bar tender told us "I'm your cocktail menu," and proceeded to make us quite the Rum Runner concoctions. We sat on white Adirondack chairs, with our feet in the sand, on the third floor of the mall overlooking the ocean and enjoyed our drinks before the bus ride home to New York.

What a fantastic day!

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!

all that jazz

Last night - yes, on a school night - Jenn, Alison, and I went to see CHICAGO on Broadway. Alison went down in the morning and nabbed student rush tickets for us, while I worked away on a group project for school. Student rush tickets. That means we payed $26, and we sat in the third row!! Close enough that we could smell them. And see the sweat dripping down their cheeks. That wasn't so pleasant, but there were definite benefits of sitting close. Like we had a darn good view of those ripped guys' muscles. Woo! And we were able to see every detail of the (scant) costumes. And we were able to see the actors interacting with one another - little things on stage, and a little bit just off stage in the sight lines. And we could hear their individual voices as they sang all those wonderful songs... "And all that jazz!" Another bonus of seeing CHICAGO now is that Roxy, the lead, is being played by Bebe Neuwirth. Previously, Bebe played Fraiser's wife on the sitcom, and she won a Tony award playing Velma Kelly in CHICAGO in 1996 (Velma is the other female lead). The show was fantastic, and we sang all the way home.

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!

cafeteria

Today's not so exciting (aerobics, Target, shower, group meeting for a class project...) so I'll tell you about Saturday night instead.

Carol, Jen, Alison, Victoria, and I went to Cafeteria for dinner. Cafeteria has been around since the late 90's, and they have a location here in Chelsea and one in Miami. In an episode of Sex and the City, the girls visit cafeteria for brunch. Apparently it's a popular celebrity hang-out, though we didn't see anyone famous. Cafeteria's concept is home-style comfort food in a modern, stylish setting. I think they get a check-plus-plus in both areas! The decor was brown, baby blue, and white in leather, plastic, metal, and fabric. Jen and I sat on white foot stools that looked like big eggs. Quite fun and comfortable! And the food. Oh the food. Jen and I shared an appetizer of lightly breaded cornmeal calamari with roasted tomato sauce. Then we had the macaroni and cheese with cheddar and fontina. Mmm-mmm, good! A little bit of heaven baked and served in a casserole dish! Carol tried the grilled chicken, and Alison and Victoria had hamburgers and fries. After dinner we moved from our white leather banquet to a little table with the big white eggs, where I sipped coffee (trying to get warm - our only complaint was that the air conditioning was on) and where three of the girls shared a chocolate cake dessert. Others have posted online that they had difficulty getting a table, but it seems we had the appropriate image, and we were able to get in right away. The waiters were all very good looking, but definitely not interested in any of us - if you know what I mean.

After we finished at Cafeteria, we headed over to Union Square to find a lounge where Carol was supposed to meet up with some French guys she knows because of teaching English at Berlitz. The decor was cute, and you can't go wrong with a glass of wine. But the music was atrociously loud so we couldn't talk at all, and the couches were so deep that our knees ended up next to our chins. That makes it hard to sit like a lady! We ended up leaving fairly early, and we took a cab back home. In spite of our disappointment with the lounge, it was a fun night out on the town! Gotta take advantage of all New York has to offer before I leave here in eight weeks!

apple tree

In addition to being fairly productive with school work, I've had a bit 'o fun this weekend, too. For lunch on Saturday, I went with Alison and her family to a narrow, barely there restaurant in Chinatown for authentic dumplings at dirt-cheap prices (at least by US standards - 5 for $1). After ordering an assortment of boiled and fried pork dumplings, bready pancakes with chives, and warm soy milk, we wedged ourselves into a corner at the back on and amongst the six bar stools, the locals, and the production line. So yummy; I can hardly wait to go back. From there we visited a Chinese bakery for traditional egg custards. Alsion and I split a strawberry one, and her mom tried a melon one. Aside from being unnaturally lime green and hot pink in color, they were pretty good. Together we wandered through Chinatown, and then I trekked on to Soho for some shopping. After browsing through some little boutiques, I ended up in H&M where I bought a shirt dress and soft pink sweater that was on clearance for $9.90. A stop at K-Mart (for tissues to combat runny noses because of the cold) and another at Dunkin' Donuts (for hot chocolate also to combat the cold), I made my way back home to do reading, work on papers, and attempt an early bedtime.

Saturday morning I met Alison and Jenn at 7:30. That's right - 7:30 AM. Hence the early bedtime the night before. We headed down to Studio 54 in hopes of getting $26 Rush tickets to The Apple Tree, starring Kristin Chenoweth. Luckily, we not only beat the rush, we were the only ones there. We got to stand, shivering, in line with ourselves for the next two hours! We did make a quick run to Bagel and Bean around the corner to grab breakfast, and after about an hour and forty-five minutes the security guard let us in to stand in the lobby.

The saga continued later that night when we met at 7:15 for the 8:00 show, only to discover that the subway had inexplicably stopped working. We run-walk-run-walked all the way to 94th from 120th before we managed to get away from the crowd and catch a cab. (So much for looking good.) We only missed the first number. And from then on, the night was great. What a wonderful, hilarious, creative show! Check it out here - http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/ Afterwards, we decided we deserved a margarita for our harriedness, so we went to Chevy's just down the street. Mmm-mmm good. (And by the way, Jenn and I didn't plan to match!)

And today has been a day of aerobics, errands, cleaning, e-mailing, reading, and doing more school work. That's it in a nutshell!

e-cards

I just recieved a beautiful e-card from my college friend Tabitha. She had such encouraging words concerning my plans for next fall! I think everyone out there knows by now that I have decided to return to Concordia in Shanghai, China, to teach first and second grade for the next three school years. Here's what Tabitha and her card had to say:

(With Nichole Nordeman's "Legacy" playing in the background...)
You make a difference.
And you're appreciated.
Thanking God for the special person you are.

Let your light shine...
That they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV

We all need encouraging words like that. Thanks, Tab! And thank you all for your prayers as I made my decision and now as I prepare to go back.

--------------

After posting the above, I received another e-card from a Sarah, a friend and coworker from China. It was very touching, too! Sarah said:

Because of you, my laughter is a little louder...
my load a little lighter...
And my love for the Lord a little deeper.
Thank you, sweet friend.

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement..." Philemon 1:7

Thank you, Sarah! And I can't wait to see you again on the other side of the world!

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!

like monday

(At left: PHO)
I wish more days could be like Monday was.

8:30 am - Noon -- I was at a public elementary school doing research for my Master's Project, feeling very productive and praying that I'll finish by March 14.
12:00 pm - 2:30 -- I ran a few errands around Manhattan, and got in some exercising by walking rather than taking the subway. Found a cute new skirt at H&M. I love that place!
3:00 - 4:00 -- Did a bit of online research for my project and read for my Tuesday night class.
4:00 - 5:15 -- I met with my advisor about my project and read a sample project in her office.
5:30 - 6:45 -- Took the subway to 72nd street and met Sarah, from church, for coffee. Well, really I had a coke and she had dinner. Then I got back on the subway to go uptown.
7:00 - 8:45 -- Dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon Grill at 90th & Amsterdam Ave., with Jen and Carol. It was Jen's first Vietnamese food experience. Mmmm... So good! We shared two types of spring rolls, and I had a steaming bowl of Pho.
9:00 -- I had to be back in my room for an important phone call. After the call I did more class work.

In addition to meeting one friend for coffee and two others for dinner, another friend also called and offered me one of his extra tickets for an opera that night! Geesh. Too bad my friends can't spread it around a bit so I have something fun to do every night!

frrrrrozen hot chocolate

Last night I met Tanya and Cody for dinner and the famous Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity3. Did you ever see the movie Serendipity? Yep, this restaurant and the drink are both in the movie. It's so popular that there is often a four hour wait to get in, and sometimes there's a one hour wait just to put your name on the list! The restaurant began as a basement coffee shop, and now it's housed in a brownstone. Check out the website for the history of the place at www.serendipity3.com Our opinion? It's an awful lot of hype about not too much! In order to make reservations ahead of time we had to commit to eating dinner there, and the food turned out to be less than impressive. We all three had overdone hamburgers. But the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate was scrumdidilyumpscious. And the company was even better. We caught up after not seeing each other for about a month, and there's was lots of laughing. Tanya returns to Ireland this Friday, so last night was probably our last shindig together. I'm definitely going to miss her!

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!

train trip

This weekend I took a little vacation out of the Big City to see Jerad and Liza in Connecticut. Jerad has been working on a graduate degree in scenic design at U-Conn, and this weekend was the performance of Cabaret for which he's been working on the sets for several months. I saw his original plans last spring, and when he asked me to go to see the show, I jumped at the chance. I took the train from Grand Central Station at 9:00 on Saturday morning, and, about two hours later, I arrived in New Haven, CT. The train ride was enjoyable; I had a great chat with the girl across the aisle from me, I did a little work on a research paper, and I watched the scenery go by. I couldn't help wishing I'd taken Jerad up on his invitation sooner so that I could have seen the fall foliage.

Jerad met me at the train station in New Haven and we spent the afternoon wandering around the Yale University campus. The weather was perfect for a stroll on the town green. We visited an exhibit on modern modular housing on display at the school of architecture, and we toured the campus library. The library actually looks like it used to be a cathedral, but it has always been the library. The architecture is incredible! We had lunch at a little vegetarian cafe, and then we drove about an hour to where Liza works. It was so nice to catch up during the drive! Liza works for a nonprofit organization call Aid to Artisans that helps crafts people in developing nations become entrepreneurs. The organization was having a holiday warehouse sale, so we browsed the racks for awhile, and Liza told me where each of the pieces had come from. I found plenty of gifts that would be perfect for all my friends, but between the tight budget this year and having to take everything home in a suitcase, I restrained myself from buying anything. But you should check out the website and see if you can find anything for yourself! From Liza's office, we went to their apartment and the three of us chatted over tea. Then it was time for dinner at a local diner, where Liza and I shared an enormous sandwich!

Before the show started on Saturday night, we stopped at Jerad's studio so I could see his portfolio, including drawings paintings, photographs, and models of set designs for several shows. I was intrigued by the process of set design, and I was amazed at how much he's grown and changed. He is truly talented! Cabaret started at 8:00. I always enjoy the music in the show, and the actors did a good job, but Jerad's set design was incredible! What a treat to see the fruit of Jerad's labors.

On Sunday morning, we slept in, which was oh-so-nice, and had a leisurely breakfast. Then we drove back to Jerad's school, which is in Storrs, about thirty minutes away from their apartment, so Jerad could drop off some work. We took a driving tour of the campus, even stopping by the old insane asylum! We stopped for lunch at a little burger joint sorta like Winsteads, and then we drove to some small New England coastal towns. We were a little bit chilly, but the views of the water were beautiful, and the white clapboard houses with fresh evergreen Christmas decorations were picturesque. All of the pictures in this post are from that part of the visit.

Jerad and Liza dropped me off at the train station in New Haven at 5:00, and I took the 5:57 train back to Grand Central. I spent the train ride writing a second paper and chatting with the man across from me. The trip was quick, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait until Jerad and Liza move to New York!

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

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!

happy thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving morning, Alison and I got up early and went to 72nd Street and Central Park West to watch the 80th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We ended up getting a fantastic viewing spot, right next to the street. Other than being a bit cold and wet, we were thrilled to be there. The parade started just north of us, so we didn't have to wait long for the excitement to begin. The balloons had to fly just barely above our heads because of the wet, windy weather, so we had a close-up view of them. We stayed through the end in order to see Santa pass by.

In the afternoon, Kevin and I watched football and stayed inside so I could warm up and dry out. Then we went to Queens to Sarah's house for Thanksgiving dinner (an hour and a half ride on the subway!). That girl went all out! We had baked brie and veggies to start, and then we had turkey, cranberries with oranges, stuffing with dried cranberries, baked sweet potatoes with brown sugar and walnuts, green beans with almonds, and blueberry pie and ice cream. Wow! I so enjoyed a relaxing evening with church friends - Sarah, Libby, Tanya, and Tanya's friend Clive who was visiting from Ireland. With two Irish people at the table, we had a little lesson on the history of Thanksgiving, and then we learned some Irish history. Kevin and I had to leave before everyone else was ready to go, because the nuts and cats were starting to make me itch. But it was a great Thanksgiving anyway!

On Friday after Thanksgiving, Kevin and I didn't want to bother with the crowds for shopping, so we lazed around before going to Times Square for student rush tickets to another Broadway show. He sure experienced a conversion during his week here! On Sunday, he wanted to see a show but was adamant about not wanting to go to a musical. That's pretty tough when you're talking about Broadway shows! I was frustrated, and Jerad and I finally convinced him to try one. He loved Monty Python's Spamalot so much he wanted to see another show. And, if we would have had more time, he would have liked to go to two more! What a dramatic change! We got the tickets for $26.25 - front row seats! Then we went to Rockefeller Center to check out the skating rink. It was really crowded, so we left and had a cheap lunch at Seattle Cafe back in Times Square. We hung out at school and worked on homework for the rest of the afternoon before heading to 9th Avenue to search out dinner. Then, it was on to the show! Alison met us, and we all three thoroughly enjoyed The Wedding Singer. It was so incredible to be right next to the actors and to really see their facial expressions and the details on the sets and costumes. And we got a big kick out of the 80's references; Alison and I particularly liked the purple stirrup pants with high heels.

After the show, Kevin and I discovered that the bus to the airport doesn't run between 1:30 and 4:20 in the morning, and he needed to be at the airport at 4:00. We went to Dunkin' Donuts - coffee for him and hot chocolate for me, and stayed up until it was time for him to catch the 1:30 bus. Which, by the way, nearly blew past us without stopping! We chased it down the street and said a quick goodbye. Kevin headed to the airport and I headed to bed... to try to catch up on sleep from all those late, late nights and early, early mornings. Now I have two days before it's back to the daily school grind, but the week has been a great vacation.

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!

sinful

Last weekend was positively sinful! After the chocolate show on Friday night, I also agreed to go out to dinner with some girls from school - Carol, Victoria, Jenn, Jenny, and Alison. Carol chose the restaurant, and, lo and behold, it was a chocolate restaurant! Sure they serve a few sandwiches and salads, but the main part of their menu is chocolate! The restaurant is called Max Brenner, which is the name of a chocolatier from Australia. We all ate dessert for dinner! I ordered a waffle that came with whipped cream, a scoop of divine white chocolate ice cream, a scoop of rich dark chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce in a little beaker, and crunchy little chocolate covered waffle balls. It was delicious, but I certainly couldn't finish it all. A couple of the girls had crepes, and three of them had different chocolate cakes with ice cream. Alison also ordered hot chocolate that came in a mug designed specifically for drinking hot chocolate and holding the mug with both hands. Everything was amazing! I think I probably shouldn't be eating for the rest of the week! So worth it though. Anybody feel like coming to visit New York yet?