90th and KO: May 2007

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Bronx Zoo

We didn't spend enough time in the Bronx on Saturday - so we headed back up there on Monday.

We decided to visit the Bronx Zoo and then walk to Arthur Ave., the authentic Little Italy, for dinner. (Most of the shops, restaurants, and bakeries were closed due to the Memorial Day holiday. We ate a good meal - but it wasn't so fabulous that I want to go back next weekend.)

After a pretty quick ride on the subway and a short walk we made it to the zoo entrance.

We had kind a late start for the zoo, but apparently so did many other people. The lines to buy tickets were unbelievably long at 2:30 in the afternoon (the zoo closed at 5:30 on Monday). We were in after only 15 minutes, but it felt like a long, long wait.

The zoo was surprisingly nice. I say this because I am a San Diego Zoo snob - of course there can be no better zoo than the San Diego Zoo! The Bronx Zoo features enclosures in a more natural setting - the animals seemed to have lots of room to roam and nice landscaping. The animals were also offered 'enrichment' at different times during the day. (Similar to the enrichment we offer to the cats - toys, catnip, treats, and play time.) Certain animals were outside in large enclosures and some were in buildings that looked like they belong on a college campus.

The picture below is the entrance to the Monkey House. It was a bit smelly inside - but the monkeys had really nice enclosures and they were all out and active.

This building is the zoo center. It is the indoor home for the camels (not surprisingly it was a bit smelly too).

The Mouse House would have been the cat's favorite exhibit! All of the little rodents were pretty darn cute - good thing Michael was there to remind they are dirty and full of diseases.

One of the cooler exhibit houses was the 'World of Darkness'. The building was dark and housed nocturnal creatures. Once your eyes were adjusted it was easy to see all of the activity. This exhibit also had some of the dumber humans on display. We had to ask/tell one father to quit taking flash photos of the cats in one enclosure. Not only did a sign at the entrance tell you not to take flash photos it was very obviously disturbing the animals and the other people trying to look at the animals.

I've came up with the idea of a zoo cam. The zoo should put a web camera in front of an enclosure for an animal like the monkeys, but instead of facing the monkeys it would face the humans walking by the exhibit. People can be such morons, tapping on the glass, making noises and taking photos I think it would lead to hours of entertainment.

And finishing up with one of my favorite ways to pass the time - people watching. I just had to take a photo of this woman in her 'zoo pants'. Yes, they are multi-color leopard spotted capri pants, simply stunning!

Orchard Beach

In true Memorial Day fashion, we headed to the beach.

We decided our first beach trip was to the relatively accessible Orchard Beach in the Bronx. Travel time was about an hour door to sand and included the subway and a bus. I tried to map it out, so you can kind of see the area. We started where the green bar says 'start' and ended up where the red bar says 'end'.

The beach is not on the open ocean - it is protected by Long Island, so it had no waves. The water was pretty chilly. There were hardly any kids playing in the water because of the cool temp - you know when the kids won't go in the water it must be cold!

It was a large beach with plenty of amenities (restrooms, multiple snack shops, gift shop, picnic area, and lifeguards) and clean sand. If you look at the photo above you can just make out the bright orange life guard umbrella. Instead of the Baywatch red we're used to in California the lifeguards are dressed in day-glow orange.

It wasn't as crowded as we expected - but the beach is only open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, maybe we were a little early in the season.

It wasn't quite a San Diego beach but it was clean with easy access. It's nice to know that even without a car we can still get to the water.

I'm working on sporting the big sunglasses.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Mom's Day 2007

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Of course I flew to CA for Mom's Day.
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Once again we enjoyed the Annual Soroptomist Mother's Day Tea. This year we decorated two tables and we did not decorate the arch. Luckily someone else has taken on that task. The arch does provide a great photo op.
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We sat at table pink. We used the white plates with gold trim and the pink glass salad plates. The glasses were all crystal (no pink glasses this year). As a special touch, we rimmed the champagne saucers in colored sugar. Our favors at both tables were butterfly pins from a cute little jewelry store in NYC.
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Our centerpiece was made entirely from roses from Jason's yard and star jasmine, rosemary, and asparagus fern from Mom's yard. The roses at Jason's house are incredible. He has 20 bushes lining his front walk. All different colors and Mother's Day weekend they were all in bloom. We cut at least 3 dozen and you couldn't even tell any were missing the bushes were so full. The garden roses smelled awesome but they were much harder to clean than roses from the florist. They had many, many more thorns and the thorns did not want to come off the stems. The rose and greenery bouquet was sitting on top of an angel garden statue - how Victorian!
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Table blue featured the Venetian lace table cloth (from Venice) and crystal dishes. The teacups and saucers are a set of six matching Noritake brand in off white with gold accents. We rimmed the wine glasses in sugar for that little something extra.
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Again the centerpiece was made entirely from garden roses and greenery. Roses are spilling down from 2 teacups and a creamer pitcher into a sugar bowl all held in the wire stand. A few leaded glass butterflies were added for a whimsical touch.
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They added table judging this year. We didn't win any prizes - but you know we'll be stepping up for next year. We've already got a start on our two tables, just have to work out the details and look for just the right accents.
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We had Mom's Day dinner at Jason's house. They used his aloha shirt tableware to decorate the table - along with more garden roses. The table looked great, so fun and festive.
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I tried to get a picture of family - but it turned out pretty dark. (I can hear Bex asking me why I didn't shut the blinds to block out the sunlight. I don't know Bex, I just don't know!)
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Mom gave the kids a new game, 'Toss Across'. It became an instant hit and even Big Daddy O played several heated matches.
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And as an added bonus for Auntie Kristin, all the kids were wearing their H&M outfits I sent them from NYC!

An Afternoon at the Beach

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It was a quick trip to SD for T's First Communion the first weekend of May. The ceremony and church were beautiful and it was a great getting to see my SD friends.
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Sunday was a perfect San Diego day. We spent the afternoon at Torrey Pines State Beach. The sun was warm, but there was a breeze to keep everyone cool. The kid to adult ratio was high enough that no one was too stressed. Plus we had good food leftover from the party on Saturday and lots of cold drinks.
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Could these kids be any cuter?

Here come the waves - and my cover was blown.

As soon as they realized I was there taking photos they stopped being sweet and started acting like goofballs (or normal kids - whichever you prefer).

Horseshoes anyone?

I think T won all of the games, but I wasn't paying too much attention. T and I did play with the giant Frisbee, but the strong afternoon wind put an end to our Frisbee tossing fun.

McGuire NYC Vacation Highlights

For your viewing pleasure, some of my favorite photos Gordy and Linda snapped during their visit to NYC.

They were temporary residents of the Upper West Side - 81st and Columbus.

They had a New York slice (at Ray's, not Sbarros for all of you fans of The Office)

They went to see Meet The Robinson's in 3-D!

We tried to go to a Yankee game, but the game was canceled due to rain. What a bummer. They will have to come back in September - they finally rescheduled the game. (If you couldn't figure it out, I am very wet and very unhappy in this photo. We have to figure out how to meet Michael who was meeting us straight from work and then how to save the evening. We ended up on the Upper East Side at Brother Jimmy's BBQ. The good food and cold drinks saved the night.)

They visited the Met, the Natural History Museum, and the Planetarium. In the photo below Linda is doing her best impression of an ancient Egyptian statue.

They walked through Central Park. (Did you know every bridge in Central Park is different?)

We all took time to smell the flowers at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

We enjoyed some great meals together. One of the best was Balthazar in Soho. Cheers to the Gin Fizz.

Always on the lookout for a firehouse photo op - we found the firehouse featured in the movie Ghost Busters. It is one of the oldest firehouses in NYC and is still in use today.

Gordy and Linda were able to see Manhattan from the water when they took the Circle Line boat tour. It's something that has been on my 'to-do' list. Now that is has the McGuire seal of approval I know it's worth the time. The next four photos are all from the tour.

The Statue of Liberty - up close.

NYC skyline, Empire State on the left and Chelsea Piers on the right.

The Brooklyn Bridge.

A bright red tug boat hard at work.

The Staten Island Ferry (it's free - perfect for some nice views of lower Manhattan on a warm day and featured in Sex and the City when the girls ventured to Staten Island).

And finally a great photo of Gordy and Linda at the Boat Basin (yes that Boat Basin for all of you Gossip Girl readers). They look like they had a great vacation. We loved having them out here. They really got to know the city. They found some great new places for us to eat and my new favorite jewelry store. We can't wait for their next visit.

Photo credits: G &L McGuire

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Tribeca Film Festival

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One of my favorite things about living in New York is there is always something fun to do. And not just normal things, but cool things like the Tribeca Film Festival.

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Gordy took this photo, it was an ad on the side of a building in the Tribeca area of town.

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I read about the festival just as it was starting, it wasn't until the opening night that I realized the films are open to the public. They are on a regular schedule and shown in regular theaters throughout the city.
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I looked through the movie descriptions and picked out a few the might interest both Michael and me. I was able to get tickets to 3 shows during the weekend of 4/28 through 4/29.

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Michael and I went to:

The Man of Two Havanas
Growing up in Miami, the director witnessed drive-by shootings and death threats directed toward her father, a former friend of Fidel Castro and opponent of the embargo. Using never-before-heard CIA audiotapes and fascinating interviews with her father, Weisman links his past and present in an eye-opening film that's sure to be talked about.

and

Normal Adolescent Behavior

A darkly comic look at precocious teens grappling with sex, excess and alienation. Avoiding the high school party scene and random hookups, Wendy (Amber Tamblyn) and her friends form a clique that claims a more fluid sexuality. Schacter's directorial debut delivers a provocative take on teen romance in this modern promiscuous age.

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Below is a scan of a ticket stub and audience award ballot for Normal Adolescent Behavior.
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Gordy, Linda, and I went to:

Tuya's Marriage
A strong-willed shepherdess on the Mongolian steppe, Tuya must face some harsh truths about the future. In need of an able provider, she reluctantly divorces her ailing husband and considers proposals from a string of quirky suitors. This warm, witty tale, featuring stunning cinematography, won the top prize at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival.

I really wanted to see:

Gardener of Eden (but the show times didn't work with my schedule)

In this dark comedy, Adam Harris' (Lukas Haas) aimless life consists of working at a deli, living with his parents, hanging with his friends and…well, that's about it. Stuck in a rut, he loses it all, but soon finds new purpose when he accidentally captures a serial rapist. With Giovanni Ribisi and Erika Christensen. Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Directed by Kevin Connolly.

At each show the director, crew, and sometimes the actors are on-hand to answer questions. After Tuya's Marriage some of the questions were pretty pompous and the art director was eating it up. The director of Normal Adolescent Behavior was really down to earth and kept the mood light during her Q&A session. I would have loved to see how Kevin Connolly handled the audience.

Also, every show the audience was asked to rank the movie. The ballots were collected at the end of the screening and the audience favorite of the festival won a cash prize. I didn't see the winning movie. I looked up the title, but it wasn't a story that appealed to me.

Tuya's Marriage was beautifully filmed - it introduced me to a lifestyle and landscapes that I had never seen before. Normal Adolescent Behavior is not a movie for the masses, but it was worth the price of admission. My Two Havanas was most interesting when the focus was on the history of Cuba, but as it turned to a large political statement it became a little overbearing.

I was on celebrity watch, but I didn't see anyone famous - maybe next year.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Zooeum

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The Zooeum is a term I learned from Melissa's nephew James. It's his word for the Natural History Museum, as it is a zoo museum. He is obviously very clever.

Gordy and Linda paid a visit to the Natural History Museum in NYC during their visit (actually several visits - it was one of their favorite places). They took some great pictures of the dinosaur bones, the collection is incredible as you will be able to see from the photos. You too can see this fantastic museum if you visit NYC.