Top Design in Grand Central Terminal

Well I've been hooked in to yet another Bravo reality series. Those clever people at Bravo started Top Design immediately after Top Chef. (And you pretty much had me at the teaser 'you can't design a room around a cat') Nothing will ever take the place of Project Runway - but when the runway is empty we all need something to fill the void. Speaking of P Run, is Tim coming back? I fear his new show is a warning sign that our mentor has moved beyond the work room at Parson's. Who will fill those perfect polished shoes?

Thursday after the first show aired, I was reading the judges blogs on the Bravo website. (If you haven't had the pleasure, read Jonathan Adler's first - he can turn a phrase like no other.)

While I was there I noticed they were promoting a space that was designed in Grand Central Terminal.

Well I had to go see it first hand. Surprisingly is wasn't drawing too much interest - how can New Yorkers be so clueless? The staff in the main room was really nice - they are in the photo below (I think they were pretty bored and surprised when someone who had actually seen the show was interested in the space). With any luck we were filmed and will be imortized on the silver screen in a background shot.



I tried to keep Michael out of the photo - but he just insisted.


The 'rooms' were set up in the Track 4 area of the shuttle that runs between Grand Central and Times Sq.

Fashion Week!

Some photos of Bryant Park during Fashion Week (Feb 2-9, 2007)

There appears to only be one main entrance in and out of the tents. While we were watching the Alexandre Herchovitch show finished and the crowd was on their way out. I didn't recognize anyone - but there were definitely paparazzi taking photos.

Signs from the front of the tents.













----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The main entrance in to the tents - invitation only. My tickets must be lost in the mail.


















Views of the back of the tents - photo and video check-in, and other backstage entrances.

Restaurant Week - Meal #7

Rosa Mexicana

We reluctantly headed to Rosa Mexicana Thursday night (2/1/07). We have had such lack luster Mexican food in the city, we both felt we were headed for duck carnitas and the mildest 'hot' salsa you can imagine.

We headed to Union Sq. and even managed to meet up on the express train on the way - no small feat, but we managed. The vibe was cool and crowded - lots of hipsters here. We had a OK spot for a table, it was against a wall and we could survey the rest of the space, which was good people watching. But our table was by a service area and it wobbled horribly.

As soon as we were seated we were greeted by an enthusiastic server pushing the pomegranate margaritas and table side guacamole. I agreed to the margarita (it is their speciality) and we held off on any menu decisions.

The guacamole was one of the appetizer options on the restaurant week menu - it was for two, so that would be our only appetizer. As soon as we ordered the guacamole making cart arrived. It was one avocado (a perfectly ripe Haas), too much cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno, onions, and way too much salt. It was a bit chunky, and next time I would definitely stop the addition of the salt - it was too salty. I've never added salt to guacamole, I think it is completely unnecessary. We did manage to eat the entire bowl - but we weren't happy about it. The normal price on the guac is $14 - pretty pricey for one avocado!

My margarita was pink, but tasted like a regular margarita - I couldn't detect any pomegranate. It was tasty, but not a speciality.

Dinner came out as soon as the guac was done - the service was very intrusive. Dinner was fabulous. I had chicken enchiladas and Michael had carne asada with beans and corn tomalito. The steak was fabulous - seasoned and cooked perfectly. It was served in a small skillet with melted jack cheese and grilled onions. They also provided delicious little home made corn tortillas. His beans were really good - not refried, but whole beans with an excellent flavor. The meal also came with Mexican rice and black beans. My enchiladas were very good, but the steak was the clearly the better dish.

We finished the meal with coconut flan. Our other dessert choice was Mexican chocolate pudding with orange whipped cream - no thanks. The flan was very tasty and even someone that didn't like coconut managed to finish almost the entire portion. It was garnished by a paper thin slice of pineapple that had been cooked - it was pretty and tasty. Also on the side was a cream anglaise type sauce that had been topped with sugar and bruleed. Crispy burnt sugar is a welcome addition to any dessert.

The food was definitely better than we expected, it was a good meal and a fun place for dinner. If only the staff would slow down a little and the tables stopped wobbling.

MC Sadie

After watching 'White Rapper' on VH1 Sadie wanted to increase her street cred. We made her a beanie to 'thug' her up. She's still working on her spitting (rapping) - but in a business where image is everything I think she's bound to be a star.

Restaurant Week - Meal #6

Water's Edge

Important lesson learned - no need to leave Manhattan during restaurant week.

Water's Edge tag line is 'The only thing we over look is Manhattan'.

They are located in Long Island City, which is across the East River from midtown Manhattan. It reminded me of Club 33, but didn't have the cool factor of being a members-only club and it reminded Michael of a country club (yet again without the members only vibe).

The night started off with a longer than anticipated walk from the train station to the restaurant. It was really really cold outside and we were walking in to the wind. My face was so cold I couldn't really move my forehead, I decided that is what it must feel like after a Botox injection. Michael was pretty sure his face went numb. It's wasn't a good start.

Once in the restaurant there was a very bad smell, like a bathroom type smell. It was really strong and really unpleasant....we were both thinking the view and the food better be spectacular after this.

We checked our coats and were taken to a romantic table for two by the window. Across the water there was an amazing view of midtown Manhattan (Chrysler building, UN, Bloomberg building, Citicorp building were all visible) unfortunately the two boats owned by the restaurant were partially blocking the view. (wuh wuhhhh) To top off the obscured view, there was some kind of motion sensor activated light that kept going on and off (I think from the wind). It was a spotlight that was on the boat dock - it really was distracting from where I was sitting (on, off, on, off, on, off the entire evening). Michael did make one adjustment with some kind of deer bronze statue that was on a ledge by the table and that was a huge improvement, it blocked the trigger happy light almost entirely from my view.

After all of this the food was very tasty. My only criticism for the food was it felt like high end wedding food - it felt like everything was prepared ahead of time and in the kitchen they were just plating and serving.

We both started with the mushroom risotto. It was warm, creamy, and delicious. It was flavored with thyme - a very nice pairing with the mushrooms. For dinner I had the roast pork loin. It was tender and well seasoned. It was topped with an apricot chutney (apricot jelly with big chunk of apricot), it was sitting on top of a bed of tasty scalloped potatoes. Gravy and grainy mustard were plated around the outside of the dish. The grainy mustard was really good on the pork, added some spark. Michael had short ribs that were served with horseradish mashed potatoes and asparagus. The mashed potatoes were the highlight of both meals. The horseradish added a mild peppery flavor. Dessert was a white chocolate napoleon and apple tart tartin. Neither dessert was great, neither one was bad (it didn't stop me from eating both of them).

The whole experience was interesting, the quality of the food saved the night. We might go back in the summer...we'll see.

Restaurant Week - Meal #5

Lure Fishbar - Delicious seafood in a great setting.

We had a fantastic dinner last night. We changed our Tuesday night reservation 3 times and ended up at Lure. It's located in Soho (one of my favorite places to shop) and had a very 'hip' vibe. The main dining room is made to look like you are dining on an ocean liner. The restaurant is below street level, so it doesn't have any windows - but the way it is decorated you feel like there are windows. And the decor wasn't overdone or too nautical, it was warm and comfortable.

Their restaurant week many had 4 choices for each course - and so many of them sounded tasty it was hard to make a choice.

Starters: They brought nice warm rolls to the table with softened, whipped butter. I chose the raw bar tasting. It included 4 oysters, 2 jumbo shrimp, and a seafood salad. Everything was fresh and delicious. The shrimp were steamed and the meat was tender with an excellent flavor. Michael had the salmon tar tare which was topped with a chive cream and was served with toast crisps. His salmon was excellent as well.

For dinner I had a steamed white fish with a pesto like sauce (it was green and very mild) that was served with fried oyster mushrooms and jasmine rice. Michael had the seared ahi that was served with edemamme, shitake mushrooms and watercress. My fish was mild and cooked to perfection. The ahi was a beautiful tuna steak, barely kissed by the grill (exactly as ordered).

For dessert Michael had the cheesecake and I had the baked apple. The cheesecake was creamy with a graham cracker crust and berries on the side. The baked apple was peeled and cored, stuffed with spices, brown sugar, and raisins and then baked. It was served with a shot of spiced cider on the side.

The meal was not only delicious but a great value. We can't wait to go back. And as an added bonus I got to go through my favorite store in Soho on the way back to the subway. Kate's Paperie - it is a a huge stationary store filled with paper, cards, stickers, journals, gift wrap. A perfect end to the night.

Restaurant Week - Meal #4

Victor's Cafe - Cuban food

The decor looked like Desi Arnez should be playing the bongos - definitely had a Latin club feel. Big, bright murals on the walls, palm trees, and a split level dining room that allowed for some tables to look down over the main floor.

The food was interesting and good, but nothing special. It had a great review in Zagat, so I was really hoping for something out of the ordinary, but all of the food tasted like something we've had before.

I started with a shrimp filled empanada and Michael had chorizo grilled with peppers and onions and served with root vegetable chips. The chips were the best part of both appetizers. They were salty and crunchy and very tasty - we especially liked the plaintain chips. (Not to be confused with parsnip chips which apparently are not very tasty at all.)

For dinner I had roasted pork and Michael had shredded beef in a mild spicy sauce. Both meals would have been great taco or burrito fillings. We did get a side of fried plaintains and they were delicious. Thick slices of plaintains pan fried until they were soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the inside.

I had a very nice mango sorbet for dessert and Michael had flan (his new favorite dessert). The sorbet was delicious and the flan was good too - but not as good as the Mesa Grill flan.

It was a good dinner, but we probably won't be heading back any time soon.

A Day In Brooklyn

Sunday (Jan 29th) was Transit Museum day!

The Transit Museum is located in a decommissioned subway station in Brooklyn. If you weren't looking for it, you would probably walk right by the entrance.

For something that may not sound interesting to everyone - it was a great museum.

You start your museum tour with a history of the subway system. They have photos and tools from the early 1900's that not only show how the subway was built, but the people behind the work. You also get an idea of the politics behind the subway system. The subway allowed people to move out of lower Manhattan in to Bronx and Brooklyn, but still work in Manhattan. It completely changed how people lived in New York City.

The museum has a huge display of hands on items including working turnstiles, refurbished subway cars, and buses. On the actual subway platform they have at least 20 different refurbished subway cars. They date back to the early days of the subway and feature ads appropriate for the time period, the ads are as interesting as the actual cars (at least for me).

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A working turnstile from the early 1930's. The bars are big, heavy wooden paddles. This type of turnstile was in use at the Wall Street station until the early 1990's.

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Don't let Michael drive the subway!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An ad in honor of Pat Wade - 3-in-One Oil is now a WD-40 product. This ad was in a car from the 1930's.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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To encourage use of the subway system, the stations were designed to be aesthetically pleasing. Tile workers created mosaics in every station - they are as beautiful today as they were in the early 1900's. The photo shows a typical station marker.

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We ended our day in Brooklyn with a trip to Junior's, known for it's fabulous cheesecake. From the Junior's web site: Founded by Harry Rosen in 1950 Junior's landmark restaurant is known as the home of New York's best cheesecake. Well I don't know if I would call it the best in New York, but the cheesecake is pretty tasty. It has a cake layer on the bottom, instead of a hard crust. The cake just blends in with the cheesecake and makes it smooth and creamy every bite.

The Met

Finally a weekend with no chores or other obligations. Saturday we decided to go The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).

It's about a 10-15 minute walk from our apartment and Michael can get us in for free (what a great job perk).

We didn't realize it, but as an added bonus The Met is open until 9pm on Saturday (good info for any of you planning a trip to NYC in the near future).

The museum is huge and has an amazing array of collections. Everything from Greek and Egyptian antiquities to Tiffany silver and Craftsman furniture.

One of my favorite spots in the museum is the sculpture garden. It is located in a huge atrium towards the back of the museum. The windows across the back all face Central Park.

The first picture is a view of the atrium from above. There are lots of benches, it's a perfect spot to rest your feet and people watch. The nest photo is one of the sculptures in the garden, three very cute bears. I put it here for Karen in Seattle. It looks like it belongs in her backyard!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------One of my favorite collections is the Arms and Armor. Their collection is so extensive. The full coats of armor are amazing. The details are so beautiful, but then you realize how heavy and stifling they must have been to wear.

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Yet anopther another favorite display is the Frank Lloyd Wright designed living room. Many of the displays at The Met are very large. Entire living rooms, big statues, and Egyptian ruins. The collections at The Met are so diverse, there is something for everyone - but it can get really overwhelming.

The costume area has a fabulous clothing display right now - I could have spent hours looking at the closet of a New York socialite.

As a guilty pleasure, we ended the day with dinner at Chevy's Mexican Food in Times Square (not named for all of the good times people have there but for the NY Times newspaper, in case you were wondering). It was just as tasty as we remembered. Not the best Mexican food in SD, but the best in NYC. At least 95% of the people in there had to be tourists - and you could tell the bar tenders hated their jobs. At least one looked like she wanted to be on Broadway, but the Chevy's bar was as close as she could get.

Roxy Loves Catnip!

It's Friday night, time for rolling in the catnip.

Restaurant Week, Meal #3

Restaurant Week 2007 Lunch Menu $24.07

Appetizer Choice of:

Mixed Greens Salad

Pea Soup

Soup du Jour

Main Course Choice of:

Filet Mignon (12oz.)

Grilled Chicken Breast

Grilled Salmon

Dessert Choice of:

Cheesecake

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Chocolate Mousse Cake

(Side Dishes, Beverages, Tax and Gratuity are not included.) (No Substitutions)

Restaurant Week 2007 Dinner Menu $35.00

Appetizer Choice of:

Mixed Greens Salad

Pea Soup

Soup du Jour

Main Course Choice of:

Filet Mignon (12oz.)

Grilled Chicken Breast

Grilled Salmon

Dessert Choice of:

Cheesecake

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Chocolate Mousse Cake

(Side Dishes, Beverages, Tax and Gratuity are not included.) (No Substitutions)

Lunch is an amazing deal. Look at the menu, the lunch menu is exactly the same as the dinner menu.

We sat down to a huge basket of bread, with 4 different types of bread and flat bread.

I started with the pea soup and Michael had the salad. The soup of the day was chicken vegetable and our server let us know it was not their best. I didn't try the salad, but Michael liked the dressing and for a nice touch the plate had been chilled. I had the pea soup - it was thick and delicious with a hint of smoky ham.

We both had the filet (regular price $32 for the steak alone!). Both were cooked exactly as ordered. The meat was tender and very flavorful. We also shared a side order of creamed spinach, which was amazing. I think the best creamed spinach either of us have tasted. It was very pureed, had onion and garlic in the background. It was so creamy and delicious!

For dessert Michael had the cheesecake and I had the pecan pie. Both were huge pieces and very tasty. We ended up eating a few bites and getting our pie wrapped up to go.

I had read the service moves you out quickly, but we weren't hurried at all. It was a fabulous meal for an amazing price. Restaurant week started out a little slow, but Mesa Grill and Smith & Wollensky were great.

No more reservations this week - but dinner every night next week. Get ready stomach!

Restaurant Week, Dinner #2 - Mesa Grill

Appetizers for Dinner

SOPHIE'S CHOPPED SALAD with Her Own Special Dressing + Crispy Tortillas

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER-GREEN CHILE SOUP

GRILLED BLUE CORN "CUBANO" TACO with Roast Pork, Swiss Cheese, Tasso Ham, Pickled Jalapenos + Tomatillo Relish

Entreés for Dinner

SIXTEEN SPICE CHICKEN with Mustard-Red Chile Gravy + Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Shallots

YELLOW CORN CRUSTED CHILE RELLENO filled with Acorn Squash, Goat Cheese + Sage with a Fig-Cascabel Chile Sauce

ANCHO CHILE-HONEY GLAZED SALMONwith a Spicy Black Bean Sauce + Roasted Jalapeno Crema

Desserts for Dinner

Smoked Vanilla + Toasted Pecan Flan

Chocolate Pudding Cake with Pineapple Tequila Granita

I had the chopped salad, 16 spice chicken, and the chocolate pudding cake.

Michael had the 'cubano' taco, the salmon, and the flan.

The salad was very tasty - it had kidney beans, garbanzo beans, jack cheese, olives, and tortilla strips. The dressing was really nice. I really enjoyed the salad, but Michael's starter was excellent. It was so different, a great combination of flavors and it had a great sauce.

Both the chicken and the salmon were excellent. The chicken was cooked to perfection. It was tender and so juicy. The spices on the chicken were very unique - it was almost sweet (cinnamon or cardamon) at the first taste and then it was spicy. The potatoes were amazing - with little fried scallions on top, like little onion rings. I didn't try the salmon, but I did try the black bean sauce - it was really tasty. The plating on the salmon was really nice - it had a couple of other sauces on each side and little dollops of the jalapeno cream.

The flan was the best flan we have ever tasted. It was very soft, almost like a creme brulee consistency and the combination of the vanilla and pecan flavors was so delicious. Michael had the flan (he doesn't like chocolate - and we had to try each dessert), he wasn't too excited by it when ordering, but...he ended up loving it and finishing the whole dessert. My chocolate cake was soft and gooey - a nice deep chocolate flavor. I liked the pineapple granita better - it was so light and delicious after a heavy meal.

I had a house margarita with dinner - it was excellent.

The restaurant was loud and bright. It had a fun vibe - definitely not intimate with low lighting. I was really excited about dinner here and we were not disappointed. In fact we both wanted to try the other dishes from the menu - we joked about ordering another meal with the soup, relleno, and the best flan ever!

Next in the belly - lunch at Smith & Wollensky.

Restaurant Week - Opening Night

Last night we had dinner at Thalassa - the first stop on our restaurant week eating fest.

Thalassa is high end Greek food, with an emphasis on fresh sea food.

They had 3 choices for starters, main course, and dessert for their restaurant week menu - and they were all nice selections.

We sat down and were immediately served a wonderful home made baba ganoush (an eggplant dip) and 2 types of fresh bread, and a bowl of Greek olives. (Yes, they provided a dish for the olive pits - for anyone who watches Top Chef.)

I started with a crab cake served with a delicious sauce and gigantic white beans that had an olive oil dressing. The crab cake was almost all crab and the sauce was really tasty. The beans were served cold but I liked them. It was a solid starter.

Michael started with a grilled octopus. It had a great flavor, but I didn't care for the texture. Michael really enjoyed it.

For dinner I had a pan fried sea bass served with beets and fingerling potatoes in a lobster sauce. The sauce was so delicious, it tasted like lobster bisque - the sauce made the dish. Michael didn't get so lucky - he had fish as well. It was grilled and served in a caper sauce with wilted greens. His fish had bones and the presentation just wasn't that nice. I lucked out last night.

For dessert he had a Greek doughnut - the flavor was good, fried dough with honey and sesame seeds, but some of the fritters were a little tough. I had a yogurt cake (basically a soft cheesecake) with raspberry sauce. The desserts were fine, but nothing outstanding.

The restaurant itself had a great ambiance. It was located in Tribecca (a pretty 'hip' neighborhood) and used to be a phyllo factory. It had really good lighting, lots of candles and soft/indirect light.

We probably won't go back - but it wasn't a waste of a night either.

Tonight is Mesa Grill - a Bobby Flay establishment. I looked at the menu and I want everything! I'm really excited.

Trixie and Sadie Take a Day Off

Apparently Trixie and Sadie decided to take a day off - Trixie didn't even show up to the office today and Sadie was up to watch the Oscar nominations live, but then left her reception desk (aka - the couch) and went in to lie down on the bed.
















Luckily Blackjack and Beckham were able to fill in. Blackjack is working the reception desk and Beckham is office manager for the day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Roxy has been on facilities duty all day - you can see her diligently making sure the radiator is working.

Restaurant Week

The next 2 weeks (Jan 22-26 and Jan 29- Feb 2) are restaurant week in NYC. 100's of restaurants in NYC offer lunch and dinner special menus. It's typically a slow time of year, so they try to promote tourism with great deals on food.

We have 8 reservations at some tasty places.

We start tonight at Thalassa, highly rated Greek food. Tomorrow night is Mesa Grill, one of Bobby Flay's restaurants. Wednesday we have the highly rated steakhouse Smith and Wollensky. We're taking Thursday and Friday off - Michael has a work event on Thursday.

Next week we have reservations every night. We start the week with Cuban food at Victor's Cafe, Tuesday night is Indian food at Devi, Wednesday is New American at Water's Edge (it's in Long Island City, you get there by water taxi and it has excellent views of NYC), Thursday is Mexican food at Rosa Mexicana, and we end the week at the famous 21 Club.

I'm most excited about Mesa Grill and 21 Club. We're both a little nervous about Rosa Mexicana - we hear it's the best Mexican food in the city, but they could be serving up duck carnitas!

I'll keep you all posted on the menu selections.

Iomega Manhattan

A typical day around the Iomega Manhattan Office.

Visitors are greeted by our friendly and chatty receptionist, Sadie
















Office Manager Trixie makes sure everyone puts in a full day of work!
















Beckham handles any IT support issues, "Did you try re-booting?"
















Roxy tackles those tough facilities issues. In this photo we can see her hard at work making sure the radiator is putting out heat for the office.

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Blackjack has retired from the daily grind. But occasionally he fills in for Trixie as Office Manager, someone has to make sure we are all hard at work. In this photo he is grooming at his work station. HR sent out a memo regarding personal grooming at your desk, I guess he didn't get a copy.

My Chair

My desk chair has arrived (can you hear the choir of angels singing) - good bye metal stool with no back support, hello perfect chair.

Setting up the home office hasn't been easy. I need it to be functional, but I also want something stylish and I don't want to spend a ton of money. And space is a big consideration. In the office we need to have room for 2 desks, bookshelves and clothing storage.

The desks and bookshelves we used what we already had. For my clothing storage I had a dresser and we bought a simple (read cheap) wardrobe from IKEA. The missing piece was my desk chair.

I didn't want a big leather desk office chair - too much chair for me. I didn't want arms (they get in the way), I didn't want it to be fabric (cat hair magnet), and it needed to be very comfortable.

Michael went to so many furniture stores with me, on my quest for the perfect chair. Most of the time it was a quick sit down in the chair and I knew it wouldn't be comfortable for a day of work. Finally I found a chair that looked cool and was comfortable. In fact it was the only chair that I sat in and immediately said - this is a really comfortable chair.

Once I found the chair I had to think about it - was it really the right chair? Then I had to research it on the Internet and find the best price. Once I ordered the chair it was shipped from Germany and took 8 weeks for delivery. Finally last week my chair arrived! I LOVE it. It is so comfortable - exactly what I wanted.

Just in case you too need this chair, it is the Henry Miller EAMES Eiffel side chair. No arms, no fabric, stylish, and comfortable. The design has been around for something like 50 years. It is perfect - totally worth the wait.

Wake Up Call

Beckham, who is so cute, has developed a new little personality quirk.

Sometimes he is very, very hungry in the morning and wants to be served breakfast immediately. He doesn't jump on you or paw at your face (like some of the other cats). He comes in to the bedroom and screams. It is this bloodcurdling cat yowl that makes your heart pound. He is demanding that someone get up and feed him. Of course he doesn't eat crunchies, he has special canned kitten food. This cat has no control over his emotions.

Did you hear, his namesake is coming to play soccer for LA - for a huge amount of money.

I need to figure out how to make cat Beckham the mascot or special friend of the real Beckham. Cat Beckham is so handsome and he loves to play soccer - how can the real Beckham resist? I'm sure he would love to sponsor cat Beckham, so he can live in a manner that is appropriate for a cat of his beauty and talents.

Heat Wave

It was 70 degrees Saturday!

It was so nice outside. Michael and I walked around Central Park, enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. The park was packed - just about everyone in the City was enjoying the sunshine.

We watched the turtles swimming in the turtle pond. Usually the pond is frozen solid this time of year - what happens to the turtles when the ice freezes? Around all of the ponds in Central Park there are signs that warn you to watch out for thin ice. They all look really silly, considering there is no ice to be found.

The only New Yorker that I hear complaining about the weather is Michael. He likes the cold and snow and blizzards. Lots of people are talking about global warming - but I know, it's just Mother Nature being kind to me.

I'm sure there is snow on the way - but I'll take as many 70 degree days as I can get.

On another weather note - did you know this is the first time since the 1880's that New York didn't get any snow in the month of December. I saw it on the news. Merry Christmas to me!

The holidays were great, back in California for Christmas and then a pretty mellow but fun New Year's in NYC. Now it's back to work (year and close - yuck) and getting ready for Disney World in February!

Unaccompanied Luggage

Apparently my luggage spent some extra time sightseeing in Washington D.C. The unaccompanied made it's way to San Diego, but upon arrival was mis-tagged and delivered to a random home in Clairemont. The luggage delivery company had to get the bag back and then finally it found it's way to the Wade household.

I'll try to take a photo of the top of the bag - it has about 6 different tags attached to the top.

We had some Christmas gift tragedies. I'll update that after Christmas, don't want to spoil any surprises. But don't worry the dirty laundry was untouched.

Christmas Vacation

This might be Christmas Vacation part 1, we'll see how many posts I get in during my travels.

I am in San Diego for the first part of my holiday visit - works out very well. I can work from the San Diego office and visit all of my SD friends at the same time.

Bex house is my base of operations -Maison de Wade always has room for one more (thank goodness).

I flew in Sunday night and ended up waiting forever for my bags. One of my checked bags decided it would be more fun to go somewhere else for the holidays. I'm hoping it will find it's way back to me tonight - if it doesn't some of you San Diego folks will have a some Christmas present IOU's. The missing bag had some dog cookies in it, I can just see the sniffing dogs at the airport stopping my bag for a quick snack.

Bex had me drinking the fire water last night (OK I willingly joined in a night cap), consequently I'm a little slow this morning. Having to get up and get dressed to go to work was also an unwelcome change. It's much better working in your jammers with a cat in your lap.

It is nice to see all of the SD co-workers - but it definitely makes me appreciate my nice comfy apartment. My new desk chair is scheduled to arrive 1/8. I've been waiting for this chair for 8 weeks, I really hope it is as comfortable as I remember. It took me about 6 weeks to even find the chair I wanted for a desk chair - needless to say Michael was very patient during my search for the perfect desk chair.

Thanks Kelly for being my very patient shuttle driver at the airport last night!

Straight from Nepal

It's the "I don't care what it looks like it keeps my ears warm hat."

They look so cute on the display stands but they look pretty funny on your head (at least my head). But after one very cold Friday (19 degrees outside), I decided I didn't care what the hat looked like it would keep my head and ears warm.

Michael and I headed to the holiday fair at Union Square, the place was chock full of funny knit hat vendors. I tried on a ton of hats and with help, choose this sassy little number with a poof ball on top.

The hat is so warm, it is lined in fleece and knit out of really soft thick yarn. In the photo I am on top of the GE building looking out at the Empire State building - the wind at night was nothing for this hat. The hang tag, inside tag, and people selling the hat claim it was knit in Nepal. Because they kept saying repeating this over and over, I'm pretty sure it was knit in some frosty place of the world like Mexico or the Philippines.

It probably won't make the trip to CA for Christmas - my blood has thickened quite a bit. I am saying things I never thought I would say. I went out to run some errands last night, I checked the temperature and it was 47 degrees. I thought to myself - it's not cold out, I don't need my heavy jacket. And I didn't need my heavy jacket - just my gloves to keep my fingers toasty. This is coming from the girl who had her seat heaters on at 65 degrees. Mother Nature continues to be kind to me, NYC has has a very mild winter so far - maybe I won't get snow until after Christmas.

TAXI!

I hailed my first taxi Sunday night. No photos to commemorate the event - I didn't want to look like a rookie. And we made it from the 50's all the way to 90th street without stopping - not a single red light to slow us down.

More Christmas in NYC

During the holidays Grand Central Terminal has a great holiday craft fair and they put on a show in the main hall.

The craft fair is smaller than Union Square or Bryant Square - but it is all inside, so it's warm and toasty. They had some of the same booths as the other craft fairs, and some different items. Maybe because it was smaller and not as overwhelming or maybe because it was warm I found so many great things when I was shopping. Of course it was mostly things I wanted, it is so much easier to shop for yourself! (One for me, one for you, two for me, one for you....)

The light show is in the main terminal. They have music and they project kaleidoscope images of the city over the walls and ceiling. It was fun trying to figure out the images. Many were everyday items such as the train seats or the bumps on the waiting platform of the subway. It sounds so unappealing, but they make them very beautiful

This shot is looking down Park Ave. towards the Met Life building. The trees down the center of Park Ave are covered in white lights. It is a little hard to see, but the Met Life building has red and green lights that are constantly changing.

Rockefeller Center at Christmas

Can you find the classic holiday icon, Sponge Bob?

Close up of the star - I want this for my Christmas Tree!

It is made up of hundreds of Swarovski crystals.

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Close up shot of the tree - it is so big and has so many lights you can barely see the branches.

Some more decorations that line the plaza at Rockefeller Center.

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The huge snowflakes are falling down the front of Sak's Fifth Avenue. About every 20 minutes they dance to music - quite a show for the crowds.

City Views

The GE building at Rockefeller Center recently opened up it's observations decks to the public. At one time they were open to the public, but then closed for many years.


Sunday night is was very clear and not too cold - so we headed to the 'Top of the Rock' Observation Deck.


The view was spectacular. 360 degree views of the city below. We could see the twinkling lights from New Jersey to Staten Island and the entire expanse of Central Park.



Here are a few photos - they don't do the view justice, but you get the idea.

Beckham in a Cloud

Isn't he sweet?

The Purse, The Purse, The Purse Is On Fire

This story falls in to the 'It's pretty funny, but I'm glad it didn't happen to me' category.

Last night I went out to happy hour in honor on one of Michael's co-workers who is leaving the company. It was a pretty normal event until we ordered some appetizers.

We were all gathered around a small pub table. When our food arrived, we needed to make room on the table. All of the jackets and purses in the table area were just shoved out of the way. As the guacamole was being passed, we suddenly heard "your purse is in fire!"

Sure enough, we look over and there are flames jumping out of the soon-to-be-ex-co-worker's purse. She kinds of blows on the flames and the girls at the next table go in to panic mode. The flames are pretty quickly extinguished, but there is some pretty bad smelling smoke. One of the girls at the next table just kept yelling 'get it out of here', 'get it out of here'. When no one would hand her the smoking bag, she heroically yelled 'give it to me, I'll take it out'. There was just no reason for the bag to leave the bar. She was just crazy.

The bar tenders opened the front door and the smoke cleared out quickly. The purse had about a 4" hole burned through it and it was falling apart around the burned edges. There was also some damage to her wallet inside. Something for her Christmas list.

Root cause: a crack team of investigators quickly found a small votive candle that was the source of the flame. The offending candle was promptly removed from the scene of the crime, possibly for further testing.

Winter is Here

It is freezing outside! Down to about 30 degrees during the day. Last week it was in the 60's - giving me a false sense of hope for the winter. I'm glad I went out to see the holiday decorations last week, I might be a shut-in for the rest of the winter. And I decided while I was out today, if the hat keeps my ears warm it just doesn't matter how it looks on my head.

Aside from the cold two other big problems with NYC - it takes at least 30 minutes to get to Target and there is only one Trader Joe's in Manhattan. We tried to go to Trader Joe's on Sunday night and it was so crowded the line to pay was winding through the store. I am going to try and go there in the morning, maybe it's won't be as crowded. Trader Joe's opened in NYC in the fall of 2006 - it has been extremely popular since opening day. When it was announced that Trader Joe's was coming to NYC there was talk that it might not do well - NYC has many other high end grocery stores. But we all know the greatness of Trader Joe's - of course it was an instant hit.

Trader Joe's - is located right by Union Square. I can get my funny looking knit hat and keep my ears warm!

The Lighting Ceremony

Last Thursday I held the nightly lighting ceremony at our apartment. The only cat that chose to witness the spectacular event was Beckham. But I did have one very special guest. As soon as I plugged in the lights, Nutty the Squirrel (yes I named him) came over to view the display. Nutty runs across the fire escape and likes to visit with the cats. As soon as Beckham spied Nutty he ran to the window. The camera just happened to be right at hand (you never know who will turn up for the lighting ceremony) - I was able to get one photo of Beckham keeping a sharp eye on Nutty. It is really cute.



The weather has turned chilly (much to my dismay), so I don't know if Nutty will go in to hibernation or if he will be back to celebrate the holidays with the kitties.

Shopping, Lights, and Window Displays

I LOVE Christmas in NYC.

They shopping, lights, decorations, and window displays are all amazing.

Once again, I will work on posting photos - need those visual aids!

Shopping: Two words: shopper nirvana! The city is hopping. Immediately after Thanksgiving you can feel the difference in how many people are in the city. The stores are packed and the subways are really busy. So many people come here to shop, on the weekends they even arrive on special bus tours. The shopping really is amazing, so I don't blame anyone - I have come here for Christmas shopping myself. You can find anything in this city. A favorite activity for me is to browse the Holiday Fairs at Grand Central, Bryant Park, and Union Square. They each have tons of unique products at great prices. One of the more popular booths this year is knit caps that have ear flaps that turn in to braids. The hats are adorable, I really want one - but they make my head look really round and funny. I keep trying them on, thinking maybe this will be the knit cap for me - but I always end up disappointed. They are great at keeping your ears warm, maybe when it's really really cold it just doesn't matter if your head looks funny.

Lights/Decorations: So many buildings, stores, hotels, and nice apartment building have decorations up for the holidays. Lots of big garlands and wreaths with lights at night. The stock exchange even has a great display with an American flag made out of lights. The Empire State building even gets lit in red and green for Christmas. Of course one of the most spectacular sights is the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center. The tree is covered in lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star. The star sparkles so brightly. An addition to the scene this year: The GE building (which sits directly behind the tree) has huge snowflakes projected on the front of the building and they fall down the front of the building to the top of the tree.

Window Displays: I've only viewed the Saks windows so far. Lots of sparkles - I'll have to do a separate post on the windows, to give them proper credit. Another weekend project!

The Apartment

Once again, I am behind on the photos - I know my blog is enhanced by the visual aids so I will work on it, really! The problem is I can't find my card reader for my memory card. My computer doesn't like to get the pix directly from the camera. Of course my card reader is with my camera battery charger and my iPod charger. They are all together in one of my travel pouches and I'm sure I put it somewhere special.

One more quick aside - I finally found my label maker! It has been 'somewhere special' since move day. I can start to label away now - not a moment too soon.

The apartment is starting to look like a home. I unpacked all of my boxes a while ago, but I just started hanging photos. What a difference the art makes.

I also decorated for the holidays. I cut about 50 snowflakes from white paper (yes, remember grade school - I am still playing with scissors and glue) and hung them in the living room. The front windows have lights and glitter snowflakes. The mantle is snowy with crystal candle holders, silver ornaments and iridescent beads. All of the kitty stockings are hung, waiting for presents of Pounce and toys.

I don't think we'll get a tree. I don't have a stand and I don't want to buy one, plus the winter weather is so dry, it is going to turn in to kindling pretty quickly. I do want a fresh wreath to hang on the inside of the door, so I can have the good pine smell when you first walk in the apartment. (As opposed to any other smells that might hit you when you first walk in the apartment ;-)

I used some tiny milk glass vases that Mel gave me and put them under a glass dome with some silver tinsel - it turned out pretty cool. I saw something similar at a store over the weekend and it was very expensive, when am I going to be discovered?

I also have a wreath and holiday doormat outside of the apartment door - it definitely perks up the dreary hall.

Happy Decorating!