Mummy & Monster take Manhattan

This week Mummy and I were able to sneak away for an overnight in NYC; Mummy had a conference and I just wound up tagging along.We left Tuesday afternoon and headed into the city, driving, which was still new to me, having only ever done it with once before. We farmers traditionally drive to the train station and take a train into the city. The drive to Astoria, where we stayed with Sarah & Joel (at their great apartment), took less time than the entire train process (driving to station, waiting for train, taking train in, catching subway) and provided us with lots of time to chat.

Driving in we encountered some rain, but it managed to hold out enough so that Mummy, Sarah, her Mom (who was also visiting) and I could go for a walk through Astoria Park, where we were able to admire the Triborough and Hellgate Bridges (I think those are the right names...?) Met up with Joel and went to a fun place for dinner where we all tried different things, sharing our food; felt like a really good and communal way to eat!

Wednesday Joel showed Mummy and I to the subway and we all headed into the city for our days' (mis) adventures. While Joel was at work and Mummy was conferencing, I managed to see and do the following things:
  • Ate breakfast in Union Square—even admired the pigeons
  • Saw City Hall (from a distance)
  • Walked through Trinity Church and its' Cemetary
  • Walked down Wall Street past the New York Stock Exchange
  • Saw the Federal Building where Washington was inaugurated in 1789
  • Walked through Financial District
  • Saw where the 9/11 Memorial is being errected
  • Made it out to Battery Park and saw the Battery Park Library, which just went green
  • Mummy and I met up with my cousin Jessi and had lunch with her at Grey Dogs (the location near Union Sq.) YUM! (Now I've gone to two locations of Grey Dogs. Lunch was great, but I think I love their breakfasts more).
  • Walked to Washington Sq. to see the mini Arc de Triumph
  • Went to Sweet Revenge with the cousin, for cupcakes and coffee (they are known for their pairings: every cupcake has a suggested wine/beer to go with it).
  • Walked tons more to Amy’s pastry shop for treats for my housemates
I had a very busy day walking/subwaying around NYC (mostly) alone. Are you ever alone in that city?! First time I've taken on the city by myself and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Really felt more at home there; this is because Sarah let me borrow her super helpful map. (Streetwise Manhattan--check it out if you are ever going to be in the City; totally worth it!)

I loved our time in the City, but one of the first things I said to Mummy upon arriving back in the sticks was, "look, you couldn't see the stars in the City."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"howl the eternal yes"

Image
Just read a CNN article this morning about the Aurora Borealis making an appearance. It reminded me of Northern Exposure and Chris the DJ. So, thought I would share a quote as I reminisce about the Aurora Borealis, a.k.a. The Northern Lights, which I saw my first year at the Farm in Massachusetts, which I actually saw on my 23rd birthday!--the best birthday present I ever got!! "There's a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there's a little Darth Vader in all of us. Thing is, this ain't no either-or proposition. We're talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can't hide. My experience? Face the darkness. Stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. So give that ol' dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!" ~ Chris, Northern Exposure, "Aurora Borealis (A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups).” It feel...
Read more

sample retirement acceptance letter

Image
The hardest part of being the Director in a small library is that we don't have an HR person, so on top of everything else we do we also get to do the paperwork for the new hires, and retires. Thank God for the internet or these processes would take a lot longer!  One of my board members pointed out that though I'd been informed of staff retirements, I had to officially accept them with a letter...I am finding that a paper trail is an important thing. So, I found a short and simple letter on one university's HR website (sorry forgot which!?) and honed it to work for us. Attached is my sample of a retirement letter.  Is anyone else out there going through this process too?
Read more

eggnog with lighter fluid and other cherished Christmas memories

Image
I started digging to find my favorite Christmas-esque scenes/lines from movies and I was pleased with what I found. In spirit of my 14's lists, here goes: 1. Charles De Mar: "Ah, come on! It's Christmas Eve! I could be home right now, drinking this *monster* eggnog my brother makes with lighter fluid." ~ Better Off Dead I also love the present opening scene on Christmas day, where his mother is dressed like a reindeer, his father gets an ardvark jacket and the kids get freezer dinners. Pan out to the neighbors Christmas when the French foreign exchange student gets a framed picture of Ricky. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! 2. When Zuzu says to George Bailey, "Look, daddy! Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an Angel gets his wings." George quietly agrees, "Attaboy, Clarence," as "Auld Lang Syne" rings out. That scene makes me cry everytime. (I also love that if George had never been around, Mary became a spinster librarian--see pic) ~ It's a W...
Read more