less than 1 day until I move.
It's the final night here in New York and I'm pretty much packed. I'm going to meet Eliot at the Telephone Bar in the east village as he couldn't make it (he forgot!!) last night. Last night was jolly good (note the britishism :-)) fun and we had a good turn out at Ulysses after work. Thanks to everyone who made it out to bid me farewell, it was great to see everyone out there. It was really funny as we had a big table in the back and I was literally sat right in the middle of two tables: to my right were my work colleagues (John, Matt, John, Paras and Purvesh) and to my left were my GSEEC buddies (for life dude!) and my NAPA friends that came out to see me off. It was a fun evening, lots of chatting and laughs and just all around good fun.
Man o man, definitely feeling the butterflies today and hoping everything comes together smoothly. I think I've prepared pretty well but my mind can't help but think of all the "what ifs" it's just trained to do that and I have no control over it.
Moving day comes tomorrow, a very packed morning with meetings until 11, then Steph and Andrew want to see me before I leave which is really sweet and kind of them to do, I feel very honoured that they want to see me off on my departure day. I'm going to miss those two and all of our eating adventures as well.
Well time to pack last minute things up and head off to meet Eliot. I'm hoping a little social activity will help distract me from worrying about tomorrow...
Tomorrow brings me to London. Unbelievable.
Showing newest posts with label ny. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label ny. Show older posts
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
IT'S OFFFICIAL!
3 days until I move.
I'm very excited as I'm officially ready to enter the UK as a work permit and Visa holder. I picked up my Visa today (it's stamped inside my passport) and that means I have 60 months (5 years to do the math for you) to live and work in the UK until I need to renew it! WOOHOO!
Work permit - tick
Visa - tick
Packed up - tick
Ready for a new adventure - tick
Cannot wait any longer? - tick
I'm ready to gooooooo!
I'm very excited as I'm officially ready to enter the UK as a work permit and Visa holder. I picked up my Visa today (it's stamped inside my passport) and that means I have 60 months (5 years to do the math for you) to live and work in the UK until I need to renew it! WOOHOO!
Work permit - tick
Visa - tick
Packed up - tick
Ready for a new adventure - tick
Cannot wait any longer? - tick
I'm ready to gooooooo!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Salt Lick Delivered!
4 Days to go!
Saturday afternoon was spent preparing loads of food at Andrew's place in Brooklyn. We had mashed potatoes, cole slaw, chips, fruit, collared greens, chocolate banana bread, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and sweet tea. These were all sides though that were centered around the online ordering and delivery of Salt Lick way down in Driftwood Texas. It was a brilliant way to end my final weekend in NY and the U.S. although with celebrating Steph's birthday as well (Happy Birthday Steph!). We all had a great time preparing, chatting, eating and eating more. I was sooooooo stuffed and completely in a food coma by the end of the food-a-thon and the salt lick meat (sausage, brisket and ribs) turned out really well! It was really tasty. Now for some pictures of the Meat Feast of 2008:
Yummy sides
SALT LICK!
Group Photo
Food Coma Jones
Gabe. Out. (that chair was so comfy!)
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so good. I must say though that after that feast my stomach was not very happy with me and woke up me throughout the night to remind me of the amount of BBQ i consumed. Nasty indigestion but totally worth it. :-)
Saturday afternoon was spent preparing loads of food at Andrew's place in Brooklyn. We had mashed potatoes, cole slaw, chips, fruit, collared greens, chocolate banana bread, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and sweet tea. These were all sides though that were centered around the online ordering and delivery of Salt Lick way down in Driftwood Texas. It was a brilliant way to end my final weekend in NY and the U.S. although with celebrating Steph's birthday as well (Happy Birthday Steph!). We all had a great time preparing, chatting, eating and eating more. I was sooooooo stuffed and completely in a food coma by the end of the food-a-thon and the salt lick meat (sausage, brisket and ribs) turned out really well! It was really tasty. Now for some pictures of the Meat Feast of 2008:
Yummy sides
SALT LICK!
Group Photo
Food Coma Jones
Gabe. Out. (that chair was so comfy!)
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so good. I must say though that after that feast my stomach was not very happy with me and woke up me throughout the night to remind me of the amount of BBQ i consumed. Nasty indigestion but totally worth it. :-)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Packing Up
10 Days to go
This past weekend I knocked one more thing off my list and that was going to Zum Schneider's German biergarten in the East Village. I'd been wanting to go for some time and I finally went with steph and andrew and had an enormous and delicious beer in a proper 1L Munchen pint glass as well as some pretzel, prok shoulder and German bratwurst. Mmmmmm, yummy! Afterwards we went to BonChon for korean fried chicken and lychee soju (so good!) and then to Ginger Man for another pint. It was a fun night!
Gabe at Zum's
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and packing. I've decided to give up on the prospect of hiring a shipping company to move my things and just throw away or give away a lot of it. The rest I've managed to pack into two 20x20x20 boxes which will be going on the plane with me as extra baggage. It's a LOT cheaper that hiring a ruddy moving company to take my stuff across seas as their base estimate was somewhere around $2000. Yeah...that's not going to happen. So I spent most of the day Sunday finding things to pack away only leaving the bare minimum to pack into my two remaining suitcases, one of which is being shipped to me as I needed a bigger bag. Right, well I feel pretty good about my packing status, definitely one thing ticked off my list.
Now if I could just apparate, grab my work permit and apparate back...
*CRACK*
This past weekend I knocked one more thing off my list and that was going to Zum Schneider's German biergarten in the East Village. I'd been wanting to go for some time and I finally went with steph and andrew and had an enormous and delicious beer in a proper 1L Munchen pint glass as well as some pretzel, prok shoulder and German bratwurst. Mmmmmm, yummy! Afterwards we went to BonChon for korean fried chicken and lychee soju (so good!) and then to Ginger Man for another pint. It was a fun night!
Gabe at Zum's
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and packing. I've decided to give up on the prospect of hiring a shipping company to move my things and just throw away or give away a lot of it. The rest I've managed to pack into two 20x20x20 boxes which will be going on the plane with me as extra baggage. It's a LOT cheaper that hiring a ruddy moving company to take my stuff across seas as their base estimate was somewhere around $2000. Yeah...that's not going to happen. So I spent most of the day Sunday finding things to pack away only leaving the bare minimum to pack into my two remaining suitcases, one of which is being shipped to me as I needed a bigger bag. Right, well I feel pretty good about my packing status, definitely one thing ticked off my list.
Now if I could just apparate, grab my work permit and apparate back...
*CRACK*
Thursday, March 20, 2008
14 days to go
It's a weird feeling to think I'll be leaving in just 14 days. I'll be leaving New York, a place I've explored and worked in over just about the last two years. I'll be leaving the country I grew up in and have known for the last 24 years and moving to a whole new environment, culture and city with new people, new views and new places to explore and discover. With that comes a great sense of excitement. But I'm not there yet, I'm half way in between as I'm completely ready to move and start what amounts to a new life in a new city but there are 14 days left of this NY life. What to do? See friends, pack up things, shop while clothes and electronics are still cheap, cross off things that are still on my NY todo list (most of which was done last weekend) and just wait. I can an awesome dinner with some colleagues and old teammates last night at ben and jacks steakhouse. We ordered two massive porter house steaks (one steak feeds four) and it was AMAZING! My god, hands down the best porter house I've ever had and definitely up there for best steak I've ever eaten. Superb!
There's one item left before I can leave and it's a fairly critical one...my visa. It's still waiting to be approved and I've been notified it will arrive in time for my April 3rd departure but it's making me VERY anxious and I'm trying not to think about it. That's nearly impossible though as it pops in my mind all the time. I've secure an apartment, I've been approved and my paperwork is all sorted but that Visa is still pending as well as my UK bank account but that's a massive rant and will not be repeated again.
Added Londonisms although it should really be renamed to Britishisms:
*Pants - men's underwear
*Trousers - pants
I'm ready (I think) and I want to move, I want to start the many things in London that I've been waiting for.
Roll on April!!
There's one item left before I can leave and it's a fairly critical one...my visa. It's still waiting to be approved and I've been notified it will arrive in time for my April 3rd departure but it's making me VERY anxious and I'm trying not to think about it. That's nearly impossible though as it pops in my mind all the time. I've secure an apartment, I've been approved and my paperwork is all sorted but that Visa is still pending as well as my UK bank account but that's a massive rant and will not be repeated again.
Added Londonisms although it should really be renamed to Britishisms:
*Pants - men's underwear
*Trousers - pants
I'm ready (I think) and I want to move, I want to start the many things in London that I've been waiting for.
Roll on April!!
Friday, February 22, 2008
A Long Overdue Entry And So Much to Tell
It's certainly been quite awhile since I've typed up an entry in this here blog. There are just a few small things that have kept me busy over the past few months. Additionally, I've had this uncompleted task of typing up all my CR entries from my notebook but have just closed that out by typing up the last one and leaving it as is. I'm not going to type up any others and it's tedious and time consuming and honestly not that rewarding. Next time I'll have something to write up my entries electronically.
So where do I even begin?
Well for one, I'm going to London next week! I'm going there for a week to work from office and look for a flat.
Hang on a minute... look for a flat??
Yessir, I'm moving to London on April 4th to take on a new role which I am very excited about. The whole move is something I'm ecstatic about and it goes WAY beyond switching roles. There is just so much to look forward to and it has me smiling wide with excitement. :-)
There's lot to do until then, but it had been bugging me that my blog was missing the last CR post and also an update on the changes going on with me. I'd better crack on with my list of tasks, much to do.
Oh, and by the way, IT SNOWED TODAY! WOOHOO! Beautiful, white, powerdery snow filled the streets and sidewalks, car windshields and signs. I'm headed out tomorrow to explore the park and see if there's anything fun to photograph.
So where do I even begin?
Well for one, I'm going to London next week! I'm going there for a week to work from office and look for a flat.
Hang on a minute... look for a flat??
Yessir, I'm moving to London on April 4th to take on a new role which I am very excited about. The whole move is something I'm ecstatic about and it goes WAY beyond switching roles. There is just so much to look forward to and it has me smiling wide with excitement. :-)
There's lot to do until then, but it had been bugging me that my blog was missing the last CR post and also an update on the changes going on with me. I'd better crack on with my list of tasks, much to do.
Oh, and by the way, IT SNOWED TODAY! WOOHOO! Beautiful, white, powerdery snow filled the streets and sidewalks, car windshields and signs. I'm headed out tomorrow to explore the park and see if there's anything fun to photograph.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wintery Goodness
Snow snow snow!!! We've been getting quite a lot here as of late and it's AWESOME! It's making up for the dismal snow year of 2006. I'm watching the white specks stream down through the windows at my office. It brings a smile to my face this morning.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
GSEEC Super Day!
This weekend certainly brought the adventurous spirit out of me. Friday was the exception, I worked a bit late due to a deployment and then relaxed the rest of the night sending a few pings here and there.
Saturday came and Steph, Andrew and I met up for an early lunch at Dumpling House in the lower east side. It was a basically a tiny counter with people cooking dumplings and other dim sum behind the counter. It is known for it's extremely cheap but tasty food. I ordered more than I could eat but it only set me back $4.
Afterwards, we headed over to Il Laboratio del Gelato feed one of my many addictions. It was a good early afternoon snack. I ordered a scoop of chocolate and another of macademia, both were very good. However, I still prefer Grom and will need to go back soon. Haven't tasted that rich, dark chocolate in awhile! Steph and Andrew wanted to get a few famous doughnuts from Doughnut Planet down the street so we walked a bit further and ordered two very tasty rounds. I only had a bite since I was still savouring my gelato.
Finally onto our main event, the Science Center. It was a beautiful, crisp day and we were all excited about walking. We strolled over to the WTC to catch the path train which is a good 30 minute walk. We caught the path to Jersey and then the light rail to Liberty park where the Science Museum is located. We arrived just in time for the IMAX on Mummies to begin. We were quite impressed with the dome IMAX but not the film. It didn't have enough adventure or exploring in it. There was too much focus on the people, drama and acting which is not what you expect from an IMAX movie at the science center.
We continued on, stuck around for a cool experiment with liquid nitrogen (awesome stuff!) and explored the museum for a few hours. They had some interesting stuff and we enjoyed our visit but it wasn't exactly what we were expecting. There wasn't enough hands-on, cool stuff like what I was used to from the San Diego science center so we left with a little disappointment. However, that was soon forgotten once the Soju arrived.
We took the transit back to manhattan and were debating whether to get some food or separate and rest up for the party later. After initial discussions, we decided to head into Korea Town for some korean fried chicken at Bon Chon. The fried chicken was very good and we all enjoyed it however it was the lychee Soju that stole the show. It was a lychee infused liquor that tasted incredible and had us all feeling it's effect shortly thereafter.
Following "dinner" Andrew and I were thirsty for a drink and what better place to go than an old favorite of mine, the Ginger Man. I ordered up a boddingtons and black and tan to quench my cravings while other friends met us at the pub. There were two aussie's that were friend's of andrew's friend James, visiting NY on a trip around the world. They were seven months into their adventure, 22 countries down and only a few more to go. AMAZING! I was incredible intrigued with their travels and stories. Wow, that would be a towtally awesome trip. So jealous and impressed!
Dinner was had at the famous Chipotle Mexican Grill (i ordered guac and chips since i don't really favor the burritos) but afterwards we made our way to Fat Cat, which is a lounge in the west village. This was quite a unique lounge as it had chess boards, scrabble boards, ping pong tables and foos ball tables all around! Hahaha, what a nerdy place, we all felt so at home. he he. Anyways, we found a seat in the back and played a game of scrabble and foos ball over a couple of PBR's. One thing lead to another and it was already 3am! Time to skedaddle.
Today I had an amazingly perfect lazy sunday thanks to a few good friends of mine including my jim jams and early grey and a few very special other ones. :-) Thanks guys, it's EXACTLY what I needed today!!!
Saturday came and Steph, Andrew and I met up for an early lunch at Dumpling House in the lower east side. It was a basically a tiny counter with people cooking dumplings and other dim sum behind the counter. It is known for it's extremely cheap but tasty food. I ordered more than I could eat but it only set me back $4.
Afterwards, we headed over to Il Laboratio del Gelato feed one of my many addictions. It was a good early afternoon snack. I ordered a scoop of chocolate and another of macademia, both were very good. However, I still prefer Grom and will need to go back soon. Haven't tasted that rich, dark chocolate in awhile! Steph and Andrew wanted to get a few famous doughnuts from Doughnut Planet down the street so we walked a bit further and ordered two very tasty rounds. I only had a bite since I was still savouring my gelato.
Finally onto our main event, the Science Center. It was a beautiful, crisp day and we were all excited about walking. We strolled over to the WTC to catch the path train which is a good 30 minute walk. We caught the path to Jersey and then the light rail to Liberty park where the Science Museum is located. We arrived just in time for the IMAX on Mummies to begin. We were quite impressed with the dome IMAX but not the film. It didn't have enough adventure or exploring in it. There was too much focus on the people, drama and acting which is not what you expect from an IMAX movie at the science center.
We continued on, stuck around for a cool experiment with liquid nitrogen (awesome stuff!) and explored the museum for a few hours. They had some interesting stuff and we enjoyed our visit but it wasn't exactly what we were expecting. There wasn't enough hands-on, cool stuff like what I was used to from the San Diego science center so we left with a little disappointment. However, that was soon forgotten once the Soju arrived.
We took the transit back to manhattan and were debating whether to get some food or separate and rest up for the party later. After initial discussions, we decided to head into Korea Town for some korean fried chicken at Bon Chon. The fried chicken was very good and we all enjoyed it however it was the lychee Soju that stole the show. It was a lychee infused liquor that tasted incredible and had us all feeling it's effect shortly thereafter.
Following "dinner" Andrew and I were thirsty for a drink and what better place to go than an old favorite of mine, the Ginger Man. I ordered up a boddingtons and black and tan to quench my cravings while other friends met us at the pub. There were two aussie's that were friend's of andrew's friend James, visiting NY on a trip around the world. They were seven months into their adventure, 22 countries down and only a few more to go. AMAZING! I was incredible intrigued with their travels and stories. Wow, that would be a towtally awesome trip. So jealous and impressed!
Dinner was had at the famous Chipotle Mexican Grill (i ordered guac and chips since i don't really favor the burritos) but afterwards we made our way to Fat Cat, which is a lounge in the west village. This was quite a unique lounge as it had chess boards, scrabble boards, ping pong tables and foos ball tables all around! Hahaha, what a nerdy place, we all felt so at home. he he. Anyways, we found a seat in the back and played a game of scrabble and foos ball over a couple of PBR's. One thing lead to another and it was already 3am! Time to skedaddle.
Today I had an amazingly perfect lazy sunday thanks to a few good friends of mine including my jim jams and early grey and a few very special other ones. :-) Thanks guys, it's EXACTLY what I needed today!!!
Monday, December 3, 2007
SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!
It was great having Michelle's parents here to visit. We did most of the things we planned on doing and most importantly went to the restaurants we planned on taking them to. NY is all about the food, well any city is about the food for me!
I don't mean to...ah, the words are NOT coming to my head and I can't figure out how to best put it. So forget that sentence, all I really want to say was IT SNOWED TODAY!!!! I woke up to a winter wonderland outside as a blanket of white powder covered the area outside the apartment. I quickly showered, had some yogurt, got dressed and put my boots on. Michelle asked "where are you going?" I didn't need to respond since the look on her face knew my response was going to be "I'm going to play in the snow!" I bundled up, grabbed my camera and headed out the door to find flakes fluttering through the air. The picked up speed and showered me with white flakes. I had a HUGE smile on my face as I walked around, cozy in my coat, scarf and sweater. I snapped a few photos of the wintery goodness but mostly I just walked around and let the snow piled up on me. I think this photo brings that description to light (it's blurry because the camera chose to focus on the background instead of yours truly).
More pictures of the snow! View the rest on my flickr page.
The city was absolutely beautiful today as we walked around. Snow covered every spot of the city: signs, doorways, rooftops, car windows, benches, christmas trees on the street. Ahhhhh, how lovely to see the city in the middle of the holiday season AND fully covered in snow. It was gorgeous!
Tonight we made use of the Bowbeer's rental car and drove to Jersey (i know, we're crazy but keep reading) to go to Bertucci's. It's the italian place with the AWESOME bread. Oh man, so so so good. I haven't had that since I went to Michelle's graduation in May.
Last night we went down to Rockfeller center to see the tree. We got there around 11pm and it was practically empty. Our strategy of going late seemed to pay off. I took a couple of photos (of course) and here are a few of them:
I don't mean to...ah, the words are NOT coming to my head and I can't figure out how to best put it. So forget that sentence, all I really want to say was IT SNOWED TODAY!!!! I woke up to a winter wonderland outside as a blanket of white powder covered the area outside the apartment. I quickly showered, had some yogurt, got dressed and put my boots on. Michelle asked "where are you going?" I didn't need to respond since the look on her face knew my response was going to be "I'm going to play in the snow!" I bundled up, grabbed my camera and headed out the door to find flakes fluttering through the air. The picked up speed and showered me with white flakes. I had a HUGE smile on my face as I walked around, cozy in my coat, scarf and sweater. I snapped a few photos of the wintery goodness but mostly I just walked around and let the snow piled up on me. I think this photo brings that description to light (it's blurry because the camera chose to focus on the background instead of yours truly).
More pictures of the snow! View the rest on my flickr page.
The city was absolutely beautiful today as we walked around. Snow covered every spot of the city: signs, doorways, rooftops, car windows, benches, christmas trees on the street. Ahhhhh, how lovely to see the city in the middle of the holiday season AND fully covered in snow. It was gorgeous!
Tonight we made use of the Bowbeer's rental car and drove to Jersey (i know, we're crazy but keep reading) to go to Bertucci's. It's the italian place with the AWESOME bread. Oh man, so so so good. I haven't had that since I went to Michelle's graduation in May.
Last night we went down to Rockfeller center to see the tree. We got there around 11pm and it was practically empty. Our strategy of going late seemed to pay off. I took a couple of photos (of course) and here are a few of them:
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Californian Visitors
Michelle's family is in town this weekend and we're showing them around the city. the last time (and first time) they came to NY, it rained the entire time they were here so they didn't get to see any of the sights, only what was visible through a rainy window.
Yesterday we took a tour of the fed, showed them around downtown (I took a 1/2 day) and went to Carmine's for tasty Italian food later in the evening. My chocolate personality took control and desperately wanted that MASSIVE ice cream sundae that we had on my birthday...remember? (I just realised that I DID NOT upload the picture of the titanic dessert from Carmine's. That has to change)
Flashback: The Titanic on my birthday 2007
The point I was getting to...we couldn't handle that massive dessert so I asked if there was anything smaller. Our waiter said they had a Tugboat which is have the size of the Titanic but the same delicious goodness. Perfecto! :-)
So our lovely californian visitors have come at a very chilly time in NY, it currently feels like 23 degrees and it's December 1st! Niiiiiice! he he. AND tomorrow it's supposed to....yep....SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! I'm so excited! I love the snow!
A few photos from last night:
And from a few days ago when I cooked those towtally tasty chocolate chip cookies:
Yesterday we took a tour of the fed, showed them around downtown (I took a 1/2 day) and went to Carmine's for tasty Italian food later in the evening. My chocolate personality took control and desperately wanted that MASSIVE ice cream sundae that we had on my birthday...remember? (I just realised that I DID NOT upload the picture of the titanic dessert from Carmine's. That has to change)
Flashback: The Titanic on my birthday 2007
The point I was getting to...we couldn't handle that massive dessert so I asked if there was anything smaller. Our waiter said they had a Tugboat which is have the size of the Titanic but the same delicious goodness. Perfecto! :-)
So our lovely californian visitors have come at a very chilly time in NY, it currently feels like 23 degrees and it's December 1st! Niiiiiice! he he. AND tomorrow it's supposed to....yep....SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! I'm so excited! I love the snow!
A few photos from last night:
And from a few days ago when I cooked those towtally tasty chocolate chip cookies:
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving Photos
We cooked all day, and stuffed ourselves in 15 minutes of gluttony. We really enjoyed the turkey, gravy, stuffing, mash, peas, biscuits and Pinot Noir (gabe only) and of course pumpkin pie. However, we both agreed it just wasn't the same without all the people to socialise with. We were reminiscing of times with family and friends and wishing we could be part of a big Thanksgiving gathering. All the food and dessert helped those longings fade as a wave of laziness swept over the both of us.
Pictures from today:
I hope everyone had a brilliant Thanksgiving!
Pictures from today:
I hope everyone had a brilliant Thanksgiving!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Happy Thanksgiving to All! We've just finished watching the parade on the telly, the pumpkin bread has been made (and is missing a slice) and the turkey is in the oven. Mmmmmmm!
It is unusually warm today, 61 degrees which is perfect for the parade. Tomorrow it's supposed to drop to 39!! Cold cold cold!
It is unusually warm today, 61 degrees which is perfect for the parade. Tomorrow it's supposed to drop to 39!! Cold cold cold!
Monday, November 19, 2007
IT'S SNOWING!
We woke up on November 19th to some lovely white flakes falling out of the sky. It wasn't snowing very hard but it's technically the first snow day of the season. When I walked outside to go to work, the snow was very wet and melted when it hit the ground but it was SNOW nonetheless :-) Last year snow didn't come until January so this is very exciting!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Autumn in New York - Part Two
I went out for a nice, chilly walk today in Central Park. I bundled up with my long coat, gloves and a scarf and crossed my fingers for oranges, yellows and reds! Needless to say (but I'll say it anyways!) I brought my camera. :-)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Autumn in Central Park
Michelle and I took a nice long stroll through the park today and down to 34th street to do some shopping. We had lunch at a pizza place we've been wanting to try for some time and really enjoyed it. The park is beginning to resemble fall but it's still on the verge of breaking out. I witnessed more fall colors in Chicago than I have here. However, I still took a couple of nice, fall photos. I am hoping more will come next week.
The day was absolutely perfect: a brisk 40 degrees and bright blue sunny skies. Couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day!
The day was absolutely perfect: a brisk 40 degrees and bright blue sunny skies. Couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
CHOCOLATE SHOW!
Alright, so if anyone doesn't know how ridiculously addicted I am to chocolate, you know now. One could imagine how exciting it would be if a new chocolatier popped up in town or some tasty chocolate was ordered online. No, no, nothing like that, I'm playing with the big kids now and they put on entire shows devoted to chocolate! When I heard about this, it immediately when on my TODO list. Sadly, I missed it last year but it wasn't going to pass me by again! I grabbed a few friends and off we went to the chocolate show spectacular!
Man, what a day! There are samples of all kinds of chocolate all around! I was in chocolate heaven, simply blissful. I tried chocolate truffles, chocolate covered toffee, chocolate infused red wine, chocolate bars from all over the world, earl grey chocolate, dark chocolate peanut butter, more truffles, mint chocolate coffee dipping sticks and much much more.
We stuck around to see a demo of Jacques Torres creating some thanksgiving chocolate treats which consisted of a chocolate turkey, homemade marshmallows in the shape of turkey eggs and white chocolate straw. It was pretty cool!
Here are a few photos from the show but take a look at the rest on flickr:
Man, what a day! There are samples of all kinds of chocolate all around! I was in chocolate heaven, simply blissful. I tried chocolate truffles, chocolate covered toffee, chocolate infused red wine, chocolate bars from all over the world, earl grey chocolate, dark chocolate peanut butter, more truffles, mint chocolate coffee dipping sticks and much much more.
We stuck around to see a demo of Jacques Torres creating some thanksgiving chocolate treats which consisted of a chocolate turkey, homemade marshmallows in the shape of turkey eggs and white chocolate straw. It was pretty cool!
Here are a few photos from the show but take a look at the rest on flickr:
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Start of All Things...
BAMM! The wind runs across the still room and pushes the door shut behind me. My hand leaves the knob giving it one turn for safety. The silent but warm hall meets my eyes with a blend of monotony and fatigue. I walk slowly to the end of the hall and turn the corner, my bag gently sliding off my shoulder. A shrug shifts it squarely back on as I push the arrow for the lift and patiently wait to see which one has chosen to pick me up today. Ah, my favorite, the middle one greets me with a ding of happiness, the doors open with a smile. 'L' is chosen and I'm whisked away in a brass-lined box which reflects my image on all sides.
I walk out through the lobby throwing out a less than enthusiastic "good morning" to the somewhat disgruntled woman behind the counter. Only sometimes do I receive a reply, often as I'm walking out of earshot. The doors open, a smile arises on my face and genuine greeting rolls of my half asleep tongue as I nod my dreary eyes toward the coated man in the cap. The brisk chill hits my face; my hands snuggled tightly in my jacket pockets constrict around my body to trap in the warmth. A grin erupts on my face as I continue walking around the corner. I am no longer dripping with sweat nor about to be a flame-haired pizza in an over-sized, heat box jammed full of a mixed pies being delivered to work.
Around the corner I walk, balancing my satchel on one shoulder while massaging my ears with some morning tunes. A selection is made. My pace quickens. I round the corner to the busy chamber everyone seems so intent on entering. My hand reaches out to receive one of two free publications but my mind has already chosen for me, my choice has become a habit. I enter the darkness and which triggers an instinctive reach for my wallet. My eyes stare ahead. In one fluid motion, my feet, hands and waist lock in rhythm as my fingers slide into the flap under my ID, pull out striped yellow card and run it through worn, metallic reader. My legs are outstretched as if no obstruction existed and turn the wheel as my arm releases the pitch. BEEP! 'Go' flashes on the screen but my eyes do not wander. The card returns itself seamlessly to it's home in the exact same alignment as it left.
The next 30 seconds are a flash of exuberance and sprinting depending on the outcome of my peripheral glance towards the far platform. The race is on today, my mind and body explode into dash down the hallway and up the next staircase. My heart is racing, the veins in the temples are throbbing as I hurdle up three stairs at a time. I grab hold of the cold steel railing and swing myself towards the closing vice. My eyes light up! Empty seats stare back at me, a rarity at this time of day. Crap, the gap is narrowing and my daily exercise isn't working. My hope falters and a with a lurch forward, my morning comfort leaves the station.
I stand and patiently wait in my usual spot, marked only by my mind. My ears are still tingling from the entertainment streaming through my head, at least I chose a good playlist this morning. The local train chugs in behind me and lets loose a hoard of desperate souls propped up against the glass doors, hoping to catch the next express ride downtown. Still no express. Still waiting. Another local arrives letting loose another batch of jumpy, pushy wally's. Still no sign as the platform fills up with heads emerging from the darkness below.
CRACK! CLING! CLING! BANG! The speeding tube rushes through air blowing newspaper in the air; mine is still tucked into the side pocket of my bag. The doors pass by dizzingly fast as first but then begin to slow and finally stop and aligns themselves with my shadow. A few people step off and break the seal as a rush shapes fill the train like a car crashing into the sea. The last ounce of fluid finds empty air at the very top. The doors close once, twice and finally slam shut.
Off I go, streaming down the middle of Manhattan as cars drive on the surface, people walk about, buildings sway in the wind, planes fly overhead and clouds float like outstretched fingers over the horizon.
I walk out through the lobby throwing out a less than enthusiastic "good morning" to the somewhat disgruntled woman behind the counter. Only sometimes do I receive a reply, often as I'm walking out of earshot. The doors open, a smile arises on my face and genuine greeting rolls of my half asleep tongue as I nod my dreary eyes toward the coated man in the cap. The brisk chill hits my face; my hands snuggled tightly in my jacket pockets constrict around my body to trap in the warmth. A grin erupts on my face as I continue walking around the corner. I am no longer dripping with sweat nor about to be a flame-haired pizza in an over-sized, heat box jammed full of a mixed pies being delivered to work.
Around the corner I walk, balancing my satchel on one shoulder while massaging my ears with some morning tunes. A selection is made. My pace quickens. I round the corner to the busy chamber everyone seems so intent on entering. My hand reaches out to receive one of two free publications but my mind has already chosen for me, my choice has become a habit. I enter the darkness and which triggers an instinctive reach for my wallet. My eyes stare ahead. In one fluid motion, my feet, hands and waist lock in rhythm as my fingers slide into the flap under my ID, pull out striped yellow card and run it through worn, metallic reader. My legs are outstretched as if no obstruction existed and turn the wheel as my arm releases the pitch. BEEP! 'Go' flashes on the screen but my eyes do not wander. The card returns itself seamlessly to it's home in the exact same alignment as it left.
The next 30 seconds are a flash of exuberance and sprinting depending on the outcome of my peripheral glance towards the far platform. The race is on today, my mind and body explode into dash down the hallway and up the next staircase. My heart is racing, the veins in the temples are throbbing as I hurdle up three stairs at a time. I grab hold of the cold steel railing and swing myself towards the closing vice. My eyes light up! Empty seats stare back at me, a rarity at this time of day. Crap, the gap is narrowing and my daily exercise isn't working. My hope falters and a with a lurch forward, my morning comfort leaves the station.
I stand and patiently wait in my usual spot, marked only by my mind. My ears are still tingling from the entertainment streaming through my head, at least I chose a good playlist this morning. The local train chugs in behind me and lets loose a hoard of desperate souls propped up against the glass doors, hoping to catch the next express ride downtown. Still no express. Still waiting. Another local arrives letting loose another batch of jumpy, pushy wally's. Still no sign as the platform fills up with heads emerging from the darkness below.
CRACK! CLING! CLING! BANG! The speeding tube rushes through air blowing newspaper in the air; mine is still tucked into the side pocket of my bag. The doors pass by dizzingly fast as first but then begin to slow and finally stop and aligns themselves with my shadow. A few people step off and break the seal as a rush shapes fill the train like a car crashing into the sea. The last ounce of fluid finds empty air at the very top. The doors close once, twice and finally slam shut.
Off I go, streaming down the middle of Manhattan as cars drive on the surface, people walk about, buildings sway in the wind, planes fly overhead and clouds float like outstretched fingers over the horizon.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Cloisters Adventure
We had a fun uptown adventure today. The rain-filled skies cleared yesterday afternoon which brought a breezy, clear, autumn day; perfect! We went to the Cloisters which is a branch of the Met museum on 190th street in Fort Tryon. The views were beautiful from atop the hill overlooking the bronx and the Hudson river to the west. The leaves were rustling in the strong gusts of wind that came over the hilltop. I snapped a few good photos and we had a very relaxing and easy escape from the city.
Google map of the Cloisters (it's waaaay up there!)
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.858292,-73.930156&spn=0.011149,0.028667&z=16&om=1
The full colors of autumn still haven't arrived yet...I'm waiting.
Google map of the Cloisters (it's waaaay up there!)
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.858292,-73.930156&spn=0.011149,0.028667&z=16&om=1
The full colors of autumn still haven't arrived yet...I'm waiting.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Autumn Rain and Mexican Food in Queens
This morning I awoke to rain sprinkling down outside. It was about time to have a lazy, rainy day so I was very excited! I went out to quickly pick up milk and bacon and returned to make pancakes. Towards the afternoon, the rain let up so I went out with my camera to try and capture the essence of a fall rain. There wasn't much color, I was about the orangiest thing in the park but I still took a few decent shots.
So on to my adventure tonight. We went to this Mexican restaurant called Taqueria Coatzingo out in queens and it was authentic to say the least. We were just a TAD out of our element when walking in there but that's part of the adventure. We sat down and most of the waitresses only spoke Spanish. My brain had a rather large twinge trying to remember the 3 years of Spanish I took in college. I haven't kept up with it at all so I only know phrases here and there. I ordered an horchata (cinnamon, nutmeg, rice milk drink) a tamale and enchiladas. They were sooooooo good, that place was a gem! After dinner, we went across to the scorpion bar and ordered a few cervezas and soaked in the local scene... all in all a great night out.
I am now leaving queens with my belly full and a very content smile on my face.
So on to my adventure tonight. We went to this Mexican restaurant called Taqueria Coatzingo out in queens and it was authentic to say the least. We were just a TAD out of our element when walking in there but that's part of the adventure. We sat down and most of the waitresses only spoke Spanish. My brain had a rather large twinge trying to remember the 3 years of Spanish I took in college. I haven't kept up with it at all so I only know phrases here and there. I ordered an horchata (cinnamon, nutmeg, rice milk drink) a tamale and enchiladas. They were sooooooo good, that place was a gem! After dinner, we went across to the scorpion bar and ordered a few cervezas and soaked in the local scene... all in all a great night out.
I am now leaving queens with my belly full and a very content smile on my face.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Last Day of Red Hook Ball Fields, Ikea, Runing in the Park
We've had a busy weekend here with renting a zipcar to go to Ikea, hitting up the red hook ball fields and making an effort to workout. The weather has been in the low 70's for a few days now which isn't the crisp-fall weather that I would expect towards the end of October but it's still nice. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 76 though! I'm waiting for my below 60 weather to return, it's about that time i think. Also, we went for a walk yesterday in the park and was surprised that the trees aren't turning yet. There were a few colors here and there but it's nothing compared to last year. Take a look back to October 22nd last year and the pictures I took in the park: http://www.gabefender.com/2006/10/autumn-all-around.html
With colder weather in the distant future, we needed to find a place for Michelle to put all of her winter clothes. We decided to rent a zipcar on Saturday morning and hit up Ikea for a dresser. We definitely found out that going at 9am (when it opens) on a Saturday is the best possible time since nobody was there! We picked up a rather large dresser and a bookshelf for me and called it a successful trip.
Today we couldn't resist going to the Red Hook ball fields since it was the last day of the season and possibly for good. The city has not decided if it will renew the permit for latino's to come out and cook delicious food each weekend during the summer and fall. It has been getting a lot of press lately so I'm thinking the permit will get renewed but that's only my hope.
An article on the ball fields from the gothamist:
http://gothamist.com/2007/10/20/last_weekend_of.php
We arrived around 1pm and went immediately to the blue tent where deliciously large huaraches (my favorite!) are cooked up on a hot grill. We decided to share one queso bistec huarache which was extremely filling by itself. Paired with a large watermelon juice, it's easily one of my favorite meals in New York. Afterwards, I stood in a rather long line for a pork and cheese pupusa and filled up the watermelon juice. On the way out, I couldn't resist getting some mexican sweet bread and a cantaloupe juice to go. It was a gluttonous day but I knew we were working out later so I didn't feel as bad.
After we finished assembling the dresser, we decided it was a good time to burn some of that huarache off. Michelle has been really enjoying her workout videos she ordered from netflix and I've been either working out downstairs or running in the park outside. Either way, it motivates both of us to get some cardio in. Today I opted for a run in the park before the sun went down and it was a good choice.
I headed out of the apartment around 5:30 and usually run up 95th street but today I felt like taking a new route so I ran up 94th which was surprisingly interesting. After walking to the park via 95th street so many times, it's weird how taking just the next street over is so different. I got to the park right as the sun was disappearing behind the west-side buildings. There was still enough light out for a good run though. Continuing on my decision to explore different avenues (literally) I ran uptown through the north meadow and saw a little bit more color in the trees. I was really feeling an energy surge so I continued across the park to the other side of the reservoir and then around the running path to the west side. All in all, I probably ran about 2.5 miles which is pretty good for me. As I was finishing up on the running track, something caught my eye. The light shining in from the west was bouncing off the windows on the east side. It was incredibly gorgeous and I had to stop and take it all in. The cool, dusk breeze hitting my face; the water slapping up against the side of the reservoir; the empire state buildings spire scraping rising up behind the GE building in midtown; the chrysler building lit up and shining; the columbus circle towers defining the beginning of the upper west side. I was standing in the middle of manhattan, looking south towards the concrete buildings that define this island and the park splitting the dense populating like the part in my hair. I was standing in the middle before all of this and it just hit me that I was in just a massive metropolis. It catches me by surprise sometimes, especially when I have my head down and tail up at work.
As I stood there in awe, the pink and blue streaks on the east side slowly dissapated, letting the darkness of the purple and navy flow in and finally transitioning to a darker sunset blue that defined the night.The sun still shone through the avenues from the west and the buildings on the east side looked like cardboard cutouts against a dark backdrop with tiny mirrors positioned to reflect the light of the sun back into the sky. It was a brilliant moment and one where I wish I could pull out a pen and paper, laptop or blackberry to record it right then and there. Instead, I hurried back to my apartment and jotted down some notes so I wouldn't forget. I know I didn't capture it's full essence but I hope this will help me remember that feeling.
With colder weather in the distant future, we needed to find a place for Michelle to put all of her winter clothes. We decided to rent a zipcar on Saturday morning and hit up Ikea for a dresser. We definitely found out that going at 9am (when it opens) on a Saturday is the best possible time since nobody was there! We picked up a rather large dresser and a bookshelf for me and called it a successful trip.
Today we couldn't resist going to the Red Hook ball fields since it was the last day of the season and possibly for good. The city has not decided if it will renew the permit for latino's to come out and cook delicious food each weekend during the summer and fall. It has been getting a lot of press lately so I'm thinking the permit will get renewed but that's only my hope.
An article on the ball fields from the gothamist:
http://gothamist.com/2007/10/20/last_weekend_of.php
Whether the food stalls will return next year is uncertain. The Dept. of Health was closely monitoring the vendors for a time this summer and any very expensive recommendations or a steady stream of fines could put them out of business in short order.
We arrived around 1pm and went immediately to the blue tent where deliciously large huaraches (my favorite!) are cooked up on a hot grill. We decided to share one queso bistec huarache which was extremely filling by itself. Paired with a large watermelon juice, it's easily one of my favorite meals in New York. Afterwards, I stood in a rather long line for a pork and cheese pupusa and filled up the watermelon juice. On the way out, I couldn't resist getting some mexican sweet bread and a cantaloupe juice to go. It was a gluttonous day but I knew we were working out later so I didn't feel as bad.
After we finished assembling the dresser, we decided it was a good time to burn some of that huarache off. Michelle has been really enjoying her workout videos she ordered from netflix and I've been either working out downstairs or running in the park outside. Either way, it motivates both of us to get some cardio in. Today I opted for a run in the park before the sun went down and it was a good choice.
I headed out of the apartment around 5:30 and usually run up 95th street but today I felt like taking a new route so I ran up 94th which was surprisingly interesting. After walking to the park via 95th street so many times, it's weird how taking just the next street over is so different. I got to the park right as the sun was disappearing behind the west-side buildings. There was still enough light out for a good run though. Continuing on my decision to explore different avenues (literally) I ran uptown through the north meadow and saw a little bit more color in the trees. I was really feeling an energy surge so I continued across the park to the other side of the reservoir and then around the running path to the west side. All in all, I probably ran about 2.5 miles which is pretty good for me. As I was finishing up on the running track, something caught my eye. The light shining in from the west was bouncing off the windows on the east side. It was incredibly gorgeous and I had to stop and take it all in. The cool, dusk breeze hitting my face; the water slapping up against the side of the reservoir; the empire state buildings spire scraping rising up behind the GE building in midtown; the chrysler building lit up and shining; the columbus circle towers defining the beginning of the upper west side. I was standing in the middle of manhattan, looking south towards the concrete buildings that define this island and the park splitting the dense populating like the part in my hair. I was standing in the middle before all of this and it just hit me that I was in just a massive metropolis. It catches me by surprise sometimes, especially when I have my head down and tail up at work.
As I stood there in awe, the pink and blue streaks on the east side slowly dissapated, letting the darkness of the purple and navy flow in and finally transitioning to a darker sunset blue that defined the night.The sun still shone through the avenues from the west and the buildings on the east side looked like cardboard cutouts against a dark backdrop with tiny mirrors positioned to reflect the light of the sun back into the sky. It was a brilliant moment and one where I wish I could pull out a pen and paper, laptop or blackberry to record it right then and there. Instead, I hurried back to my apartment and jotted down some notes so I wouldn't forget. I know I didn't capture it's full essence but I hope this will help me remember that feeling.
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