Snow in London!!!

April 6th 2008

I woke up today feeling a bit under the weather (Britishism cockney: tom and dick) with a sore throat and just a bit weak and tired. But, it was SNOWING outside so I could I not go outside, especially Brockwell Park. I got out of bed around 11:30 and made my way to the park to take some photos and enjoy the pretty whiteness all around and collecting on the trees and flowers. It was stunning, really gorgeous how the snow collects and bunches up on the different plants. Lots of people were out and playing in the snow and I was really wishing I had someone to play around in the snow with. Still haven't had a proper snow ball fight, snow angel's or snow man making since I've been in colder regions where snow is possible in the winter. It's a bit odd that snow came in April of all times, that was a bit shocking but then again I welcomed it and so did everyone else in the park :-) I passed a few people and was taking photos as they passed. Most of them commented on the scene like "it's beautiful isn't it?" or "what a gorgeous park in the snow!" It was nice to have people just chatting around, I don't think I ever had anyone speak to me when I was taking pictures in NY. It could just be because I looked like a goof with my hat and camera around my neck or it could also be that snow doesn't come all that much in England and people were just in a happy and talkative mood. Either way, it was nice.

PICTURES

New York Springtime with Mom

Listening to: New Travis Album

We've had a great weekend so far and it felt so good to take Friday off; I really needed that. My mom came into town on Thursday night and after a chaotic, latenight trip back on the subway we finally made it to my apartment. We got the trip off to a good start by eating mcdonalds sundaes as a midnight snack. Hey, it was the only thing open and I blame Michelle for getting me hooked on them!



Friday we started early and still had to endure an hour and a half wait for the Ellis Island/Liberty Island ferry. We had a nice boat ride although there were 798 other people besides us on it. Once we arrived at the island we had a very nice visit and learned a lot about the immigrants who came over. Over six million of them passed through the gates of Ellis Island...phenomenal. We tried to find my great, grand mother, Signe Johansson, but couldn't tell if the one we found was her or not. We're going to do some more investigating on the Ellis Island website.



After we returned to the city, we walked through downtown and over the Brooklyn bridge to one of my favorite spots in the city. We ate at Grimaldi's (DELICIOUS!) and my mom was so impressed with our olive, onion and sausage pizza! That's because it's absolutely divine. Mmmmmm, I can taste it now! We polished off the meal with a trip to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory only a minute away.



Later that night we went for a nice walk in central park when we took many pictures of the spring flowers and green trees. My mom loved being out in a place that bloomed so vibrantly. I took her to the Great Burrito for dinner, which she loved (it's definitely the verde sauce that's the key) and yolato for dessert. All in all, it was a great day!



Today we made our way up through the top of Manhattan to the Bronx. We visited the New York Botanical Garden and had a absolutely amazing time. The flowers are so gorgeous and the grounds are very well kept there. My favorites were the cherry blossoms and my mom found Lilac's which turned out to be her favorite. They do smell quite good, I'll give her that.



Now we're resting up before hitting up a new Italian place on the UWS and getting a new pot for my kitchen.



Spring Time Photos! Check the rest out on my flickr page

Spring Weater Means Exploring

Listening to: Fall Out Boy - It's not a scene it's an arms race

After an usually hot week last week, spring weather is all around. Almost all the trees are in full bloom and the weather is a pleasant 65 degrees with a nice breeze. Michelle and I explored the west village, Greenwich village, Soho and little Italy yesterday. We grabbed a few slices of pizza at Bleecker Street Pizza (the Nonna Maria is SO GOOD!!!!) and had dinner in Little Italy at La Mela. The meal at La Mela was decent but not incredible. Afterwards we walked up Mott st and FINALLY had gelato from Ciao Bella. I had been wanting to go to this place for months and it did not disappoint; very yummy gelato.