NYC Day 2

It was 95 degrees in New York today. 95. I'm gonna let that sink in for a moment.

Basically, we were just barely short of dying. It was so hot -but we prevailed against the harsh forces of nature. We started out our day with a delicious pastry (once again) from Au Bon Pain- they really should bring this franchise to California. With energy from these scrumptious goodies coursing through our veins we headed down to the financial district.

The Subway was our relief from the heat today

Here we accidently stumbled upon St Paul's church: now a memorial spot for 9/11. We sifted through all the displays and photos of people who died on that day. It was quite something to be right where it happened and imagining what it must have been like for people who spent each day working in that area. We went and looked at the 9/11 memorial site preview and I recorded my story of where I was when it happened (they are gathering stories from around the world for the new 9/11 memorial museum).

From there we walked down to Battery Park to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty. Of course we first had to sit on a bench for about 20min just to try and cool down- it was so stinkin hot- both of us were dripping in sweat (gross, I know). We then made the almost fatal decision of walking Brooklyn Bridge- the WORST possible day to attempt this "hike". With lots of moaning due to the heat, we made the trek. It was still worth it though, and whilst there we saw a buddhist monk with a really nice camera- doesn't that contradict what they are all about? Anyway, after taking in the view we made our way back over the bridge and decided to visit Chinatown: Bad Choice #2.

Battery Park

Statue of Liberty in the distance

Drinking in the view of the city on Brooklyn Bridge

Mixing the odors of Chinatown (raw fish, garbage, urine etc) with sweltering heat is never a good combination. Add lots of people and soon I was very hot and bothered. We were actually on the hunt for little Italy but could not locate it: just before vowing to NEVER go to that part of town again and heading back to the cool subway we noticed a restaurant "La Bella something-or-other". We had struck gold! Little Italy was a timely relief and we thoroughly enjoyed walking down Mulberry st and listening to the "Luigi's" and "Frankie Cee's" chatter in their thick italian-american accents: we felt as though we were on a movie set. We even heard someone say :"Get outta here!". That was awesome. WE continued walking all the way to Greenwich Village to find a spot to have dinner. We discovered a great little gem called the Olive Tree and enjoyed the oasis of air conditioning and tasty food. Exhausted from a long hot day we decided to head back to our apartment- but first we just HAD to go back to little Italy to have Tiramisu for dessert. So, we navigated the treacherous subway system yet again, making about 3 transfers just to get some tiramisu. There was a little street vendor selling homemade tiramisu in cups that we had seen earlier in the day. With our tiramisu and cold water we sat down on a curb and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Little Italy yet again. A perfect ending to a not so perfect day. :)

Jono's cool new playing cards

One could write on the tables with chalk at the Olive Tree

Although it was extremely hot today, we still had a great time, and feel as though we saw and did a lot. So please don't misunderstand my "whining". Now to rest our weary feet.

Photo of the day:

Jono in the cemetery of St Paul's Church with ground zero in the background

NYC Day 1

Jono and I are visiting New York this week- neither of us have ever been.

We arrived yesterday and had a fairly smooth transit to our apartment for the week, located on 116th st - a little too far Uptown for my liking. Once inside the place it became very clear to both of us that a trip to the laundromat was necessary. So, with sheets in tow, we made our way through this "eclectic" (sketchy can also be inserted here) neighborhood at midnight. We survived this outing, although we are absolutely convinced we saw a Mafia deal going down on our way back. Of course my husband, being a superhero, immediately got to work on scrubbing the bathroom once we got back to the apartment. Now we have a squeeky clean powder room. I love him.

We intended on starting the day Bright and early this morning, only to wake up at 10.30am, although dismayed at first we soon realized that the New York day goes deep into the night and not much time had been wasted.

Ready for the Day!

Our Apartment Building

We decided to hit up the Metropolitan museum. After wandering around Central Park much longer than we originally intended we finally found it. I really enjoyed the Met: the medieval display was my favorite. The coolest thing about the Met is the snappy-pin-thingys they give you as a ticket- this way you can sport your little pin all day letting the whole city know you are a tourist. Can you spot our pins in the pics?

Getting lost in Central Park is fun

Next up was Times Square. On our way there we stopped at the Rockefellar Center and had an AMAZING apple pastry at the Subway station there. Good times.

Once we got to Times Square we noticed everyone gazing at one Jumbotron in particular: this was because the NFL people were about to announce where the 2014 Superbowl was going to be held- NYC was in the running. Jono and I took a seat on the stadium seating located at the north end of the square. Within a few minutes the results were in for the NFL vote and NYC had won. It was cool to see everyone's reaction. We were almost on TV but were obviously not enthusiastic enough to make the 3sec shot.

After people-watching for quite some time we hit up Chelsea and had GRAY's Papaya pineapple juice while watching a man get arrested for trying to take his pant off in public- a valid reason in my opinion for getting arrested.

*Sidenote* we stopped at what we thought was an authentic pizza place for lunch, which ended up being really crappy.

After our refreshing pineapple fix, we walked to the Flatiron building and sat in Madison Square Park watching the squirrels harass the people. Extremely amusing. From Chelsea we went down to Greenwich Village and enjoyed Washington Square Park. I love the arch in this park, and kept thinking of "I am Legend", since Will Smith's character lived right on the square in the movie. Then we walked along Bleecker st and checked out all the cool little restaurants along the way. This part of the city really reminded us both of Cape Town. We then made our way back to Times Square to soak up the City lights (because according to Alicia Keys "they will inspire you") Feeling truly inspired we decided to call it a day and head home.

Photo of the Day: On the Rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum. I heart New York.

Wintercamp

Trip USA

Over a year ago Jono and I embarked on one of the most fun adventures we've ever had. Now, 18 months later,we have a little clip to show for it .

Saturday

Yesterday was the annual event: "Invisible Art, Visible Artists", where the best editor nominees discuss their techniques at the Grauman's egyptian theatre. Jono and I scored great seats 4 rows in, and enjoyed listening to the editors share their tips and frustrations. This year's nominated films for editing are: Avatar (standard, although I don't think it deserves to be in this category), District 9 (woohoo for all the saffers!), Inglorious Bastards (a woman edited this film, interestingly- she edits all Tarantino's movies), The Hurtlocker and Precious. Afterwards Jono and I got to chat with Julian Clarke, District 9's editor. He's from Vancouver and this is his first big gig. I really liked him and found him very down to earth and genuinely excited about everything he's experiencing this weekend.

After this, we were ravenous and so stopped at the first little eatery we found, which happened to be Cafe Audrey. Apparently this little joint has been around for 3 years now, although this was the first we'd heard of it. It was absolutely delightful: the food was delish, decor was creative and it had good atmosphere: an old guy was playing piano for most of our time there: such fun!

After lunch we walked down Hollywood Blvd to where they were preparing for the Oscars.

A few months ago Nate & Jen told us about a outdoor shopping mall similar to the Grove being built in Glendale, so we decided to go find it. The Americana is definitely worth a visit! Here we wandered around, enjoying the fountain and 3 story Barnes & Noble. We also shared a cream puff from Papa Beard: tasty.

All in all it was a perfect day... the weather was even a bit gloomy: lovely!

Pork Skins

I found these at a little gas station convenience store along the way to Lake Tahoe. This is hardly my idea of a tasty snack: does anyone buy these??

Fender Bender

Today I had my first of the above. I was hoping to make it to old age without being in a car accident, but no, Mr. Dodge Ram had to drive into my backside this evening.

Now the fun and games of claiming insurance begins.