Time Flies

A whole 2 months have come and gone without any updates. Sorry about that, but we've been busy, to say the least. October and November included a wedding in Arizona, a visit from Kyle's brother Cole, a wedding in Miami, and a visit from my mom. This all while Kyle has been at the hospital for 24 hour shifts and I've increased my workload to include the occasional weekend and longer days.

 

Oh and did I mention that it's residency interview season? This means Kyle has been flying all over the country for 48 hour visits to our potential new home. Yikes! These interviews will continue through December and January. I literally go weeks without seeing him. We'll both be glad when we reunite in Arizona for Christmas. It will really be the most wonderful time of the year.

 

Here are just some of the moments we captured over the past few months...

 

 

 

Upstate

With a bucket list of places to go and a 4-day weekend, there's no other thing to do

than take a road trip. This time we went upstate driving over 1,000 miles across

New York and back. It's a shame that the city is all people think about when they

hear "New York" because, the rest of the state is breathtaking with charming cities,

farms as far as the eye can see, and an abundance of big beautiful trees. 

 

 

These were our major destinations during this trip...

(and most of what you'll see in the photos)

Views along the Hudson River

Presidential graves (4 to be exact)

Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame 

Roadside farm stands and u-pick orchards

Niagara Falls and the Maid of the Mist

The origin of buffalo wings in Buffalo, NY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love taking road trips! Before we even returned the rental car we were

discussing our next possible destination. Not 100% sure where it will be, but we think we

should take advantage of our proximity to so many places while living in NYC.

Or maybe that's just our excuse to go on another mini vacation?

Summer Roundup

Summer is closing in our neck of the woods as kids return to school, the weather cools

down and crisp fall air is abundant. I haven't been the best at updated the blog over the past month so

here's a look at our last few weeks of the summer in the city and elsewhere.

 

 

Enjoying some freshly picked peaches at the farmers market.

 

A spur of the moment trip to D.C. turned out to be just the escape we needed from the city.

 

 

 

A new addition to the long list of museums in D.C. is the Newseum. This place is full of historical headlines, both correct and incorrect, and a look at how reporting has changed over time and has shaped policy and public perception. Fascinating! I highly recommend it if you're in D.C.

 

 

 

 

We also managed to squeeze in a delicious, rib coating lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl in D.C. 

A favorite of many presidents and Bill Cosby, this place stood up to its reputation. Yum! 

 

 

Back in the city, we managed to catch a movie one evening in Central Park. It's such a

great summer activity. The film that night, Hook. A childhood favorite of mine.

That's it! Hope you enjoyed your summer. We sure did. 

Turning 28

Is it just me, or do birthdays seem less exciting each year you get older?

Nowadays, the best way to celebrate is with a quiet evening at home and an ideal gift is one that is completely practical. It sounds so depressing, but I guess it can't be all cakes and parties forever (although I intend to try!)

Kyle turned 28 last week (holy cow 30 is coming quick) and we were lucky enough to spend a lot of the day together just relaxing and visiting some uncharted places in the city. We finished of the day with a nice dinner at home and Hershey Bar Delight for dessert. 

We plan to celebrate a little more with a weekend trip when we both have some time off coming up. 

For now, it's Happy Birthday to my best bud. I love you and can wait to hang out with you at 128!

Bar Hopping

After the weekend we spent relaxing on Long Island it was back to work for us and the continuation of their vacation in New York for Kyle's mom and dad. We managed to catch up with them and partake in their activities.  This mainly consisted of eating and drinking (fine by me!!). To mix it up a bit, and make room for more, we took some great scenic walks through different neighborhoods, along the High Line, and across the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Here's a peak at a few of our stops. 

Hogs and Heifers. The epitome of a dive bar in the West Village, this place is loud, dusty, covered in women's bras, and full of some seedy characters. It was also the inspiration for the movie Coyote Ugly. Don't come in for just a look, the tough chick bartenders will call you out over a megaphone.  

Walking through DUMBO, a section of Brooklyn, admiring the great views of the city is always a fun thing for us to do. 

With flavors like cotton candy, honey, and Mexican hot chocolate we just had to try some ice cream. Totally worth it!!

Grimaldi's is one of the original pizzerias of New York, but it has since been sold, the new owner moved to the building next door, and duplicated the restaurant in numerous cities across the U.S. The first Grimaldi's still attracts long lines of customers, but after years of being out of the business Patsy Grimaldi decided to open a pizzeria in his very original location (next to the current Grimaldi's). Juliana's, named after his mom, is almost an exact replica of everything next door, but just a little better. Nothing like a coal-fired pizza in New York City!

Why not finish the day off with a shot and a beer? At Floyd, NY in Brooklyn you can get a drink, eat cheese spread with a roll of Ritz, play bocce ball indoors, and lounge on some thrift-store furniture. Just another one of kind places we found in the city. 

This only scratches the surface of all the places we went. What an amazing week it was. 

I'm already starting a new list for their next visit!

In-Laws In-Town

Kyle's mom and dad came to the city in the middle of July and the first thing we did was leave the city. We went to the North Fork of Long Island to visit the wineries and escape the sweltering heat of Manhattan. We rented a house, it was surprisingly a lot cheaper than a hotel, and it was the highlight of our weekend. 

It had a yard! And a patio! And a grill! 

Since our only private "outdoor space" in the city is the fire escape this was a piece of heaven and we took full advantage of it. We played catch, bocce ball, grilled our dinners and finished them off with s'mores. Again, it was heaven!! 

And oh yeah, we visited some pretty great wineries too. I think even the wine aficionados were pleasantly surprised with the quality of Long Island wines. Throw in a lobster roll and great conversation and you could say it was a perfect weekend. Not that I expected anything less. 

Back At It!

I'm a little lot behind on updating the blog. With Kyle done with his board exam and his nose out of the books we've been spending every moment playing catch up on our list of places to go. So where have we been? Well, this isn't everywhere (look for more posts to come), but it's a start.

First up, The Plaza Hotel. A fancy, and pricey, place to stay during your visit to the city, it's located across from the southeast corner of Central Park. We didn't come here for a room or to spy on rich old ladies sipping tea, we came for the food court in the basement. This is one fabulous selection of eateries with gourmet delights. The perfect place to grab a quick, yet delicious, lunch. 

Next up, FAO Schwartz. If you want to see whiny kids, hopped up on sugar, begging their parents for every toy imaginable, this is your place. I have to say, we were definitely children again as we gawked at some of the coolest toys we had ever seen. A toy store on steroids, this place is awesome. The large keyboard from the movie Big really does exist and you can wait your turn to run across it and play a tune. 

Grand Central Station isn't just a place to pickup a train. It has beautiful architecture, fun shops, and a spectacular food market. I'm always in awe of the organized chaos that occurs in this place.

 

Coney Island is a mysterious playground I had always heard and read about, but had never seen. Home to sideshows, the Cyclone roller coaster, Nathan's hot dogs, and a large boardwalk it's a Mecca for families throughout the summer. 

 

Our impression, not impressive. It reminded me of the Arizona State Fair. The people, the food, the atmosphere. I don't know what I expected, but a run down amusement park full of trashy people wasn't it. After an hour and a half, we were on the train back to Manhattan. 

Last up, Fraunces Tavern.  Currently a bar, restaurant, and museum, it was the site of George Washington's farewell to his troops on December 4, 1783. Kyle was quivering with excitement and in awe of the magnitude of the history made there. My history buff claimed it to be one of his favorites things in the city. I guess I'm not too surprised. 

So that's it, for now. I'll get my act together and get you all up to speed with our other adventures. 

Take me out to the ball game...

Kyle's exam is long over and we are still celebrating with weekend outings and evening adventures. We're back to seeing as much as we can in the months we have left here. As always, so much to do and see, so little time. 

A big must-do was a Yankees' game. Luck would have they were playing the Twins this weekend and we decided to cheer on the Twinkies, Kyle is a fan/I dont really care, with a Friday night game. After a 73 minute rain delay early in the game, we called it a night around 11:00 pm at the top of the 7th. Yanks won. 

Yankee stadium, the original one, had so much history and was a true American landmark. The new stadium looks like an updated replica and really didn't live up to its hype. I'm glad we went as we had a fantastic time, but I don't think we plan on going to any games in the future. 

Test Day

Kyle has had many very important exams throughout his med school journey and this isn't the last, but it kind of feels like it. This test is technically the 2nd to last exam he'll have to sit for. His last one isn't until after graduation and residency applications and interviews. With all that stuff out of the way the pressure just won't be as great. 

Today, I left for work and Kyle left for his test. I am BEYOND excited for this day. Because it's Friday? No. Because I get my other half, my partner in crime, my best bud back! I have prepared a laundry list of activities for us over the next few weeks in order to make up for the months of lost time. I've done too much on my own lately, including Costco trips, laundry, museum trips, and even an afternoon at the movie theatre. Sad, I know, but it is what it is. 

His exam will last about 8 hours and contains over 350 questions (I'd lose focus by #48) so say prayer or two throughout the day wishing him luck. He has his own luck on, you know the 49ers shirt. It's been worn during every test thus far and this creature of habit isn't about to mess with his routine. 

Best of luck Mr. Kyle! 

A Wedding Weekend in Northern AZ

In the midst of Kyle's 14 hour study days, we escaped to Arizona for a family wedding

and quick visit with everyone we could possib;y see during our short trip.

My cousin Chip married his beautiful bride, Ashley, and we wouldn't have missed it for the world. The wedding was held in Pinetop, AZ where the air is crisp and cool! Just gorgeous!

 

The rehearsal dinner was a fun backyard BBQ at the cabin.

My mom and grandma did a beautiful job putting together the pre-wedding festivities.

 

 

Catching up with family is always good too!

My cousin Edie's little munchkin, Tobi, has grown so much since I saw her last.

 



 

How's the food fellas?

 



 

 

Congrats to the happy couple! We love you Chip & Ash!

 

 

Celebrity Billiards Tournament

For the second year in a row we got to rub elbows with some of NY sport's biggest names. The Justin Tuck Billiards Tournament was held at the end of May and since we know the insiders of the billiards part (Thanks Gail and Tony) we were able to get tickets. 

It's such a fun event where athletes, actors, and other celebrities and CEOs come together to play pool and raise money for Justin's RUSH for Literacy charity. We saw people like Eli Manning and Jason Kidd.

Here we are with our friend Jared and the host of the event Anthony Anderson. 

My cousin Gail and I ran in to Dolvett, one of the trainers from The Biggest Loser.

A Visit from Mom

Last week my mom visited us. Yippee! It was so much fun and we were sad to see her go. We walked pretty much all of Manhattan (and Brooklyn), ate at some fantastic restaurants, and shopped at darn near every store in the city. We were always tuckered out by the end of the day, but we made every second count. Here's a look at my moms visit, including a food tour through Greenwich Village and a day trip to Governor's Island with my cousin Gail and Aunt Donna. 

Come back anytime Mom! Any of you are welcome too!

The Chew

Kyle has been studying all day, night, and even the weekends. He has a big board exam coming up July 5th and his recent jump back into study mode means our city outings are limited if not non existent. I find myself doing a lot of things on my own which just isn't the same. 

I did pry him away from the books one morning to go see a taping of The Chew on ABC. We ended up getting great seats and are on camera for much of the show. The episode airs Monday, June 17th so be sure to watch it or DVR it (I'm wearing green and Kyle is wearing navy). It was fun to see the show, but it was stressful always having to be smiling, alert, ready to clap, laugh, and not look frumpy. Hopefully we pulled it off. You'll let us know, right? 

Obviously, pictures weren't aloud during the show, but here's a quick one I shot after. You can see Carla Hall and Clinton Kelly (his back is to us). 

Don't forget...June 17th!!!

Taste of TriBeCa

The number of restaurants on my "must-eat-at" list is growing faster than time or money will allow. Such problems, right? Well a good way to check off a lot of eateries at once is to have tastings of many of them at a food festival. We've had tickets for the Taste of TriBeCa since the end of February and I've been looking forward to going ever since. 

As you can see, portions weren't a problem. We left the festival stuffed and satisfied. Not sure we'll be here in NYC for next year's festival, but if we are we'll surely be going.