NYC Days 2 and 3

Another wonderful day in the city, despite the cold temperatures and nasty precipitation (started as a mist turned sleet turned rain). After a leisurely wake up and realization that New Yorkers do not in fact have food in their apartmens (read crackers, Greek cavier, goldfish, apples, oatmeal - all organic and all from whole foods), we quickly realized the necessity of feeding ourselves well. Lois knew where to hit the spot - Dim Sum at Golden Unicorn in Chinatown. My belly was soon filled with rice noodle shrimp, dumplings, spring rolls, tea. Yum. How can anyone not like Chinese food? Since the Chinese New Year was the end of last week, celebratory paper poppers were still collected in the rain ridden gutters on the streets. After Dim Sum, icecream was necessary, made by a Chinese icecream maker at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory whose "regular" flavors were soybean and leechi and whose exotic flavors were chocolate and peanut butter. From Chinatown we walked through Little Italy, through Soho, and through part of NYU's campus. After an afternoon of walking, we dined at Red, a Mexican restaurant in the Financail District, at the Seaport. Yum yum yum. Enchiladas, fajitas, chips/salsa were all delish. Lois's roommate got a margharita which also smelled / looked delish. After dinner we met up with some of Lois's friends and hung out in their apartment for a little bit. Then began the Meat Packing District adventure aka the place full of d-bags. All the bars were PACKED, we were pushed, and had to wait in lines. Not my idea of fun. Redemptive factor - we got a huge, free pretzel.

Sunday morning we awoke to sunshine on our faces and blue skies. We got an early start and to head to Ellis Island. For a small $13 fee, you can board a boat and head to Liberty Island (love Lady Liberty) and Ellis Island. Since we had a ballet later in the day and visited the Statue of Liberty last fall, we opted to just visit Ellis Island. Upon arriving, Lois and I noticed we had missed the park ranger tour (Ellis Island is a historic park landmark!) by 10 minutes. We asked someone at the park ranger station to point us in the right direction so we could meet up with the group. And then, a park ranger said he would just give us a private tour! It was so neat, and we learned a lot. I highly recommend visiting and going on the tour! After the tour, we met up with Lois's boyfriend and headed to Lincoln Center to see a matinee ballet. The ballet was three mini ballets in one - a classical piece, a story (the magic flute), and a swing/jazz/funny piece. I loved it! After the ballet, we walked up 5th Avenue, past the Plaza (Salut, Eloise!), Columbus Circle, Central Park all the way to Union Station to eat at Max Brenner, a chocolate bar which has other delish food (think seafood burger, veggie burger, fresh...). We headed back to the Financial District to watch some of the Superbowl and then headed to bed. Such a fun weekend!

This morning I left from Penn Station, heading back to Albs. I'm sitting in my studio again, enjoying some concierge food and not dreading the week. :)

NYC - Day 1

It's great to be in the Big Apple. The City that Never Sleeps (though I certainly need to, haha). The biggest little Island. The hub of culture.

My trip started out eventful, to say the least. Instead of flying back to DC for the weekend, I decided to flex trip (one big perk of a travel project) to NYC for the weekend. There is a 2.5 hour train ride from Albs to Penn Station. I did my research, printed out directions from work to the train station and rearragned to return the Hertz rental car to the train station. Little did I know two train stations existed in the greater Albany region - one in Schenectady and one in Rennesalar. I left work with plenty of time to arrive in Schenectady, excited for my trip. The first clue I was not in the right place - the station was small/ghetto and I saw no Hertz. Hmmm, after an unhelpful parking attendant question, I went into the station. The ticket seller informed me I was at the wrong station. My train was leaving in 35 minutes, and the drive to the next station would be probably 20/25 minutes. Panic-ing, heart racing, hands shaking, I peeled out of Schenectady, driving faster than I've driven in Albs before. I arrived, looking for Lot A or B (where I would return the car). No clearly marked lots. A cab pulled up next to me, I started honking and yelled out the window -"Where's Hertz?" He was of no help. I left the lot, to pull in again, directed by another nonhelpful parking attendant (why are parking attendants so unhelpful??). I park in a random spot, and breathlessly gather the stuff in the front seat (7 minutes until my train leaves). Accosting strangers, whispering breathlessly in their ears, I ask "Where's Hertz?" "I can't help you m'am." "Sorry, I don't know." I sprint to the train station. Making no sense to the Ticket Seller, I realize I'm not making the train. I watch it pull away. Thankfully I exchanged my ticket for the train an hour later. My heart rate starts to return to normal, I stop sweating, my hands stop shaking. I go back to the car (now knowing the Hertz procedure), grab my bags, and head back in the station. Tips - The Amtrak station is in Renessalar and to return a rental car, you park in Lot A or Lot B, note th emileage and gas on your contract, and drop the contract/keys in the Hertz drop box INSIDE the station.

Finally, I boarded the train! After receiving this tidbit, I sat on the right hand side of train so I could watch the Hudson River. After a lux ride in Business Class (leather reclining chairs, water!), I arrived at Penn Station. Lois met me at the station. So great to be in her arms! We took the subway to her stop, in the financial district, near Battery Park. Her apartment is so awesome - she has huge windows looking out to the city in her room. She showed me the rest of her building, including the rad rooftop. It was covered in ice due to the recent storms, but the view was incredible - Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Brooklyn Bridge.

After catching up for awhile, we walked around the financial district. And then we made our way to the Sea Port. We had the docks to ourselves because it was both dark and cold. Ships were docked, stores glittered. We walked around the docks, and sat on a bench to look at the Brooklyn Bridge. So beautiful! After our tour, we realized how hungry we were and headed to the Open Door Gastropub, a really neat pub food type place with upscale pub food (ie macaroni and cheese with truffles). Lois and I ordered French Onion Soup and split a Goat Cheese tart. Seriously, our entire dinner consisted of cheese and onions. I'm completely fine with that. We laughed and talked. I love catching up with old friends! After dinner, we went to Lois's friend's apartment to hang out for awhile before heading to B Bar, a cool bar with open seating, a nice size dance floor. The only problem was the overly hipster DJ who refused to play Akon or Ke$ha. haha The night was capped with NY pizza. Yummm

Great day 1!

Chilling in the Sub Arctic

More now in Albs. We get at least one blizzard a week. This one was not as bad as was predicted, probably only a foot. Total snow accumulation is easily three feet. I moved to DC to avoid these harsh winters - funny how life works out... The snow is undeniable beautiful when it catches the light, though.

I continue to develop training materials at work, and I am soon adopting a new role, which I am looking forward to. There was not much going on after work this week, so I enjoyed feeling like an Empress in my studio - lounging in my King bed, eating room service.

The iPhone 4 came to verizon this morning at 3am. I've been researching smartphone since September and was stoked beyond belief when Apple announced their product could use verizon. Because intense hardly begins to describe me, I set an alarm for 2:59am, set out my laptop, and credit card to prepare. I logged on at 3am. The site went down. Error message after error message. After trying for 30 minutes, I went back to bed. Still iPhone less. Not pleased. Verizon should have known to expect this volume the day of release. I have some ideas for them...

I'm looking forward to the weekend very much. Tomorrow after work, instead of going back to DC this weekend, I am taking the train south to NYC to visit a good friend from home, Lois. We are going to go to Battery Park, get Dim Sum, see a ballet at the Lincoln Center... Yes!

I have not signed up for a half marathon yet, but an email circulated in my office today, and there is a large race in Albany for a 3.5 mile "road race" for all the businesses in Albany. It's supposed to be a huge event, and I'm excited. My mileage log for this week: ran 3 miles thrice and 4 miles once. I can tell my endurance is getting better again as I am able to really push myself at the end of my runs!