Posts Tagged ‘NYC’

Sorry I’ve been MIA guys!  I’ve been trying to catch-up on all things work. 

 

Friday Jared and I did a little Christmas Tree shopping…  We went to Garden Ridge and looked at their really expensive, yet not perfect trees.  He (yes Jared!) suggested we go to Home Depot to look at their trees because he spotted some in a flyer.  Whoa!

So after much debate over the type of fake tree we wanted, he suggested we consider a real tree.  Okay.  That would be fine by me, but I would have never thought Jared would want a real tree (you have to water it, and let’s face it, I will never remember that)…

So we got a real tree!  $15 for the tree (I know!) + $15 for the stand + $10 for a skirt =$40!

Here are some of the decorations I’ve got going on…

Here is our mantle and I love the simplicity of it.  All of the stocking holders are snowmen , and everything I buy for Christmas is half off from the last year.  This is our first year in the house and the first time I’ve had enough stalkings and holders!  It just so perfect!

 

Here’s the tree.  We didn’t bother with lights & ornaments last night, and I prefer to let it “rest” a day before putting the ornaments on it.  Though it took all of me not to!  I did put a few ornaments on, which will just come off again before I put the lights on.  They are all snowmen ornaments, and all were bought last year half off.  With the exception of the one at the top—It’s a snowman snowglobe, I got that at Crate & Barrel in the City.

 

Here is our simple tablescape.  I got the runner at Target on sale, it’s simple and has snowflakes at the ends.  The “mini tree” is actually a live rosemary tree I bought at McGinnis Sisters.  The mini snowmen are salt and pepper shakers from Fitz and Floyd I got last year on super clearance.  I think I paid $5 for them. 

And since I’m trying to show everyone I am not as obsessed as snowmen able to decorate with things other than snowmen, I have other items that just lend to the holiday environment…

 

Holiday Cookies

My baking this year will be short & sweet.  I have plans of giving boxes of cookies to some of my staff, family members, and maybe a few neighbors.  Here is what is lined-up:

• Cinnamon Hazelnut Biscotti
• Ginger Snaps
• Oatmeal Raisin Cranberry Cookies
• Raspberry Linzers
• Cappuccino Caramel Oat Bars

These seem to be a cost effective way to give gifts, as I think my whole staff expects me to get them something (yikes).  I am going to double (or triple if I must) these recipes and hope they can be happy with cookies.  I also got some super cute cookie boxes at the container store!

 

Christmas Shopping

I did have plans to continue Christmas shopping today, but I may hold off and go to Costco for my ingredients.  I just really hope Costco isn’t super busy. 

 

Holiday Tip

Can you view e-mails & files on your cell phone?  I found it is very easy (if you have a PDA/iPhone) to e-mail yourself an Excell spreadsheet of your gift list and refer to that while shopping.  No list to rummage through your purse to find.  Priorities are are straight.  You can’t get too off track this way.

Coming back to work after a “vacation” is always nuts.  Jared and I were able to navigate the subway fairly well to end up back at Grand Central from the NYU campus.

 

I was excited to see the NY Marathon ads still up and it got me excited for the race on Thanksgiving Day…

 

We met up with Erin and Michael for dinner at a restaurant in the City.

We got amazing margaritas in souvenir glasses.

 

Mine was pomegranate (oh so trendy), and delish!  The food was very good, and I was happy to share a meal with the sister.  I should also mention the glass was big and I do not drink often.  You get the jist.

 

When we arrived back in Harrison, we decided to go to a local bar for a few drinks.  I should also mention that by this time, I was already buzzed.  I didn’t need a few more drinks. 

I only dance after a few drinks. 

The next day, race day, was completely washed out.  Thanks to a headache after waking up, I can sadly report that I did not race.  I did go to the gym with my sister, however, determined to get my 5 miles in =(

  

Thanksgiving meal was great.  I requested ham (Jared does like turkey and my sister can make a mean glaze for the ham), and we had Hodgson Mills whole what corn muffins, glazed carrots, and steamed broccoli.  Jared was sick pretty much all day (snicker), so he had soup in an attempt to stop, well, puking.  Haha.

Friday

Friday morning, I set out early to get a run in.  Well, maybe late in comparison to my usual runs.  I waited until the sun rose so I could not get lost.  I inevitably got lost, but it was fine.  Getting lost while running = more miles & more scenery.  My Garmin could have helped me navigate back, but I don’t know how to use it for that…

 

 

We took the train back to the city.  Jared was going to spend the morning on the trading floor of Michael’s work and Erin and I were headed to Crate & Barrel. 

I found some good stuff in C&B including egg rings, a snowman mug.  Lots of holiday & home eye candy.  I was “good” though

 

After Michael was done with work, Jared wanted to go to Macy’s (which was a mad house) and the boys looked for leather jackets.  I got my obligatory mug (pictures soon) and a pair of Sperry Boots.  Jared also bought another iPod (I broke his last one & honestly was going to get him one for Christmas).

 

 

We stopped off for lunch prior to Macy’s at a sub-par restaurant.  The best part was the view, not the cold (supposed to be hot) food. 

 

The evening was spent at the Container Store, per my request (hmm, loads of shopping, eek!).  I was in heaven and found a few good finds.  No pictures, something else I need to save for the holiday baking extravaganza =)

 

Saturday

Saturday was our planned outing in Harrison & “suburban New York”.  Erin and I relaxed and went to her gym for a bit and returned home with local “NYC” bagels.  These bagels are amazing.  If I could mail-order them here, I definitely would.  We eventually hit the road in an attempt to go to Stamford & sight-see.  We also stopped at a Homegoods (Which is a TJ Max/Marshalls for the home aka my heaven on earth). 

Stamford is amazing, and when Jared and I win the lottery, I will be running this coast every morning.  Yes, even when it’s covered with snow.

 

Dinner that night was at a hybachi grill.  Delish.  Amazing.  So good.  We left very full and very happy…

  

 

Sunday, the drive home was rather uneventful.  Well, aside from the traffic on the Turnpike, which extended the drive another 1.5 hours.  I came home Sunday relaxed and okay with going back into the hectic work environment.  I needed to escape for a few days.  Jared and I ought to schedule real vacations more often… 

 

I’ll be back tonight to shared all of the bounty of my shopping trips.  It really isn’t a lot, and it really is just enough for me to be happy with shopping in a few stores that the Burgh lacks.

 

Happy Holidays!

I’m back.  And, while I miss New York, and my sister, it is good to be back.  I will leave you with a few shots and will give you a full recap over the next few days…

 

Grand Central Station.  The pan didn’t turn our as seamless as I would have liked, but it still lets you feel the moment.

 

The cost at Stamford, CT.  You really should enlarge this one, its amazing. 

 

Tuesday, the drive out…

The ride went well, though the skies weren’t particularly bright, we made good time with few stops for gas and no getting lost.  GPS is wonderful for this…

Jared and I split the drive.  I drove the first half, he drove the second.  450 miles later, we were home.

 

We rented a car, it was a Hyaundai Santa Fe, it was nice to “drive up high” instead of in my car.  It had XM radio built in, which Jared enjoyed.

We arrived in Harrison around 6:45, which isn’t bad considering the traffic.  We ate dinner with my sister and her fiancé, Michael, and relaxed then crashed for the evening.

 

Wednesday, in the city

I got a quick run in around my sisters neighborhood, I figured a few miles would be enough, as Jared and I were preparing to walk for the remainder of the day.

 

 

 

We quickly got ready and took the train into town.

The trains run very efficiently in the city.  We got a ticket that had 10 passes, and it was just enough for both of us for the next few days…

 

An hour train ride later, we were in the city.  Right smack in the middle of Manhattan, I should say =).

 

Our agenda for the day began.  We walked to Time Warner Center via Central Park.

 

And saw some nice sights along the way.

 

 

Central Park is amazing.  It’s a huge park, smack in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.  You don’t hear taxi’s honking here, the congestion & pollution are minimal.  Glad I planned out this walk.

 

Time Warner Center is an “urban mall” of sorts.  Not that there isn’t shopping everywhere you blink in the city, but this place had two places I wanted to stop…

 

The New York Running Company and Bouchon Bakery.  I got a simple namesake technical tee from the NYRC.

Jared had the coffee cake (which was okay) and I had the cherry pistachio brioche, which was amazing. 

Really, we had quite a bit of shopping a head of us, so this was a great mid-morning snack…

After that, we walked about 30 minutes trying to find Lululemon.  It was near the Time Warner Center, but a few blocks in another direction.  Finally, I stopped and asked someone and we had almost just passed it by.  In heaven, I began drooling over the ridiculously priced nice yoga stuff.  I resisted the temptation to spend $100 on a pair of pants, and got a racer-back tank and headband.  I still dropped about $50.  Crazy.

 

Our next destination was a request from Jared.  He saw Katz’s Deli on Man vs. Food and wanted to go there.  Instead of walking (which I wanted to do because I feel when in Rome), we took the subway to around the NYC campus.

We split the huge and expensive (look, it says $14.95!) though delicious pastrami sandwich. It really was delicious.  I’ve never had pastrami before, but it melted in your mouth.  The rye was soft, and the spicy brown mustard complimented it perfectly.  

It was 2:00pm and the place was packed.  We found a table at the very back corner of the deli.  Here’s what it looked like leaving…

 

It was around 2:30 and we headed back, via subway, to meet my sister after work.  We then walked around (Lord & Taylor) as we headed to Michael’s office for his 4:00 dismissal.

 

More on the Rest of Day 2 of the trip later on.  Looking forward to catching-up on all the blogs!