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nyc 09, day 3

brieanne — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:10:00 +0000

day 3, easter sunday! claire slept in a little bit, so my sister and i sent my mom and grandma on their way to mass (so they could get a seat). jen, claire and i joined shortly after and stood at the back of saint patrick’s cathedral (you know, easy exit in case of baby meltdown).

after easter mass (and after we worked out our communication mix-up of where everyone was), we headed up to the east side for easter brunch. we were going to eat somewhere else, but that didn’t work out so i introduced the family to le pain quotidien, home of that amazing brownie i had on the day i got there. i had the vegan six vegetable quiche–it was AMAZING.

we then wandered into central park to take in some spring and sunshine.

we then walked through times square (well, after a quick stop in starbucks for some hot cocoa–it was COLD! i also had a reality check–the employee went in the bathroom to restock the t.p. and pointed out that someone had been snorting in the bathroom. he was even kind enough to show me the signs that indicated this activity. there’s a small gap in photos for this period of time because i was holding a sleeping baby…i’m not complaining.

after times square we wandered over to bryant park to soak in the sun, rest our feet, and give claire some time to kick her legs around.
mom, on the phone with uncle peter

claire also got her first carousel ride. it was perfect–the carousel was playing french music! claire enjoyed herself, as did grandma and jen.

after our exciting day, claire got a bath at the hotel. boy, does that girl like to kick!

i love this baby, can you tell?

nyc 09, day 2

brieanne — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:14:00 +0000

day two–our visit to see aunt josie! we got up early to take a train out of grand central station to about an hour north of new york city.

when we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see that aunt josie looked (and acted) the same–it had been over 10 years since we had seen her. at 94, she can still go up and down stairs like nobody’s business. she even insisted on making us her lasagna and meatballs! what an incredible woman. i’d like to think i take after her in the crafty department–at 94, she is still crafting her time away.
claire was absolutely infatuated with aunt josie, and lit up in a big smile every time she was around.

we had a wonderful visit, meeting her family and reminiscing about old times…the end of the day came far too soon!

on the way back from our day trip, we decided to stop for some photos in grand central…

nyc 09, day 1

brieanne — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:45:00 +0000

new york, day 1. i started out in sfo on thursday night. my flight was supposed to leave at 10:50pm, but due to our plane being late, we did not take off until after midnight. yay delayed red-eye!
after my arrival, i dropped my bags off at the hotel and headed to my go-to meal place, le pain quotidien. i adore this place and have gone every time i go to new york. apparently they have them in la and other places too, but they have not graced san francisco with their presence. i will wait patiently…i had a seat in the little back sunroom area, and this was my view looking up

after my healthy meal of vegetable soup, i decided to indulge in the most amazing brownie i’ve ever had in my life. turns out the secret is that there is barely any flour in these, so they are pure decadent goodness.

i only ate half there, but after frustration at my room not being ready an hour after they said it would be, jetlag/frustration/pure exhaustion got the best of me and i consumed the other half. YUM.

anyway, after le pain i decided to wander back to the hotel. i had my laptop with me and was just too tired to try and walk around more. on my way back i took a moment to appreciate what has to be one of my favorite things about new york in spring–the bulb flowers EVERYWHERE.

anyway, eventually everyone arrived safely to the hotel. after a “comedy” of errors (not so funny when you’re overtired) we eventually settled down. i couldn’t wait to give claire her easter present, so she got an early visit from the easter bunny–a knitted bunny rattle. she seemed to enjoy it (she’s in a phase where she likes to wave things around, especially if they flap or make noise)

in ny

brieanne — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:14:00 +0000

well, i made it safely AND found free wifi in our hotel lobby–double yay! my flight last night took off about 1h30 late (leaving at 12:20am instead of 10:50pm, but that wasn’t overly horrible.

now i have to wait to check in, so i’m off to explore the city a little bit (unfortunately laptop in tow for me), but i’ll certainly be back later to update! i can’t wait to see claire in the city.

and for the excitement of the day…two things.
1. apparently (i guess i was asleep) some guy got drunk and unruly on the plane. when we went to deboard, they held us all while the cops came to escort him off. whoops! i did actually notice him when he got on–he seemed slightly aggressive and cranky when trying to find a spot for his luggage overhead.

2. the twa terminal! last time brandon and i were here, we were hoping to catch a glimpse and failed miserably. it’s going through repairs currently, so you can’t go in it but the jetblue terminal is right next to it, so when i was heading to airtrain i saw it! yay!!!

nyc, here i come

brieanne — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:02:00 +0000

so, sorry i’ve been sort of MIA this week. i have been working till at least 7:30pm every day this week and now i leave for new york tonight! i’m on a red-eye, so i get to go home after work, finish packing (just the toiletries, etc.) and then head to bart to go to the airport. whew! now, hopefully i will get to update some blogs while i’m there, but so far it looks like my hotel doesn’t have free internet which i’m not happy about. we’ll see…so i’ll either be updating while i’m there or when i get back! i’ll be back monday night, so it’s not like i’m gone for a long time.
in the meantime, happy weekend everyone!

shoes!

brieanne — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:07:00 +0000

so, i guess i have neglected to mention that i’m going to new york in april! it is a trip my family has been talking about for a while–grandma, mom, sister, and claire (well, claire has been a more recent addition to the roster) to go see a relative that we haven’t seen in forever, and she’s getting up there in age. it’s going to be a quick trip right before the half marathon–i can’t wait!

you might be wondering what on EARTH that has to do with this blog post title, shoes! well, i am in desperate need of shoes to walk around in. now, i am not the most fashionable person, but i refuse to wear my running shoes while exploring a city. call me vain, but i put my foot down when it comes to that. i don’t look down on other people doing it, but i just can’t do it.

SO. last time i went to ny in november, i wore some clarks privos. i wear them all the time, great for walking to/from work, etc. after walking around all day every day, however, my heels were shredded by the end of the 5 days. i’ll spare you the details, but sufficient to say that my heels were swollen and i ripped through band-aids, socks and tights by the end. it was a mess. all that said–anyone have any recommendations? i think i’m looking for something decently cute but very practical. after all, it is the week before the half marathon, so i must keep my feet in working order!

obsessed

brieanne — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:17:00 +0000

so i had found this a while ago via this american life, and then recently remember this group and their work. i find what they do clever, hilarious, well-executed, and with great intentions:

“Improv Everywhere is, at its core, about having fun. We’re big believers in “organized fun”. Our missions are a fun source of entertainment for the participants, those who happen to see us live, and those who read this website….We’re out to prove that a prank doesn’t have to involve humiliation or embarrassment; it can simply be about making someone laugh, smile, or stop to notice the world around them.”

their missions and videos are hilarious…i’d love to participate one day! here’s one to get you started:

i also recommend to get you started: no pants! best buy, and human mirror. really, they’re all pretty good. i hope you enjoy as much as i do!

ny [day 5]

brieanne — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:08:00 +0000

our final day in new york we just had a couple things we wanted to do–see the new york times building by renzo piano, and to go back by grand central station during the day. after that, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage, and headed out to the airport.

all in all, we had an amazing trip. we were so thankful that we were able to take this mini-vacation. thank you to everyone who gave suggestions/well wishes, etc. we made some great memories while we were gone, and we’re looking forward to our next trip.

after we touched down, we gave chris a call to let him know we had arrived. he then picked us up and drove us to the bishop allen concert at the independent here in the city–the three of us had a great time! the concert was so much fun! the band was really happy and the music sounded great…by the time we got home, brandon and i literally collapsed on the bed. it was a full but fantastic day.

ny [day four]

brieanne — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:33:00 +0000

on tuesday, brandon and i spent most of the day just wandering around the village/chelsea/meatpacking. our morning started out at the grey dog’s cafe, where we settled into a cozy cafe for some coffee, food, and a crossword puzzle.

after we filled up, we began our wandering. for some reason i was really caught by signs/notices/logos…

the bottom left sign reads: “sanitation: this vehicle violates n.y.c. parking regulations. as a result, this street could not properly be cleaned. a cleaner new york is up to you!”

we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and brisk air and meandered through the cozy streets

somewhere along the way i stumbled (not literally) upon this

yeah, i have no idea either.

we walked a ton, ended up back at the hotel for a little rest, and then worked up our energy to head back out for our drink at morimoto. after morimoto we went to the world trade center site and then over to the brooklyn bridge for a stroll. in the interest of my feet not falling off completely (by this point our feet were thrashed) we only walked halfway. after all, the bridge is pretty symmetrical, right?

the rest of our day in photos…

does this look like lite brite to anyone else besides me?

ny [day 3]

brieanne — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:20:00 +0000

monday, beginning with coffee at joe, was the day of p.s.1, some random site-seeing, celebrity sightings, dinner at brasserie, and some photos at grand central station. all in all, a busy and extremely fun day. at p.s.1, there was a really great installation called “swimming pool,” and also a great installation by olafur eliasson. they were taking down p.f.1 (public farm 1), but it was still cool to see the structure.

first, some beautiful latte art at joe’s. i really would like to learn to do this…good party trick….if you’re having a coffee party i guess…

at p.s.1

swimming pool, photo courtesy of brandon

the olafur eliasson

fall leaves

cancer center by SOM

view at dusk from our hotel room

view at sunset

grand central station at night

standing still

seagram building

at brasserie brandon and i enjoyed an amazing anniversary dinner. the space was beautiful, and we had a long, relaxing and romantic meal.

skating rink at bryant park

brandon and i had such an amazing day, especially with our fantastic dinner. oh! i almost forgot abut our celebrity sighting. so, we had some time to kill before our dinner reservations and we decided to walk over to the moma to check out the home store. when we arrived, the home store was closed, and we noticed some barricades with a bunch of, a red carpet, and men at the entrance to the moma dressed in beige trench coats. we wait a moment to see what’s going on, and pretty soon hugh jackman hops out of a limo. i did take some pictures, but because it was dark and we were across the street, they all turned out blurry and you can’t tell who it is. next rachel weisz came, and then anna wintour. at that point we had to leave, but apparently jessica biel was the only other big celebrity that showed up. we thought it might be some promotional event for the movie australia, but it was an event honoring baz luhrmann.