One of the joys of living in an apartment is finding creative ways to overcome the challenges of having anything shipped to you. When I was growing up, I never thought anything about having UPS deliver a package--in fact, we had the same driver for so long that they knew to drive around the back of the house to deliver packages instead of putting them on the front porch. And if there was no one home, it was only rarely that they wouldn't just leave the package. Not so in an apartment. You have to be home to get the package. And they have to know your apartment number to tell you they're at the door. At least in a building like ours without a doorman.
So, today, I knew that I should be getting a package from something I had ordered. Silly me, though, I had failed to include the apartment number on the shipping address. When I looked at the clock and realized that it was about the time that UPS usually delivered, I went online and checked the tracking status. Sure enough, it said there was a problem because they didn't have the apartment number. But I thought to myself, "I'll run down and see if by chance they left it in the building's entrance..."
The package was not in the entrance, but the UPS truck was still stopped down the street. Long story shorter? I ran down the street, stopped the driver as he was starting the ignition, and told him that I was the silly person in the apartment up the street without an apartment number, and could I please get my package? And I did.
That will teach me to forget my apartment number in the shipping address again! Now, if only I could have an automated service to answer for my packages when I'm not here.... That will have to wait, I suppose!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
I Love the Weekend
After two years of law school, where school concerns consume even non-class time, I have definitely grown to love summer weekends for their free time. Living in a new city has just made them better with so many new things to see and do. This weekend was one of those times when you have no agenda and no time frame.
We started with a quiet Friday night at home, complete with ice cream (the grocery stores don't very often run sales, so when they do, it makes a nice treat!), a new movie (I really like Netflix), and a relatively early night to bed. I know, perhaps it sounds boring, but after a rather busy week for both Zach and I, it was a good thing.
Saturday we managed to sleep in, despite our apartment's direct morning sun. After getting ourselves around, we headed downtown so that Zach could participate in a conference call at the office. The financial district is pretty quiet on the weekends, in general, and particularly on Saturday mornings, so our generally un-rushed, casual weekend vibe continued. I studied my pre-term math while Zach was at the office, catching the passers-by through the window of Starbucks. I also managed to find another place to get cheap sushi, which turned into a picnic lunch. Well, picnic-ish--we were sitting outside on a bench...
Our afternoon was filled with two "New York Essential" activities--one of which I highly recommend, and the other of which I highly discourage... The first, and best, was a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It did indeed live up to its recommendations--it's just very cool to be able to see that much of the city from a distance, and the walking section has a wooden floor, so between the open sky, wooden "trail", and stone supports, it manages to feel kind of rustic and not like just any other city stroll. I recommend taking this walk with someone like my husband who knows a lot about suspension bridges and can explain the intricacies of how they work and are built without wondering how a grown adult can be so clueless (thank you honey for the architecture lesson :-)). You can see Liberty Island, the Manhattan Bridge, and lots of other landmarks from the Brooklyn Bridge, so it's also a little like a geography lesson. I definitely recommend this one.
The second activity, another of those you really have to do this if you want to be a native, was a trip out to Coney Island. Coney Island is an Island at the southern part of Brooklyn, which is somewhat well known for its "fairgrounds" rides and amusement park-ish activities. I think there's a beach out there somewhere too, but we didn't get that far. You can reach the Island by several subway lines, but they all make a ton of local stops, so the total trip is around 40 minutes or more. We went just because it is an essential New Yorker thing to do, but it was worse than we had expected. There were a LOT of people, and the strip of amusements is a lot longer than we anticipated. The general atmosphere made me feel like perhaps we had ridden the train to another country--very carnival... overwhelmingly carnival. Zach and I looked at each other, walked across the street to find something to eat that would tide us back to Manhattan, and then got on the subway and left. I don't recommend taking the time for this one, even if it is a New York essential. But now we can at least say we've been there.
After that excitement, we headed back home for another pretty quiet evening. See a theme developing here?
Sunday morning was another pretty slow morning, which I definitely prefer. We tried a new church this weekend, but were not too sure about it as a long-term place. There was a farmer's market pretty close by to the church, so we wandered through there and saw where the Museum of Natural History is located. It's in a pretty park off Columbus Avenue, pretty close to Central Park. I always enjoy seeing some green.
The downside of Sunday was that it was sweltering and humid out--not exactly great weather for exploring. We directed our attention toward finding places that were inside and well air conditioned. So, our wanderings included a few stores and finding a good lunch at a West Side restaurant. I had a delicious Grilled Chicken panini on Ciabatta with this very unique celery sauce in the sandwich. It was really good, and well-priced for our budget :-) We were glad we had held out after looking into a few other places on our wanderings. Right next door to the restaurant there's a store called "Health Nuts" that has a lot of health foods and some bulk items. We've been there several times, and we each have our favorite treats: Zach gets Corn Nuts (kind of fried corn kernels) and I get yogurt-covered raisins. Just a fun quirk, I guess. So we stopped by before heading to the subway stop. I remembered seeing a special at the Ben and Jerry's by the subway--a new management special or something--that offered $0.99 soft serve ice cream cones. Zach, being the sweet guy that he is, agreed to check if they still had the special, and indeed they did. So, two chocolate ice cream cones it was. There's just something very "summery" about eating an ice cream cone when it's hot outside. It was perfect--and cheap. I think Zach when along with it just to laugh at my silly grin.
Me on the Brooklyn Bridge
You can kind of see the date up there on the tower: 1875
We started with a quiet Friday night at home, complete with ice cream (the grocery stores don't very often run sales, so when they do, it makes a nice treat!), a new movie (I really like Netflix), and a relatively early night to bed. I know, perhaps it sounds boring, but after a rather busy week for both Zach and I, it was a good thing.
Saturday we managed to sleep in, despite our apartment's direct morning sun. After getting ourselves around, we headed downtown so that Zach could participate in a conference call at the office. The financial district is pretty quiet on the weekends, in general, and particularly on Saturday mornings, so our generally un-rushed, casual weekend vibe continued. I studied my pre-term math while Zach was at the office, catching the passers-by through the window of Starbucks. I also managed to find another place to get cheap sushi, which turned into a picnic lunch. Well, picnic-ish--we were sitting outside on a bench...
Our afternoon was filled with two "New York Essential" activities--one of which I highly recommend, and the other of which I highly discourage... The first, and best, was a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It did indeed live up to its recommendations--it's just very cool to be able to see that much of the city from a distance, and the walking section has a wooden floor, so between the open sky, wooden "trail", and stone supports, it manages to feel kind of rustic and not like just any other city stroll. I recommend taking this walk with someone like my husband who knows a lot about suspension bridges and can explain the intricacies of how they work and are built without wondering how a grown adult can be so clueless (thank you honey for the architecture lesson :-)). You can see Liberty Island, the Manhattan Bridge, and lots of other landmarks from the Brooklyn Bridge, so it's also a little like a geography lesson. I definitely recommend this one.
The second activity, another of those you really have to do this if you want to be a native, was a trip out to Coney Island. Coney Island is an Island at the southern part of Brooklyn, which is somewhat well known for its "fairgrounds" rides and amusement park-ish activities. I think there's a beach out there somewhere too, but we didn't get that far. You can reach the Island by several subway lines, but they all make a ton of local stops, so the total trip is around 40 minutes or more. We went just because it is an essential New Yorker thing to do, but it was worse than we had expected. There were a LOT of people, and the strip of amusements is a lot longer than we anticipated. The general atmosphere made me feel like perhaps we had ridden the train to another country--very carnival... overwhelmingly carnival. Zach and I looked at each other, walked across the street to find something to eat that would tide us back to Manhattan, and then got on the subway and left. I don't recommend taking the time for this one, even if it is a New York essential. But now we can at least say we've been there.
After that excitement, we headed back home for another pretty quiet evening. See a theme developing here?
Sunday morning was another pretty slow morning, which I definitely prefer. We tried a new church this weekend, but were not too sure about it as a long-term place. There was a farmer's market pretty close by to the church, so we wandered through there and saw where the Museum of Natural History is located. It's in a pretty park off Columbus Avenue, pretty close to Central Park. I always enjoy seeing some green.
The downside of Sunday was that it was sweltering and humid out--not exactly great weather for exploring. We directed our attention toward finding places that were inside and well air conditioned. So, our wanderings included a few stores and finding a good lunch at a West Side restaurant. I had a delicious Grilled Chicken panini on Ciabatta with this very unique celery sauce in the sandwich. It was really good, and well-priced for our budget :-) We were glad we had held out after looking into a few other places on our wanderings. Right next door to the restaurant there's a store called "Health Nuts" that has a lot of health foods and some bulk items. We've been there several times, and we each have our favorite treats: Zach gets Corn Nuts (kind of fried corn kernels) and I get yogurt-covered raisins. Just a fun quirk, I guess. So we stopped by before heading to the subway stop. I remembered seeing a special at the Ben and Jerry's by the subway--a new management special or something--that offered $0.99 soft serve ice cream cones. Zach, being the sweet guy that he is, agreed to check if they still had the special, and indeed they did. So, two chocolate ice cream cones it was. There's just something very "summery" about eating an ice cream cone when it's hot outside. It was perfect--and cheap. I think Zach when along with it just to laugh at my silly grin.
Then it was back home to escape the heat and rest up for the week ahead. A perfect weekend, honestly--time together, new adventures, and (the essential component) ice cream... Yeah...
Me on the Brooklyn Bridge
You can kind of see the date up there on the tower: 1875
Looking back from a distance after we crossed
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A Picture and Life
Sometimes you just need something sweet! Thankfully, I married a man who knows this fact as well as I do. Last week, after work one evening, he took me to a French bakery downtown for some chocolate gelatto. Mmmmmmm--see the look on my face? That's the look that says this is what I needed :-)
In other happenings, Zach and I spent the weekend in PA with my family. We had a great time getting in some "green space," working on my brother's house with my parents, stacking firewood for the winter, and eating home-cooked ribs. I guess that's kind of a weird conglomeration of things, but it was all fun, nonetheless. Zach had to come back to the city on Sunday for work, but I stayed in PA to spend a few days with Mom at Stone Harbor, NJ. Sadly, my camera batteries died, so I got no pictures, but it was absolutely beautiful. I finally got a tan (almost, but not quite a burn), soaked up a ton of sun, went bike riding around the town, jogging on the beach in the early morning sun, and ate some pretty good food. All elements to make for a good couple days. The only sad part was that Zach couldn't be there too...
Yesterday was a new adventure in NY. My cousin works for a large theater company, and each year, they come to NY city for a shopping day to get fabrics for the upcoming shows. Since I was here, she invited me to come along with her. We worked our way through a number of stores in the fabric district, and the variety of fabrics available is pretty amazing! Hopefully I'll get to see the finished products after they're made with what we picked out. It was kind of like trying on a different job for a day, and I have to say it was very fun... I'm not sure I'd be good at the rest of that job ;-)
I also got to tag along with her team on a backstage costume tour of "The Little Mermaid." We got there as the actors were leaving from the matinee, and the executive producer took us on a tour of their wardrobe spaces and a little behind the stage. I have to say that it's pretty amazing! All hand painted costumes with incredible accessories and serious engineering, since the show is a lot of sea creatures. I haven't seen it, but can only imagine what they look like once you put them on stage with lights and music. Wow.
So, that's what's been going on. I start school in exactly one month, and after this week, Zach has 2 weeks left at Cahill. The summer has gone quickly so far, but it has also been full of some wonderful memories and a lot of fun times. Just the way we were hoping :-)
Friday, July 11, 2008
Spotted
For the first time today.
Everyone said they were here, but until now, I had not seen them.
Rat and mice scuttling in the subway (down where the tracks run, not up on the platform).
Somehow, I feel I have reached a rite of passage.
Everyone said they were here, but until now, I had not seen them.
Rat and mice scuttling in the subway (down where the tracks run, not up on the platform).
Somehow, I feel I have reached a rite of passage.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Today's NYC Favorites
Number One: Open Air market in Union Square: sunshine, stands filled with fresh-baked bread and pastries, dairy-fresh milk and yogurt-fruit smoothies, and beautiful fresh produce. I came away with a big bunch of fresh basil, a large head of fresh romaine, and some brilliant purple onions with the tops still on. You could tell it was all fresh--there was still soil on it from being dug up. It made a pretty tasty salad tonight. The market is in the square every Wednesday and Saturday. I spotted fresh ice cream from one of the dairy farms in a bunch of really fun flavors, so I'm going to have to take Zach there some Saturday for that one.
Number Two: Sushi for super cheap--even by non-NYC standards. There's a cafe in the atrium above Zach's subway stop where they make sushi. Around 5:30, right before they close, they mark it all down to like half price, so it's super cheap for 8-piece rolls. It was good too! Zach and I enjoyed some tonight, and I have the feeling that we'll stop by a few more times this summer. Good times!
Number Two: Sushi for super cheap--even by non-NYC standards. There's a cafe in the atrium above Zach's subway stop where they make sushi. Around 5:30, right before they close, they mark it all down to like half price, so it's super cheap for 8-piece rolls. It was good too! Zach and I enjoyed some tonight, and I have the feeling that we'll stop by a few more times this summer. Good times!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A Holiday Weekend
Zach and I were hoping to make it to Boston for the 4th of July long weekend, but our plans fell through, so we spent the three days around the city, just chilling out pretty much. The weather was less than cooperative--either hot and muggy or outright raining, so we didn't try anything too ambitious, like going to see the fireworks. We managed to get some pictures to document our weekend, though. Friday, Zach took me shopping and then we went further downtown and walked in the financial district. Being a holiday, it was really quiet down there, and most everything was closed. There was a concert of some kind in Battery Gardens, and we could hear it from down the street where we sat for a while, watching the people go by. You see all types--leftover hippies, want-to-be goths, career professionals, and life-long New Yorkers--all in a matter of minutes. Makes for a great study in people.
On Saturday, we went to midtown and hung out for a while at Grand Central Terminal, since it was raining outside. The station has amazing architecture and so many people coming and going. It's a lot of fun. Inside the terminal, they have a small market with fresh fish stands, a bakery, and artisan cheese for sale, among other things. I guess it works well for people to swing through on their way home from the train. Lots of tasty-looking stuff!
On Sunday, we went to the Strand, a famous, large, New York bookstore. You can usually get pretty good prices on books, and they had a lot of sale books out front for $1.00 each, so with a little searching, we found some that should be good reads. I'm well into "Conspiracy of Fools" right now, which is an account of Enron and what ended in such disaster. It's written with a very fictional style, and is based on tremendous hours of interviews with the relevant cast of characters, so it's a really good read so far. A lot like "Barbarians at the Gate," which I read earlier this year and loved!
Later on this week, we are going to see "In the Heights" on Broadway with Zach's firm. The ballet last week was really good--I greatly enjoyed the performance, especially the costumes and sets. It was very elaborate and beautifully done. I think the performances that we've seen together will definitely be a highlight of my summer. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this week's performance as well. I've read some pretty good reviews, so it should be fun!
On Saturday, we went to midtown and hung out for a while at Grand Central Terminal, since it was raining outside. The station has amazing architecture and so many people coming and going. It's a lot of fun. Inside the terminal, they have a small market with fresh fish stands, a bakery, and artisan cheese for sale, among other things. I guess it works well for people to swing through on their way home from the train. Lots of tasty-looking stuff!
On Sunday, we went to the Strand, a famous, large, New York bookstore. You can usually get pretty good prices on books, and they had a lot of sale books out front for $1.00 each, so with a little searching, we found some that should be good reads. I'm well into "Conspiracy of Fools" right now, which is an account of Enron and what ended in such disaster. It's written with a very fictional style, and is based on tremendous hours of interviews with the relevant cast of characters, so it's a really good read so far. A lot like "Barbarians at the Gate," which I read earlier this year and loved!
Later on this week, we are going to see "In the Heights" on Broadway with Zach's firm. The ballet last week was really good--I greatly enjoyed the performance, especially the costumes and sets. It was very elaborate and beautifully done. I think the performances that we've seen together will definitely be a highlight of my summer. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this week's performance as well. I've read some pretty good reviews, so it should be fun!
At Macy's, Herald Square
Subway stop at Penn Station
As you can see above, many of the different avenues in NYC have different names in different parts of the city. This is the Fashion district, so 7th Ave. is also called Fashion Ave. here. Kind of makes for some early confusion as a new resident.
You can't really see here, but Zach's pointing at the word "Financier," which is what he wants to be when he grows up. The Financier Patisserie, which is where he's standing, is a pastry/coffee shop down in the financial district.
From Saturday, stacks of pretzels at Grand Central
Reading the New York Times in Grand Central. We shared the newspaper and read for a while. There are these large, easy-chair style plastic chairs downstairs that are nice for a little relaxation.
Eating bagels at Zaro's--one of my favorite NY bakeries, and conveniently located in the major train stations, so you can grab some amazing bread or a bagel on your way out.
Chandeliers in Grand Central
This is the table top design in the dining area of the Terminal. They show subway and train maps and trasnportation memorabelia. Pretty cool!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Yes, I'm Back
And thankful to be home. It's funny how quickly even such a small space can become a home--maybe that's why New Yorkers feel so attached to their city: their homes are so small. In any event, it was good to be back in the city and walking everywhere again. I attended a very good conference on Friday and Saturday for women MBAs and met some other members of my class at Columbia. The sessions were very helpful in getting my head starting to move toward the school and job search process. Really, once school starts in August, the job search process will begin with company presentations on campus, so it's good to get started thinking about it.
This weekend, we got a television--a 32" television. It was on sale and a very good deal. We get some great HD channels, including NBC, so the Olympics will look very nice in August. It's also nice for movie watching.
This week, I am happy to have some friends in town a couple different days. One of my fellow White House interns was in town this week, so we met up for coffee this morning and had a great time catching up. It's always amazing to me to watch people on their individual life paths--who knew two years ago where we'd both be today! Tomorrow, two of my good friends from college will be here from VA, and I am looking forward to real girl time!
Last night, I surprised Zach with a mini picnic dinner--I met him at the office when he finished with some casual clothes and a simple dinner. We walked down to Battery Park, looking out the Bay to the Statue of Liberty and ate dinner while enjoying the beautiful weather, ocean breeze, and wildflowers in the park. Another very nice New York green space. The pictures below are from our little date out.
Tonight, we have another outing with Zach's summer class at the law firm--we are going to see "The Merry Widow" by the American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House. Incidentally, we also saw that ballet on Monday night because Zach's Partner liaison had tickets that he wasn't going to be able to use. It's a really fun piece, with a lot of great technical beauty and some very cool costumes and sets. I will enjoy seeing it a second time and taking in different elements... hopefully Zach isn't totally bored :-)
Looking back up at the Financial District from Battery Park
Wildflowers and looking out over the Bay
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