Day 5 - 11.06.09 - Sunny Near 60.
So a quick bit about yesterday's activities. Ben and I slept in a bit...a nice change. We went to breakfast with Amy at Mo'Joe's a cafe right near her house...the eggs and home fries were a nice change from our daily English muffins.
We ventured into the city after that to explore the West Village, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, the East Village, and Union Square.
We started in The West Village/Greenwich Village. It was SPECTACULAR. It is amazing how in between the craziness of times square and the financial district are these amazing neighborhoods it reminded me of Boston quite a bit. I could see myself, and Bryleigh for that matter, really enjoying life in those neighborhoods. Not to mention the AMAZING shopping. All of my favorites Ralph, Tommy, Charlotte, 7 for All, Lucky and more were right at my fingertips. Fortunately or un depending on your opinion, there is no room in the clothing section of the car for additional items!
While we were in the West Village we stopped in at Rocco's where we got Amy and Alan thank you Cannoli's. Word is they are the best around. After that we went to Magnolia's (where they went on Sex and the City, which made me think of Amber) to get "the best cupcake" in the city. I was an immediate non-fan the icing wasn't my style. Ben ate his and said it wasn't bad. He wouldn't go back but it was tasty and I actually think he is going to eat mine tonight!
Once we were done on the west side, we headed to Little Italy for lunch. We ate at a little corner joint where Ben had soup and we shared a pizza. The fresh mozzarella is so delicious!! I would eat their pizza everyday if I could.
From there we headed to through the remaining neighborhoods keeping our eyes open for celebs as the East Village is where many of them reside but only managed to see some very wealthy teens/college kids/and young execs. We also so tons of nanny's as this is where they rich call home. Union Square was especially fun as there were street performers, vendors, and lots of activity.
After walking around we walked back up to Penn Station to catch the train back to Amy's. When we got back we packed up sandwiches for dinner and then headed out to Harrisburg/Hershey for a good nights rest.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
NYC 11.03 -11.05
Sorry for the lack of updating....we've been pretty busy and tired.
DAY 2 - 11.03.09 - Sunny Near 50:
The drive from Grant & Rama's was rather uneventful. We stopped twice. Once for lunch/gas/groceries and once to get the car organized and pack our bag for Amy's. We figured easier to do at a rest area than on the side of the street.
We arrived at Amy's house on Tuesday at around 1:30ish. She lives in a very nice neighborhood in Mineola (Long Island), NY. Her husband Alan works as a resident at the hospital (conveniently) located across the street and she nanny's here in the apartment. She wasn't working when we arrived and so we chatted, toured the neighborhood and just hung out. We decided rather than go into the city we would hang here and make dinner. I had my first turkey burger!! It was delicious.
Day 3 - 11.04.09 - Sunny Mid-50's :
We all got up early and headed into the city (well everyone except Alan as he was working). Our first stop was the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The trip over the the Statue wasn't bad but the line to get in was forever. If you decide to go make sure you prepare ahead of time and order "Crown Tickets" I was very jealous of the people going all the way to the top. Oh and wear sneakers as it is a long climb with no elevator. After the Statue we headed over to Ellis Island to explore where many of our ancestors likely passed through at one point. Amy and Ben both took the "Citizenship Test" it doesn't say whether they got it right or wrong but I'll say they didn't get a 100!
Once we finished at Ellis Island we hopped a cab to Katz Deli. It is so delicious and unique. I recommend it to all who travel to NYC. The meat is real, the people are friendly, and they let you taste before you buy. An important note: unless you have an appetite like Ben, it's best to share a sandwich with a friend. From here we headed into town walking around and exploring. We had a few neighborhoods we wanted to see (which we struggled to find) but we saw a lot nonetheless. Our last major stop of the day was Dylan's Candy Bar. IT IS AMAZING. They have every candy you can imagine...they have retro candy containers, fudge (see the fudge man in the pictures), and ice cream. I could have spent a long time in that store but fortunately I refrained from eating!
A quick stop in Times Square to see the lights before heading back to Amy's house for a good nights sleep.
Day 4 - 11.05.09 - Sunny Near 55:
Heard it snowed all day in Maine....NOT HERE!! It was a beautiful day. Sunny and mid-50's!
Today we headed into the city bright and early again. Ben then escorted me to PS146 an elementary school in East Harlem where I did some observations. It was quite interesting in a number of ways. Their class sizes average 25-30 and their school has 400 students. The classes here aren't referred to by their teacher but rather their grade and room number. For example, I was observing class 4-301 instead of Mrs. Colloza's room. I was in a 4th grade class which was fun and they were doing math which made it even better. They are very smart kids, they already know and use mean, median, and mode A LOT and they were learning bar graphs having just finished line plots. Their recess is unique in that they have no grass and instead play on tar. This school I learned was lucky as they had a space. You'll see in a couple of pictures schools where they block off the street and the students have recess right in the road. I have lots more info but I'm sure it interests no one but the teachers so I'll save it for later.
While I was doing this, Ben went for a run in Central Park. He has wanted to do this for some time and so I'm glad he got the opportunity. Fortunately he found a gym with day memberships so he was able to store his stuff during the run and shower after.
We met up in Central Park where we had a picnic lunch and saw some sort of movie being filmed. From there we walked through the park to the zoo! Amy gave us her pass and so we got to explore which was so great. It was just amazing to see all those animals in the middle of Manhattan. I was sad that we did not bring our bigger lens as we didn't think we would need it for the day...man were we wrong.
From Central Park we walked down 5th Ave. Stopped at the Apple store to look at the technology and in Tiffany's to look at all the diamonds!! We headed to Rockefeller Center next so Ben could get a Dunkin' Donuts fix at the train station. We then headed to the TKTS counter in Times Square and got half price tickets to Oleanna....see details later.
Once we had our evening plans we headed back over to Rockefeller Center to get dinner. While over there we happened upon a taping of "30 Rock" if you look in the pictures you can see Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. We had dinner at Rockefeller Center (there's a great soup place underneath the building) while we watched the skaters on the ice.
We did a bit more walking around and sightseeing before heading to see Oleanna starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman. It was a two person play that left me very confused/upset/angry. It was nothing like a musical but it was great.
Now we're back in Mineola, Ben is watching one of his favorite TV Shows while I do the dirty work. I'm going to make him write the next one!! Let us know if you have any questions. Talk to you soon.
Love! (click on the Day headings for pictures!)
Freedom Tour Spots Visited So Far:
Battery Park
Ellis Island
Rockefeller Center
Times Square
Katz Deli
Central Park
DAY 2 - 11.03.09 - Sunny Near 50:
The drive from Grant & Rama's was rather uneventful. We stopped twice. Once for lunch/gas/groceries and once to get the car organized and pack our bag for Amy's. We figured easier to do at a rest area than on the side of the street.
We arrived at Amy's house on Tuesday at around 1:30ish. She lives in a very nice neighborhood in Mineola (Long Island), NY. Her husband Alan works as a resident at the hospital (conveniently) located across the street and she nanny's here in the apartment. She wasn't working when we arrived and so we chatted, toured the neighborhood and just hung out. We decided rather than go into the city we would hang here and make dinner. I had my first turkey burger!! It was delicious.
Day 3 - 11.04.09 - Sunny Mid-50's :
We all got up early and headed into the city (well everyone except Alan as he was working). Our first stop was the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The trip over the the Statue wasn't bad but the line to get in was forever. If you decide to go make sure you prepare ahead of time and order "Crown Tickets" I was very jealous of the people going all the way to the top. Oh and wear sneakers as it is a long climb with no elevator. After the Statue we headed over to Ellis Island to explore where many of our ancestors likely passed through at one point. Amy and Ben both took the "Citizenship Test" it doesn't say whether they got it right or wrong but I'll say they didn't get a 100!
Once we finished at Ellis Island we hopped a cab to Katz Deli. It is so delicious and unique. I recommend it to all who travel to NYC. The meat is real, the people are friendly, and they let you taste before you buy. An important note: unless you have an appetite like Ben, it's best to share a sandwich with a friend. From here we headed into town walking around and exploring. We had a few neighborhoods we wanted to see (which we struggled to find) but we saw a lot nonetheless. Our last major stop of the day was Dylan's Candy Bar. IT IS AMAZING. They have every candy you can imagine...they have retro candy containers, fudge (see the fudge man in the pictures), and ice cream. I could have spent a long time in that store but fortunately I refrained from eating!
A quick stop in Times Square to see the lights before heading back to Amy's house for a good nights sleep.
Day 4 - 11.05.09 - Sunny Near 55:
Heard it snowed all day in Maine....NOT HERE!! It was a beautiful day. Sunny and mid-50's!
Today we headed into the city bright and early again. Ben then escorted me to PS146 an elementary school in East Harlem where I did some observations. It was quite interesting in a number of ways. Their class sizes average 25-30 and their school has 400 students. The classes here aren't referred to by their teacher but rather their grade and room number. For example, I was observing class 4-301 instead of Mrs. Colloza's room. I was in a 4th grade class which was fun and they were doing math which made it even better. They are very smart kids, they already know and use mean, median, and mode A LOT and they were learning bar graphs having just finished line plots. Their recess is unique in that they have no grass and instead play on tar. This school I learned was lucky as they had a space. You'll see in a couple of pictures schools where they block off the street and the students have recess right in the road. I have lots more info but I'm sure it interests no one but the teachers so I'll save it for later.
While I was doing this, Ben went for a run in Central Park. He has wanted to do this for some time and so I'm glad he got the opportunity. Fortunately he found a gym with day memberships so he was able to store his stuff during the run and shower after.
We met up in Central Park where we had a picnic lunch and saw some sort of movie being filmed. From there we walked through the park to the zoo! Amy gave us her pass and so we got to explore which was so great. It was just amazing to see all those animals in the middle of Manhattan. I was sad that we did not bring our bigger lens as we didn't think we would need it for the day...man were we wrong.
From Central Park we walked down 5th Ave. Stopped at the Apple store to look at the technology and in Tiffany's to look at all the diamonds!! We headed to Rockefeller Center next so Ben could get a Dunkin' Donuts fix at the train station. We then headed to the TKTS counter in Times Square and got half price tickets to Oleanna....see details later.
Once we had our evening plans we headed back over to Rockefeller Center to get dinner. While over there we happened upon a taping of "30 Rock" if you look in the pictures you can see Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. We had dinner at Rockefeller Center (there's a great soup place underneath the building) while we watched the skaters on the ice.
We did a bit more walking around and sightseeing before heading to see Oleanna starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman. It was a two person play that left me very confused/upset/angry. It was nothing like a musical but it was great.
Now we're back in Mineola, Ben is watching one of his favorite TV Shows while I do the dirty work. I'm going to make him write the next one!! Let us know if you have any questions. Talk to you soon.
Love! (click on the Day headings for pictures!)
Freedom Tour Spots Visited So Far:
Battery Park
Ellis Island
Rockefeller Center
Times Square
Katz Deli
Central Park
Monday, November 2, 2009
Boston 11.02.09
Day 1 - 11.02.09 - Sunny Upper 40's
We made it to Boston and are at Grant and Rama's! They made us a great dinner and now we're playing cribbage...well they are while I write. It was a busy day as we got off to a late start but we're officially on the road now. I'll try to write tomorrow night and post pictures as well.
Love!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Miss You
Hi Everyone -
It was so nice to see all of you on Friday at school. I have missed you all so much and you have grown incredibly. Of course some of you have shrunk (Austin it wasn't an insult) but you all look so great!! I am packing up my apartment right now (click here for pictures) so that we can head out on our trip next week. I look forward to sending you lots of photos and information on here.
Right now our planned route is as follows:
Boston to NYC
NYC to Hershey (as Ben LOVES chocolate)
Hershey to Lancaster
Lancaster to Philadelphia
Philly to Washington DC
We have reservations for tickets to the Capitol Building and are waiting to see if we can get tickets to the White House as well. We are fortunate to have a lot of great friends who are letting us stay with them and we are so greatful!!
I have to get back to packing as Ben is almost back from my parents house with the BIG TRUCK and TRAILER!!
Talk to you all soon,
Ms. Rogers
It was so nice to see all of you on Friday at school. I have missed you all so much and you have grown incredibly. Of course some of you have shrunk (Austin it wasn't an insult) but you all look so great!! I am packing up my apartment right now (click here for pictures) so that we can head out on our trip next week. I look forward to sending you lots of photos and information on here.
Right now our planned route is as follows:
Boston to NYC
NYC to Hershey (as Ben LOVES chocolate)
Hershey to Lancaster
Lancaster to Philadelphia
Philly to Washington DC
We have reservations for tickets to the Capitol Building and are waiting to see if we can get tickets to the White House as well. We are fortunate to have a lot of great friends who are letting us stay with them and we are so greatful!!
I have to get back to packing as Ben is almost back from my parents house with the BIG TRUCK and TRAILER!!
Talk to you all soon,
Ms. Rogers
Here is a short clip of Ben running down the highway after the shovel (which I packed...oops!...went flying out....this was after Mick took his turn running down the highway to pick up a drawer that flew out...I didn't pack that though, Ben did! ) Fortunately those were the only two mishaps on an otherwise uneventful trip to Gardiner.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Fall Weather
Hi Guys -
I know that currently many of you are not reading my little posts but I will continue nonetheless. I thought of you yesterday when my boss's daughter was here doing her homework. I helped her and it made me miss all of you and want to help each of you with your homework. I'm sure that no one has late work at this point and most of you probably don't even need any help. Ben and are going to start planning our route this weekend and so hopefully I will have a plan to share. I know we are headed to Washington D.C. and I will do my best to send some info back to you. Other than that the only thing I know is that we will be having Thanksgiving in one of two places...either at my aunt and uncle's in South Carolina or serving dinner to those less fortunate at a soup kitchen. I have learned that if you want to serve at a soup kitchen you have to schedule pretty far in advance so that may not be an option. I would suggest you all try it though...it is very humbling to see how lucky we are to have even if it isn't much!
That's all for now, I've got to get back to work.
Be good (or I will kick your teeth in from a distance).
Ms. Rogers
I know that currently many of you are not reading my little posts but I will continue nonetheless. I thought of you yesterday when my boss's daughter was here doing her homework. I helped her and it made me miss all of you and want to help each of you with your homework. I'm sure that no one has late work at this point and most of you probably don't even need any help. Ben and are going to start planning our route this weekend and so hopefully I will have a plan to share. I know we are headed to Washington D.C. and I will do my best to send some info back to you. Other than that the only thing I know is that we will be having Thanksgiving in one of two places...either at my aunt and uncle's in South Carolina or serving dinner to those less fortunate at a soup kitchen. I have learned that if you want to serve at a soup kitchen you have to schedule pretty far in advance so that may not be an option. I would suggest you all try it though...it is very humbling to see how lucky we are to have even if it isn't much!
That's all for now, I've got to get back to work.
Be good (or I will kick your teeth in from a distance).
Ms. Rogers
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day Weekend
I hope that everyone enjoyed their Labor Day Weekend. I unfortunately have had to work this entire weekend :( I also hope that you are feeling well and enjoying school so far. I am confident that none of you have found your way to trouble and instead are setting the example for great behavior.
A little story: I was at Ms. Feiss' house the other day and her daugher Maggie taught me that Mt. Fugi is a dormant volcano in Japan and that dormant means it doesn't erupt. She also taught me that Red Maple trees only produce syrup sometimes but it's the Sugar Maples that we get most of our syrup from....REMINDER she's only three and a half....get to know her if you can, she's pretty cool!
A little story: I was at Ms. Feiss' house the other day and her daugher Maggie taught me that Mt. Fugi is a dormant volcano in Japan and that dormant means it doesn't erupt. She also taught me that Red Maple trees only produce syrup sometimes but it's the Sugar Maples that we get most of our syrup from....REMINDER she's only three and a half....get to know her if you can, she's pretty cool!
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