NYC - Week One

Monday, September 24th marks the one week anniversary of us moving to New York (I know we technically got here Sunday, but we were still in a hotel that night, so I am not counting it:))

We checked in to our apartment on Monday, on the 40th floor!!!  So, we went from a view of backyard to this.

Here is a picture of our apartment building.

The view looking straight down from our balcony......it makes your legs shake!!

The week consisted of getting our car shipped safely to NYC and getting some things delivered to our  temporary housing.  It is amazing how you figure out where to put stuff in such small spaces!!

On Saturday we took a long walk (9.25 miles to be exact!) down to Battery Park.  The weather was beautiful!  When we got there, we may or may not have rewarded ourselves with a cold drink:)

On Sunday, we took another long walk, but this time up the West side and back down through Central Park. After that, I took on driving in New York City!  We drove up to Harlem to Costco, and I must say it was much easier than I had imagined.  My method is staying in the middle lane to avoid the cabs pulling over and pulling out from the curbs, oh and I actually use my turn signal, unlike all the other drivers in the city.  Sunday night we ate a fantastic Indian place, it is right around the block from us.  Monday was another beautiful day.  

Here are a few of our observations so far:

• There are ALWAYS people out and about in this city.
• No matter where you go, it is crowded.
• Shopping at Whole Foods is as stressful as driving here.
• No matter how cool it is outside, you are HOT by the time you get to wherever you are going from so much walking.
• It is cheaper to eat out or get carry out than it is to buy groceries.

Atlanta to Chicago to New York

On Tuesday, September 12th the packers came to pack up our house.  Then, Wednesday, September 13th the movers came to get everything.  Wednesday was my last day at work, which was very bittersweet, and I was sad to say goodbye, but my kids were so sweet.  Many of them wrote very nice letters and some brought in cookies and cake for a goodbye party.  Wednesday night we stayed in a hotel in Buckhead, Thursday we closd on our house - which thankfully went smoothly, Thursday night we stayed near the Atlanta airport, and Friday we flew to Chicago for a wedding.

                            Our last dinner at Welton Place - Pizza and Champagne

We went to Chicago for my second cousin's wedding.  On Friday we met up with Bryan for lunch.

Then, we took a boat ride with my parents.  For dinner, we had deep dish pizza, it was sooo good!!!

On Saturday, we went to the wedding, which was beautiful.  The weather was unbelievable nad we had a great time!

On Sunday it was a one way ticket to New York City!!!!

When we arrived, we made it just in time to get to a bar to watch the Redskins loose:(

Recently.....

We have started packing, selling things, and selling more things.  A couple weekends ago though, we went to Holeman and Finch, a restaurant we have been wanting to go to since we moved here.  They are very well known for their burgers, and every Friday night starting at 10:00 they make 25 burgers, when they are sold out, they are gone.  But, on Sunday mornings, they have an unlimited amount during brunch.  So, David's friend Paul was in town for work and we went on Sunday morning.  It was so crowded that there was an hour and a half wait (even at 1:00pm on a Sunday!!), so we ate at the bar.  The burgers did not disappoint, I have to say hands down it was one of the best burgers I have ever had!!!  I am just bummed I didn't get a picture of it!



Since we are moving, we have been trying to eat and drink EVERYTHING in our house.  In 2010 while we were at my parent's house for Christmas, we bought a bottle of sparkling beer at Troegs Brewery.  It has been in our fridge since then while we waited for a special occasion.  We finally decided to drink it last Saturday night, it was good, but not worth an almost 2 year wait!



Last night my friends at work had a happy hour for me.  They brought a cake and made me a frame with pictures of me at school...it turned out really well. 

This week is a busy one - Tuesday the packers come, Wednesday the moving truck comes, Thursday we close on hour house, Friday we fly to Chicago for the weekend, Saturday a wedding in Chicago, and Sunday a one way ticket to New York City!!!!!

Oh, and my parents were in Columbus, Ohio for a wedding last weekend, they went by our old house...it doesn't look like much has changed.

American Girl....

Yes, I act like a kid sometimes, and yes, my friends and I took our American Girl dolls to the American Girl store for dinner tonight.  We had a great time!  When we bought our dolls, they didn't even have stores, we bought them for a catalog!!!  Now they have stores where you can take your doll to eat and get their hair done. 

Our dolls sat in booster seats at the table with us.  It was adorable, they gave us menus for our dolls, and little tea cups!

One Car Family

As of about 6:45 on Saturday night we became a one car family!!  We sold our car to Carmax, and while we probably could have gotten a little more money selling it privately, it was easier to sell it to them.  We were in and out within 20 minutes.  It was great!  Here are a few pictures of David with the car...after all....it was his first car!  We bought it from my sister, and now it is officially not part of the family anymore.

 

End of Summer

The end of summer is here.  I started work over a week ago.  But, the end of the summer was busy!!

My mom and dad came to visit and help around the house.  We had a great time!!  Luckily, it wasn't too hot while they were here.  We did lots of shopping, drove up to northern Georgia to a town called Helen, and relaxed. 




Helen, GA

Right before I went back to school, we went to New York City for a week.  It was a busy trip, I felt like we didn't stop, and we ate and drank way too much!!!  While we were in town, we also got tickets to the World Trade Center.  I am so glad we went, but it was still very sad and emotional almost 11 years later.  The memorial is beautiful though, and I am sure it will be even moreso when they are finished.  There are two fountains where each of the towers stood, and there is a grassy/park area next to them.  The Freedom Tower is under construction and HUGE.  When it is finished, there will be a museum there as well. 

View of Central Park

At the Highline, an elevated park on old train tracks

View of World Trade Center from New Jersey

Where one tower stood

The New Freedom Tower

Where the other tower stood

The Park next to the fountains

We ate at "When Harry Met Sally" was filmed

After a little wine...

Hailing a Cab


The students are back tomorrow.  We had a great summer, it just flew by way too quickly!!!

Hilton Head

Two weeks ago we went to Hilton Head, South Carolina and had a great time!  The temperatures were higher in Atlanta than they were in Hilton Head, but it felt worse at the beach because of the humidity.We got there on a Sunday, it was an easy drive, only about 4.5 hours from Atlanta.  When we arrived, we went walking on the beach, and then out to explore the island.  We ate at Salty Dog Cafe, and had some good peel and eat shrimp.

On Monday we had a lazy day by the pool, it was great.  The pool at the hotel was right on the beach.  Monday night we went to dinner at LowCountry Backyard, the food was great.  David had the meatloaf and I had shrimp and grits.  The atmosphere really was like sitting in someone's backyard, it was very relaxed and we would definitely go back.

Tuesday we spent the morning at the pool and then went to the beach in the afternoon.  The ocean was so warm, it felt like bathwater.  We also found sand dollars, I was surprised at how many there were, all you had to do was put your foot down on the sand and you would find them.  Tuesday night for dinner we went to Eat!, Robert Irvine's restaurant.  Before we went, we read that Tuesday nights were 1/2 off tapas, so we ordered a bunch of tapas. 

On Wednesday, the 4th of July, we took a day trip to Daufuskie Island.  Everything I read about the island was great, but sadly, it was crap.  The boat trip was $55/person, which included the round trip boat ride, lunch, and a golf cart rental.  The boat ride was fine, an hour each way.  We were actually able to see some dolphins from the boat.  When we arrived at the island, we got our golf cart, and then headed to the restaurant for lunch.  The lunch was buffet that looked like it had been sitting out for hours.  David and I looked at it, looked at each other, and said forget it.  We got in our golf card and went to explore, however I think could run faster than our golf cart, it was slooooooooow.  While on the island we went to "Marshside Mama's" for some shrimp, the only way I can think to explain this is to say it was rustic.  Then we rode around and look at the few historical sites the island had to offer.  It got to the point that we were so bored with the island, we literally rode around on our golf cart in circles until it was time to go back.  After going back to our hotel, we went out for pizza and then watched fireworks from our balcony. 

On Thursday we went to the pool in the morning and then the beach in the afternoon.  We decided to play mini-golf, David only beat me by one point....  That night, we went to dinner at a restaurant on the beach just a short walk from our hotel.  It was probably one of our best dinners, we had fish tacos right on the beach. 

Friday we woke up and headed to Savannah on our way home.  Savannah is only about 45 minutes from Hilton Head.  We walked along River Street and then had lunch at a pub.  Savannah is such a great place, but it was HUMID!  We walked past Paula Deen's restaurant, (we had no intention on eating there, because we had heard it was crap), and by 11:15 they had a sign outside that said "booked for lunch".  After lunch we headed home, only about a 3.5 hour drive from Savannah. 

We had a great time, I only wished we had stayed longer!