NYC: Week 5

Hey guys, here's the next part of my weekly updates. I'm still catching up. This is the week of February 10th to the 16th.

Monday: I'd been feeling a bit stuck at home, so today I went out to try and fix that. I went to Barnes and Nobel and picked up a map. When I was in London, I got a really handy pocket map that made getting around really easy, and I wanted something similar for NYC. It wasn't quite what I was looking for {it only covers Manhattan}, but it easily fits in my bag and I don't have to struggle to fold it up. 

Tuesday:  In our neighbourhood, there's a fantastic bakery run by a French-trained baker. It's a bit out of the way, maybe half a mile from our place, but it had great reviews, so I went out with my neighbour to give it a try. The pastries were pretty good, but I think I'll wait until the weather is a little warmer. It was a long, cold walk. 

Wednesday: I had plans to go out and about in the morning, but they fell through when I ended up getting myself lost. Instead, I spend a few hours at the library before meeting up with Luke for lunch. We stopped at a bodega, where I had the worst burger ever. Turns out, bodegas are not the place for burgers.

Thursday: I got asked to do a special work project! This is big news for two reasons. First, work has been really slow lately, so this is a great chance to actually do something. Second, this special project is actually going on the website! For people to read! So I spent my day writing. 

Friday: We didn't have a very romantic Valentine's Day. I had to finish up my special projects, Luke worked late, and since it was still so cold we opted to just stay home in the evening. We ate oatmeal, and stayed up late watching cable. 

Saturday: Luke went in to work for a little bit, while I ran a few errands in our neighborhood. In the evening, we watched some of the Olympics and got burgers. Because those two things go together so well...  

Sunday: Luke's been working with a friend of his from high school. Tonight, that friend's brother was in town, so we went over and had dinner all together, which was a really good time. Luke got to catch up with friends, and we played some games. 

NYC: Week 4

I know, guys. I'm super, super behind. And I haven't even been doing that much. I just got cold during the superfreeze (what I'm choosing to call the storm after the polar vortex) and didn't want to do anything except hide under blankets. So here's what I did our fourth week in The City. 

Monday: Did a load of laundry, went out to dinner with Luke at the Georgia Diner, and then bought him some pants at Target.

Tuesday: I did some work in the morning, then did a deep clean of our house in the afternoon. Our apartment gets dirty quickly here. Not like, cluttered, but actual dirt. If I don't sweep every other day, the floor gets pretty gritty. 

Wednesday: I went out with the other wives for lunch. We had a really great time and ate some really good pizza. It was all the way on the Upper East Side, so it took about an hour to get there, and then an hour back. Which doesn't seem like it's a big deal, but when you've got three kids who are out past nap time, things can get a little crazy. 

Thursday: Groceries and laundry again. Yay! Not every day is glamorous. 

Friday: I spent the day bumming around at home. In the evening, I went into the city and we had dinner with our friends at another diner (there's a lot of them out here, okay? And they have really awesome extensive menus). They had the best risotto. Also, black and white milkshakes are awesome! I always thought they'd be just so-so. They're just chocolate and vanilla, but man! So good!

Saturday: Luke put in a few hours of work today, so I met him in The City for dinner. Just a block away from his office is this great restaurant. It's called Wok to Walk, and it's awesome! It's like a Mongolian grill, but more Japanese style. It's probably my favourite place so far. Afterwards, we tried to go to Serendipity for dessert, but there was a line, and it was cold. So we walked down the block and went to Dylan's Candy Bar. We didn't get any candy, but we had fun wandering around. We got ice cream before leaving, and it was super delicious. 

Sunday: We went in for church, and then spent a relaxing afternoon at home. Tonight was also the night that The Beatles tribute aired on TV. Yes, I love The Beatles. Yes, it was awesome. Yes, I might have cried a little at the awesomeness. 

Grand Central Station

Seriously, living in NYC is so much colder than I thought it would be. So all of my sightseeing has to be done indoors. That makes Grand Central perfect, since the only time you have to go outside is when you walk to your subway stop. 

So you know how when you think of Grand Central, you think of that large room, and people are walking everywhere? When you first arrive via the subway, it doesn't look like that at all. In fact, it looks just like any other dingy subway stop. Once you get closer to being above ground, it starts to look a little nicer. 

It's a bit blurry,  I know. But considering how big the room is, and how dimly it's lit, I figure this is pretty good. This one's a little better...

They're celebrating 100 years of the station being in use, thus the window decorations. And of course, the famous clock. 

New York Public Library

One of the things on my NYC to-do list was visit the NY Public Library and get a library card. So last week, I bundled up and headed into the city. From the outside, it's pretty big and foreboding.


























The famous lions: 

Inside, everything is made of marble. I thought about taking pictures, but I'm not sure if it's allowed or not, and since there were quite a few security guards, I didn't want to risk it and get kicked out before I'd even explored.  

I signed up for my library card, but since I'm not a real resident, I don't get to check books out. Which, if you ask me, is kind of the point of a library card. Oh well. 

For the next few hours, I wandered around until I found a study room where I could do some writing. It was nice, but a little too quiet to do any real work. I mean, when you have a room made of marble, everything tends to echo. 

I wanted to get home before rush hour, so I packed it in around 4. Before heading home, I ran across the street to Pret a Manger for a sandwich. It was one of my favourite places when I lived in London, so I'm really glad they have a few locations here on the East Coast. Before I got on the subway, I took this picture of the Chrysler building looking down 42nd Street. 

NYC: Week 3

Well, I'm almost caught up with my weekly updates. Hooray! Here's how I spent my third week in The Big Apple. 

Monday: I was brave and set out to find the New York Public Library. I took a few pictures, but I feel like this adventure deserves it's own post. I got a library card, but because I'm not a resident of NYC, I can't actually check out any books. Which is why I got the card in the first place...  I also got lunch at Pret a Manger, which was one of my favourite sandwich shops when I was in London. So that was awesome. 

Tuesday: the weather turned cold again, but I didn't want to sit at home. So I went out with a friend to check out Grand Central station. Again, I feel like this deserves it's own post, but I'll tell you one thing: when you first arrive at the station, it's doesn't look like what you see in the movies. It just looks like a regular subway stop. You have to go through a series of hallways to get to the recognizable part. 

Wednesday: So, there's a good story from today. I found this restaurant, called Best Wingers, that claimed to have the best buffalo chicken in the city. Since I left one of my favourite restaurants back in Provo {Winger's, in case you were wondering}, I hoped that this new place would be similar. I mean, the best in the city sounds pretty good, right? Wrong. So wrong. And sad. It was nothing like it promised. In fact, I didn't even finish my dinner. To make it worse, Luke and I had to walk several blocks in the cold to get there. It may be the best in the city, but it's definitely not the best in the country. 

Thursday: Grocery shopping day. Whee. It's a much bigger adventure when you don't have a car to carry you and your groceries. I went with my friends and their kids, and I think it's fair to say we all miss driving to get groceries. 

Friday: Luke had a doctor's appointment in the morning. For lunch, I went out with some of the other wive's whose husbands are working with Luke. They're all super nice, and we had a good time. I spend the evening at the laundromat because I'd waited too long in between trips, and had a ton of stuff to wash. 

Saturday: I spend the morning catching up on work before heading out to explore Roosevelt Island {which will also get it's own post}. The weather was finally nice enough that we could get out and walk around. In the evening, we went bowling with Luke's company at the swankiest bowling alley I've ever seen. 

Sunday: church in Manhattan again. This time, the trains were running on their regular schedule, so we were able to get there on time. Afterwards, we walked through central park before heading home. 

FIT Museum

My new friend K. and I decided that we wanted to do some sightseeing. But since it was still so cold, we opted to do something indoors. We decided to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum. It's small, but admission is free. 

Their current exhibit is called Trend-ology. It sounded kind of boring, but it actually was pretty cool. I loved seeing outfits that used to be the most stylish fashions of their time. Some of them even looked like they could be worn today {Chanel really knows how to tailor a suit}. It was a smaller exhibit than I was expecting, but my friend and I enjoyed it, and we spend about an hour there before heading out to lunch.

Here are a few of my favourites, shared from the Museum at FIT's website {since photography wasn't allowed}. 

All photos courtesy of MFIT via http://www.fitnyc.edu/museum. 

 Shawl created in the town of Paisley, Scotland. {1820-1850}

Black wool twill designed by Jaques Fath {1947}

Turquios silk satin evening dress by Christian Lacroix {1988}

NYC: Week 2

I'm a bit behind on my updates. Don't be mad. Here's what I did last week.

Monday: I spent the holiday doing chores. I found the closest laundromat, which is down the street and around the corner. I miss my washer and dryer at home. It's much easier to carry laundry down the hall, rather than down the street.

Tuesday: Continuing on with the chores, I spent the day working, working out, and then making a run to the grocery store. Turns out, when you can't pack your car full of groceries, you need to go shopping much more often.

Wednesday: I went with a friend to visit the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum. They had a display on fashion trends for the last hundred years. It was interesting, and more importantly, free. 

Thursday: We were still feeling that polar vortex. So instead of going out in the cold, I opted to stay home. 

Friday: I spend the morning doing more chores {yeah, I'm still settling in}. I went to Target by myself and popped down to the local grocery store. That way, I didn't have to lug home a gallon of milk on the subway. 

In the evening, I went into the city to meet up with Luke and friends for dinner near Times Square. Afterwards, we got cupcakes from the Cake Boss Cafe. While the cake part was good, the frosting was average and not real buttercream. Honestly, it tasted like it came from a grocery store bakery. So don't believe the hype. 

Saturday: After a long week, Luke and I decided we just wanted a low-key day. So we went shopping and had lunch. We spend the evening relaxing at home.

Sunday: This week, we went to church in Manhattan. The trains weren't running on regular schedules, so we ended up being a bit late. Some of the Manhattan wards meet in the chapel that's a part of the temple building. While that sounds pretty cool {if you're a Mormon, at least}, the floor designated for the chapel looks pretty much like any regular ward building. It's got a kitchen and a large gym with basketball hoops. In fact, unless you look out the window, it feels like any other ward building.