Day 2 & 3: Bulls, Beauty, Brews, and Buses

Our second day in the City had us sleeping in a little bit later nursing our pains from the first day. We planned to go to a local bakery around the corner from the hotel but got distracted by the idea of dulce de leche pancakes at a diner across the street. Unfortunately, they weren't that good. Next time, I think we'll stick to a bakery. 

After, I dragged Ryan to the Charging Bull in Bowling Green. It's right in the heart of the Financial District and I had been dying to get a picture with it. Why? I couldn't tell you. The guy was huge! While I was taking a picture with his head, other people were taking a picture with his other anatomical parts. 

A couple of metro trains uptown and a brisk walk outside brought us to the Met! The bull wasn't the only big thing that day. Have you ever seen a map for that? It's massive! We spent about three hours there and only got through a couple exhibits. We saw the magic of Rodin, the finesse of Degas, the rolling landscapes of Dahl, and the unique carvings and metal work of armor and arms. 

We took a lovely walk through Central Park to travel back downtown while we waited for Ryan's friend Josh. Josh lives in Yonkers so he took the metro north in to meet us for dinner. My mom had given us a gift certificate to Heartland Brewery while we were down in the City. After Josh checked out our swanky hotel room at Club Quarters, we traveled to Union Square to hit up the Brewery. The food was pretty decent but nothing that you couldn't find at any burger joint. As per Ryan, the beer was nothing special. 

We parted ways with Josh and headed back to the hotel to wait for my mom got back to the NYC. I made it through our weekly Sunday night show and then promptly feel asleep. So much for a big night out. 

Monday, our third and final day, was much too short. We packed and got ready to head back home. I dragged Ryan to the Container Store where I begged for glass containers, much like this one. After another slice of mediocre pizza we picked up our bags and then picked up our bus home in this part of town.

There's a reason I had always heard it referred to as the Chinatown bus. 

Happy Thanksgiving

I wanted to take a moment during this busy holiday to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. Today, Ryan and I were able to spend the day cooking delicious food surrounded by family and friends. We're so fortunate that we could host Thanksgiving again this year and share it with those we care about the most. 

I hope that in this upcoming holiday season we don't forget to slow down and be truly thankful for all we have. It may not seem like much, but it's enough for us. 

A Week Late and Always a Dollar Short

Let me just start by saying my husband hates Halloween. I, on the other hand, like it. I would even like to have a party one year. He shuts that idea down faster than a bottle of cider can explode when pasteurized. (More on that another day). I don't even know why, but ever since he's had the option to not celebrate it or not go trick or treating he's been saying "no." 

This year, our friends, Andrea and Mike, invited us to the Halloween parade in their neighborhood. We were encouraged to dress up. If a parade is a foreign concept to you, it's pretty much the fire trucks come turn on their lights and sirens and we walk behind it from one cul-de-sac to the other. At the end there's candy, cupcakes, pictures with the fire truck, and milling around with your neighbors.

I said yes before Ryan even heard about it. I also volunteered that we would both be in costume. The day before the parade, I remind Ryan that we're dressing up for it. He pulls out the following: a "Hello, my name is..." tag with "Bruce Banner - don't make me angry." Normal clothes, that sticker - bam - that's his costume. I was at least a little more creative. I dressed in my lab coat, hard hat, safety glasses, and boots from work to be a production employee. Here's us looking our finest.

And yes, if you can tell, the safety glasses went OVER my normal glasses. Amazing, I know. 

Thursday, finally comes around and Ryan's friends at school always dress up. He refuses aside from another "Hello, my name is..." tag. I work in an office so no dressing up for me. Added to the fact that I caught a cold - I worked from home. 

Ryan's friends however, decided to do up a Batman theme. One of them dressed up as Batman, another as the Riddler, and the other as the Joker. Batman thought up his costume first so the other two decided based on that and with the idea to play pranks on Batman, i.e. foiling his cube and stealing his N64 with "riddles" on how to find it. Here's their Halloween spirit.

a very Adam West type of Batman

really awesome renditions of the Riddler and Joker

Now, when I say foiled (talking about mathematicians) I truly mean, they foiled Batman's entire desk. They even wrote "HA" all over it. I laughed into a coughing fit over it.

That "?" card to the left was the first clue for Batman to find his N64. I wish I remembered the riddles that Ryan told me, because they were good. I'm not sure if he ever found it (or gave up and demanded it back) but clearly someone has the Halloween spirit. Maybe next year, they'll rub some more on Ryan.

That sounded terrible - but I'll leave it anyway. 

How did you celebrate your Halloween? Did you go trick or treating?

Wonderful Wednesdays - Apple Picking at Bowman Orchards

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go apple picking. One, because I love eating apples and two, I like spending cool, autumn days in the sun enjoying the crispness of the air. It's even better spending it with those your love. Our haul this year was 40+ pounds of the fruit, a half gallon of apple cider, half a dozen apple cider donuts, and an apple fritter. I probably would've bought a pint of apple cider ice cream (to go with the delicious pastries you'll see on Friday!) but I thought...better not. Here's some pictures of our adventure this past Sunday:

Bowman Orchards in Rexford, NY

we picked jonamacs, greening, macintosh, honey crisp, and twenty ounce

I only ate four apples on premises

the hubbs

our haul

that was the line of cars waiting to drive into the orchard

Are you planning on going apple picking this year? Have you already? What's your favorite kind? I love the pink lady apples. They're perfect for lunches and recipes. Just another wonderful thing about fall!