I had a great week in Seattle--except for the plague that has hijacked my body along with nearly everyone else in this area. I came down with a terrible cold on Monday and except for a few outings with friends and family last weekend before it really hit me... most plans I had with friends this week were cancelled; either they were sick, or I was. I was very happy I had a lot of time with Zane and Chloe though. They are so fun! I love hearing Zane's imaginative stories and songs which he is eager to share with "Auntie". As Zane sings, Chloe dances and laughs along. Very cute.
Work, even though I was a bit under the weather, was great. We had long meetings, but the outcome was totally worth it. Our group has grown over the past few months and the time we had really allowed us to bond. We also did events in the evening and we had a lot of fun.
Tom is in Puerto Rico tonight and will be back tomorrow afternoon. I too get back tomorrow after leaving Seattle early in the morning--not looking forward to that flight!
Sorry this entry is so short. More to come when I am off my nyquil/sudafed/afrin cocktail.
:-)
Here are a couple pics though of my time in Seattle: pre-sick.
melissa, lauren, adele(lauren's baby)and me
my sister and Chloe
matty, laura and myself having "blunch" at endalyne joe's in west seattle
I had no time to recover after Malea's visit. After dropping her off at the airport I headed back into the city for dinner with one of my closest friends, Todd (you may recall from a past post that he and his wife Kyla came to visit us in Nov when they ran the NYC Marathon). He was in town on a layover on his way to the Dominican Republic and I was happy I had a chance to hang out with him. Unfortunately, Tom couldn't join us for dinner as he was flying back that night from Virginia.
We ate at an eclectic little Thai restaurant on the edge of Greenwich Village where we were pretty much the only patrons. That concerned us a bit at first, but the food was pretty good tho and since we had the place to ourselves we could laugh as loud as we wanted (and I did that a bunch)!
After dinner we opted to walk back to the train station rather than take a cab. It was a wonderful night for a walk. We covered about 30 blocks but it felt like much less. It was 60 degrees or so at 10pm and the streets were populated, but not crowded.
Seeing the Wash Square Park Arch lit up is amazing. It was a perfectly sunny day and on sunny day nights--the arch looks its best. That combined with the Empire State Building lit up as well as the bustling cafe's and restaurants-- its hard not to love the city on a warm spring night. After a late night coffee at Starbucks, I caught the train home and Todd headed to his hotel for his early morning flight today. It was so great to see him and catch up!
This week Tom travels once more, this time to S Carolina, but thankfully just for one night! I though am heading to Seattle on Saturday to visit with some friends and family before a busy work week. I hate being gone that long from home, but if I don't go a couple days early--I don't get to see as many people as I'd like. I wish Tom could come, but he has to travel to Puerto Rico a couple days next week. :-(
Have a good rest of the week! :-)
pics: the arch at night
Here is part II and we actually did so much these last two days that there could be many more parts, but I will summarize!
Saturday we shopped again, but this time it was warm, well, relatively speaking. It was near 50 and it felt like a heat wave after Friday. Instead of the "regular" shops that the "meek" go to, Malea and I headed into Chinatown. We hopped the subway like old pros and that is such a great way to maneuver the city!
Now I like to think of myself as bit seasoned in this part of town--I feel confident in the black market browsing and the odd sights... but this trip was definitely different than any other time I have been there. First off, Chinatown is an interesting area of the city. Here is some tidbits of this area" in case you have never been: As you head uptown on Broadway past the eclectic Greenwich and shopping mecca Soho, you approach Canal Street. This is the main road in Chinatown and as with every distinct section that the city has, Chinatown has a much different feel and look than its surrounding neighborhoods. Its the largest population of Chinese in the world outside of China. We didn't come to Chinatown just to browse... Malea came with a want list of purses for her friends and family. These aren't just any purses--but the sweet knockoffs that I think make up most of the purses you see people carrying around the city. We were ushered into the normal hidden back rooms of shops, but we also were taken into the bowels of the area, walking for what felt like forever through the most authentic parts of Chinatown including bamboo merchants, little flea market shops that sell pretty much everything you would ever want--and a lot that you don't and very authentic food markets (read:smelly fish and butcher shops) and the scents that escaped from these shops were not always the most pleasant (Poor Malea, being 4 mo pregnant the smells didn't do her any favors in this part of the city--especially when we came across a slightly sour smelling barrel of live large frogs for sale. See pic). All in all, it was a successful shopping day in Chinatown. Right up there with the purses, the HUGE bag of slightly damaged Fortune Cookies that Malea bought for $2 was quite the deal. We closed out the day with a nice lunch at Vincent's in neighboring Little Italy and then headed home.
Sunday Tom drove us into the city and dropped us right in Times Square. It was near 60 and we were so happy to be warm. We did some shopping but mostly sight seeing at Bryant Park, Union Square and Strand Bookstore. The highlight of the day though was Madame Toussards Wax museum. We had a great time laughing and posing and I have posted some of the least embarrassing pics.
We had a wonderful time and Malea really lucked out with the weather! It was great to visit with her and nice to have a couple days off from work!
I attached some pics. Malea with Oprah, the Rock and getting ready to catch F train at Bryant Park. Chinatown and the frogs. Me cooking something up with Rachel Ray and then hanging with Bono. Even in wax, he is just cool.
Watch out Seattle... Malea is crossing the busy streets with no regard to the cross walk signs (a total local move) and bartering with the most poker faced Chinese knock-off purse sellers you'd ever see. She is a fast learner.
I don't know where to begin with my description of our trip to the city. I am going to do it in 2 parts.
Thursday after I picked Malea up at the airport we went to Jersey City so I could proudly show her my favorite view of Manhattan from across the Hudson. It was beautiful weather---but very cold. She was a bit shocked at the painful burning the 7 degree temps brought to her exposed skin. Safe to say, we didn't hang outside for too long and opted to head home and hang out with Tom and the dogs. Frank wouldn't leave Malea alone! He loves her!
That night we were wishing that we would have made reservations to stay in the city at least one night... but we didn't feel like paying the average cost of 400 a night for a dinky hotel (see past post from Melissa's visit).
Just for fun we went online and believe it or not, found a 4 star Radisson with a view of Broadway in Midtown for 200 a night! Whew! Deal of the day!
Friday we took the train into the city. It was again, very cold. Very cold. Sunny... but did I mention cold? We were bundled up with at times just our eyes showing with our hats pulled down and our scarves pulled up, but we pressed on! We did one of our favorite indoor activities to stay warm: shopping. The Macy's in the city is the biggest store in the world--its size is amazing. There are 8 floors complete with a large Starbucks inside the store (in the handbags department, conveniently) and other restaurants on some of the other floors--even a McDonald's.
Malea is the best bargain shopper I know and since that skill doesn't seem to rub off on me, sadly, she protected her title and found some great deals! Looking back, the cold really slowed us down some and we spent most of the day just leisurely shopping in and around Times Square.
Friday night we went to Hairspray on Broadway. Since living here I have gotten to a few wonderful shows but I honestly think that this was the best play I had ever seen. It was Malea's first and she's going to have a hard time topping this one. My aunt Toni (Malea's mother-in-law) got us great seats 12 rows back, center orchestra.
Any other place but the theater, if we were any closer to the actors, we'd be guilty of invading that little invisible bubble of private space we all put around us. The actors never seem to make a mistake and the talent they have and effort they put forth is incredible to watch. We both said later that we caught ourselves smiling many times during the play. Norm from Cheers very successfully was Tracy's mother (a role traditionally played by a man on the stage and movie productions) and everyone loved him. He received a very deserving bouquet of roses at the end.
After the play, around 11, it began to snow. It was such a perfect moment. It was beautiful and we were energized from the play and the lights and sights to see in Times Square. We walked for prob half a mile until the snow (now mixed with rain) started to pick and we decided to just hail a cab. Easier said than done on a snowy Friday night just after about 80 or more shows let out for the night!! After walking a bit more we spotted a soaking wet young guy that appeared to moonlight as a rickshaw. Lucky for us, he had a cover over the cabin. Of course,it cost about 5 times what a cab would of cost, but it was worth it! Everyone needs to see their life flash before them at least once on a rickshaw in NYC--you cannot put a cost to that?! I was very proud of Malea; as our driver dodged taxi's and pedestrians and we said silent prayers that this boy would peddle us safely the 12 remaining blocks to our hotel, I only saw her shut her eyes twice from fear. Pretty good for a first timer--and in the inclement weather! We got back to the hotel and after giving the boy a generous tip hoping he'd use it to purchase a rain hat, we stayed up late visiting, gossiping and laughing and I cannot tell you how great it feels to have some friends from home out here. :-)
end of part I.
*pics: us at hairspray, malea in jersey city with the empire state building behind her, a couple of times square and then again in the hotel. the windows you see behind her once opened so one could go out on the balcony... but the Radisson has since bolted them shut. Probably a good idea for the crazy's-- but for us normals, it was a bummer.
hey everyone-- here is a plug for my cousin cortney and her blog that she just started. she and her boyfriend David are traveling to Japan in March for the famous cherry blossom viewing as well as just touring around. This will be amazing, she is a wonderful writer. she plans to keep the blog going long after the trip so for sure check her out for interesting travel and life tidbits. Cort lives in Hawaii, which in itself is blog worthy! I am so glad she is doing this! The link is to the right in the "other sites we like" column. the pic is of cort and I on our road trip to Sun Valley via the Sawtooth Mountains a few years ago.
Its COLD here! With the windchill its below 0! Tom is flying back tonight from a quick 2 day meeting on the West Coast.
Tomorrow--- I am SO excited---my cousin Malea from Seattle is coming to visit (some of you may be wondering "how many cousins does she have already??". Well--a lot.) and is staying until Monday. I am taking a couple days off from work and we are going to do the normal things I do when friends come to visit including play tourist in the city, go to a show, try and spy movie stars, purse shopping in china town and just taking in ALL that we can!! I will update the blog of course with our wacky adventures and associated pictures!
On Friday we had our biggest snowfall of the year in the NE! We got around 8". Attached is a short video with the dogs frolicking about. Enjoy!
happy Presidents day! hopefully everyone is looking forward to the elections in Nov. Its quite a conversation topic out here in the East and I love it!
Today Tom, the dogs and I decided to drive to the Hamptons to see what thats all about.
Because we were there just for the day, we only hit East Hampton and drove to pretty much the end of Long Island (where the "Hampton's" are). We saw beautiful, large homes and the beach was gorgeous. The waves were quite big today as a storm was on its way in (it hit tonight actually).
Its about a 3 hour drive from our place, but it was a nice one. Traveling through NY is always good--always something to see. We drove thru the Bronx and Queens in route to our destination.
East Hampton is nice. Pretty swanky, but since it is still the off season, the crowds were small. Some of the shops and most hotels are closed until mid April, but there were plenty of things to do and see. The dogs loved it and per usual, they became a reason for strangers to greet us on the street and discuss everything from the Westminster Dog Show to a doctor in the Hampton's that has created a practice solely for dachshunds and offers acupuncture for them (only in the Hampton's...).
We had a wonderful time and our weekend was very full! It got to 68 here in NJ today and it felt like spring (or summer in Seattle. haha). All the snow melted and we are seeing buds on the trees. We are supposed to get snow on Wed though... crazy weather!
today tom and i headed to the shore. tom wanted to do some more work on the boat (install a new ice maker, some speakers, tons of projects that he loves to do)! These were pretty much one man jobs (which I was ok with-its cold out still and the marina is no exception) so I decided to play tourist and check out the shore a bit more intensely. As many of you may know ( i HOPE you know), Bruce Springsteen began his career in Asbury Park. He, being one of my all time fave artists and this city being so close to the marina, it was an ideal destination for me today!
Let me set it up a bit:
There are some areas (most I would say) of the Jersey Shore that are beautiful, but there are also some areas that have, potential; potential to become what they once were a few decades ago. The latter describes Asbury Park. From one angle you see can see huge homes, some along the water, that will amaze and from another angle quaint, tree lined main streets that make you feel like you are in a small town. However, Asbury, I have learned is not what it once was. The most kind way to describe this town is that it is in a remodel--one that it has been in for years. Giant unfishinshed hotels line the shore, condos promising shore living that have had their creation halted due to the mortgage crisis, boarded up homes and hotels littered with graffiti.
Granted, it is Winter and probably not the most beautiful time to visit the Shore: the sandy beaches and vast boardwalks lose some of the awe they hold in the warmer months and I am guessing in the summer sun, just like with most people, everything looks a little better with a tan. :-)
Anyway--I decided to hit some of the hotspots that are famous for Bruce.
As I drove to each destination I was shocked to find that I literally was the ONLY person on the streets (driving or walking). It felt odd. I realize its Sunday, but still--I saw one person signing his own version of Opera in a small corner park and a jogger--that was it.
My first stop was the Stone Pony. This is the most famous Bruce spot in the city as this is where he played most gigs and its noted as his favorite. Looking at some old pics of the place, it still pretty much looks the same now as it did back in the early 80's. I attached a pic. It resides across the street from the beach and in the early days, one could see ferris wheels, huge hotels and tons of people out each night. The view from the Stone Pony look drastically different today. Its sad.
My next stop was the Boardwalk. I cannot wait until the summer! The boardwalk is beauiful and its steps from the beach. It is the one place that hasn't changed over the years. In the summer it will be packed with people as it was in its hey day.
Check the pic.
Next, the Fast Lane. This club can boast that the best have played here, including: Bruce, U2, REM and... Bon Jovi! to name a few. The pics here show the Fast Lane today as well as an early pic I found on the Fast Lane site of Bruce and Jon Bon Jovi playing there.
After driving past the remnants of the Metropolitan Hotel (see vintage before pic and after) which is for sale currently, I decided to walk Main street. I found a great little off the wall coffee shop and spoke to a local about the towns music history and the impact its made on the world. We also discussed what has become of Asbury today and the promises from various city and state governement entities promising to make it again what it once was. I was encouraged to come back and visit in the summer when I will see for myself why the residents here want to belive these promises. As for Bruce, according to this guy, he still makes the rounds a few times each summer, stopping to say hello to many (he lives just a couple towns away).
(side note: I think this guy lost a bit of respect for me when I asked if Jon Bon Jovi ever came in... his answer was a flat "no").
After this full day I went back to the boat, marveled at how much Tom had gotten done there and we headed home. It was a great day and Asbury is now a destination on my "to visit" list that I can mark complete.
I have also added a link (below, copy and paste) to some current news on the status of bringing Asbury back to what it once was. Sadly, its not a very promising article.
Tom and I for sure have the Spring fever thing going today! We cleaned all the carpets for the boat and wow----do they look great! Its a beautiful day here, 100% sun. It really seems like Spring is here---until we go outside and realize its only 32 degrees! We are just running errands today and Tom is enjoying being home-- no traveling at all next week!
I like to put in little factoids about this area as I come across them so everyone can get a better feel for our new home. With the economy in a near recession and mortgages a major issue, the rental market in NY/NJ is booming vs the purchase of a new home. There are some pockets of the city though where you can still get a deal for not too much cash and none better than Jersey City. Although not quite in the city, its just across the Hudson and Manhattan is literally minutes away. Some of my past posts I have blogged about this area--Tom and I love it. Anyway, if anyone is looking for an investment (or to possibly move out here (hint hint L) Jersey City has some screaming deals (300-500K for condos in new developments). Even with some of the deals, the rental market still seems more popular for city living and it seems that this is only the beginning.
Here are some facts I read today in the NY Times:
-New Jersey's population density of 1150 persons per square mile is the highest in the WORLD, even greater than Japan (850) and India (950). This of course intensifies the demand for homes, which leads to higher costs; currently, housing in NJ costs 53% above the national average.
-It’s estimated that 30K people per year make the move across the Hudson from Manhattan to find housing. As this continues to happen, the rental market may be all people can afford out here.
Since we are on the subject of real estate… every Saturday one of my favorite sections of the paper is Real Estate. I love reading about spaces in the city that are so coveted here, but in other parts of the country what is sold/or rented out as living space would be viewed as obscene, even more so when you see the cost associated.
Here is a good one that’s been on the market for 12 weeks.
An Upper East Side studio (nice neighborhood, Socialite status, within walking distance to Central Park and multiple museums) in a pre-war (read= old) co-op building (no doorman which is a drawback), southern exposure, h/w floors, renovated kitchen and bath.
Monthly maint fees in addition to the mortgage are $480.00
The cost: $300K.
Oh yeah, the size… 350 sq feet.
I have attached some new pics of the city. Even with its ridiculous pricing its a great place to be. :-)
nyu, cafe wha?, a frequent gig for bob dylan back in the day, rain in greenwich and frank preparing for tom's bday a couple weeks ago.
:-)
Hey Everyone!! Its snowing here and its so beautiful! It started around 1 and shortly there after I headed home to finish the work day. With Tom in Conneticut, I didn't want to be stranded at work. I know what many of you are thinking... "you are in the NE, it always snows, people are used to it, blah blah"...
I too used to think that and while this area is superb at plowing and de-icing, the people here seem to get just as nervous driving as they do in Seattle. Anyway--so its still snowing and I love it! Although Frank and Ollie would love to play in the in it all day, they get pretty cold so we are hunkering down indoors where its warm, but moods get a bit testy (see pics).
:-)
Hi everyone! Happy Saturday! Today we were greeted with snow falling and it was beautiful. It didn't last long though as it warmed up, but that was ok as we were on our way to the Atlantic City Boat Show. Its about 2 hours away from us and a nice drive. Maybe because it is winter, but what I saw of the city didn't impress me. It was how I expected it actually--like Reno but with taller buildings. Now granted, we didn't hang out there and just drove through the main areas by Trump Tower and Caesar's etc so perhaps I am not giving it a chance. The one thing that we saw briefly that I cannot wait to get back to is the boardwalk. It too is just how I imagined: Wonderful! The sandy beaches surround the wood planked boardwalk with the ocean on one side and store shops selling salt water taffy (among other things) on the other. I made Tom promise that we'd go back here the 1st warm weekend we have so we can lay on the beach and stroll the boardwalk. (It sounds like I am in California, not South Jersey). So I am guessing in April I will have a much more detailed entry on this location! Here is some history on the famous boardwalk: it was built in 1870 and was just 12 feet wide and only intended to keep the sand out of the hotels. Today, it's 40 feet wide and stretches for more than 4 miles and is a main attraction in the NE. Here is a pic of an artists rendition that I like.
The boat show was a feast for the eyes! We saw tons of things to stick on our "want" list. We are currently replacing some of the electronics (more of a want than a need and if you know Tom, that makes perfect sense), recovering the couches, etc.
We brought the dogs on this road trip today and they loved the car ride! Most of the time they sit in the back seat and nap or look out the windows---until they get just too cute and I bring them to the front seat to sit with us! :-)
Not too much else happening. Tom heads on a road show Tuesday for work visiting Connecticut, DC and a couple other spots. Aside from a trip to Seattle in late Feb, he hopes (as do I) that the traveling slows down. I am super busy at work but love my job so I don't mind too much. My cousin Malea is coming to visit later this month so I am taking a couple days off to show her the city and I cannot wait!!!
Have a good rest of the weekend! I hope everyone in Seattle went out and voted...
We hope everyone is ready to cheer on the Giants as they attempt to make history tonight in what could be the biggest upset in Super Bowl history!! While we normally root for the Jets since moving out here, we are jumping on the Giant's bandwagon as frankly, its hard not to! Plus--the Jets didn't have the best season...
Yesterday we celebrated Tom's birthday (actually began the celebration Friday night with cake, presents, party hats, the whole nine yards) by spending some time on the boat and then heading into the city to see Grease on Broadway. It was a great show and we had pretty good seats! I don't think there is anyone who has NOT seen Grease the movie version so you can all relate to how infectious the songs are! (Sadly Grease II never compared to the fame of the original except for in Portland, OR in the early 80's where my sister, our friends Gina and Shannon and I LOVED it beyond words).
Here are a couple pics of the play!
Go Giants!
pics: greased lightning scene, summer nights (summer lovin') scene, grease II billboard (if you are curious...)
as promised, here is a pic of my ring. I feel that I am the luckiest girl alive!
... and it is: Seattle Reigns. Not only is it a play on words, as we all know it rains in Seattle, but Seattle will always reign for us as its where Tom and I met! We are so excited to get the name on the boat. I need to decide what font we want and then its pretty much done. We went down to the shore yesterday. We are getting some work done on the boat getting it ready for Spring. I can hardly wait!! I told Tom that I see us on that boat nearly every weekend!!! We also went and checked on our new Marina where the boat will reside beginning this Spring. Attached is a picture of our view from our slip. Its completely unobstructed which will allow for picture perfect sunsets. :-) In New Jersey you have to be licensed to drive (that can't be the right word) a boat so we have to attend a captains class to get certified. Yes I said we--- you may address us as Captain Tom and Captain Diana after just two short 4 hour Saturday classes. The likelihood of me actually "driving" the boat is slim so I protest a bit at my enrollment in this class, but you never know when I may have to take the wheel. :-)
The weatherman keeps saying its going to snow, but it hasn't yet. Maybe today. We aren't complaining though--- while its still a bit cold, its sunny!!
Tom heads to Denver this week for work and I am very busy too. When Tom travels I end up working pretty late which I don't mind--especially with it being so busy.
oh yeah... after many requests, I will also be posting a picture of my beautiful engagement ring on the blog. :-) Stay tuned for that...
Well, its cold here. Never in my life have I wanted a full head stocking hat (the type where there are just holes for your eyes) until today. With the wind-chill making it 7 degrees here--we are pretty much hunkering down inside and watching the football games. Go Giants!
Yesterday it was cold as well, low 30's, and we ventured to Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The view of the city is THE BEST from Jersey City and I never get tired of it. You are literally right across a narrow part of the Hudson River and you feel so close to Manhattan.
In one part of the park you can stand exactly across from where the World Trade Center was. Think about the hundreds of people that were at the park that morning waiting to get to Ellis Island. They would have had a nauseatingly close look at the planes hitting the towers.
The main reason we went to Liberty State Park was to ferry over to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (about a 6 min ride). You can see the statue from the park and I was interested in it much more than I thought I would be. It seems smaller though...
We bought our tickets for the ferry and waited--in the cold for what seemed like forever--before we decided to ditch this idea and vow to return when the the temp was above freezing. We couldn't even have gone in the statue anyway as it was already to capacity so that sealed the deal.
We went into Hoboken instead and had a great lunch. Hoboken and Jersey City are the "in place" to live these days for those who want to be close to the city but don't want the expense or craziness of the city. Many college grads from NY move here where rent is a bit cheaper and they still feel like they are in the city as its about a 5 min drive or they can ferry in. I LOVE the Brownstones here (and in NY) and have planted the seed with Tom that I would LOVE to live in a brownstone (which of course he already knew). Future visitors: don't get your hopes up, Tom is not interested in the city living. So--I am resigned to visit A LOT! :-) Good thing we are so close. This summer we plan to boat up here a bunch as there are plenty of slips.
Attached are some pics. Tom and I on our way into Liberty Park--out of service, historic NY train station of which we are standing on the tracks (city in the background); the 9/11 memorial in Jersey City of some battered and burnt steel from the collapse of the World Trade Center and the statue--from a distance.
Yesterday I took the afternoon off and went into the city. It was cold! but the sun felt so good and soon I was happy I had just worn my wool sweater and kept the jacket at home. This was my first visit since the holidays and it was no less busy. In fact, the Green Market (produce) at Union Square was packed! The sun brings people out!!
My goal was to get to Battery Park (by the Statue of Liberty and site of the WTC) by foot which is pretty far away from the train station, but not a real difficult walk. The problem though, is that I get sidetracked as I walk taking pics or stopping at parks or shopping. I managed to get pretty far, but when the sun started to go down I figured it'd be getting even colder (it did) so I headed back. As always it was a great day! I saw a music video being shot on Broadway in Soho, but I can't tell you the artist as the genre is one I am not super familiar with--- gangsta rap. However, I did get to witness a really nice red sports car being prepped for the camera with a model woman in the passenger seat and in the drivers seat, a thug-worthy guy that could have been 50 cent. Thats right, we'll just say I saw a 50 cent video get shot. Pass it on.
(Oh I also forgot to mention that Tom and I saw the tv chef Rachel Ray in the city just before Christmas. Its safe to say I am very disappointed that my only star sightings thus far have been her and 50).
I also checked out the campus of NYU a bit closer as I am registering for a writing class there to begin in June. It is in Greenwich Village (I attached a map so you can look at some of these areas I mention if you are unfamiliar). I am really excited for the class! There is something comforting about taking a class you want to take and not one that your degree depends on!! The campus there is not like a normal "campus". There are multiple buildings on a cluster of streets that surround Washington Square Park. Definelty a college in the middle of the city--but once I got my bearings on the buildings and their location to the subway and park, it seemed a bit more familiar.
This weekend we are venturing out for some sight seeing in the tri-state area so i will be sure to post pics then. Tom is home for a bit... but has to go to Puerto Rico for 2 days next week (no, i can't go. sigh. :-( and then denver the next week). This month he has pretty much been gone more than home. He was able to rearrange his meeting this week though so he got to come home early! That was great!
*pics are union square with a very blue sky and the map for reference.
Have a great Thursday!
Hey everyone! Happy weekend!
Attached to the right under the 'OTHER SITES WE LIKE' area is a link to a little video (hosted on YouTube) that we created highlighting our trip to Belize. There is music so be sure and have your sound on and up. You don't need a log in or anything to view it, just click title: our belize movie
The pictures are random for the most part and this is my first imovie on my mac so it may seem a bit rough (some of the resolutions of the pics are not that great, I still need to play around with formatting and stuff), but I will keep practicing. (by the way all of you pc people... this was SO easy to do and so fun. I bet you want a mac now).
I can send the movie to you on a dvd too--its much clearer than on youtube, so if you want one, let me know.
Not much else has been happening to warrant a blog entry. Tom flies out tomorrow evening for a work road-trip to Virginia, North Carolina and I think South Carolina. I am finally feeling caught up at work after being out and am planning a trip into the city this week just to wander. I can't wait---seems like I haven't been there in a while. Its supposed to be sunny most of the week (maybe chance of snow) but cold--in the 30's. Much different from the unseasonably warm weather we have been having.
We are already getting the itch to go away again somewhere. Gretchen, Merry and I are already narrowing the list down for next Christmas, but that will NOT be soon enough! :-)
hello! we made it home in one piece and were greeted by a 68 degree day today! What a nice homecoming! I felt Belize-ish when I took the dogs for a walk in my flip flops, jeans and a t-shirt! Tomorrow is supposed to be just as nice. Its always good to come home, but hard to go back to work...
Since we won't be traveling anywhere too interesting in the next few months and you find you still want to read about a far away place, check out my cousin Ryan's blog (to the right of this post in the "other sites we like" section. longwalkhome).
He and his wife Katrin are headed to Vietnam for 3 weeks and undoubtedly will have many interesting things happen to them--as they often do. Ryan's trips make me want to travel even more.
Attached are some pics from Belize. Tom and I at Caye Caulker and in front of some sort of rasta bob marley taco stand that was closed. Another is of Doug, Gretchen and Tom in front of our FAVORITE taco stand on the island. 3 taco's for .50 US. What a deal. Of course you need 6 or so to curb your hunger, but thats still only a buck!
Tom is standing in front of what I am guessing is an out of service boat on the island but still with the Jesus statue intact as the main navigator. There is a pic of me petting the nurse sharks and then Tom in the street during rush hour in San Pedro. :-)
More pics are in the Belize folder under photos and I will keep adding them.
The last two days the weather has changed for us here in Belize. Its been in the 70's, but really windy so we are a bit chilled and have not been able to dive. The skys have been gray for the most part reminding us of Seattle. We have made the most of the days though and spent yesterday with Gretchen, Doug and Patrick walking the island, visiting bakeries and ending up at the Crazy Canucks bar for pretty much the entire afternoon. It was a great day! Today we all headed into Belize City. Tom had lived here 20 yrs ago and sadly--it hasn't changed much and if anything has gone a bit more downhill since then. He didn't remember too much about the city from his time here and I think thats probably ok. To explain it in terms that are more recognizable, Ambergris Caye is to Beverly Hills as Belize City is to East LA. We were so shocked to see pretty much all of the city (and we were in the "good part") in shambles. Houses that would normally be condemned had people living in them. Windows--even with wood shutters--had iron bars around them. Every window on every house. Sewer in the curb systems and garbage all over. We were offered drugs and "good deals" on anything we may want on more than a few occasions. It was an eye opener. We had all been to some pretty remote places, but this was the worst. We didn't ever feel unsafe, but we never felt totally comfortable. Even with this description, we are glad we went. We did see a few places of interest (even the guidebooks have to reach for suggestions on things to do/see) including the local and only Hindu temple and the Belize Museum which had a great Mayan artifact exhibit. In all, it was a good trip, but still very sad. Its a perfect example of internal corruption within a government system that benefits no one but a few. Normally this is more common in a communist country--not a British Commonwealth.
Tomorrow we head out. We are glad to be going home, but its hard to leave. We have had such a great vacation.
Happy New Year! This am we started 2008 by hopping the water taxi for a 30 min ride to the nearby island of Caye Caulker. We had thought of staying here when we booked the trip, but had heard it was pretty desolate so we chose Ambergris. While we are very happy with our choice, Caulker would have been great for a few days. It is much more laid back (and quite a bit smaller) than San Pedro, but the beaches are beautiful and the town is full of things to see while wandering. I picked up a cd of local Belizian music and a beautiful tapestry that we have no idea where it will go, but I loved it so much.
The best part of today is that we managed to meet up with our friends Merry and John who we met last year in Cozumel. It was a reunion with all of us together again and we had a great lunch and caught up. We are already planning next years Christmas trip. After spending time visiting in the pool at Merry's hotel we headed back "home" and just enjoyed the rest of the day reading and relaxing (we are beginning to sound pretty predictable) before heading to new years day mass tonight (which was in Spanish and made it all the more adventurous). :-)
Tomorrow we are diving in the morning so its an early night.
So far, its a great 2008.
(slowly i am able to add some pics so check for those. when i am back in the states i will post more).
