Ok, I got an anonymous "So....." comment about my birthday, so I guess I should get on that!
Well, my 24th birthday was last Saturday, and it was a blast!!!
To start with, I had a little birthday "party" at a bar in the city on Friday night. About 10 of my friends came, which I thought was pretty good because we didn't even plan it until about 3 days before! I had a great time and allegedly had a few drinks (which I deny, perhaps because said drinks make me unable to recall!). After the "party" (I place the term in quotes because parties for me freak me out), two of my Team In Training friends, Karen and Erica and Taylor and I went to the Riviera Cafe for dinner (at 12:30am). They sang happy birthday to me and we had a great time. We headed home at about 1:30am.
The next day, Taylor and I went out to New Jersey for a concert by my FAVORITE band, Sanctus Real. They just happened to be playing out in New Jersey not far from the City on my birthday. I think it was a personal present, but some radio station seems to think they had the idea!! Regardless, we headed out to New Jersey at around 11:30am to catch the show, which we thought was going to start at 2pm.
What's funny about the location of the concert is that it took place in the same place as our 20-mile run with Team in Training in March. As soon as we got there, I knew I recognized the place from some traumatic experience. It only took me a few minutes to realize that I had run my 20-miles in that very spot!
Anyway, the show ended up not starting until 4:30pm, so we had a lot of time to just hang out in the field where the musical festival was taking place. We even took a trip into the nearby town of Manville to get some Subway sandwiches and an iced coffee.
Sanctus Real played for about an hour. They were great! We had an awesome time watching them play. After the show, I was torn about whether I should try to say hello. There was a long line near the tent to get autographs from the band, and even though I know them from home, I didn't really want to grab them before they got to the line, so we just decided to head back to New Jersey for my birthday dinner.
Well, there were other plans! When Taylor and I got to the car to leave, we realized that the keys weren't in my bag! We ended up combing through the entire field before we found a security guard who said they found a set of keys. After about 20 minutes, we finally arrived at the trailer where the band happened to be hanging out and there we found our keys! So, I got to say hi to Sanctus Real after all! It was great.
So Taylor and I headed back to his house in New Jersey after the concert to get ready for dinner. I had bought a really pretty dress for my birthday, but somehow I completely forgot to bring shoes out to New Jersey. Luckily, Taylor gave me a gift card to TJ Maxx for my birthday, so we stopped on the way to dinner and I found the cutest shoes for just $15!!! They are hot! I love them, so it was perfect timing!
Well, dinner was DELICIOUS. I had scallops and Taylor had linguine carbararo. We had a great dinner and after that headed to the driving range to hit some golf balls. We had a great time before heading back to Taylor's to eat some cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and relaxing at home for the rest of the night.
All and all, it was a great birthday!!
So to whomever was saying "So....", there you have it :)
Monday, July 23, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
I am alive
I don't know how many of you saw news about a transformer blast in Manhattan, but I just wanted to let you know I'm ok :) My roommate actually works very close to the scene of the explosion, but thankfully she is safe as well.
Just wanted to let you know.
If you didn't hear, you can read it here
Just wanted to let you know.
If you didn't hear, you can read it here
The taxi of the future
Today, I had an out of backseat experience. Well, it actually started in the porta potty last night at the New York City Philharmonic concert in Central Park.
While taking a much-needed bathroom break from a beautiful evening of wine and live music, I found a $20 bill on the floor of the porta potty. I immediately traded that dirty $20 for a popsicle and some different filthy money at an ice cream cart.
But all this just explains why I found myself in the backseat of a cab this morning on the way to work. Typically I wouldn't fork over an extra $5 to get to work 5 minutes sooner, but seeing as it was raining this morning and I had come into some money last night, I decided to spring for it.
Well, news has been swirling around the city that cabs are soon going to be required to have GPS systems installed and to accept credit cards. The cab I took this morning already had both things installed and let me tell you, it was bizarre. See, typically riding in a cab is pretty much an exercise in watching your money drain away while trying not to come in contact with any surface in the cab.
Today, though, I was entertained. The back of the front seat of the cab had a small TV screen in it. The top of the screen had a place where you can swipe a credit card to pay for the cab. The screen had a GPS map of the route the cab was taking and also displayed the fare to that point as well as adds, which I have heard actually match to the location of the cab. So, if the cab happens to be driving by a Starbucks or a McDonalds, the system can use the GPS to know which adds to display.
And even though GPS displays and adds are SOOO entertaining, the best part of the ride was that you can change from the add view to watch news, sports, weather, comedy, arts, or local events programming! I tell you what, now that I can pay with my credit card to watch TV in a cab....I might need to consider a second job!!!
While taking a much-needed bathroom break from a beautiful evening of wine and live music, I found a $20 bill on the floor of the porta potty. I immediately traded that dirty $20 for a popsicle and some different filthy money at an ice cream cart.
But all this just explains why I found myself in the backseat of a cab this morning on the way to work. Typically I wouldn't fork over an extra $5 to get to work 5 minutes sooner, but seeing as it was raining this morning and I had come into some money last night, I decided to spring for it.
Well, news has been swirling around the city that cabs are soon going to be required to have GPS systems installed and to accept credit cards. The cab I took this morning already had both things installed and let me tell you, it was bizarre. See, typically riding in a cab is pretty much an exercise in watching your money drain away while trying not to come in contact with any surface in the cab.
Today, though, I was entertained. The back of the front seat of the cab had a small TV screen in it. The top of the screen had a place where you can swipe a credit card to pay for the cab. The screen had a GPS map of the route the cab was taking and also displayed the fare to that point as well as adds, which I have heard actually match to the location of the cab. So, if the cab happens to be driving by a Starbucks or a McDonalds, the system can use the GPS to know which adds to display.
And even though GPS displays and adds are SOOO entertaining, the best part of the ride was that you can change from the add view to watch news, sports, weather, comedy, arts, or local events programming! I tell you what, now that I can pay with my credit card to watch TV in a cab....I might need to consider a second job!!!
Here's a photo (I didn't take it, got it off the internet!)
Here are some articles about the sweet new features of NYC taxis:
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sunday (finally!)
Hello there. Well I wanted to blog one last time about Taryn's visit. Yes, I know she left a week ago, I'm sorry for being so slow! Well Sunday was T's last full day in the city, and the for her last day, the forecasted high in New York was 96 degrees!! So, T wisely suggested that we save some of our cool indoor activities for Sunday. She's so smart!
So on Sunday, we woke up and took a nice leisurely walk through Central Park down to 90th St. We then walked over to 90th and Broadway and each got a manicure and a pedicure for $20! Not bad if you ask me. And it was perfect because our feet were pretty gross after spending three days walking around in flip flops in New York. After our little spa treat, we went to the Museum of Natural History and did a quick tour of the highlights of the museum. I get in free through my work, so we didn't feel like we had to spend a ton of time there. After the museum, I FINALLY took Taryn on her first cab ride. We took a cab from the museum over to the Upper East Side to walk around the neighborhood where Carrie Bradshaw supposedly lived in Sex and the City. At this point, were were getting pretty hungry, so we stopped in a deli on Lexington Avenue and got some lunch . It was delicious!
After lunch, we took the bus down to the southeast corner of Central Park. There, we stopped in the apple store on 5th Avenue. By then, Taryn was getting pretty tired of walking (NYC is tiring!!), so we headed back to my apartment to relax for a bit!
After a while at my apartment, T and I decided to go lay out in Riverside park and enjoy the nice day. We laid in the shade and did mad-libs and read magazines for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful late afternoon/evening on the Hudson River. We laid out until almost 8pm. Since we'd eaten such a late lunch, we weren't hungry for a while. When we finally left, we both had to go to the bathroom REALLY bad, so we stopped in Chipotle to use the restroom before heading to dinner at Hudson River Cafe. I had never been to this restaurant, but I've seen it many times. It's a nice restaurant right near the Hudson River without outdoor seating and live music. We had a delicious dinner, including DELICIOUS coconut shrimp skewers before heading home at about 10pm. All and all it was a beautiful day!
Sunday night, we stayed up a little late watching Sex and the City and just hanging out. But then we had to get up REALLY early to catch the bus to the airport. I went with T to the airport on Monday morning. We were both very tired on the way and we may or may not (read: did) have cried when we had to say goodbye in the security line. Oops!! My sis is so sweet, she just didn't want to leave me!
THANKS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND, T!!!
So on Sunday, we woke up and took a nice leisurely walk through Central Park down to 90th St. We then walked over to 90th and Broadway and each got a manicure and a pedicure for $20! Not bad if you ask me. And it was perfect because our feet were pretty gross after spending three days walking around in flip flops in New York. After our little spa treat, we went to the Museum of Natural History and did a quick tour of the highlights of the museum. I get in free through my work, so we didn't feel like we had to spend a ton of time there. After the museum, I FINALLY took Taryn on her first cab ride. We took a cab from the museum over to the Upper East Side to walk around the neighborhood where Carrie Bradshaw supposedly lived in Sex and the City. At this point, were were getting pretty hungry, so we stopped in a deli on Lexington Avenue and got some lunch . It was delicious!
After lunch, we took the bus down to the southeast corner of Central Park. There, we stopped in the apple store on 5th Avenue. By then, Taryn was getting pretty tired of walking (NYC is tiring!!), so we headed back to my apartment to relax for a bit!
After a while at my apartment, T and I decided to go lay out in Riverside park and enjoy the nice day. We laid in the shade and did mad-libs and read magazines for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful late afternoon/evening on the Hudson River. We laid out until almost 8pm. Since we'd eaten such a late lunch, we weren't hungry for a while. When we finally left, we both had to go to the bathroom REALLY bad, so we stopped in Chipotle to use the restroom before heading to dinner at Hudson River Cafe. I had never been to this restaurant, but I've seen it many times. It's a nice restaurant right near the Hudson River without outdoor seating and live music. We had a delicious dinner, including DELICIOUS coconut shrimp skewers before heading home at about 10pm. All and all it was a beautiful day!
Sunday night, we stayed up a little late watching Sex and the City and just hanging out. But then we had to get up REALLY early to catch the bus to the airport. I went with T to the airport on Monday morning. We were both very tired on the way and we may or may not (read: did) have cried when we had to say goodbye in the security line. Oops!! My sis is so sweet, she just didn't want to leave me!
THANKS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND, T!!!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Taryn and I on Saturday
Hello there. So I started to blog about Taryn's trip to visit me and it was just SO exciting that I had to stop typing and go to the gym (read: I was sick of typing and we did so much!). So here is a recap of our Saturday in New York City.
So on Saturday we woke up in my new apartment (the one I am moving into August 1) at the nice late hour of 10am. We decided to catch up on some sleep after a LOOOOONG day on Friday. We headed out at about 11:30am to visit the trendy area of Soho. Soho is full of fancy shops and (if you're lucky) famous people. Sadly we didn't see anyone famous, but Taryn and I still had fun touring Soho. After we finished up there, we headed up to Macy's and the 34th st. area of Midtown. We got lunch at Macy's and then went to the biggest Forever 21 store Taryn had ever seen. We each got a shirt and then continued to walk through Manhattan up 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Center. By this point, we were getting pretty tired, so we made a stop in St. Patricks Cathedral where there was a WEDDING going on (while people were still walking through being tourists, it was weird!). Then, we headed back to my apartment to rest. I know this day doesn't have much detail, mostly because we literally spent most of the day just walking around observing the city!
Soon after we got back on Saturday afternoon, we went out to dinner with my roommate and her brother for a little "sibs dinner." We ate at Chipotle and then headed back to get some rest! We were really excited because Saturday night we were going to Times Square!!! We stayed in my apartment until almost 9pm and then caught the bus down to Times Square so Taryn could see all the lights by night. We had a great time walking all over Times Square. We saw the 3-story Toys 'R' Us with the Ferris Wheel inside and many other fun things!!
Then, once we were done with Times Square, we headed down to the West Village for desert. Even though I've lived in New York almost a year, I had never been to Magnolia Bakery, a place famous for their cupcakes. Well, Magnolia is open until 12:30am on Saturday night, so we got there at about 12am and bought four cupcakes (at the incredibly reasonable price of $2 EACH) for desert. I had no trouble finishing my two cupcakes in 1 sitting. Taryn was sane enough to save one of hers for breakfast on Sunday! We headed back to my apartment at around 1 am and watched an episode of Sex and the City before going to bed at about 1:30am!
And with that, I am spent. More on Sunday to come!!
So on Saturday we woke up in my new apartment (the one I am moving into August 1) at the nice late hour of 10am. We decided to catch up on some sleep after a LOOOOONG day on Friday. We headed out at about 11:30am to visit the trendy area of Soho. Soho is full of fancy shops and (if you're lucky) famous people. Sadly we didn't see anyone famous, but Taryn and I still had fun touring Soho. After we finished up there, we headed up to Macy's and the 34th st. area of Midtown. We got lunch at Macy's and then went to the biggest Forever 21 store Taryn had ever seen. We each got a shirt and then continued to walk through Manhattan up 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Center. By this point, we were getting pretty tired, so we made a stop in St. Patricks Cathedral where there was a WEDDING going on (while people were still walking through being tourists, it was weird!). Then, we headed back to my apartment to rest. I know this day doesn't have much detail, mostly because we literally spent most of the day just walking around observing the city!
Soon after we got back on Saturday afternoon, we went out to dinner with my roommate and her brother for a little "sibs dinner." We ate at Chipotle and then headed back to get some rest! We were really excited because Saturday night we were going to Times Square!!! We stayed in my apartment until almost 9pm and then caught the bus down to Times Square so Taryn could see all the lights by night. We had a great time walking all over Times Square. We saw the 3-story Toys 'R' Us with the Ferris Wheel inside and many other fun things!!
Then, once we were done with Times Square, we headed down to the West Village for desert. Even though I've lived in New York almost a year, I had never been to Magnolia Bakery, a place famous for their cupcakes. Well, Magnolia is open until 12:30am on Saturday night, so we got there at about 12am and bought four cupcakes (at the incredibly reasonable price of $2 EACH) for desert. I had no trouble finishing my two cupcakes in 1 sitting. Taryn was sane enough to save one of hers for breakfast on Sunday! We headed back to my apartment at around 1 am and watched an episode of Sex and the City before going to bed at about 1:30am!
And with that, I am spent. More on Sunday to come!!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Taryn's Visit
Hey there, so I guess I'm not the best blogger....huh? I'm so sorry. Been busy with work and visitors, you name it. Well, Taryn was here last weekend and it was a blast!!!! She had never been to New York City and with her 17-year-old eyes, I was able to see the city all over again. I must admit, I love New York from a newcomer's perspective!! It's so easy to lose the thrill of living in such a wonderful place when you're stuck in the daily grind. It was so great to get out there with Taryn.
We had a great time touring the city together. On Friday morning, we got up REALLY EARLY and headed down to Rockefeller Center to see Fall Out Boy perform on the Today Show. Despite the fact that we had to leave my apartment at 6:20am, we had a great time and Taryn was (I think) excited to see them in her first 12 hours in New York. We spent most of the day on Friday just seeing the main parts of the city. After Fall Out Boy, we went to the top of Rockefeller Center to the Top of the Rock Observatory. It had a great view of the city, especially Central Park. Taryn said that the most surprising thing about New York City is just how BIG the park is. It is rather surprising if you haven't seen it before. The park has a loop inside it that is 6-miles long, so that just gives you an idea of how big it is.
Friday we walked through Times Square before catching the train down to the World Trade Center site. We spend some time there before doing a little shopping and going by my office so Taryn could see where I work every day. We also headed to the South Street Seaport for lunch. The Seaport is a nice spot with lots of shops right on the east river. We hung out there and then caught the Staten Island Ferry, which takes us out into New York harbor right by the Statue of Liberty. It was a very nice ride and was a nice break from the hectic day. We just got to sit for a while and enjoy the water.
Friday we finally headed back to my apartment late in the afternoon to take a little break from the busy-ness of the day. On Friday night, we headed down to try to get tickets to the musical Wicked. Every day before the performance they have a lottery where you can win front row seats for just $25. We figured it was worth a shot, but didn't get the tickets! That was ok, though, because big sis had a backup plan (of course!). We headed to dinner at a nice little Mexican restaurant and then went to an African Dance Show in Central park. The show was great and it was a beautiful night to be outside.
After the show, I had arranged for us to spend the night at my new apartment, just so Taryn could see it and also because the place has air conditioning. We bought the stuff to make brownies and spent the rest of the night in the apartment baking and watching Sex and the City. It was quite a successful day if I do say so myself!!
Well, this has taken a while to write, so I need to get to the gym! I'll write the rest soon!! Please click the links below to see our pictures!!!
We had a great time touring the city together. On Friday morning, we got up REALLY EARLY and headed down to Rockefeller Center to see Fall Out Boy perform on the Today Show. Despite the fact that we had to leave my apartment at 6:20am, we had a great time and Taryn was (I think) excited to see them in her first 12 hours in New York. We spent most of the day on Friday just seeing the main parts of the city. After Fall Out Boy, we went to the top of Rockefeller Center to the Top of the Rock Observatory. It had a great view of the city, especially Central Park. Taryn said that the most surprising thing about New York City is just how BIG the park is. It is rather surprising if you haven't seen it before. The park has a loop inside it that is 6-miles long, so that just gives you an idea of how big it is.
Friday we walked through Times Square before catching the train down to the World Trade Center site. We spend some time there before doing a little shopping and going by my office so Taryn could see where I work every day. We also headed to the South Street Seaport for lunch. The Seaport is a nice spot with lots of shops right on the east river. We hung out there and then caught the Staten Island Ferry, which takes us out into New York harbor right by the Statue of Liberty. It was a very nice ride and was a nice break from the hectic day. We just got to sit for a while and enjoy the water.
Friday we finally headed back to my apartment late in the afternoon to take a little break from the busy-ness of the day. On Friday night, we headed down to try to get tickets to the musical Wicked. Every day before the performance they have a lottery where you can win front row seats for just $25. We figured it was worth a shot, but didn't get the tickets! That was ok, though, because big sis had a backup plan (of course!). We headed to dinner at a nice little Mexican restaurant and then went to an African Dance Show in Central park. The show was great and it was a beautiful night to be outside.
After the show, I had arranged for us to spend the night at my new apartment, just so Taryn could see it and also because the place has air conditioning. We bought the stuff to make brownies and spent the rest of the night in the apartment baking and watching Sex and the City. It was quite a successful day if I do say so myself!!
Well, this has taken a while to write, so I need to get to the gym! I'll write the rest soon!! Please click the links below to see our pictures!!!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Taryn is here!!
Yeah, I know, I'm so popular!!! Stay tuned, I promise to post photos and stories from her trip!!
Here are some photos!!
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7804&l=141b2&id=503557722
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7723&l=0ff8a&id=503557722
Here are some photos!!
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7804&l=141b2&id=503557722
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7723&l=0ff8a&id=503557722
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Pictures from when the Old Ladies came to NYC!!
This week, I got the photos from when my mom and Grandma's visited NYC, so without further ado!!
Exploring Times Square!
Grandma and Grandma in Manhattan:
Mom and Grandma Hooper in Rockefeller Center
All of us on the Boat Cruise around Manhattan, it was beautiful!
Mom and the Grandma's on top of the Empire State Building. NICE HAIR!!! :)
On a carriage ride in Central Park before eating at Tavern on the Green!
After the Mothers' Day 10-mile race in Central Park. I look awful, but it's the only photo with all of us in it!
Heading out for brunch and a Broadway show on Mothers' Day!
With my unlimited champagne at brunch!
All of us at our delicious brunch!
About to see Beauty and the Beast. It was amazing!
Thank you again for a great time!!!
Exploring Times Square!
Grandma and Grandma in Manhattan: Mom and Grandma Hooper in Rockefeller Center All of us on the Boat Cruise around Manhattan, it was beautiful! Mom and the Grandma's on top of the Empire State Building. NICE HAIR!!! :) On a carriage ride in Central Park before eating at Tavern on the Green!After the Mothers' Day 10-mile race in Central Park. I look awful, but it's the only photo with all of us in it! Heading out for brunch and a Broadway show on Mothers' Day! With my unlimited champagne at brunch! All of us at our delicious brunch! About to see Beauty and the Beast. It was amazing!Thank you again for a great time!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)