Goodbye, Bryant Park

The Friday before we left New York was Eric's last day of work at the firm. As I mentioned earlier, they gave him a rather nice send-off, complete with a going-away party and an autographed David Price baseball as a parting gift. I think Eric was very flattered, and although we're very much looking forward to what lies ahead for us, we are so grateful for the opportunities that job has provided for us. That firm job is what brought us to NYC, making dreams come true, and I am so thankful for that.

While Eric was saying good-bye to coworkers, Ellie and I made the trek into the city to visit yet another of my favorite holiday destinations: Bryant Park. Of course, I have said a gajillion times that Bryant Park is my favorite park in the city. They have so many fun events in the summer, it's such a nice place to have lunch in the fall and spring, and the holiday shops paired with the ice skating rink in the winter is just all so very charming. So, I wanted to be sure to make a stop there before we left, both so Ellie could see it and so that I could enjoy it one last time. When Eric's party came to a close and he left the office for the very last time, he came to meet us there.

The first thing we really checked out was the tree. It was looking quite lovely (and large!) in blue and silver.

Ellie and me in front of the Bryant Park Christmas tree

Pretty blue lights

We then circled around the ice rink, watching the skaters go by. A couple even stopped to talk to Ellie! She just stops all kinds of traffic.

Hanging out at the Pond with my girl

A little bit of a scrunchy face!

We then spent some time doing some shopping at the holiday shops. Most notably, we were in the market for some New York artwork. Earlier in the week we went to the holiday market at Union Square, where we bought Ellie some stunning artwork featuring New York landmarks for her nursery (pictures to come!). But we also wanted a piece more suitable for our living room. There was a booth at  Bryant Park that had caught our eye in years past, and ultimately, we purchased a painting we love from that local artist. After the holidays we plan to hang it in our new digs, so I'll share pictures then!

Browsing the shops

Quick shopping break at the fountain

With our large painting in hand, we figured it was best to call it a night and made our way westward to the ferry terminal to catch a ride back to Hoboken. It was a great afternoon, and a very nice way to celebrate the end of Eric's time at the firm (well, that afternoon paired with the bottle of champagne we consumed later that night, of course). I just love Bryant Park all year round, but especially at Christmas. I already miss that place!

Beautiful Bryant Park

Counting Down

Well, my friends, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to the holiday, and will be spending it with good friends.

However, Thanksgiving has come a little too quickly for us this year. We know that once Thanksgiving is over, the final countdown of our last days in New York must begin. The twelve days between Thanksgiving and our NYC departure date are going to be incredibly busy ones, filled with both the tedious tasks of packing, cleaning and tying up loose ends before our move as well as the fun times of taking Ellie around town to see as much of a New York Christmas as we can possibly cram into twelve days. (It will be The Twelve Days of Our New York Christmas, if you will.)

All this will keep us very busy, so I will not be sharing any of that with you until we have arrived in Florida. In the meantime, however, I want to say goodbye to my beloved New York by spending the remaining days (with just a couple of exceptions for special occasions) reminiscing and counting down our top ten most favorite New York memories. These are the moments that, above all others, made our time here so incredibly fantastic. I have a list all queued up, and hope you won't mind taking a walk down memory lane with me as we say our goodbyes.

Before we get into my Official Favorite New York Memories Countdown, there are a couple of things that didn't quite make the cut, largely because they aren't discrete events and so did not fit my plan for this Top Ten. But, they are parts of the city that I just love so I simply can't leave them out. (Hey, do you have any idea how hard it is to narrow down four years' worth of out-of-this-world experiences to just ten favorites, anyway? It's HARD.)

And so, my New York Favorite Memories: Honorable Mentions are as follows:

Honorable Mention #1: Bryant Park

I have said countless times that Bryant Park is my favorite park in the city, but I think it actually be my favorite place overall. In the spring, it's a beautiful place to have lunch (which was Ellie's first NYC outing, actually!). In the summer, they have so many fun events (many that we took advantage of): movies on the lawn, free knitting lessons, Broadway in Bryant Park concerts weekly. In the winter, the lawn is transformed into a skating rink and the perimeter of the park is lined with great holiday shops. The Southwest Air porch is a fun little place to grab a drink, a snack and a Snuggie while you cuddle up by the fire pit. And, in addition to all these regular things, we have enjoyed other special events there, too, including the Madden NFL 12 Pigskin Pro-Am, their beautiful 9/11 tribute, and the sheep on the lawn.

Fun times in Bryant Park

Top row: Ellie's first lunch in Bryant Park; Snuggies and boozy hot beverages on the Southwest Porch with my friend Amanda; Broadway in Bryant Park with my friend Megan; Bryant Park's 9/11 Tribute; Citi Pond skating rink; the holiday shops

Bottom row: Crowds gathered for Movies on the Lawn; Madden NFL 12 Pigskin Pro-Am; Ellie checking out the sheep on the lawn; and people (including me!) gathered to learn how to knit

Honorable Mention #2: Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center is another one of my most favorite places in New York City, probably second only to Bryant Park. First of all, it's just beautiful.

Lincoln Center at night

Avery Fisher Hall

And then, of course, there are the events. We saw so many incredible events at Lincoln Center. Aside from events you can see in many cities (such as The Nutcracker, Idina Menzel in concert, etc.), there were so many events that we could not have seen anywhere else. From J.K. Rowling's only U.S. appearance to promote a novel, to John Williams conducting the New York Philharmonic, to the NY Philharmonic playing the music of West Side Story along with the film, to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 premiere - almost every event just left me with that very overwhelmed is-this-really-my-life?! feeling.

Clockwise from top left: Me enjoying the fountain at Lincoln Center; feeling inspired after seeing The Nutcracker; Daniel Radcliffe at the Harry Potter premiere; and meeting J.K. Rowling

My Lincoln Center love runs very, very deep, and I will miss it so.

Eric and me after a wonderful show at Lincoln Center

Honorable Mention #3: The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge was one of my most favorite activities to take our visitors to do, because on a nice day it is just such a pleasant outing. However, Eric and I first walked across (well, halfway across) the Bridge on a very cold, snowy, windy December day. The positive side was that the bridge was virtually empty (a rare sight, indeed), but I have no idea why we thought that was a good idea.

We're having fun here, sure, but this was still a pretty stupid idea.

Since then, we have perfected the Brooklyn Bridge outing: we take the subway just into Brooklyn, then walk down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to enjoy the view. In the past, if we were feeling hungry, we would generally stop at the Ice Cream Factory to grab a cone while we wait in line for Grimaldi's pizza (at the very least, we always get ice cream, even if we're in the middle of a 42-mile bike ride!). Then, we walk back to Manhattan across the bridge. The views are beautiful and it's just a wonderful afternoon. Actually, the views are so great that I even used one of our pictures of the view from the Brooklyn Bridge for the header of this here blog!

Top row: Eric and me below the Brooklyn Bridge; the view of the Empire State Building from the bridge

Bottom row: The Ice Cream Factory sitting below the bridge; on the bridge with Molly and Heather; taking a break/ice cream stop during the Five Boro Bike Tour; Ellie's first time on the bridge

Honorable Mention #4: Christmas in New York

Christmas in New York is just magical. Everything is so beautifully decorated, you can't help but get into the holiday spirit. (Although I will admit that the increased number of tourists does its very best to suck the joy right back out of you - last year I worked right by Radio City Music Hall and tended to feel very Grinch-y during my evening commute thanks to crowds so thick I could barely get to my train.)

Bah-humbug to the crowds aside, Christmas in New York is such an experience. Although many signs of the season show up before Thanksgiving, the festivities officially begin with the arrival of Santa at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (we plan to take Ellie to Macy's to meet him this weekend!). Of course, the Rockefeller Center tree is spectacular. The store windows are sights to behold. The huge ornaments and light bulbs on Sixth Avenue are lots of fun. The Rockettes show should not be missed. There are ice skating rinks, holiday markets, twinkling lights and decked-out trees around every corner. There's nothing like it.

Christmas in New York

Top row: The Rockefeller Center tree; ornaments on Sixth Avenue; Radio City Christmas Spectacular; light bulbs on Sixth Avenue; Macy's decked out for the holiday

Bottom row: Window display from a past year at Bergdorf Goodman; the Wall Street Bull sporting a festive wreath; Cartier wrapped up in lights on Fifth Avenue; holiday market at Columbus Circle; the Empire State Building lit for the holidays

Our original favorite Christmas in NYC sight was the Stock Exchange. Our first year here, they replaced the flag that usually stretches across the columns on the front of the building with a flag made out of Christmas lights. To our disappointment, that light flag has not been back since our first Christmas. Our other favorite thing was the dancing snowflakes on the facade of Saks, which has now been replaced by some sort of laser bubble and snowflake show. Because they keep doing away with our favorites, I hesitate to even say what my current favorite thing is, but here goes: the musical stars in the Time Warner Center. They are huge, suspended from the ceiling, and their lights dance to the music that plays throughout the building. It's beautiful and I could watch them for hours.

Our Christmas favorites

Top row: Us in front of the snowflakes at Saks; Stars in the Time Warner Center

Bottom row: The old Stock Exchange lights; more of the stars at Saks

I know we will manage, but I have a hard time picturing getting so into the Christmas spirit in any other city. In New York, it's simply infectious.

Honorable Mention #5: The Skyline View

Oh, the skyline view. Every time I get a good look at it, it takes my breath away. I don't know how I am going to live my life without this view at my disposal. It just...I can't even describe how it makes me feel to look at those gorgeous lights.

The view has been a big thing for us since we moved here. As you may recall, our original NYC home was on a low floor and looked out on a courtyard enclosed by other buildings. However, a few months later when the economy sent rental prices downwards, another unit opened up in our building which included a near wall-to-wall view of the midtown skyline. As much as I hated to pack up and move again after just getting settled, I knew we could not pass up the view that the new apartment offered. When we moved in, we left our blinds open almost constantly so we could admire it at all times. From the comfort of our living room, we were able to watch the Empire State Building don many different colors for many occasions and causes. We were able to see the Tribute in Light downtown on September 11th. We were even able to watch the New Year's Eve ball drop from our bedroom. That view is permanently burned in my mind and I will never forget it.

All of the above pictures were taken from our old NYC apartment!

Top row: General favorite shots of the view

Bottom row: The Empire State Building lit for Thanksgiving; a full moon over the city; the Empire State Building lit for Christmas in the background, with our tree in the foreground; view at dusk; fireworks going off above the ball (between the buildings) at midnight on New Year's Eve; Achilles soaking in as much of the view as he could before we moved out

Then, we moved to Hoboken. It broke my heart to leave that view behind, but even though we couldn't see the skyline from our new living room, the view was spectacular just a few steps outside our building.

The view from Hoboken

Left side: The view from Pier C; Holiday Empire State Building; rainbow over Manhattan; Ellie enjoying the view of downtown on a snowy afternoon

Right side: Empire State Building lit purple for Prematurity Awareness last weekend

And of course, the view from Top of the Rock can't be beat. There is a reason Top of the Rock has become one of my favorite places to take our visitors. It's just stunning. The trick is to go just before sunset, so you can take in the view in both daylight and at sunset, and then watch the city light up as the sky turns dark. Time your visit for a night when the Empire State Building is lit in festive colors, and there's just nothing like it.

View from Top of the Rock

Top: The view on Election Night this year

Bottom: Ellie's first time at Top of the Rock; Eric and me enjoying a Gator-colored Empire State Building in 2009

Now, with these five Honorable Mentions officially honored here, we can move forward into the holiday (our last in the city, WAAAAH) and then on to saying our good-byes. Stay tuned for my Official Favorite New York Memories Countdown, starting Friday!

Dexter and Sheep: Just Your Average Thursday

Last Thursday Eric, Ellie and I spent the morning in the city to check out a couple of fun little events happening in midtown.

First up: A Dexter promotional event at Grand Central Station. We always keep our eyes peeled for Dexter events around season premiere and finale times, as we've been to some very cool Dexter events here in years past (including watching the finales of Season 4 and Season 5 with free cocktails and members of the cast!). We heard they had a little setup at Grand Central on Thursday, so we wanted to stop by.

It was pretty fun, in fact. They had a lot of Dexter-inspired artwork posted, including a portrait of Dexter and Deb made out of trash bags. They had Dexter-themed cupcakes and cake from Magnolia Bakery. There was a lounge area set up where you could watch previews of this season of Dexter (and other Showtime shows), and they even had a photo booth where you could have your picture taken on Dexter's table! We all know how I love to play the part of Dexter's victim, so I was all about it.

Dexter and Deb made out of trash bags

A sampling of the Dexter art

Eric and Ellie watching the trailer for the new season

Dexter cake

Eric on Dexter's table!

My turn! I clearly missed my calling as an actress.

Dexter premiered this past Sunday, and can I just say, I am PSYCHED about this season. My fellow Dexter fans, what did you think? Have you seen the trailer for this season? It looks intense and even though we're only one episode in, I do not think this season will disappoint. (You can watch the trailer here, but SPOILER ALERT! Don't watch it if you're not caught up through last season's finale!)

After spending time with our favorite fictional serial killer, we walked over to Bryant Park for Wool Uncovered, a festival celebrating - what else? - wool. They even turned the Bryant Park lawn into a sheep pasture, and the fountain was overflowing with wool instead of water. Ellie had dressed the part in a new sweater my mom bought for her, and we spent some time admiring the sheep that were just hanging out in the middle of Manhattan.

This girl is ready to see some sheep.

Sheep in Bryant Park!

Eric and Ellie celebrating wool

Checking out those crazy sheep

By the woolly fountain

Two very cool events, within blocks of each other, all in one afternoon in New York City. You just gotta love it.

Clearly, however, NYC excitement can be a bit much for a wee lass as Ellie lost her battle against sleep on the train ride home:

Going...going...GONE.

We're going to have to teach her to pace herself!

Ellie Hearts NYC

I mentioned in my post about my mom's visit that she brought a sewing project for us to work on while she was here. She brought the pattern, the fabric and the thread - but we were short a bit of elastic for the little pants. No biggie, there are tons of stores filled to the brim with trim (rhyme!) in the city. So, our sewing project brought about Ellie's first official trip into the Big Apple.

Not only was it a big event for Ellie to go into the city for the first time, but it was also my first time setting foot in New York City since my last day of work on March 16. Can you believe that? And oh, how I missed it. I was starting to get the shakes. Good thing I finally got my NYC fix!

So, we got the baby all dressed up in one of her cute little outfits for the day. Obviously you want to look your most stylish if you're going to be shopping in New York City. Ellie gets it.

Ruffle butt!

And of course, to get into the city for the first time, Ellie had to take her first train ride. She rode the PATH like she's been doing it her whole life. No sweat.

Ellie on the train

As soon as we got off the PATH at 33rd Street, we took the elevator up and Ellie got her first look at New York. Well, she would have, if she had been awake.

Ellie with the Empire State Building behind her

First things first, my mom and I went off in search of our elastic. Ellie was very patient during our shopping, although she did wake up long enough to look skeptical about this whole NYC thing. In her defense, it certainly was an awful lot of new sounds and smells and such.

Not convinced.

After our shopping was done, we took Ellie up to Bryant Park, which you know is one of my favorite places in the city. Eric was able to meet us there for lunch and be a part of Ellie's first Big Apple Day, which was so nice. Of course, by then she was starving and thus had a little bit of a meltdown in the park, but soon we were all enjoying a nice lunch and she was as happy as could be.

The girls having lunch

After lunch we took a couple of quick family photos to commemorate the occasion.

Love my family!

Ellie is pouting! As if to say, "EWWW, Mom and Dad! GROSS!"

We then parted ways - Eric went back to work, and the three ladies went back to Hoboken. Ellie did great on the train once again. I would say her first outing in NYC was a smashing success! She is a city girl in the making!

My Mom's Visit Part 2: Holiday Windows

After knocking out the Rockefeller Center Tree and the Rockettes on Night #1, the second day of my mom's visit could be devoted to...well, everything else. (Okay, maybe not everything else, because this is our fourth Christmas in NYC and I'm pretty sure we still haven't seen everything, but you know what I mean.)

We started our day at 34th Street to check out Macy's. We first admired the "Yes, Virginia" store windows on the 34th Street side, then went inside and up a million billion escalators to the holiday shop on the top floor. Then we returned to the street to check out the "Make A Wish" windows on the Broadway side. The last window was interactive and you can create your own digital ornament to be displayed in the window. We didn't fight the crowds to do that with my mom, but Eric did give it a shot one night when he was late coming home from work and had some fun with it.

One of the Macy's "Make a Wish" windows

From there we continued north to Lord & Taylor, which had some of my favorite windows last year. They were quite nice again this year, with the theme "What is Christmas Made Of?" The window scenes were inspired by the artwork of NYC area children in response to that question, and their artwork was featured in the windows, as well.

Eric and my mom at Lord & Taylor

"Happy Everything" drawing by a NYC area child, featured in the Lord & Taylor windows

A portion of one of the holiday scenes

Detail on one of the holiday scenes

A window depicting a family hard at work baking Christmas cookies. My favorite part is the beagle!

The child's drawing that inspired the above window scene!

We then made our way northwest for a pass through Bryant Park. We wandered through the shops and took advantage of free samples (primarily of chocolate) when we could. Then we went across the street to Hale & Hearty for some soup before heading back out on our way.

We walked up Fifth Avenue from there, pausing at any windows that struck our fancy. We checked out the Saks windows, which again, I did not think were their best work. The windows this year tied into the "Bubbles and Snowflakes" light show they have on the exterior of the building, and we already discussed my feelings about that yesterday. I miss the old snowflake light show, and the adorable windows from our first couple of years here, including Mike, the first original snowflake. I guess bubbles just aren't my style.

We also paused at the Tiffany's windows, which were much more elaborate this year than they have been in years past, if memory serves. They featured a carousel theme, and the windows were all framed to look like they were a part of a merry-go-round. The displays themselves were tiny but incredibly elegant. Well done, Tiffany's. 

Windows at Tiffany's

Having some fun with the little mirrors on the window frames

One of the displays...oh, you want to give me that little blue box tied with a red ribbon for Christmas? Hey, who am I to argue?

Close-up of another Tiffany's window, featuring a miniature of their store and a large blue gem wrapped in a diamond bow.

Of course, we also saw some of my other Fifth Avenue holiday favorites, including the big lighted bow on the exterior of Cartier, and the UNICEF snowflake suspended above the street.

I love that snowflake.

We also spent a good bit of time admiring the window displays at Bergdorf Goodman. They are also just so intricate and frankly, spectacular. This year's theme was "Carnival of the Animals."

Two of Bergdorf's windows

This window display was made entirely of paper. On the left is a more general shot, on the right is a close-up of one of the paper animals. Incredible!

We then made our way east to Barney's, which was a must-see for me. Their windows this year were entitled "Gaga's Workshop," and Lady Gaga herself contributed to their design. They were everything you might expect from windows designed by Gaga, including one called "Gaga's Boudoir," in which everything in the display was made out of hair. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" quite like a room covered in hair, am I right?

Store entrance to Gaga's Workshop at Barney's

Gaga's boudoir, made of hair

Close-up of a stool made of hair in Gaga's boudoir

Another Gaga window

We then stopped at Bloomingdale's, whose windows this year were inspired by their iconic shopping bags. They also had stations where you could stop and have your photo taken to be uploaded to their Facebook page. We did take our photo, but never did find it on Facebook!

I have always wanted to take my mom to Serendipity for some frozen hot chocolate, and we were right in the neighborhood and ready for a snack at that point. So, we stopped over to check out the wait time, which was THREE TO FOUR HOURS. Holy cow. So, we skipped Serendipity. Goodness!

Instead of sipping frozen hot chocolate, we hopped on the subway and went down to the Washington Square Park area, where we stopped for cupcakes at Molly's Cupcakes (that place Eric and I discovered on a recent date night). The cupcakes were so good. We might have to make that place a regular stop.

My mom and me sitting on the swings at the bar at Molly's Cupcakes

My Ron Bennington Cupcake. Heavenly.

Feeling refreshed from our cupcake break, we walked over to Washington Square Park to check out the Christmas tree there. Unfortunately, it wasn't lit yet, but my mom had never seen that park so it was a nice stop anyway. While we were there, a young man started playing the piano right there in the park. It was beautiful, and just one of those "man, this is a really cool city" kinds of moments.

You can see the (unlit) Christmas tree and Empire State Building through the arch

Pianist in Washington Square Park

VIDEO: Pianist in Washington Square Park

We were about ready to call it a night at that point (holy long day, Batman), but on our way back to the PATH train we made sure to take my mom past the Friends apartment building. Hey, we have to cram in all the sights we possibly can!

When we got home, we went out to pick up some wine (for Eric and my mom, of course) and ordered in a pizza. We spent the rest of the night relaxing and playing Rock Band. Good times!

Achilles was happy to have us all home, especially my mom. He adores her!

Isn't Christmas in NYC great? There's just so much to see!

Coming up tomorrow: Less Christmas, more sightseeing, including the 9/11 Memorial, the Stock Exchange (okay, that's Christmas-y) and Hoboken. Stay tuned!