I feel like a travelin' fool lately. Here I am, on my way out of the city once again, but I feel as if I am only just now recovering from the whitewater rafting “adventure” of last weekend -- (I know I said I would write more about that and I never did. The cliffs notes version is that it was very tiring and very trying. Not physically. But mentally. And I'm talking about the people, not the rapids. I realized something very important about myself during this trip though: I do not enjoy big group getaways, which is what this was. The disorganization and all the small talk get to me. Ugh. Oh well. Lesson learned.)
Anyhoo…there were a few cold and rainy (but semi-relaxing) days back in New York, but now I am on the go again. I feel like I have barely been home these last few weeks. This summer has turned out to be a packed and fleeting one. I can’t believe we are on the brink of fall already (I am not allowed to speak of fall around certain friends here. Most New Yorkers seem to be in denial that their summer-in-the-city is ending. So shhhh….you didn’t hear it from me).
I am now on an Amtrak train headed for Philly where I will meet up with mom and George. The three of us will then drive the rest of the way to the Jersey Shore (YAY the beach!) where we will be spending the next 6 days together with my grandfather, who is awaiting our arrival in Stone Harbor. This is a summer 'family tradition' and I am SO looking forward to some good quality family time. Plus my mom's gotta BIG birthday this weekend, so we've got some serious celebratin’ to do!
And I am very much looking forward to the QUIET. A quiet environment. A quiet brain. My brain has been very noisy and full lately. And as this train pulls me closer and closer to Philly, that noise only grows louder. I’ve made this Philly trip a handful of times over the last half a year or so, but under much different circumstances, with a smile on my face and butterflies in my stomach. Off to see a certain someone who had walked back into my life for a brief moment of time. It has only been a few months since my last trip like that, but it feels like 2 lifetimes ago b/c of all the confusion and silence that has since transpired. I HATE confusion and silence. But….sigh...what can ya do? Such is life sometimes, unfortunately. And such is the complexity of the human heart and relationships. Ah well.....blah blah blah. Enough of that. I’m gonna wrap this up but will choose to end on a happy note: I am going to THE BEACH! And with my amazing family whom I love love love….!! There we go. That’s better. And now I am off to watch some Friends on my laptop until I hear the calls for Philly's 34th Street Station. I love technology.
Showing posts with label places. Show all posts
Showing posts with label places. Show all posts
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
New York bound
Back in the Cincinnati airport. But this time, there is not the anticipation of a lovely vacation to occupy my thoughts. Nor are the cute, chubby babies or friendly dachshund lovers available to entertain and amuse. Tonight, there are only grumpy, tired travelers and hundreds of cancelled and delayed flights. Bleh. For now, I am in the latter category, praying that I don’t end up in the former. It is NOT on my agenda to spend the night in Ohio…
It has been a long and frustrating day of travel…but the trip was so wonderful and relaxing, no amount airline stress can take that away from me! One of my favorite parts of my time there was the art. There is SO MUCH creativity and art in Santa Fe. And a ton of galleries…my dad and I took a walk down Canyon Road before dinner one evening and I was overwhelmed and delighted by all of the beautiful galleries (not to mention the super-friendly gallery owners who happily chatted away with us -- this one even said she wants me to email her photos of my work!) It was very inspiring and I am excited to get back to New York so I can begin several of the project ideas I have floating around in my head.
There is so much more to say about the trip, however my writing energy is rapidly dwindling. But I will leave you with a list of highlights because lists are fun and I love my lists:
* 5 movies in 4 days -- nothing like curling up with a fuzzy blanket in front of a flat screen TV with dad for movie night, which is EVERY night in Santa Fe :)
* a massage at this place, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Oh yea, and the massage pretty much rocked too...
* the best sleep I have had in MONTHS. No insomnia, daily naps, and eight hours straight thru the night (except for the few seconds lost to the howling coyotes at three in the morning, which only interrupted my sleep long enough for me to be in sleepy-awe of the beauty and rawness of this peaceful place)
* walks and mini-hikes in the Rockies
* lots of good shopping and good food
Oh, and yay! Good news! We are boarding now! Farewell airport. Farewell mini-vacation. Back to reality. But it’s okay…I feel refreshed and ready to take on life and New York. Here we go….
It has been a long and frustrating day of travel…but the trip was so wonderful and relaxing, no amount airline stress can take that away from me! One of my favorite parts of my time there was the art. There is SO MUCH creativity and art in Santa Fe. And a ton of galleries…my dad and I took a walk down Canyon Road before dinner one evening and I was overwhelmed and delighted by all of the beautiful galleries (not to mention the super-friendly gallery owners who happily chatted away with us -- this one even said she wants me to email her photos of my work!) It was very inspiring and I am excited to get back to New York so I can begin several of the project ideas I have floating around in my head.
There is so much more to say about the trip, however my writing energy is rapidly dwindling. But I will leave you with a list of highlights because lists are fun and I love my lists:
* 5 movies in 4 days -- nothing like curling up with a fuzzy blanket in front of a flat screen TV with dad for movie night, which is EVERY night in Santa Fe :)
* a massage at this place, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Oh yea, and the massage pretty much rocked too...
* the best sleep I have had in MONTHS. No insomnia, daily naps, and eight hours straight thru the night (except for the few seconds lost to the howling coyotes at three in the morning, which only interrupted my sleep long enough for me to be in sleepy-awe of the beauty and rawness of this peaceful place)
* walks and mini-hikes in the Rockies
* lots of good shopping and good food
Oh, and yay! Good news! We are boarding now! Farewell airport. Farewell mini-vacation. Back to reality. But it’s okay…I feel refreshed and ready to take on life and New York. Here we go….
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Let Freedom Ring
Happy Fifth-O-July everybodys...Yesterday, to celebrate the independence of this great country, I:
1) went on a blind brunch date. yikes. (note to self: never, ever agree to a blind date before noon. ever.)
2) took a nap (to recover from No. 1)
3) went to a 4th party with the lovely anna-banana at an AMAZING apartment: 38th floor, 25th and Madison, perfect view of the East River fireworks display. It was my first viewing of the NYC fireworks, and I have to say I was quite impressed -- they definitely lived up to my DC standards. Sitting there, looking out over the beautiful New York skyline, fireworks lighting up the night-sky, I reflected on my last 4th (I like to play this game: the "where was I exactly one year ago from today and how much has my life changed?" game). My life really hasn't changed too drastically, which is quite something for the girl who moves every five minutes -- I mean I have the same job, and the same apartment, in the same city....But I was in a completely and totally different setting last 4th...and then I realized, I have been in a completely and totally different setting for EVERY 4th of July the last six or seven years. It is interesting to think about how much my life has changed over the years:
2006: Vail, Colorado, on vacation with my daddi-o (residence at the time: NYC)
2005: Solvang, California with my dear friend, Dillon: we were in the middle of a three week long road trip, and stopped to visit another friend on our way down the CA coast (residence at the time: Ann Arbor, Michigan)
2004: Somewhere around Windsor, Ontario: a boy and I drove from Detroit to the land of Canucks to visit some of his friends. Fireworks and patriotism were not involved, but it was still a fun time none the less (residence: Redford, Michigan)
2003: Lakeside, Montana, post SBS: I was in the middle of recording my album and we decided to take a break from the studio and head "downtown" to watch the townies light sparklers in the street (residence: Lakeside, Montana)
2002: The ER, New York, NY: My brother, sister-in-law and I decided we would spend the 4th in the Big Apple, but as we were heading toward the river to catch the show, my brother suddenly got violently ill. So ill that we had to call an ambulance. He ended up being fine, but it was a scary and crazy night. We got a good story out of it though :) (residence: temporarily in Northern VA with the fam, but was soon heading back to MT)
2001: Washington, D.C. with my sweet Erin and her new YWAM friends: this was the moment when I decided to go to Montana (residence: Virginia Beach, VA)
Ah, the memories...wonder where July 4, 2008 will take me.
1) went on a blind brunch date. yikes. (note to self: never, ever agree to a blind date before noon. ever.)
2) took a nap (to recover from No. 1)
3) went to a 4th party with the lovely anna-banana at an AMAZING apartment: 38th floor, 25th and Madison, perfect view of the East River fireworks display. It was my first viewing of the NYC fireworks, and I have to say I was quite impressed -- they definitely lived up to my DC standards. Sitting there, looking out over the beautiful New York skyline, fireworks lighting up the night-sky, I reflected on my last 4th (I like to play this game: the "where was I exactly one year ago from today and how much has my life changed?" game). My life really hasn't changed too drastically, which is quite something for the girl who moves every five minutes -- I mean I have the same job, and the same apartment, in the same city....But I was in a completely and totally different setting last 4th...and then I realized, I have been in a completely and totally different setting for EVERY 4th of July the last six or seven years. It is interesting to think about how much my life has changed over the years:
2006: Vail, Colorado, on vacation with my daddi-o (residence at the time: NYC)
2005: Solvang, California with my dear friend, Dillon: we were in the middle of a three week long road trip, and stopped to visit another friend on our way down the CA coast (residence at the time: Ann Arbor, Michigan)
2004: Somewhere around Windsor, Ontario: a boy and I drove from Detroit to the land of Canucks to visit some of his friends. Fireworks and patriotism were not involved, but it was still a fun time none the less (residence: Redford, Michigan)
2003: Lakeside, Montana, post SBS: I was in the middle of recording my album and we decided to take a break from the studio and head "downtown" to watch the townies light sparklers in the street (residence: Lakeside, Montana)
2002: The ER, New York, NY: My brother, sister-in-law and I decided we would spend the 4th in the Big Apple, but as we were heading toward the river to catch the show, my brother suddenly got violently ill. So ill that we had to call an ambulance. He ended up being fine, but it was a scary and crazy night. We got a good story out of it though :) (residence: temporarily in Northern VA with the fam, but was soon heading back to MT)
2001: Washington, D.C. with my sweet Erin and her new YWAM friends: this was the moment when I decided to go to Montana (residence: Virginia Beach, VA)
Ah, the memories...wonder where July 4, 2008 will take me.
Monday, July 2, 2007
a weekend recap
it was a lovely weekend, full of sunshine and summery activities...
~ friday night there was a wonderful and touching film with a good friend followed by meandering through midtown and dinner at an outdoor italian cafe. yum.
~ saturday was a totally needed, soul-refreshing day at the beach with my lovely roomie. {jones beach is just a "short" bus then subway then train then shuttle ride away. whew. but all that is forgotten once the salty sea air hits my face}. the weather was perfect, and sitting there on my beach towel with the waves crashing and the breeze blowing, i was filled with so much joy and hope. there is something about the ocean -- really it just seems as if anything is possible. and those areas of my life that seem hopeless or that typically cause me angst suddenly become so *light* and hopeful. yesterday, i delighted in just staring at the water and taking in deep gulps of fresh air, thinking, praying, and reading a few chapters of this amazing book that i got last week...sooo great. it stirs my heart and gets my creative juices flowing.
the day at the beach was then followed by a very new york kind of night, again spent with roomie: dinner at the trendy Loft, followed by drinks at the even trendier Pastis ~oo la la~ then a stop at the new "hot spot" night club Home. it was literally a velvet rope kind of club (my first time at such a place) and i didn't think we had a chance -- but leave it to my roomie to work her southern charm....it's like magic! we were in within minutes. although we soon realized that since we were neither 23 nor the sorority-girl-type, this was NOT the place for us. so we left. and after a very brief stop at our neighborhood karaoke bar, we headed home, exhausted from our day of adventures. (note: my saturday nights are not usually so "glamorous," but it's fun to take advantage of the new york night life every once in awhile!)
~ today before evening church, i spent the afternoon at the park. it was almost as lovely and refreshing and hope-filled as my day at the beach! in just under 2 hours i saw a wedding photo shoot, a rollerblade party, an african drum fest, hippies selling rainbowed bracelets, a live free concert, and a comedy show. oh, and of course the puppies and kittens and babies, O my! and all the beautiful people -- my goodness the people were so beautiful! sun kissed and smiling and happy....from all over the world, speaking their beautiful native tongues. there was just such a vibe JOY in the air. how could there not be though? central park is always so *magical* -- but particularly on sunny, humidity-free days such as today.
overall, a wonderful and refreshing weekend. now, back to work. arg.
~ friday night there was a wonderful and touching film with a good friend followed by meandering through midtown and dinner at an outdoor italian cafe. yum.
~ saturday was a totally needed, soul-refreshing day at the beach with my lovely roomie. {jones beach is just a "short" bus then subway then train then shuttle ride away. whew. but all that is forgotten once the salty sea air hits my face}. the weather was perfect, and sitting there on my beach towel with the waves crashing and the breeze blowing, i was filled with so much joy and hope. there is something about the ocean -- really it just seems as if anything is possible. and those areas of my life that seem hopeless or that typically cause me angst suddenly become so *light* and hopeful. yesterday, i delighted in just staring at the water and taking in deep gulps of fresh air, thinking, praying, and reading a few chapters of this amazing book that i got last week...sooo great. it stirs my heart and gets my creative juices flowing.
the day at the beach was then followed by a very new york kind of night, again spent with roomie: dinner at the trendy Loft, followed by drinks at the even trendier Pastis ~oo la la~ then a stop at the new "hot spot" night club Home. it was literally a velvet rope kind of club (my first time at such a place) and i didn't think we had a chance -- but leave it to my roomie to work her southern charm....it's like magic! we were in within minutes. although we soon realized that since we were neither 23 nor the sorority-girl-type, this was NOT the place for us. so we left. and after a very brief stop at our neighborhood karaoke bar, we headed home, exhausted from our day of adventures. (note: my saturday nights are not usually so "glamorous," but it's fun to take advantage of the new york night life every once in awhile!)
~ today before evening church, i spent the afternoon at the park. it was almost as lovely and refreshing and hope-filled as my day at the beach! in just under 2 hours i saw a wedding photo shoot, a rollerblade party, an african drum fest, hippies selling rainbowed bracelets, a live free concert, and a comedy show. oh, and of course the puppies and kittens and babies, O my! and all the beautiful people -- my goodness the people were so beautiful! sun kissed and smiling and happy....from all over the world, speaking their beautiful native tongues. there was just such a vibe JOY in the air. how could there not be though? central park is always so *magical* -- but particularly on sunny, humidity-free days such as today.
overall, a wonderful and refreshing weekend. now, back to work. arg.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
The Day Off
What a delightful Monday! Maybe that had something to do with the fact that I was given an Unexpected Day Off--maybe...(or maybe I am still reeling from such a great weekend: time spent away from the city in the heart of Amish Country, PA for some fresh air & stars, and a gig last night back in the city at The Bitter End, among other things). There are so many mornings that I walk by coffee shops and bookstores and think to myself, if only I didn't have to work... the possibilities and ideas of what I could do with my day are endless in those moments. So, given that I had been *given* this gift of a day off (thanks, bosses), I decided to actually do some of those things. Well, first, there was sleeping in. Then there was reading and journaling and cereal and coffee and emailing. Then, around 1ish, I decided it was time to be out and about (weather report: 71 degrees, mostly sunny = perfect). First stop: Serendipity's Nail & Spa for a pedicure -- summer is HERE people, gotta take care of those tootsies. Next stop: Barnes & Noble on E. 86th where 1 (one) book was purchased: Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. Then, I traveled down to Astor Place, a spot I have always wanted to explore, where I purchased 1 (one) pair of Rocket Dog sneakers (on sale for $19 - can't beat that) at a strange, goth/hippie kind of shop. Then I sat in a box of glass (the Astor Place Starbucks) at a very pinnacle point in the city: the point in which Astor, 3rd Ave., Cooper and St. Marks Place all converge. All sorts of people-watching to be done in this spot. Then it was off to Union Square (with a quick stop at Utrecht Art Supplies to buy some *special* pens), where I had some park meandering to do, and apparently some more book shopping to do, since I found myself in yet another Barnes & Noble (my favorite B&N in the city), where I purchased 3 (three!) more books and a beautiful, chunky, hand-made journal from Nepal. I am not really sure what happened or why I bought so much, but it seems I couldn't resist: Honeymoon With My Brother, Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy, and Delaying the Real World. From there, it was onto Carl Schultz Park which is right on the East River, where I sat on a bench and alternated between sketching in my new Nepali journal with my new *special* pens, and staring at the water. Heading home this evening, I rounded the corner of 2nd Avenue and 81st where a little girl of about 8 was teaching a couple of younger boys how to dance, specifically focusing on the Running Man and the Roger Rabbit. Needless to say, it was the perfect ending to the perfect day.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Lovely Places...
There are some places in this city that I find so delightful, I just can't keep them to myself. And so, dear bloggers, I share those places with you now:
* Firenze Ristorante: the pasta dishes never disappoint, and the waiters make you feel like YOU are definitely their favorite customer. But the best part is the way the dark and cozy interior sweeps you away to a different time and place. There is always lots of red wine and laughter to be had at Firenze.
* Brandy's Piano Bar: love, love, LOVE this place! It's loud and crowded, but after a few cosmos and Elton John tunes, you won't really notice anymore. The perfect place for those who enjoy Singing Very Loud.
*DTUT: not just another cookie cutter coffee shop. When I make my quick morning stop on the way to work (chocolate croissant and small black coffee, please), I always look longingly at the bohemian patrons typing away on their macs. This artsy joint makes me want to be jobless just so I can sit in one of those cushy chairs all afternoon scribbling away in my journal. Think Central Perk.
* First Presbyterian Church located at 12 West 12th Street, in New York's charming Greenwich Village. Not my church, but I pass by it every week, and every week have the same reaction -- wonder-filled sighs. Its beauty makes me stop dead in my tracks. I want to dive head-first into the lush green lawn, or maybe just picnic on it, and I feel as if I could spend hours photographing the architecture and beautifully kempt grounds. It is a delight just to catch a glimpse of this historically rich place of worship. I've never even peeked inside, but the outside is enough to get it on my list this week. Impressive, eh?
* Firenze Ristorante: the pasta dishes never disappoint, and the waiters make you feel like YOU are definitely their favorite customer. But the best part is the way the dark and cozy interior sweeps you away to a different time and place. There is always lots of red wine and laughter to be had at Firenze.
* Brandy's Piano Bar: love, love, LOVE this place! It's loud and crowded, but after a few cosmos and Elton John tunes, you won't really notice anymore. The perfect place for those who enjoy Singing Very Loud.
*DTUT: not just another cookie cutter coffee shop. When I make my quick morning stop on the way to work (chocolate croissant and small black coffee, please), I always look longingly at the bohemian patrons typing away on their macs. This artsy joint makes me want to be jobless just so I can sit in one of those cushy chairs all afternoon scribbling away in my journal. Think Central Perk.
* First Presbyterian Church located at 12 West 12th Street, in New York's charming Greenwich Village. Not my church, but I pass by it every week, and every week have the same reaction -- wonder-filled sighs. Its beauty makes me stop dead in my tracks. I want to dive head-first into the lush green lawn, or maybe just picnic on it, and I feel as if I could spend hours photographing the architecture and beautifully kempt grounds. It is a delight just to catch a glimpse of this historically rich place of worship. I've never even peeked inside, but the outside is enough to get it on my list this week. Impressive, eh?
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