24 hours

Yesterday we got an early mark so I went for a stroll in Central Park.

 

This is the hospital as viewed from the East Meadow

A view toward 5th Avenue

 The sun actually provided a little warmth while sitting on a park bench

 24 hours later, this is the East Meadow.  I tried in vain to stand in the same spot to take another photo of the hospital but I've sat through too many Falls Prevention seminars now to have risked it plus I was dressed like an Australian.  All rugged up for a Brisbane winter.

Looking out my window.

 

My apartments outdoor sitting area. 

 A little cup of tea before I brave the weather again.  Contemplations included my rapid depletion of Vitamin D stores.  

So very thankful for each new experience and opportunity being in this city provides. 

Happy Halloween or...

 ... as I like to call it, "Happy chance to peek into rich folk's places". 

 I think the city appreciated having something other than wind, floods and broken subway systems to think about. 

 

The pumpkin carvings were impressive.

 The people on the streets were friendly.

 There were many friendly faces at doors.

 I like the community spirit but don't know why you would want to have death over your doorway. Speak life people, speak life.

 The teenager at this house was "like, so excited because my tights arrived from Australia just, like, today". 

 If you have a few body parts hanging around, then Halloween is a wonderful time to get them out.

 There are always the cutest puppies (less cute than Chockie) strolling the streets.

If you can't catch a cab then just ride.

 A boy and his puffy green friend.

Boy in the middle: You know what happens when three best friends get together?

Me: What happens when three best friends get together?

.... no answer but three best friends scampered off into the night.

Drain-Oh-No

Drains.  A marvellous invention.  Saving people from Cholera and other types of nasties since, I don't know, ancient times?  Well, seems that if you are living in an upper east side apartment a drain is still a luxury for other people and not for Sarah.  And so, Sunday morning started.  Trapped in the bath while the toilet overflowed - two inches of water on the bathroom floor and starting to run down the corridor.  A distress call to the flat mate who did the distress call to the doormen saw two men who would have been retired in Australia arrive to attend to the sorry state of affairs.  Apparently they had never seen anything like this before.  Strange that they arrived with a vacuum cleaner the size of a small car that suctioned up the water.  I humbly assured them this would never happen again and off they ambled to where ever water vacuum cleaner people go to wait for the next Australian to flood the premises.

 

After some bleaching and laundering it was time to set off for Chelsea to stroll the wonderful Highline.

 

There was time to admire the biscuit decorating skills of the Americans.

The ceiling fans.

 The chandeliers

 

  And the babies who will eat your brains. Wha...t?

Thankfully the Highline offers more signs of life!

The afternoon ended with the Choral Evensong at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue.  A beautiful and awesome (in the non ice-cream sense of the word Dad) experience.

After communing with God there was a little more time to *admire* the man who might think he is God.  This is the quite spectacular landscaping on Trump Tower.

And so, Sunday in New York happened. 

Lunch date with Liz Lemon

My first full Saturday (2nd Ed.) started very differently to my usual Brisbane (my bedroom is a lighthouse) morning.  A combination of being sick and being slightly public transport challenged (when there isn't anyone around to impress with my MTA prowess) resulted in my missing stations, getting on wrong trains and having to work hard to put a good spin on the 75 thousand flights of stairs climbed to get to Greenwich Village.

But I eventually  made it to the New York Etsy markets for some wandering in the sun and marvelling at how crafty types the world over are the same.  Moustache, bows, anything looking like it originated in Brooklyn?  Yes, come to our market please.  The graffiti on the local school was very cool if not slightly depressing for the young minds.

I then made another series of poor subway choices to get to the Upper West Side to go to another set of markets.  Ok.  The markets were just a clever ruse to wander around the neighborhood so that I could meet my best friend Liz Lemon.  I just know we're going to be close when we do actually meet.  This neighborhood had really started the Halloween preparations with the above scary looking pumpkiny street scene.  I don't get it. I really don't.

I had lunch at Spring and decided I must have mixed up the dates/times (lives) with Liz and then made another series of poor subway choices to get home (there's a theme here).

I returned  to my dear little corner apartment and tucked my head cold into bed with Series 7 of 30 Rock for company.

And that is how one spends a Saturday in New York.

Cheese please (and a little cider)

Wednesday night saw me and my roomie heading to Greenwich Village to celebrate New York Cider Week and to do a little pairing with some fancy cheese.  The destination was Murray's Cheese, a cheese store amongst cheese stores.  I don't know how I came across this place but I suspect it was when I was stalking these cheese boards from Brooklyn Slate.  Why I was stalking these cheese boards I couldn't say (shrugs shoulders, puts hands in air like a Barbra Streisand wannabe).

It was quite incredible the completely different flavours that cider can come in.  We started off the evening with a pumpkin cider (delicious) and ended with a sickly sweet one that I didn't finish as I'm the navigator on the subway.  Most of the ciders came from Eve's Cidery.  Ezra from Eve's clued us in on grafting apple branches and techniques from the champagne region in France which may be applied to fermenting apples.  Eve's makes some spectacular ciders that blast Rekorderlig out of the game.

The cheese in the above picture (just below the R) is called Little Big Apple and while it is a blurry picture, the impression it makes is quite sharp.  A little bundle of this made its way home with me and if you're dropping by my apartment in the next week I might just give you a wedge.

 All in all a delightful evening.  We got home safely and a little piece of slate might also be travelling home with me to Brisbane. 

day one

I don't know why my apartment has a fridge when the gourmet garage is right next door.  Delicious food and entertainment all rolled into one.  The guy giving out Illy samples told me he fell in love with an Australian over the summer but that it's just too far away to really continue with anything.   If only he knew that in Brisbane if you meet someone who lives on the other side of the river from you the odds of an enduring relationship are not in your favour.

I think it was my havianas and my pronunciation of cough-ee that gave my oz away. 

Official day one is over.  I've just woken up from falling asleep after a nice hot cup of tea.  I'm a bit exhaustified from it all.  Not that I really did much.  It was a day of receiving instruction, being orientated, photocopying passports, flashing visas, buying stamps, organising internet, meeting people, meeting people, meeting people.  I'm fairly certain that the americans can't understand a word I'm saying but are just too polite to say.  I really am trying to remember the lessons that Miss Smith gave in elocution lessons back in the 80's but I'm not sure they're paying off.

This is the only photo I took today.  It's outside the window of the conference room where I'll be spending a lot of time.

 

I've decided that all my clever thoughts should be written down elsewhere  - this blog shall contain travel drivel.  Enjoy! 

I must now get up to find out why there is cigarette smoke coming through my air vent.  All who know me well enough will know that this makes me feel like a US Postal worker.  Enraged! ;)  It is also overriding the delicious three wick candle I bought at Anthropologie that allows me to feel like I've got all kinds of fancy going on.  

much love

Sarah

Sunday in the City

11.00pm on Sunday night.  First full day of New York over.  I should be asleep but the sound of the train as it emerges above ground outside my window, season 6 of 30 Rock and thoughts rattling around in my head are keeping me awake.

Today has  included:
- meeting a lovely new flat mate (ahem, not as nice as the Brisbane species though).
- mooching around the south east corner of Central Park.

- pretending to be flash at the Ritz (they have cabbage in their window box!).

- the Hispanic community 'something' day parade.

- new running shoes (because yes, I will be running/limping around Central Park after paying for the privilege).
- bagels, Magnolia bakery and people watching at Rockefeller.

- kitting out my bedroom with candles and pretties from Anthropologie.
- Times Square Church wonderfulness.  A little taste of heaven and so many people of the earth celebrating.

 

All is well here (mum).  I am warm, safe and happy in spirit. 

Much love

Sarah

ps - much love also to apartment 11F who kindly have not put a password on their wifi. xoxoxo