Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Brooklyn Bridge

Watching the sunset over Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge... <3


The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. With a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge.


Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge and as the East River Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge, a name from an earlier January 25, 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an icon of New York City, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.



"Stand clear of the closing doors..."

When one moves to New York City, one loses all personal space. I am not just talking about the tiny apartment you live your life in. You no longer have the silent, temperature controlled, closed-in barrier that most refer to as a car. Everyone and everything become part of your bubble, you are alone no more. This is one of the many things people love to hate and hate to love about this strange and fascinating city.

Many days, I get a "free" concert while waiting for the subway to arrive. Sometimes welcomed, sometimes...just keep walking. There really are some very talented people sharing their skills while you wait though. We have even seen a one man band. Other times, you might get a Jamaican concert INSIDE of the subway. That's right. The other day, there was a full-on party inside of the subway...dancing, singing, and then asking for donations...that's where I pretended to be asleep. Yep, I totally shut my eyes and made my head tilt without giggling...however, I opened by eyes too early. I really need to wear headphones.

If you ride the subway enough, the words "stand clear of the closing doors" become ingrained in your mind. Or, if you are Richard, you say them on a daily basis. Just because.

Then there are the people on the street... we have some of the friendliest people that live in our neighborhood! I can tell you who has what dog, if they have kids, are from New York and most importantly, if they are a talker. Some days, it takes me 20 minutes per dog just for a quick outside potty break because of all the talkers! This one guy told me he knew someone with ELEVEN dachshunds...and then preceded to tell me all their names... very, very slowly. He also told me he owns a white dog who doesn't like to be dirty. After her walks, she pouts and jumps in the bathtub so she can have a bath. Then there is Tony and his lady-friend on the first floor. Tony and his girlfriend are probably in their 80's. For those of you that know our past Indian neighbor (Sonny), well this is the "new" Sonny of our building. They both have very thick accients and are super friendly...and pretty quirky. Tony's girlfriend often takes walks in her scantily clad clothing and Tony ALWAYS wears a suit...day, night, sun, rain, cold, hot. Always.

Speaking of Sonny...we are still in touch. She still gives us reports on neighbors in The Village, complains about her daughters, asks about Pickle and Sundae (who she always wants to know about but is terrified of), and has recently requested our new address. We shall see what that means. Just wait, it won't surprise me one bit if she attempted to mail me some of her Indian food.

We also met Lou, a sweet old man that lives above us. Lou runs with the "neighborhood crowd"...a group of retirees that can often be found on the steps of the apartments on our street, or gathering at Starbucks. I was working from Starbucks the other day and there was quite the uproar from the "neighborhood crowd" over chairs not being available outside. There was lawyer talk and whisper. Quite the drama. Lou always asks about Pickle and Sundae. Over the weekend, he left several articles on dogs under our door - including a Snoopy strip!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Jersey. Food. Work.

Hoboken, New Jersey

...was fabulous! The views of Manhattan were wonderful and we found the perfect restaurant, Turning Point Cafe. TPC sits on the Hudson river and the top left picture shows our view of Manhattan.


Funny sign in Turning Point Cafe


Fruit Stands

...are on every corner and open 24/7. Have an apple craving at 2AM? Just walk to your nearest corner.

Homemade Mexican Food vs. Casabel Taqueria


Richard's homemade quacomole. WINS!

This was really good though! Instead of a basket of chips, this is how it is served. Cute!


Relaxing Saturday

The previous Saturday was in no way relaxing due to the oven fire and then 3-day gas leak. It pretty much ruined our 4-day weekend (although our trip to Hoboken was really fun). So, we made up for it with a relaxing day to ourselves... :)


Top Left Photo: This is the East River (we see the East River each time we step out of our apartment). I love seeing sailboats pass by when I walk the dogs. It's just beautiful! This particular view is from the dog run that we take the dogs to every weekend. It is a wonderful way to start the weekend, filled with locals and the dogs love making new friends while running around off their leashes. We've also learned a ton about the city from other dog parents. =)

Bottom Left Photo: Dog run at Carl Schurz Park... Pickle and Sundae are making a new friend!

Top Right Photo: Pickle and Sundae tired after a fun day!

Bottom Right Photo: Dinner on the patio at Cascabel Taqueria. I went to yoga and Richard worked out prior to dinner...it was great!

Working Around the City

Capital One has an extremely mobile working environment. Therefore, being in this environment for over a year now has taught me to not sit still for too long! Thanks to free wifi, I can pretty much work anywhere...which I love because I am such a people watcher.



Bryant Park: Tons of tables, free wifi and you can charge your laptop!
 Isn't this a gorgeous view? Beats the inside of an office!

Lunch at Bryant Park - Witchcraft Cafe. Yes, it was as good as it looks. Before moving to NYC, I would never go somewhere and eat alone....here, it doesn't faze me!
New York Public Library - feels so strange working out of such a large tourist attraction. This is the wifi room.
 Don't think I'm crazy, but I never saw any books while in one of the largest libraries. Odd? I think so...

Dylan's Candy Store

The ultimate candy store. I love chocolate. Richard loves sweets. They had so much more....we even bought "candy" dog treats for Pickle and Sundae (we sang happy birthday to them before handing them over...they loved their "candy" treats)!