Taking a Bite of the Big Apple

CC took me on my Christmas present trip.  We took off Sunday afternoon (Jan. 15) and met up in Baltimore on the way to LaGuardia.  The flights were on time. Poor CC has to suffer my usual problem of the extra long layovers.  3 hours each way between BWI and TPA.  At least he will be going home to warm weather.  Mid 70’s beats the 28 degrees I’m flying into.  Louisville has the strangest weather.  It was in the 40’s when we left NYC.  It really was a fabulous trip.


Sunday afternoon we arrived with no difficulties and caught a cab over to the hotel.  We stayed on the Upper East Side, close to Columbus Circle which is at one of the corners of Central Park.  It was getting pretty dark as we traveled into the city.  After checking into the hotel, we walked a few places down and had dinner at a restaurant called The Coliseum.  The Giants vs. Packers game was on the television and the Packers looked as if they did not show up to play.  Needless to say there were a lot of happy Giant fans in the pub.


Travel tends to make us tired so we opted to go back to the hotel and plan out a strategy for the next day.

We were up and at’em early on Monday.  It was a holiday and the traffic wasn’t bad.  We went to the closest Starbucks for coffee and a bagel and went for a walk in the park.  It was 17 degrees, the coffee was great and the small amount of Central Park I was able to see is really beautiful, even in the winter.  Frank Olmsted designed the park and he did a fabulous job!  Tangent time… He also designed Louisville’s park system too, but it is not near as impressive..  There was a beautiful pergola behind the Naumberg band shell for wisteria.  

We timed our walk so we would wind up at Tiffany & Co. right when they opened.  I had no idea there were 6 floors to Tiffany’s.  The first floor is fine jewelry, which had a lot of very beautiful things.  The 2^nd was entirely devoted to engagement rings (we skipped this floor).  The 3^rd floor has silver jewelry, men’s items and some accessories and a small section for charms, charm bracelets, etc.  The 4^th floor had china and such so we passed by this floor as well.  The 5^th floor has accessories, gifts, etc.  It had quite a bit. Handbags, trinkets, you name it.  6^th is customer service, restrooms, and such.  It is a very big place!  Everyone was extremely polite and helpful.  CC bought me a ring.  (Now calm down, I said we skipped the 2^nd floor).  It’s actually quite a nice silver ring engraved with I Love You. It's fabulous!

Moving right along through our day, we headed over to Lombardi’s Pizza in Little Italy to grab some lunch.  It is a truly authentic coal oven pizza but it really isn’t the best I’ve had.  I’m fond of the pizza at Cristino’s in Largo. It is coal oven pizza and just seems to taste better to me.  After lunch we moved on over to Chinatown the next block over.

Now to hear CC talk about Chinatown, you would think he was describing a scene in a spy movie.  My interest in Chinatown was to obtain a knock-off Louis Vuitton handbag.  I know you shouldn’t, but they are still out there. People like me will never be able to afford the real thing. ($2,500 for a purse?).  So , off we went.  As we were walking down the street, a woman approached us with a photo brochure stating, “handbags?”  To which I responded, “Yes”. From there it really gets a bit sketchy.  You look at the brochure, pick one out and ask how much.  CC was able to negotiate a discount, bless him.  Then they tell you to wait 5 minutes.  The women take off and 5 minutes later one comes to get you, walk you down the street a bit and hugging a van pretty tight, show you the handbag in a black sack.  Once you agree it is the one you want and you are going through with the purchase, the money exchanges hands and the women disappear.  CC was very amused!  I don’t think he realized such a thing existed. At least not the complicated way in which it went down.

Ice box behind the bar.

Our last stop in Chinatown was the Mayahban  Buddhist Temple.  It was very ornate inside.  We received a fortune for a donation and took a couple of pictures.  We did quite a bit of walking after that.  We walked through SoHo, we saw The Village Voice newspaper office.  We also found a very very old pub called McSorley's.  When you ask what is on tap, you get “dark ale and light ale”.  WELL, that sure makes it simple.  The glasses were a bit small but the beers were 2 for 5.  I had 4 and CC had 6.  We chatted with a couple in from Boston who lived in Louisville for a time.  After our beverages, we were back off again.

Our walk continued until we ended up at The Museum of Sex.  Who knew such a thing existed?  There is a lot of reading and it is presented in a documentary type way; some video but not a lot and not so much to be inappropriate.  You enter through a toy  shop and there is a bar called OralFix in the lower level.  The museum itself is 3 stories.  I would tell more but it is definitely something one should see on their own.  There was an eclectic mix of people attending the exhibits as well.

The next thing on the list is Times Square.  It was beginning to get dark and all of the lights were on.  It was really quite something.  There is quite a bit of space where a person can stand in the center.  Roads closed, etc.  There is lots of shopping, some quick foods, etc.  I took several pictures and thought it was quite fantastic.  It was a different type of lights than Las Vegas.  I’m not exactly sure how to qualify that statement though.

We shopped around for a place to eat and found an Irish Pub about a block off the square.  We had a couple of beers, some dinner and chatted at the bar with a couple and a fellow at the bar who was a local. He had a very Brooklyn accent and was very Italian. It was an amusing time.

The highlight and grand finale of the night was he also got us tickets to a show! This is really saying something, as most of the theaters are dark on Mondays.  He got us tickets to Rock of Ages AND the seats were FRONT ROW CENTER!!!  The show was excellent!  It was my first Broadway show.  I’ve been to touring versions but that is not the same.  Lots of singing along happening up front too!  It was a wonderful time!

We took the train back to the hotel after a very action packed day!  Due to the alcohol on board and the length of the day, I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

We started Tuesday a bit later than Monday.  I ran over to Starbucks and grabbed us coffees and bagels and brought them up to the room. CC wasn’t feeling awesome.  He thought he had a headache from the alcohol, but I believe he was caffeine deprived.  He normally drinks several Diet Cokes a day.  He hasn’t had much soda on this trip.  I know how bad I feel without adequate caffeine on board.  Yukky.

By 10 we were out and about.  As soon as we got out, it started to rain….  No umbrella on us.  I used my scarf to cover my head it wasn’t too bad.  We walked around quite a bit. We decided to take in the Empire State Building.  They tried to tell us.  Visibility was poor.  I had always wanted to go to the observation deck just like in An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.  We went and it was so high, we were essentially standing in the middle of a cloud!  It was still good, there are a lot of displays on your way to the top.  Apparently when the place is busy, there can be a 3 hour wait!  Afterward, we decided lunch was in order. We managed, somehow, to find the UK ALUMNI BAR!  It was called Jack Demsey’s.  As CC opened the door, I saw the alumni sticker on the door.  I just couldn’t believe it.  It doesn’t seem to matter where I go; I always manage to run into UK fans.  Cruise ships, Mexico (shop owner had on a UK t-shirt). In Tampa, UK plates on cars, UK merchandise in stores.  It’s almost become a bit of a joke.  I just can’t quit laughing. (It even says home to the UK Wildcats on the website!)  I did send pictures to Patti (my Admin. Asst. and the biggest UK fan I know) and we had an enjoyable lunch.  The food was reasonable and very plentiful.  It was a good place to sit out some of the rain.  We then headed over to 30 Rock and I was able to take pictures of Rockefeller Center.  There were a couple of people skating but the problem was the rain. It was raining a bit to hard for me.  If one of us fell, we would be soaked!  We walked indoors at the Lego store.  There are some really large Lego sculptures in there.  They did a model of 30 Rock and Rockefeller Center. It was very large and very accurate.

We had a wonderful time just knocking about NYC even with the rainy day!


We headed back to the hotel and took a small nap.  That evening, we headed out to Madison Square Garden for some HOCKEY! Yes, it was the NY Rangers versus the Nashville Predators!  It was pretty cool.  We were able to take the subway to the Gardens.  Penn Station comes out right there and we were able to head upstairs and voila, we were there!  No walking outside, no parking a car.  15 minutes across town!  Amazing!  Even more amazing, there were other Predator fans there besides us.  Jerseys and all!  The fans all around were really nice. (At least there was no outward hostility or verbalization).  We didn't win the game but it was a wonderful experience.  The people around us were sincerely nice and didn't seem to mind we were cheering for the other team. (Maybe because we were losing?)  Anyway, getting back was just as easy as getting to the game.  The subway is right there, not a long wait and we were back at the hotel before we knew it.

We stopped at a pizza place on the corner next to the hotel, grabbed some slices and headed back to the room.  Pizza was great, vacation was great, company was the best!  It was a wonderful Christmas gift!  The best ones are the ones you can share with others.  CC made my first trip to New York a fabulous one!  I'm the luckiest girl on the planet!!

Weekend in Smashville

CC and I decided we would spend a long weekend together in Nashville this past weekend.  For once I was driving to the airport to pick him up.  :)  We were able to get to the hotel and check in and still make the game.  It was so good to see him!  I miss him so much when we are apart.


We stopped in the team store to look at the merchandise with the new color scheme.  CC bought me a new t-shirt that was pretty cute and then I posed with the stuffed Gnash outside the store for a photo op before grabbing a beer and heading to our seats.

Isn't Gnash adorable?

Not a conventional photo but at least you can see the detail !

The game was great. VERY exciting! We had a wonderful time.  Beating Detroit always gets a person in a party mood so after the game we decided to take a walk down Broadway and over to a place called The Stage.  I'm not sure the name of the band but they were really good.  The place was packed with happy hockey people!  :)


After a few beers there we decided to head back to the hotel.  It had been a long day for the both of us between all of the driving and traveling by air.


The next day we got up and headed over to Noshville for a tasty breakfast.  They have wonderful food!  (Try the corned beef hash, it's wonderful)!  After that we went shopping.  First, a little something for us (Hustler Hollywood. Don't be a hater), Target and the snooty mall (not sure of the name).  We managed to purchase stuff for us, stuff for the work crowd at Target and CC bought me a very nice sweater at the snooty mall.  CC can only do so much of the shopping thing and to be quite honest I was done really with Christmas so we decided to take in a movie.  We went to see Sherlock Homes, A Game of Shadows.  I love a great matinee.  Popcorn is mandatory! :)


After the movie we headed back to the hotel to unwind a bit before heading out to dinner with Coy and Julie.  They booked reservations at The Palm. It was a steakhouse directly across the street from The Bridgestone.  The food was good and plentiful and the company was great as always.  The evening past fast and before we knew it, it was time to go home.  Not before dessert though..  They have homemade donuts at The Palm served with a chocolate and a raspberry sauce.  They were delicious and too rich to finish.  For once, we actually had a doggie bag!  


Saturday was here before we knew it.  We had a lazy morning and then took off for the Germantown Cafe.  They have the best french onion soup I have ever had.  We both had a bowl of the steaming cheesy soup and split a reuben.  The soup was actually quite filling and I barely was able to eat a few bites of the reuben which was excellent as well.


After brunch, we retired to the hotel to just relax and enjoy each other's company until it was time to go to the game.  We left early to grab a bite to eat and had appetizers and beer at a bar called Bailey's on Broadway.  We had a couple of beers and an appetizer to get us primed for some hockey.  I had decided I wanted to sit in the Cell Block.  (WAY up in the rafters, generally a very rowdy section).  It was really different watching a game from that point of view.  We won!  YAY!  Afterwards we headed home, very pleased with yet another Predator win.


Before I knew it, it was Sunday and time to take my CC back to the airport.  I hate all of the goodbyes we keep having to say to each other.  I can't wait for the day when we can finally be together forever.  We both make do with what we have, knowing it is temporary but as Tom Petty says, "...waiting is the hardest part".

Walking on Sunshine

CC and I went on a long weekend trip to Tampa. It has been a while and we really needed the break. I have been looking at houses online for months, just wishful thinking as the Son is still in school and we decided we would browse around the town and try to narrow the search process down to an area. (It's an awful big place to be surfing for real estate). We have a couple that intrigued us and Dad was nice enough to set up showings of the houses for Saturday.

We decided to take Allegiant Air to Tampa. It looked like it would be a good deal. The problem is that they only fly out of Lexington, so we had a drive before we could fly. They also only fly to Tampa at one time and home at one time so that was definitely a limitation. Next time we will just take Southwest.

We arrived late Thursday night, and got our rental car. CC got us a convertible Mustang! It was nice and comfortable after the long flight. We found some food, the motel and got to bed. Friday morning we got up and decided to drive around and enjoy the day. We found neighborhoods of houses we liked, and drove past the ones we would be touring the next day. The weather warmed up to the mid to upper 60's and we drove around with the top down on the car. I think a lot of the locals thought we were crazy tourists! The sun was shining and was so warm! (Especially since the highs at home were hovering in the mid 20's). We went to Ybor City which is supposed to be a hip part of town. It was a bit disappointing. Although there were restaurants and bars and some shopping, there was not any decent housing beyond condos and apartments. After lunch and a quick walking tour of the area we were off again. We stopped at Wally world for a couple of Lightning t-shirts as we were going to the game a bit later. Tangent time: They are all the same. It doesn't matter what state, what part of town. Walmart always caters to a "special" segment of the US population.

We arrived in plenty of time for the game and were able to get a bite, a beer, and have a look about the arena. They have everything from your basic soft pretzel to Outback Steakhouse. We found a booth with garlic fries. I MEAN GARLIC FRIES. Oh my! They warned us, but wow!!! I'm so glad CC had some too because it was some potent stuff. Mix that with beer and our breath was kicking! Speaking of beer, they had Labatt's. Not too uncommon but they had it in 24oz CANS! With koozies you can buy to keep them cold. They were tasty! We ended up having three a piece! The beer really helped when it came to the game. In the first period the score was 4 to 1 Devils. Needless to say, they are seriously lacking in the goal tender department. we did talk to some nice people in the stands. We had really close seats, third row behind the Devil's bench.

24 oz. Labatt's. Who knew?

It was neat to see a game in a different venue. I must say though I am really spoiled by how fun the Predators games are. The atmosphere is much better in Nashville. The music, the crowd. There were a lot of empty seats at the Lightning game and it was on a Friday night. By all rights it should have been sold out. It was kind of a shame. They could use some help in the music department. A bit heavy on the AC/DC and not much else. They even had the organ music... I must say they have the most lame mascot I think I have ever seen. Especially for a professional sports team. When I think of lightning I think of Zeus, thunderbolts. I really wasn't expecting a lightning bug. It was cute in a children's show, Barney kind of way. Not a mascot for a hockey team. UGH!

After all of the beer and the excitement of losing a game, we made our way back to the motel. Someone slid ads for pizza under the door while we were out. In my happy buzzed state I decided we needed to have some pizza. So, in 30 minutes or less, pizza was delivered right to the room. :)

Saturday arrived and we had pizza again for breakfast! We jumped in the car and went out scouring additional neighborhoods and areas of town. We had a bit of time before Dad was to arrive and decided we would drive out to the suburbs. There is a plethora of housing in the suburbs so we thought we would check it out and see how far of a commute it would be into town. PACK A LUNCH! It seemed as if it took forever to get out to the home we chose to look for. We decided most definitely that particular zip code was not for us.

After an outdoor lunch at Panera, we left to return to the motel to meet Dad. After everyone checked in we were off. We looked at the first house in Temple Terrace we had chosen. It was a Mediterranean Revival. It had a nice lot and the closest neighbor was a school and a library. No one right next to the house. There would be a bit of work involved with the home but we liked it. The realtor for that home had another house she added to our list. She knew we wanted a house with character and showed us another house in Temple Terrace. We loved it!! It was petite 3/2/1. slate and terrazzo flooring. Beautiful neighborhood where we could see the river from a covered porch on the front of the house under a live oak tree. It really reached out to speak to us. We looked at a few other houses including a mystery house we stumbled across on the Hillsborough River. After all of that house hunting we were hungry so we went to dinner at Kona Grill. Three of us opted for the sea bass. It melted in my mouth! The brownie dessert was a big one for sharing. The service was excellent and we had a wonderful time.

Our flight home was at the crack of dawn! No more Allegiant Air. We had a 0720 flight out so by the time we flew to lexington and drove home it was 1130. The whole way home all I could think about was that house. ...