Farewell Angelique

Last night amidst the rain and thunder, we made our way to Soho to the trendy Circa Tabac, the last smoking bar in New York.
















It was to farewell the lovely Angelique who is leaving New York to head back to Greece. Angelique has had major modeling success since moving here, and most recently she was on giant poster as the "Loehman's Girl" for the new spring/summer collection.





















I can't tell you how funny it has been sitting on the couch thumbing thought a magazine/brochure and have her little face looking back at me!

All the best Angelique - we will miss you!

UWS & Columbia

Sunday morning, albeit with a slightly pounding head, we caught the subway all the way to 100th and Columbus.

In Sydney, David and I use to joke what we did not go any more west that Pyrmont, and generally speaking in New York, we don't go much north of 60th street - so this was quite the adventure!

The upper west side is full of pockets of neighborhoods each very different to the next. Our first stop was Tom's restaurant most famous for being the Seinfeld Cafe.















We then pounded the streets until we reached the church of St John the Divine.

The building itself is truly gothic with vaulted ceiling, large columns, and the largest stained glass window in the US. Inside the church is massive, with the main area being tall enough to fit the Statue of Liberty.

We had a lovely time wandering round and listening to the organ, before heading outside and enjoying the sun in the surrounding gardens.

It was then onto the sprawling grounds of Columbia University. We toured the most recent constructions as well as old favourites such as the library, so it was nice to see what the fuss was all about, despite our sore feet at the end of the day!

Saturday Silliness

Saturday night we were joined by Mary & Co for dinner and drinks.

With hectic schedules and our impending move in a few weeks, it was a great opportunity to catch-up as well as chow through the perishables in the fridge and freezer!

David made his famous marinated skirt steak paired with Spanish rice, creamed spinach, roasted potatoes and a fresh salad with mozzarella and tomatoes.







































As demonstrated below silliness ensued quickly after much consumption of wine!

Katz's Deli

With the weather warming up, we have finally had the chance to head outdoors and explore some areas of the city that are further afield.

On St Patrick's Day we headed to the Lower East Side to see the tenement housing where the Irish immigrants lived in the late 1800's.

What could be more Irish......perhaps potatoes & leprechauns!

There is a great museum that runs tours through the tenement houses, guided by period characters dressed in costume. The area itself is still very nostalgic, it is the area that was used for the film Gangs of New York. There is still evidence of 'old' New York, with cobble stone streets, historic buildings, drunks and even a few modern day crazies!

After a stroll in the sunshine we headed to Katz's Deli, the oldest deli in New York.




















David enjoyed their famous corn beef and pastrami sandwiches.






















Packed to the rafters!















However Katz's Deli is most famous for the scene in When Harry Met Sally......

Boys, Burgers and Bargains!

What what what do you do when it doesn't just rain, it pours?

Send your hubby to a museum and hit the shops!

This week we got a snapshot of spring with the weather warming to a balmy 50F/9C!! However this was short-lived, as Friday it started to rain and rain and rain......

On Saturday the Estes-Glens braved the wind, rain and floods to come into the city for some fun. We enjoyed lunch at the very trendy west side 5 Napkin Burger, renown for it gourmet spin on basic grub. Lamb kofta burgers with caramelized onions and gruyere- you get the drill.
















Miles and his hot dog ....and yes you have to eat all of it!
















All smiles after a round of burgers.

Mick and David were especially keen to see the Museum of Design, so grabbed the boys and headed off an afternoon of cultural enhancement. Erin and I, somewhat exhausted by design-chat and architectural discussions took the opportunity to hit the shops, hubby & child free!

The afternoon was indeed a success, with many a bargain being had at Anthropolie, and all in prep for the spring weather!

Post about Post

There is a comfort in knowing that some things never change, for example the inefficiencies of the local post office.

This post is in reference to the last few weeks were it appears our fabulous Christmas cards have finally arrived to their recipients, if not a little late.

So it appears the inefficiencies of Australia Post have finally been rivaled........ and clearly we have a winner with the USPS!

Sunday fun with Steph

Sunday we spent the day with Steph before she made the along trip back to Oz!

Being tight on time, our tour was jammed packed, so we started the day off in Nolita for some traditional southern grub at Nolita House.

It was then on to Soho, and a wander around the streets and old buildings, and a part architectural tour by David!

Swiftly we made our way over to Washington Square Park, Greenwich and then West Village, the Highline and Meatpacking area and the Chelsea market.......what an afternoon!

I think Steph was looking forward to getting on the plane after all!

Happy Birthday Davis

Saturday the 27th, marked the day that Davis turned 6 - Happy Birthday Davis!

I cannot believe how time flies and how grown up he is!

Unfortunately, the birthday boy had a contagious bout of strep throat so his birthday party was cancelled, but as adults are immune we headed up to Irvington for celebrations regardless.
















We had a fantastic afternoon watching "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", Mick had grabbed a projector from work so it was just like the cinema!















Combined with an old fashioned popcorn machine and matching popcorn boxes, it felt like the real thing...............















It was then outside for a walk in the snow, and consequential snow fight.................




















.......before heading indoors for birthday dinner of sushi followed by birthday cake!

Hell's Kitchen

Friday night we headed to Hell's Kitchen to grab dinner with Stephanie, the sister of our good friend Jocie. Stephanie had spent the week in New Jersey training for her new job, and came in to spend the weekend in the city.

It was wonderful to see a friendly face, I have to say Stephanie is the absolute spitting image of her sister, except with dark hair! We were also treated to some recent photos of baby Olivia!

We had a great night catching up, before braving the snow and heading home!