Happy Anniversary

On Tuesday we celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe how time flies, and the joy and journey that our lives have taken us on.

To celebrate we headed to Fig&Olvie in the Meat Packing district for gourmet Italian food in remembrance of our fabulous honeymoon. Te restaurant specialized in house made olive oils and fresh products, so it was quite debacle figuring out what to eat, it all looked good!
















I'll have some wine!
















The third anniversary gift is leather, so bubbha surprised me with a new ipad case from Henri Bendal. I was quite shocked that he was so indulgent, but happy to be on the receiving end!

I was creative and got David a gift voucher to the "Leather Spa" so his shoes could be re-heeled and re-soled, along with a very nice bottle of wine from Chile.

















All in all we had a lovely evening. True to form, as per our wedding day, here was a heat wave and it was unseasonably hot.

It was great to pop into some summer gear, and luckily this time I did not break out in a heat rash!

New York Stock Exchange

As most of you know, my cousin Matthew is an Anchor for CNBC. During his recent trip to NYC we were introduced to some of his colleagues who work in the New York office who kindly offered to take us on a tour of the New York Stock Exchange.

With Damian and Alison in town, we thought it perfect timing to take them up on it! So down we went for an amazing tour, and Ruth join in on the fun as well.

the platform where the opening bell is rung.

Live from the NYSE floor!

Outside the CNBC booth, you can see them prepping for the show in the background.

group shot!

ta- dah!

Big shout out and thank you to Matthew and Mandy who made this fantastic experience possible!

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!

After church on Sunday, we headed over to Park Slope in Brooklyn for lunch with Ana. We dined at Melt, a super cute restaurant that was a mix of creative and classic American food using local and seasonal ingredients.

We then took a wander around Park Slope and over to Prospect Park, before the heavens opened and shut down our fun!

Cuban Crisis!

After a long day and quick sojourn at home to rest and relax, we headed out to our favourite Cuban restaurant, Havana Alma de Cuba.

We had a great night complete with a live band, fruity cocktails and fantastic food ranging from everything from shredded pork empanadas, vegetarian paella, ropa vieja, churrascaria with chimichurri sauce, marinated sirloin, churros dipped in chocolate and guava turnovers.

Apparently there was a memo that went out about not looking at the camera.........

......clearly I did not get it!














By the end of the night, Damian was literally in a sweat complete with fluttering eyelids! We are not sure if it was due to the strong mojito or his marinated steak - or both!

Meat Packing

After a fun filled week we headed to Meat Packing on Saturday morning for brunch. It was well received with squeals of delight and comments such as " its just like Paris!" - a good way to start the weekend!




















We enjoyed some fabulous food as the rain poured outside before we took a stroll around the shops and Chelsea markets.

All that shopping made us a bit thirsty and tired so we popped into the Boom Boom Room at the top of the Standard Hotel for some drinks.















We had an almost 180 degree view of the Hudson River and the bar itself was a sight to be seen.




















It was decked out in plush luxurious 1970's fabulousity with a feeling of old Vegas meets opulent retro porn and elegance!



















Perhaps we were a little under-dressed.....

100 Acres

Sunday we brunched, New York style! We made our way to 100 Acres in Soho known for its tasty localvore fare. The set up is decorated tables with fresh fruits and flowers, and evokes a farm's kitchen complete with bustling kitchen.

They change the menu every other week so there is always something new to try, but they manage to always offer their signature deep fried ricotta balls with apple cider syrup - yum!















As predicted, the food was fabulous and we barely left a crumb on our plates!
















After we spent the afternoon plodding around Soho looking at art galleries, shopping and generally being very civilised. What a great way to spend a Sunday.

Damian & Alison Arrive!

On Friday night Damian and Alison arrived. They are here for 2 weeks and we are so excited that they are visiting us! Saturday we braved the rain and headed out to Yankee stadium to watch the Yankees vs Texas Rangers. It was chilly to say the least, but it wasn't snow.

Warming up with some hot chocolate.....

our field view....

Smiles all round despite the cold.

Matthew's last night in NYC.....

For Matthew's last night, we headed to PJ Clarke's for an early dinner before the gang headed out to see a concert. A round of burgers and onion rings was a fitting way to finish their trip!

Bon Voyage, and we hope to see you all in New York again soon!

Babbo

After Jimmy's, we made our way over to Babbo for dinner.














We enjoyed some blood-red-orange martini's to start....cheers!


















.........and then it was onto a fantastic 7 course degustation meal....














....ending with birthday cake!


















12 cocktails, 7 courses, 8 bottles of wine later, the shenanigans continued .......














what a handsome bunch!














awww family love...


















..........and one more for old times sake!

Jimmy's Bar

Monday the 4th was Matthew's 30th Birthday! We started the celebrations at Jimmy's bar in Soho with champagne and cocktails.














the 'entourage'














hostesses with the mostesses

Aussie BBQ in NYC

In honor of Matthew being in town, we held a little BBQ to introduce him to our NYC gang. It was Australian in every sense of the word, except the food that was mostly American fare, you can't win them all!

Bridget, David and Najeeb














Elise, Lorin and Cara














Jessica, Clayton and Shawn














Ana, Alex and Matthew















As expected the shenanigans proceed way into the wee ours of Sunday morning, with photographic evidence not suitable for online!

Taco Tuesday

With the arrival of rest of Matthew's "entourage" it was time to celebrate!

The gang of Matthew, Yvette, Adrian and Marie hosted Taco Tuesday night in their West Village apartment with limitless guacamole, cheese and beer.

It was a fun night for all and a great way to start the week.