I didn't do any early morning Black Friday shopping, but did notice early morning shoppers as early as 4 a.m. in downtown White Plains, which is usually dead at that point of the morning. Corey and I went to the city instead of the malls because of the shoppers.
In the City, we bought Corey a computer bag and some Dolce & Gabbana cologne for the both of us in Chinatown. Afterwards, we had dinner at Union Square and looked around at the Christmas Market they have set up there. We also went up to Rockafellar Center to see the tree (not lit yet), had some drinks at our New Year's Eve spot (the bar at McCormick and Schmick's on 52nd and 6th). I also wanted to look at the new TKTS Discount Booth at Time's Square. It's pretty nice, with these illuminated red bleacher-like steps that allow for a great vantage point in Time's Square. Then we had to head home so I could work!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We didn't end up going to the city because Corey didn't feel well. I slept a bit after work and then went to the new "Super Stop & Shop" in Ossining to buy Thanksgiving dinner which Corey and I prepared. We had a turkey, basted in pineapple and brown sugar mix, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, rolls, and sweet potatoes. It was all really good and we could have had 4-6 more people over and still had enough food! I've never had the turkey basted in the brown sugar/pineapple sauce mix but it was really good. I also bought what I thought was half a sweet potato pie for Corey and half a pumpkin pie for me. I don't really like sweet potato pie and Corey isn't fond of pumpkin pie. Unfortunately for me, they both turned out to actually be sweet potato pie. Given the fact that Corey only eats about four bites of food per meal, he'll probably have sweet potato pie for the next two months.
After dinner we just stayed home and played a video game on the X-Box360 we had bought a few weeks ago. It was fun and relaxing just to hang out at home. On Friday, I think we will avoid the malls and probably go into the city, maybe to China Town for some cheap stuff and out to eat. I haven't been in Manhattan just for fun in a while because of my schedule so it should be fun. Have a great weekend!
After dinner we just stayed home and played a video game on the X-Box360 we had bought a few weeks ago. It was fun and relaxing just to hang out at home. On Friday, I think we will avoid the malls and probably go into the city, maybe to China Town for some cheap stuff and out to eat. I haven't been in Manhattan just for fun in a while because of my schedule so it should be fun. Have a great weekend!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Weekend
Hope everyone had a great weekend! We really didn't do anything special. Went to the Palisades Mall Saturday and bought some winter stuff (hats and gloves). I finally found a winter hat that doesn't make my head look like Roger the Alien (from American Dad). We ate at Applebee's in Hawthorne, only a few minutes from our house. Their mac and cheese with chicken is really good!
I'm looking forward to this week, as I know everyone is, because I don't have to work Thurs-Fri at the law firm. Even though I work the overnights, it will still be a nice break. We may go to the parade on Thursday morning in the city, depending on the weather. I went last year and even though I didn't camp out for hours, I still got a decent view. It's hard to miss the big balloons anyway!
I'm looking forward to this week, as I know everyone is, because I don't have to work Thurs-Fri at the law firm. Even though I work the overnights, it will still be a nice break. We may go to the parade on Thursday morning in the city, depending on the weather. I went last year and even though I didn't camp out for hours, I still got a decent view. It's hard to miss the big balloons anyway!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
City Island
Yesterday, Corey and I went to City Island for the first time. City Island is a small island off the coast of the Bronx, connected to the Bronx by small bridge. It is full of seafood restaurants and little shops that are busy mostly in the summer. We ate at "Sammy's," one of the kitschier(they're all kitschy to some extent) restaurants. It was really good. I had King crab legs and shrimp, which came with potato, rice, vegetables, salad and bread with cheese and this wierd relish tray. Corey had the same, but lobster tail and shrimp scampi. The portions were very big, so we couldn't even eat it all. We also had a pitcher of Sangria that was very good. Next time anyone comes to visit, we will visit there.
Not much else is new except that Minnie is very sick. :( She is either 15 or 16 years-old and has done very well. We'll see how it turns out.
Not much else is new except that Minnie is very sick. :( She is either 15 or 16 years-old and has done very well. We'll see how it turns out.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Winter
It looks like winter is around the corner and maybe has arrived in MI already. In NY, our first snows are scheduled to arrive this week, but nothing too significant.
Corey should be back from MI tomorrow night. Hopefully he will leave early enough to get back before I go to sleep, but I really doubt it. Not much else is new here. Write me with what is new with you!
Corey should be back from MI tomorrow night. Hopefully he will leave early enough to get back before I go to sleep, but I really doubt it. Not much else is new here. Write me with what is new with you!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thurs
Hi! Corey is out in MI if anyone wants to say hi to him. He'll probably be in Jackson most of the time visiting his sister and her new baby. He will be there through Sunday, coming back to NY on Monday.
Not much is new here. Nothing really. Started raining a bit ago and today (Thur) is not supposed to be that nice. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and not too cold.
I greeted one resident when he came home tonight and got his car parked, otherwise that's the extent of the "work" I've done here today! I'm going to go eat soon, I think.
Have a good day!
Not much is new here. Nothing really. Started raining a bit ago and today (Thur) is not supposed to be that nice. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and not too cold.
I greeted one resident when he came home tonight and got his car parked, otherwise that's the extent of the "work" I've done here today! I'm going to go eat soon, I think.
Have a good day!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Not much new
I hope everyone had a nice week. Nothing much new here. Corey is going to Michigan on Tuesday night after his class, so if anyone wants to see him give him (or me) a call. I'm going to stay in NY because of my work schedule.
Today, Corey and I went out to eat at Friday's. It was really good.. and cheap! Yesterday, Corey had Cornish game hens for me when I woke up. They were really good. We didn't do much but went to Santa Fe, a restaurant in Tarrytown, and had some Sangria (Corey's new favorite drink) and nacho chips. It was really good but they didn't have queso dip! I couldn't believe that, but at least we had some good salsa and drinks.
We are going to try to go to DC for the inauguration. I'm not sure how it's all going to work out, but when I know, I'll let you all know too, in case you want to come :)
Today, Corey and I went out to eat at Friday's. It was really good.. and cheap! Yesterday, Corey had Cornish game hens for me when I woke up. They were really good. We didn't do much but went to Santa Fe, a restaurant in Tarrytown, and had some Sangria (Corey's new favorite drink) and nacho chips. It was really good but they didn't have queso dip! I couldn't believe that, but at least we had some good salsa and drinks.
We are going to try to go to DC for the inauguration. I'm not sure how it's all going to work out, but when I know, I'll let you all know too, in case you want to come :)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Election 08
We all know I'm very pleased with the result, so I won't go on at length about that. As for Philadelphia, I really liked it. It is only a couple of hours from NY so I'm sure I'll be back there soon.
The Ritz downtown was very nice and it really did only cost $50, though every other thing (including Internet) costs extra. It's in a great location, central to everything. I went there immediately after parking my car in a garage (as opposed to Ritz valet). After checking in on Monday night, I took the Philly subway system to an Obama site in a not-so-great neighborhood a couple of miles from the hotel. The subway was not very busy (compared to NYC) at all but it was nice and easy to use. I picked up my "credential," which was just a little card to wear around my neck with some information on it to remind me of my role. It wasn't specific to me or anything, just generic.
On Tuesday, everyone at the hotel I spoke with told me to drive to my polling site, which I did. I'm happy I did because it was kind of far from downtown and parking was easy to find once I got there. The polling place was a recreation center next to a school. When I arrived, there were already a couple hundred people in line, which swelled to well over 300 by the time the polls opened. A news helicopter was overhead and apparently we were on CNN. During the time people were in line, we served coffee and donuts (courtesy of Dunkin Donuts gift cards provided by the Obama campaign). They were much appreciated. The district I was in was clearly 99.9% black, so our reception was rather warm.
Besides myself, there were at least 11 lawyers, all NY except for one. It was way too many and several left for other jobs throughout the course of the day. The lines never returned to the site, as people just streamed in and out all day, especially in the late afternoon. We had a couple of confrontations with the most stereotypical Republicans I've ever seen (white, very conservative suits, all looking like C. Montgomery Burns or Warren Huffington, III). They were upset that we were so close to the door of the polling site (they were particularly mad that I was opening and closing the door for people). PA law bans electioneering within 10 feet from the entrance to the polls. The election judge at the site decided that was 10 feet from the door to the gym, not the door to the building, so she said we were ok. They didn't like that but it did not matter anyway. Obama took Philadelphia with 83% of the vote, more than his own Cook County in Illinois.
After the election ended, I drove back to "Center City" (downtown Philly) and checked into the Marriott. I heard from NPR on the radio that PA was won already, so I knew things were going to go well. I quickly checked in and then took a cab to the official PA election results party at a multi-level Irish bar a couple of miles away. The party was really fun, lots of people, TV news casters, drinks, etc. I watched the results and stayed for about a half an hour after the acceptance speech. I only knew one person there- a Canadian who helped us at the polls all day, but it was still fun.
After the party, I decided to walk back to the hotel since I could see downtown and didn't want to pay for a cab. Along the way I heard cars honking, etc, but when I got downtown, there was an impromptu rally going on. It was exciting- lots of people blocking streets and celebrating with music (from cars), banging pots and pans, etc. It was mostly younger people, 18-30 years old, so some of it was silly, but not out of control. The police were there, but only a couple of officers and I thought they did a great job dealing with it and not overreacting. Everyone seemed happy and pleased. After spending a bit of time there, I went back the hotel.
I was able to spend a little time in Philly on Wednesday, including eating a cheesesteak sandwich and walking around downtown. It's an interesting downtown with quite a bit to do in a small-ish area (compared to NYC). Reminded me a bit of some of the nicer areas of Chicago, maybe like Chelsea in NYC or so. It was fun and I want to go back as a tourist soon.
I am definately going to go to the inaguartion in DC in January. I'm sure numerous people I know will be there, including possibly Val, Phil, Sarah, Spencer, AJ, Brian, etc.???? I do know that Birdie, my friend from law school is planning on being there too. I think Corey wants to come, though I'm not sure he will want to brave the cold or the early hour that I will want to be up in order to get a good spot to see it, but we'll see. All the DC hotels are book (I checked) but we could maybe just stay nearby or even take the train just for the day. We'll see.
Thanks for reading my detailed outline of my day, but was the most interesting day I've had in a while, so I though I would elaborate. Have a great rest of the week!
The Ritz downtown was very nice and it really did only cost $50, though every other thing (including Internet) costs extra. It's in a great location, central to everything. I went there immediately after parking my car in a garage (as opposed to Ritz valet). After checking in on Monday night, I took the Philly subway system to an Obama site in a not-so-great neighborhood a couple of miles from the hotel. The subway was not very busy (compared to NYC) at all but it was nice and easy to use. I picked up my "credential," which was just a little card to wear around my neck with some information on it to remind me of my role. It wasn't specific to me or anything, just generic.
On Tuesday, everyone at the hotel I spoke with told me to drive to my polling site, which I did. I'm happy I did because it was kind of far from downtown and parking was easy to find once I got there. The polling place was a recreation center next to a school. When I arrived, there were already a couple hundred people in line, which swelled to well over 300 by the time the polls opened. A news helicopter was overhead and apparently we were on CNN. During the time people were in line, we served coffee and donuts (courtesy of Dunkin Donuts gift cards provided by the Obama campaign). They were much appreciated. The district I was in was clearly 99.9% black, so our reception was rather warm.
Besides myself, there were at least 11 lawyers, all NY except for one. It was way too many and several left for other jobs throughout the course of the day. The lines never returned to the site, as people just streamed in and out all day, especially in the late afternoon. We had a couple of confrontations with the most stereotypical Republicans I've ever seen (white, very conservative suits, all looking like C. Montgomery Burns or Warren Huffington, III). They were upset that we were so close to the door of the polling site (they were particularly mad that I was opening and closing the door for people). PA law bans electioneering within 10 feet from the entrance to the polls. The election judge at the site decided that was 10 feet from the door to the gym, not the door to the building, so she said we were ok. They didn't like that but it did not matter anyway. Obama took Philadelphia with 83% of the vote, more than his own Cook County in Illinois.
After the election ended, I drove back to "Center City" (downtown Philly) and checked into the Marriott. I heard from NPR on the radio that PA was won already, so I knew things were going to go well. I quickly checked in and then took a cab to the official PA election results party at a multi-level Irish bar a couple of miles away. The party was really fun, lots of people, TV news casters, drinks, etc. I watched the results and stayed for about a half an hour after the acceptance speech. I only knew one person there- a Canadian who helped us at the polls all day, but it was still fun.
After the party, I decided to walk back to the hotel since I could see downtown and didn't want to pay for a cab. Along the way I heard cars honking, etc, but when I got downtown, there was an impromptu rally going on. It was exciting- lots of people blocking streets and celebrating with music (from cars), banging pots and pans, etc. It was mostly younger people, 18-30 years old, so some of it was silly, but not out of control. The police were there, but only a couple of officers and I thought they did a great job dealing with it and not overreacting. Everyone seemed happy and pleased. After spending a bit of time there, I went back the hotel.
I was able to spend a little time in Philly on Wednesday, including eating a cheesesteak sandwich and walking around downtown. It's an interesting downtown with quite a bit to do in a small-ish area (compared to NYC). Reminded me a bit of some of the nicer areas of Chicago, maybe like Chelsea in NYC or so. It was fun and I want to go back as a tourist soon.
I am definately going to go to the inaguartion in DC in January. I'm sure numerous people I know will be there, including possibly Val, Phil, Sarah, Spencer, AJ, Brian, etc.???? I do know that Birdie, my friend from law school is planning on being there too. I think Corey wants to come, though I'm not sure he will want to brave the cold or the early hour that I will want to be up in order to get a good spot to see it, but we'll see. All the DC hotels are book (I checked) but we could maybe just stay nearby or even take the train just for the day. We'll see.
Thanks for reading my detailed outline of my day, but was the most interesting day I've had in a while, so I though I would elaborate. Have a great rest of the week!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Philadelphia
Everything is all set for my Philadelphia work. I watch an hour-long video that was meant to train me as an unofficial election observer. Official election observers must be registered to vote in that county, which clearly I am not. Basically, I am going to be outside the polling place answering voter questions about the voting process, etc. Also, I will be helping the Obama people keep track of the line- if it gets too long or if there are any suspicious activities going on, I have a special number to the "Obama Boiler Room" for PA, (a sort of central command center) and they will presumably send people to find out what's going on and remedy it. I understand that they also have entertainment, food, ponchos, etc. in case the lines get really long along with the wait.
I hope everyone has a great Election Day and night! If everything goes well, I'm sure I'll text or call.
I hope everyone has a great Election Day and night! If everything goes well, I'm sure I'll text or call.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
SUN
Tonight I went to Audrey's Halloween party at her apartment in Danbury, CT. It was fun! She did a very nice job decorating and making food and the people there were nice. I didn't wear a costume because I was coming right to work and didn't feel like changing, but wore an Obama shirt instead. I ate so much there and at home that I haven't taken a break to eat at all tonight (and it's 6 a.m.!).
I'm happy for Spencer! He gets to go behind the scenes at the hopefully-Obama-victory-party in Chicago on Tuesday because he is working communications for Sprint/Nextel. I'm hoping he can text me some cool pics while I'm in Philadelphia.
I'm happy for Spencer! He gets to go behind the scenes at the hopefully-Obama-victory-party in Chicago on Tuesday because he is working communications for Sprint/Nextel. I'm hoping he can text me some cool pics while I'm in Philadelphia.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Happy Halloween!
I hope everyone had a great Halloween. We didn't really do anything. Went to Palisades Mall to eat and watch little kids trick or treat from store to store.
Kendra had her baby! He is really cute- Casey Michael Letek, Jr. 8 lbs., 6 oz or so. Very healthy! It was about 1 a.m. last night and so we were awoken in the night.
I am happy because I have Mon-Wed off next week to go to Philadelphia for the election. I'm supposed to be a "voter protection" person. Basically, I'll probably stand outside a polling place and not do much, but be visible and encourage people to vote (for Obama, of course.). Have a great day!
Kendra had her baby! He is really cute- Casey Michael Letek, Jr. 8 lbs., 6 oz or so. Very healthy! It was about 1 a.m. last night and so we were awoken in the night.
I am happy because I have Mon-Wed off next week to go to Philadelphia for the election. I'm supposed to be a "voter protection" person. Basically, I'll probably stand outside a polling place and not do much, but be visible and encourage people to vote (for Obama, of course.). Have a great day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
