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Posts Tagged ‘New York City’

Chronicling the 2010 Blizzard – Day 4

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , on December 29, 2010| 3 Comments »

Yay late last night the plow came up our side of Broadway, a sign that perhaps life outside of these four walls could start again.  I heard the truck and plow make a least two more passes.  I was hoping that the plow had not pushed a new wall of snow up against the car.  I mean let’s not forget that this cleared parking space cost me $ 40.

We had ventured out yesterday in hopes of putting Peter on the train back to NYC and his version of civilization.  Since the majority of my readers don’t have a sense of the roads and towns around us, I can’t relate the horror story of that adventure.  Let me just say that we left at 1:15pm and got home again at 4:15pm AND Peter never got near the train station!!! State highways remained un-plowed and abandoned cars littered whatever pathway we tried to take.  AND to add to the stress of this total misadventure, we were in an accident.   Yup, an ambulance side-swiped our car and we were STOPPED on the side of the road.  Well that all happened in Day 3 and this is supposed to be about Day 4.

Today Peter decided to dig a path to the shed.  Why? Well it wasn’t to retrieve the 50 lbs of salt he had stashed in there, and it wasn’t to get the folding shovel that is supposed to be in the car at this time of the year but for some irresponsible reason was still in the shed!!  NO, he wanted to get at the bird seed so he could at least toss some seed on the snow so that our little feathered friends and our furry little squirrels would have some sustenance!  Digging his way to the bird feeder would be another day – the drifts are just too high.

Ocean GRove, La Vie en Rose, shed, blizzard, snow removal

Going to the Birds!

Ocean Grove, bird seed, La Vie en Rose, bird feeder, blizzard

A Banquet for the Birds

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Chronicles of a Snow Storm, er Blizzard – Day 3

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , on December 28, 2010| 2 Comments »

Cabin fever reached a high point last night with my disgruntled spouse.  He wants to be back in NYC and that’s that.  So we decided he should really attempt to go home today by train.  He was hesitant to leave me here with a snow bound car and two cats but I’m adamant about not leaving the car here and/or taking it back to NYC and we can’t park it.  This is what Day 3 looked like from my vantage point behind the door and in my warm cozy cottage.

 

Ocean Grove, La Vie en Rose, December 28

Chunks of Snow Piled Up

 

Broad, Ocean Grove, December 28

Look What Drifts the Winds Hath Wrought

We did attempt to get to the train station and without going into the myriad lefts, rights, detours, traffic jams,  a side-swipe and numerous stops and starts I’m pleased to report that we are now safely back in the cottage.  The adventures of the afternoon included going the wrong way on a one-way street just so we could get back because we never did get to the train station.  It’s not safe out there for man or beast.  We are hunkered down for a couple more days.

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Continuing Chronicle-Monday Mid-Day Update

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, tagged , , , , , , , on December 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

And so the shoveling began.   A knock at the door surprised us and it was a young man who offered his services for snow removal.  Everybody is a capitalist at heart and his prices were too high for us so we bargained for $20 worth of shoveling – which meant a path from the front porch to the car and single shovel wide clearance along the front sidewalk.  It was a good deal for both of us, the snow was very powdery.

I got dressed and went out to tackle the car.   After about 5 minutes I realized shoveling out the car was a task beyond me, the drifts almost covered the car and there was no place to throw the snow since there were drifts all around the car too.

AND behind me was the MONSTER snow drift leading to the back door – it was now or never…. all the time I’m thinking of my heart because Peter reminded me that I’m taking Lipator for a reason, Geez!!

Ocean Grove, La Vie en Rose, Monday snow storm Dec 27th
THE Drift Almost As High As the Fence
2010 Blizzard, Ocean Grove, La Vie en Rose

Working His Way Thru the Drift

Finally the Back Door!

Nicky Ocean Grove, December 27th

One Small Paw Print for Catkind

Nick and Nora, Ocean Grove, La Vie en Rose

Thinking About Taking the Next Step

These photos were taken about noon today. Now it’s almost 3:30pm and once again the wind is howling, predicted to reach 50 mph.  Soon all our work will be covered with snow again.😦

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Continuing Chronicle of 2010 Blizzard

Posted in Ha-P 2 B in OG, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 27, 2010| 1 Comment »

Last night I listened to  the wind howling and Peter complaining about the wind, the snow and life in general lol! The lamp on the porch was swinging precariously and it was too cold and too windy to go out and turn it off and besides our real concern was that it fall over and break and live electricity hit wet snow so we just unplugged it.  And the wind howled some more.  By the time I went to bed I could see a huge drift forming along the sidewalk on the side of the house and another sweeping upwards to the shed.  I thought I would open the back door and take a photo BUT the door would not open-totally blocked with snow drifts.  Comforting thought as I went to bed knowing that in case of emergency we couldn’t get out the back door.   Actually the front door was blocked too but with repeated pushing, we could get it open and thank God, we had the presence of mind to put the snow shovels on the front porch.  AND thank me that I insisted we put the salt in the house and not outside like someone else wanted to.

This is what we woke up to this Monday morning:

 

Ocean Grove, La Vie en Rose, Monday after the storm, December 27th

Monday Front Porch Drifts 9:30am

 

Ocean Grove shed, drifts up to the door, Monday, December 27

Monday Drifts Blocking the Shed

 

bird feeder, snow drifts,December 27th

Monday Backyard Bird Feeder 9:30am

 

Monday December 27th, car buried, La Vie en Rose Ocean Grove

Monday morning 9:30am

Let the shoveling begin!!!

 

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Chronicle of a Snow Storm

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , on December 26, 2010| 8 Comments »

If you had to be marooned by a storm, this would be the place I’d like to be.  I’m happy in my little cottage sitting out the blizzard.  Not so with my spouse!  He is definitely an apartment dweller and feels vulnerable here.   Well he is partially true;  if the power goes out, he really has nowhere to go,  eventually the house would get cold, not even sure I would be able to cook on the gas stove whereas in NYC rarely is everyone out at the same time and restaurants have generators.  Oh dear what is he to do?

I’m drinking the last of the eggnog and picking on hors d’oeuvres while he is fretting. I say go with the flow; we’re inside, the heat is on, there is food and lots of movies  to watch.  The lazy cats have been tucked in their beds all afternoon – of course their beds are near the radiator.

It started to snow about 10am and it quickly went from flurries to flakes to heavy snowfall.  Around 12:30 I took a few photos of the front porch and the backyard where the bird feeder hangs;

December 26th, front porch, La Vie en Rose, Ocean Grove
Front Porch 12:30pm
Bird feeder, Ocean Grove,

Backyard Bird Feeder 12:30pm

Front porch La Vie en Rose, Ocean Grove, Boxing Day

Front Porch 2:30pm

 

sparrows on feeder, Ocean Grove, 30pmVie en Rose

Boxing Day Backyard 2:30pm

 

La Vie en Rose, Ocean Grove, front porch

Front Porch 4:00pm

bird feeder, snow storm, December 26th, La Vien en Rose

Backyard Birdfeeder 4:00pm

La Vie en Rose, front porch,

Front Porch 5:00pm

La Vie en Rose, snow storm, December 26th,

Backyard 5:30pm

back porch snow storm, La Vie en Rose, December26th Ocean Grove

Back Porch 5:30pm

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Marthaspeak, tagged , , , , , , on December 13, 2010| 5 Comments »

I really am some kind of Christmas junkie.  For me the addiction is in decorating the house.  Over the years I have varied the look from time to time and when I had a large Victorian-style home in Connecticut, we had Christmas trees that were 9′ to 10′ tall and full of ribbons, flowers, bows, lace and confection.

Then there was the year of The Toy Story Christmas; My daughter and I were living in a bungalow-style small house and there really wasn’t room for a real tree.  I spent hours making a good size Candy Tree.  That was a treat (no pun intended), so colorful and sticky too.  Presents were piled on and around an old golden oak hall seat, stuffed animals sat here and there, Woody himself  was near the tree.

One year I went full-out Martha Stewart! I made the cookie ornaments featured in the magazine and a small flock of penguins hand-painted in blue and black frosting set in snow (salt), strung cranberries and popcorn and wrapped all the presents in brown paper tied with raffia.

When I married Peter (who’s Jewish), Christmas was still very much present, however, now I was living in a New York City apartment and soooooo;  the living room which has an Art Deco look became a silver and crystal wonderland.  Reindeer inhabited every room, shelf and nook – they’re so ecumenical, don’t you think?

Fast forward to the present and this year Christmas will be in our little cottage at the shore.  La Vie en Rose is a true confection of a cottage, at least I like to think so.  A small cottage can only handle so much decoration so again there’s no tree and by the way, that’s okay because over the years I have given all of the ornaments of their youth to my two now grown up kids.  The cottage is Victorian on the outside and eclectic on the inside.   Color is the key and this is what it looks like today.

 

La Vie en Rose, Christmas tree, Ocean Grove

A Pink Christmas is Perfect

The tree really isn’t supposed to have any ornaments and comes pre-wired with tiny lights but I guess I couldn’t resist hanging a couple and now that I see the photo, I think I’ll remove them.

 

flamingo, penguin, ornaments, bowl of ornaments

Flamingo and Penguin Co-exist at Christmas time

I love the reflections.

 

ocean grove,nutcrackers,wooden soldiers

My Army of Nutcrackers

Joel and Chiara Berti, pink ribboned tree

Pink Ribboned Tree

I have been looking at photos from other Christmases in the cottage and I see that this tree has been promoted to the first floor!

 

Christmas light bulbs, C-9 bulbs, canning jars, Ball jars, zinc lids, santa sleigh, pine cones

The First of the Ball Jar Bulb collection

There’s a few more jars and bulbs and a jingle bell wreath on the door.  I need to take a few more photos to do this all justice.

Merry Christmas to All!

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Top Ten Things To Do in New York City during Christmastime

Posted in BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 3, 2010| 1 Comment »

THURSDAY’S TOP TEN

New York City is fun at any time of the year (but you already knew that) – However at Christmastime there is an energy that vibrates through the month of December.  Well actually  I think it starts at Thanksgiving.  The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade marks the beginning of the Holiday Season here in Manhattan; Heralding the season from Herald Square!  So now it has begun and the streets are really crowded with shoppers carrying the colorful store brand  bags.  Workers that usually eat at their desks are dashing out to shop during lunch hours, tourists are everywhere in Midtown and stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to take pictures. And why are they all here? Because New York City is a great place to be at this time of year.

You can:

  1. Visit Rockefeller Center and see the magnificent tree and watch the ice skaters too.
  2. Drop by Grand Central Terminal to see the Holiday Light Show that is beamed on the recently re-stored ceiling.  And you can shop there too – besides the stores there is also a Christmas marketplace.
  3. Attend a performance of The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, it’s a holiday classic.
  4. But nothing is more classic than going to Radio City Music Hall and seeing the Rockettes! The Christmas Spectacular is a lovely wonderful tradition.  I ought to know because my grandmother used to take me when I was young, then I took Chiara during her childhood and this year Finley Ray went.  She is still a bit young for the Rockettes but the effects, the lights, and of course Santa Claus were not lost on her.
  5. Walk along Fifth Avenue and window shop or rather window-look at the dramatic and fantastic holiday window displays at Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and Barney’s.
  6. Stroll along Fifth Avenue in the evening and see the giant snowflake suspended above your head like a star.  And then walk past Cartier’s where the whole building is wrapped with a red ribbon and bow.
  7. Visit the Metropolitan Museum and behold the most beautiful Baroque Neapolitan Christmas tree.  The manger scene surrounds the base and is just magnificent.
  8. Take a break at Serendipity’s and drinks some Frozen Hot Chocolate.
  9. There are Christmas markets throughout the City, not as spectacular as those in Germany but they are here.  Check out Union Square, Columbus Circle and Bryant Park for a wide selection of craft items, art, outerwear and gifts of all sizes for all ages.
  10. In the lower level of the Citicorp Building, there is annual free model train display that you will marvel at several vintage sets run all through a staged country and city setting.  The Transit Museum also displays vintage trains in their shop in Grand Central Terminal.

BONUS IDEA – Buy some hot roasted chestnuts from a street vendor that’s New York!

*** There’s an UPDATED 2012 list available  at Top Ten Things To Do In New York City During Christmastime UPDATED!

Christmas tree, Rockefeller Center

Bright Lights-City Lights

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Finley Ray-Mini Manhattan Missy Gets a Mani

Posted in Finley Ray, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , on December 1, 2010| 2 Comments »

How long does it take a two year old to acclimate to her new surroundings? Not very, it seems!! Miss Fin saw the nail salon and wanted to get her nails painted!! YES she did, how outrageous is that?  I love it, she is soooo cute. Definitely her mother’s daughter.

manicure in Manhattan, Finny, Finley Ray Clark, lovie-dovie polish
Her choice? “Lovie-Dovie” of course!

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FAB FOTO FRIDAY – Sing A Song of Sixpence

Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , on November 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

...a pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie

When the pie was opened

The birds began to sing

Wasn’t that a dainty dish

To set before a king!

starlings, grackles, flock, Central Park, Murray Head

And then I looked up to the sky

photo by Murray Head

grackles, starlings, flocks, Central Park, Murray Head

It blackened right before my eyes

photo by Murray Head

grackles, starlings, flock, Murray Head, Central Park

Silhouettes - My own film noir

photo by Murray Head

flocks, central park, Murray Head, grackles, starlings

Fly away, fly away, fly away now

photo by Murray Head

grackles, starlings, flock,Murray Head, Central Park

Soon to be a distant memory

photo by Murray Head

I thought these photos were great – the beauty of nature and the artistry of the camera captured a “Mother Nature Moment” in Central Park.  These photographs were taken near Bethesda Fountain.

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“What we have here is the failure to communicate”

Posted in BY THE WAY, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , on November 21, 2010| 4 Comments »

Garden State Parkway shield

Image via Wikipedia

I’m living in a world where I am omnipresent-everywhere at all times.  If you can’t reach me on my phone a/k/a house phone now a/k/a my land-line, then you can call me on my cell phone OR you can send me an email on at least two of my three email addresses OR you can text me and I will get it on my blackberry…SO why is there a problem communicating?

That was a rather loosely-connected (sorry for the pun) prologue to what really happened today.  There was a break down in communication BUT not really because I couldn’t be reached.  However, I liked writing that blurb about the absurdity of how connected we all are.

I had to make an overnight food and turkey run to New Jersey so I could pick up my turkey that I am paying $2.65 per lb for in a town that is “kinda” on the way home to New York City while my friend is paying $2.39 per lb for the same brand turkey AND if I had bought it where she did and where I did shop today I would have not had to “race” back to try and get to the City before my daughter did.  She was driving in from Boston with a baby, a baby nurse and a 2 yr. old in tow and I HAD HER KEYS! Not good!!

Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving turkey,

I'd Walk a Mile for this turkey

Here’s the break down in communication – I told my daughter that I needed to use her refrigerator on Sunday when I brought the turkey home and her freezer.  Here’s what I said, ” Will you be home on Sunday or will the key be with the doorman“?  At which point she turns around and gives me the key.  Did I think it was her only key? NO!  Today as we are trading semi-hysterical phone calls while each of us is speeding to Manhattan, she says, “You said the afternoon” – did anything I say sound like afternoon.  Someone doesn’t always listen to whole sentences.   The baby will have to be nursed, Finley will have to be fed and they will be locked out.  Ever the fixer and over-giver I come up with a plan; first I call my friend who has a key to my apartment and ask her to leave it with the  doorman – that will work.  I call Chiara back and suggest she send the car to Queens with her baby nurse so she doesn’t have to park it or park it in her garage and take a cab to my apartment with the kids.  I don’t think she appreciated my suggestion at all because she said she would just have to go to a restaurant and wait for me. Needless to say I asked at least 3 times if she thought the doorman would have a key to the apartment since it was a corporate rental.  “NO” says she and “we’ve been through this before, he doesn’t have a key”!!!

The next glitch came when we left the Orchard and because time was really of the essence, I suggested that we drive north on Rte 18 or Rte 9 and my driver thinks we should stay on Rte 34 till we hit the Garden State Parkway or the NY Thruway. Welllllll as we headed home on Rte 34 we saw a sign for the GSP and so we turned right…right into some beautiful countryside, looked like horse country BUT no Parkway.  About 20 minutes later we finally saw the entrance to the Parkway and I just knew we would never get into the City before she did. Damn it anyway!!!

I said I would call her once I was thru the tunnel and I did and guess what?? She was in her apartment – seems the doorman had a key after all (which I said I thought he would since IT WAS a corporate apartment).  But what do I know?

The other break down occurred when I tried to dash into a beauty supply store to pick up a few things and my card was declined – WHAT??!!!  I’m not even going to go into that issue – I run out of the store and to the car to get another card.  Did I mention there had been a line of people behind me in the store, oh they were thrilled. Back in the store, thrust my American Express at the girl who says, “oh we don’t take American Express”. Well, that’s that – I leave the stuff and as I run out the door, I hear the cashier calling out that she has a void!!!

 

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