Seattle's Best

Megan and Matt have so many entertainment options right out their front door. The Seattle Art Museum is across the street and this fine movie theater is right next door.














Visiting the International District doesn't even require a passport. In the days before we were so politically correct, I believe we may have referred to this area as China Town.

Blake and I had a good time at the children's library, but it was hard for him to understand that we were limited to just one hour on the computer per visit.

Megs, Blake and I took the water ferry to West Seattle and not only discovered a fun beach, but a very fun bakery. Unfortunately the photo does not do justice to the cinnamon rolls. Just imagine that each one of these is the size of your head and then you get the picture. Yes, we did indulge and I would highly recommend taking them up on the offer to heat it up before you eat it.

Pike's Market was an adventure. Flying fish, flowers of all varieties, fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm and grandma's riding pigs were all part of the fun. I suppose you could say, I went hog wild in Seattle. Thanks to Matt, Megan and Blake, truly Seattle's Best, for making it such a wonderful week.

Red light, green light, red light, green light.....

This is why we don't drive in NYC.

Laughter is the "breast" medicine

It has been fun getting acquainted with the different neighborhoods in the city. For example, if you live by the Flatiron building, you are in the Flatiron District. If you are east of Central Park, you would say that you live on the upper east side. Right now Paul and I are living south of the park, but east of it so we are on the east side. Our new condo will be on the Upper West Side. Other neighborhoods are Battery Park, Lower East Side, Downtown, Harlem, Chelsea, Union Square, Times Square, Hell's Kitchen, etc. I had a meeting on the Upper West Side today and decided that while I was there I would explore a little bit and see what businesses and shops would be in our new neighborhood. I was delighted to find that one business had a particularly good sense of humor. I walked past and had to back up and read the sign again because it was an imaging center and it was called Upper Breast Side Imaging Center. It somehow seemed a bit awkward to stick my head in and ask if I could take a photo so I didn't. But as I was walking along I began to wonder if for those of us with a few years on us and a few more years with gravity doing its trick if we would have to go to the Lower Breast Side Imaging Center.

It was "frick'n" good

Today I visited the Frick Museum which is housed in the mansion of Henry Clay Frick who made his fortunes in the steel industry. It is a wonderful collection of several artists and just the right size so you can enjoy it without feeling overwhelmed. A few years ago I saw a painting by Whistler and was blown away by it. Lucky for me he had several paintings in the Frick Museum and I was similarly impressed.
When your feet are weary and you need a little break, you can walk across the street to Central Park. As you can see, several people had the same idea. Paul and I have spent many hours in parks around the world and we both agree that Central Park is one of the prettiest urban parks we have found. We run in the park every morning. Okay, I lied. Paul runs in the park every morning and I walk in the park. We try and get at least four miles in each morning and on the long runs which take us around the reservoir, we clock about five miles or a little better. Every day I discover a new path to take and it leads me to a different child's playground or another statue or like last Friday, to the front door of a castle. I love it. Every day a new adventure.

Building Bridges

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There are lots of bridges, i. e. the London Bridge, Bridge Over the River Kwai, grandpa's bridge, bridge over troubled water, but only the Brooklyn Bridge was celebrating its 125th birthday this week. In honor of this great achievement, Paul and I walked the bridge on Memorial Day. At the time it was built, the tallest building in NYC was six stories high. You can imagine the delight, the fear, and the amazement of the people in NYC and Brooklyn when they crossed the East River on this massive bridge and stood much higher than they had ever stood before. We were similarly amazed. From the bridge you can see Lady Liberty, Ellis Island, Fulton Fish Market, a spectacular view of Manhattan, the busy East River. Certainly a great adventure and one I would recommend when you come to visit.

The other "man" in my life.....

Mr. Softee. I love these trucks. They are everywhere on the streets in NYC and the people standing in line for the treats are as varied as the delicious items on the menu. You have Wallstreet bankers, school children, homeless people, moms & babies, doormen, and policemen. When Mr. Softee calls with his alluring music, he is very hard to resist.

These are a few of my favorite things....

Patrick, Meredith, Kendall and Berkeley were our first out of town visitors and we had so much fun showing them around the neighborhood. While they were here we visited our new condo, went to the Today Show (and made it on TV), went to the Top of the Rock, walked and played in Central Park, went to the zoo, rode the carousel, visited Paul at work, and even had time to see the movie Horton Hears a Who and Pat and Mer were able to see Wicked. Whew! All that in just four days. Sitting at the dining room table and doing puzzles with Kendall and Berkeley was one of my favorite things. Hearing the word "grandma" was another favorite thing. Sharing the adventure of living in NYC with those we love is probably my favorite thing.