Here's what's making me happy this week:
1. Peonies. Trader Joe's had marvelous bunches for a very low price so we got two. Given how I have been cooing over them like babies and smelling them all week, I can officially say they are my favorite flower.
2. Chocolate chip walnut cookies from Levain Bakery. They are too amazing for words and the bakery is only two blocks away.
3. I have been asking Sean to watch the last two Harry Potter movies with me for oh, I don't know, two years. He finally gave in this week. So good.
4. This song.
5. These sandals, which are super comfortable and great for my daily walk home.
6. The basil and mint plants on my patio. They're struggling to keep up in the heat but it's so pleasant to go out and pick some leaves to include with dinner. Yum.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Fourth of July Heat Wave
Sean and I were thrilled to have Miriam and Aaron join us for the long Fourth of July weekend in New York. We were not so thrilled with the heat advisories and amazing humidity. I had planned on many hours wandering Central Park and a picnic dinner at Riverside Park to watch the fireworks. Maybe even a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and promenade. Needless to say every time we tried to do something outdoors it quickly ended in exclamations of ahhhh it's so hot, I'm so sweaty, get me out of here!
Of course we still had a wonderful time and our little apartment handled visitors very well (ok there was that ant coup of the patio and apartment but we're not discussing that). It has turned out to be very convenient to have your twin sister married to your husband's cousin. Aaron and Sean had no problem going off to the movie theater together while Miriam and I went shopping and got our nails done. We had too much good food: Casa Mono, Shake Shack, The Smith, ABC Kitchen, the Spotted Pig, and of course banana pudding from Magnolia. We also took Miriam and Aaron for their first visit to the Met and ventured up to the rooftop which was on my summer bucket list. The view up there is beautiful, if only it was air conditioned. I also finally made it to the Lincoln Center lawn. What a lovely spot to spend some time (again, when there isn't a heat advisory). So glad it's only a few blocks away.
You can read more details of their visit and see lots of photos on Miriam's blog. I am too exhausted from too much fun for a full recap. The moral of the story is, I love when my sister visits and I am sad when she leaves. Aaron has forever endeared himself by suggesting we watch Mulan after the ant incident. A true hero. Thank you for coming to see us!
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| Miriam's face says it all. It's 105 degrees out. |
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
It Takes Two
The title of this post is a reference to the most amazing Olsen twins movie which Miriam and I were obviously obsessed with as children. Because my sister is coming to visit! Of course, she's bringing Aaron, which I suppose I can tolerate because it means there is someone to entertain Sean while Miriam and I go shopping and get manicures. I can't wait for them to arrive later this afternoon.
Of course, I am a little nervous about fitting two more people into our apartment for five days. It has been cleaned and organized in every little corner to make the most room. Last night I wanted to give myself a reward for closet organization which in my experience is just a stretch away from Tetris (another throwback). The truth is when we moved in, we wanted to get everything out of our way as quickly as possible, so we were not very purposeful about our storage. We are still stretched for space, but with a little creativity and plotting, things are much more organized and we were able to cram even more stuff into those two little closets. Which I did not think would be possible. Hooray!
And another confession. We have officially entered the secret not so fun society of the Upper West Side lovely old brownstone apartment. No mice yet, but Sean has killed two cockroaches since we moved in, one this morning IN THE SHOWER EEK. That is my worst nightmare right there. I have yet to see one, so I am just living in fear of when it will inevitably happen. I also remain extremely impressed that Sean successfully killed them because let's be honest, those suckers are hard to kill. In my limited experience with them, I have not been able to do it. They just always get away.
Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is enjoying a long weekend with family, friends, and hopefully some fireworks.
Of course, I am a little nervous about fitting two more people into our apartment for five days. It has been cleaned and organized in every little corner to make the most room. Last night I wanted to give myself a reward for closet organization which in my experience is just a stretch away from Tetris (another throwback). The truth is when we moved in, we wanted to get everything out of our way as quickly as possible, so we were not very purposeful about our storage. We are still stretched for space, but with a little creativity and plotting, things are much more organized and we were able to cram even more stuff into those two little closets. Which I did not think would be possible. Hooray!
And another confession. We have officially entered the secret not so fun society of the Upper West Side lovely old brownstone apartment. No mice yet, but Sean has killed two cockroaches since we moved in, one this morning IN THE SHOWER EEK. That is my worst nightmare right there. I have yet to see one, so I am just living in fear of when it will inevitably happen. I also remain extremely impressed that Sean successfully killed them because let's be honest, those suckers are hard to kill. In my limited experience with them, I have not been able to do it. They just always get away.
Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is enjoying a long weekend with family, friends, and hopefully some fireworks.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Catching Up
June has passed by so quickly I can hardly keep up with what happened each week. I have wrapped up two very big work events and am desperately trying not to catch the bad cold that has been winding it's way through my overworked colleagues. (Sore throat, just go away please!) I can't believe next week is July but I am thrilled that my summer Fridays will start, Sean will be done with classes, and Miriam and Aaron are visiting us all in one week. Great start to my official summer!
I came to my blog to post something nice about how much we have been enjoying our neighborhood. I was nervous when we moved that it would all be for nothing, that we would still lean towards the hermit lifestyle, cooking dinner and staying in each night. There can be a lot of (self-imposed) pressure in New York to always be out doing something, because otherwise are you really taking advantage of everything the city has to offer? Sometimes all you want to do is sit on your couch and watch TV show marathons on Netflix. Sean and I tend towards that plan more often than not. So I am happy to report that we HAVE been getting out of our apartment and taking advantage of all the wonderful things that are so close by now.
Of course we have the always lovely afternoon or evening stroll in Riverside or Central Park. We are also now within reasonable walking distance to Columbus Circle and all the shopping there. One of my favorite things we have done this month was see a public art project of painted pianos at Lincoln Center (they had been spread around the boroughs but were brought to Lincoln Center for the last weekend of display). Realizing something cool was going on and being able to quickly walk down and see it was amazing. Last Friday after work, Sean and I met for a spontaneous picnic in the Sheep's Meadow of Central Park. It was a beautiful evening, perfect for some cheese, fruit, salads, and being outdoors. I practically had to pinch myself to remember this is my real life.
Lest we forget our old haunts, we went to Astoria last weekend to see Jocelyn and Cory and visit our favorite beer garden, where we of course played Euchre and ate onion rings. Then we went for a walk through Astoria Park and had ice cream cones overlooking the East River. Mister Softee is the standard ice cream truck out here, and he is everywhere. The truck in Astoria used to play music and drive down our block all summer. The trucks on the UWS just camp out in one place and do tons of business. But I digress. It was a truly lovely day, which still, did not make me regret our decision to move, and for that I am grateful. (But Jocelyn and Cory, don't leave us! Are you sure you want to move to Massachusetts? Really??)
I'd say despite the busy-ness, June has been a pretty successful month!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
The Sullivans Take Manhattan Part Three: Little by little...
Our new apartment is turning into a functioning home. We just got the last unpacked box out of here this weekend and that feels very good. Our dining table is still covered in yet to be dealt with items and there are frames laying on the floor when they belong on the wall, but it's coming along!
The number one priority for us was getting the kitchen ready to actually be used. Tiny kitchen or not, we like to cook dinner at home 4-5 nights each week and fitting everything in has been a big challenge. We already had a good pot/pan set up at our old place which we were able to hang on the wall here. We also had an old kitchen cart from college that really needed to go. It was still in fine shape, but doesn't fit the space, and Sean hates it as one comes to hate the kitchen cart they bought at Meijers in a moment of desperation 4 years ago. We did a lot of measuring to figure out what would fit (surprise, not a lot fits) and finally settled on a small prep counter from West Elm which would give us two shelves and triple our counter space. Lucky for us, West Elm is close by and we were able to put the box in a cab rather than pay for delivery. Unlucky for Sean, it was extremely difficult to assemble.
Also very unlucky for us, the size of our apartment has been pretty limiting of what pieces of furniture we can actually buy. We don't want to buy things we don't love just because they work in the space, knowing that we are not going to live here forever. So we try to buy furniture we love that can serve multiple functions over time. This means the cheapest option isn't always doable. Last weekend we also found ourselves hemming and hawing over a new TV stand (the old one also being a college relic that was just too big to fit well). We finally bit the bullet AND paid for delivery and now that it is here, we love it. But as someone with limited furniture buying experience and a limited budget, getting past that initial purchase is still really difficult for me.
Goals for this weekend include finally hanging up a lot of stuff on these blank walls. Our wine rack, new reading lights, photos and art, a double towel rack in the bathroom...etc. There seems to never be a good time to move, Sean and I have both been so busy this month that we have been stalled at getting everything in it's place. Someday soon, I hope to have some very nice photos to share!
The number one priority for us was getting the kitchen ready to actually be used. Tiny kitchen or not, we like to cook dinner at home 4-5 nights each week and fitting everything in has been a big challenge. We already had a good pot/pan set up at our old place which we were able to hang on the wall here. We also had an old kitchen cart from college that really needed to go. It was still in fine shape, but doesn't fit the space, and Sean hates it as one comes to hate the kitchen cart they bought at Meijers in a moment of desperation 4 years ago. We did a lot of measuring to figure out what would fit (surprise, not a lot fits) and finally settled on a small prep counter from West Elm which would give us two shelves and triple our counter space. Lucky for us, West Elm is close by and we were able to put the box in a cab rather than pay for delivery. Unlucky for Sean, it was extremely difficult to assemble.
Also very unlucky for us, the size of our apartment has been pretty limiting of what pieces of furniture we can actually buy. We don't want to buy things we don't love just because they work in the space, knowing that we are not going to live here forever. So we try to buy furniture we love that can serve multiple functions over time. This means the cheapest option isn't always doable. Last weekend we also found ourselves hemming and hawing over a new TV stand (the old one also being a college relic that was just too big to fit well). We finally bit the bullet AND paid for delivery and now that it is here, we love it. But as someone with limited furniture buying experience and a limited budget, getting past that initial purchase is still really difficult for me.
Goals for this weekend include finally hanging up a lot of stuff on these blank walls. Our wine rack, new reading lights, photos and art, a double towel rack in the bathroom...etc. There seems to never be a good time to move, Sean and I have both been so busy this month that we have been stalled at getting everything in it's place. Someday soon, I hope to have some very nice photos to share!
Monday, June 10, 2013
The Good List
There are always days that seem a little worse than others. When maybe you didn't get enough sleep, or your apartment is a mess, and other little irritations turn into big ones. It's probably raining and gross outside and you didn't eat breakfast. Anyway, today was obviously one of those days for me. When this happens, I like to force myself to think about good things until I stop being grumpy and feeling sorry for myself. Sometimes I even make a list. It's pretty silly, but it always helps. Here is the good list for today:
-remembering to wear your raincoat and boots even though it hasn't started raining yet
-a sturdy umbrella that can withstand the wind
-comfort food in the form of a big pot of tofu and red lentil curry
-fine tuned Pandora stations
-running for the bus and catching it
-Hillary Clinton is now on Twitter
-listening to Moon River, the best line is obviously "Two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see"
Yep. I have high hopes of sleeping well tonight.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Birthday and JUNE
June is here which seems kind of crazy. It's a very busy month for me at work with two big conferences to plan and staff but getting them out of the way will make for a relaxing summer which I am looking forward to. So lets get on to the fun stuff...
Tuesday night I walked home across Central Park and ran some errands, then headed home. When I got to our building with grand plans of cooking a nice dinner for Sean in my head, I could not open the front door to the building. No matter what I did with my key, that door would not open. I started dripping sweat in our tiny entryway for ten minutes trying to turn the lock. I sighed. I swore. And then I gave up and left. I called Sean and told him he would find me pouting on a bench somewhere in Riverside Park because that door just hated me. But then I had a great idea. Why not go to Trader Joe's and pick up some groceries since I was locked out anyway? Well, this was my first trip to Trader Joe's on Broadway and 72 and let's just say it was an educating experience. The line to check out wrapped all the way through produce, cheese, and meat. People do their shopping WHILE they're already in line to check out. It was rough. After waiting in line with my heavy basket for 30 minutes and carrying my bag home, my arm was ready to fall off. Of course when I got to our building and tried again to open the door, it opened quite easily. Of course by this time it was also 8pm, Sean got home and we gave up all hope of cooking dinner. We ordered pick up from a sushi place very close by and it wasn't terrible. End of story.
Wednesday was my birthday and it was also a beautiful day, perfect for the wearing of my chosen birthday dress, a blue shift from J. Crew with silver polka dots (which I tried to find a photo to link to because I know you were very curious about my birthday dress but it was impossible, that dress sold out in about five minutes two months ago). We've been on a strick no shopping rule, so I actually bought this dress in MARCH but hadn't worn it yet due to the complete lack of appropriate spring weather in New York. One of my colleagues insisted on birthday pie and got me a piece of strawberry rhubarb. Birthday pie is a requirement and it was delicious. Sean surprised me when I got home from work with a bouquet of roses and a stack of very fun presents including new pajamas and a straw hat (can I pull it off? the verdict is still out). We had a nice dinner in our new neighborhood at Boulud Sud. A very lovely birthday.
In other news, on Thursday I played an epic game of capture the flag with colleagues in Central Park, which I am still sore from. My team won, obviously, and I like to think my amazing defense skills had something to do with that. Friday consisted of a long day at work and complaining nonstop about the downpour in New York. It rained all day long. Literally all day. The kind of rain where your bus takes 30 minutes longer than it should, the streets fill up with water, and an umbrella can't keep you dry. We got soaked walking just a few blocks to a bar. We got even more soaked walking another few blocks to dinner. When we left four hours later it was somehow STILL pouring.
This morning the sun is shining a bit and it looks like the sky got all the rain out of its system so we are in for a nice weekend. Sean and I have some furniture shopping to do and I have birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, which means we have a date with the Flatiron district and Union Square.
Happy Weekend!
Tuesday night I walked home across Central Park and ran some errands, then headed home. When I got to our building with grand plans of cooking a nice dinner for Sean in my head, I could not open the front door to the building. No matter what I did with my key, that door would not open. I started dripping sweat in our tiny entryway for ten minutes trying to turn the lock. I sighed. I swore. And then I gave up and left. I called Sean and told him he would find me pouting on a bench somewhere in Riverside Park because that door just hated me. But then I had a great idea. Why not go to Trader Joe's and pick up some groceries since I was locked out anyway? Well, this was my first trip to Trader Joe's on Broadway and 72 and let's just say it was an educating experience. The line to check out wrapped all the way through produce, cheese, and meat. People do their shopping WHILE they're already in line to check out. It was rough. After waiting in line with my heavy basket for 30 minutes and carrying my bag home, my arm was ready to fall off. Of course when I got to our building and tried again to open the door, it opened quite easily. Of course by this time it was also 8pm, Sean got home and we gave up all hope of cooking dinner. We ordered pick up from a sushi place very close by and it wasn't terrible. End of story.
Wednesday was my birthday and it was also a beautiful day, perfect for the wearing of my chosen birthday dress, a blue shift from J. Crew with silver polka dots (which I tried to find a photo to link to because I know you were very curious about my birthday dress but it was impossible, that dress sold out in about five minutes two months ago). We've been on a strick no shopping rule, so I actually bought this dress in MARCH but hadn't worn it yet due to the complete lack of appropriate spring weather in New York. One of my colleagues insisted on birthday pie and got me a piece of strawberry rhubarb. Birthday pie is a requirement and it was delicious. Sean surprised me when I got home from work with a bouquet of roses and a stack of very fun presents including new pajamas and a straw hat (can I pull it off? the verdict is still out). We had a nice dinner in our new neighborhood at Boulud Sud. A very lovely birthday.
In other news, on Thursday I played an epic game of capture the flag with colleagues in Central Park, which I am still sore from. My team won, obviously, and I like to think my amazing defense skills had something to do with that. Friday consisted of a long day at work and complaining nonstop about the downpour in New York. It rained all day long. Literally all day. The kind of rain where your bus takes 30 minutes longer than it should, the streets fill up with water, and an umbrella can't keep you dry. We got soaked walking just a few blocks to a bar. We got even more soaked walking another few blocks to dinner. When we left four hours later it was somehow STILL pouring.
This morning the sun is shining a bit and it looks like the sky got all the rain out of its system so we are in for a nice weekend. Sean and I have some furniture shopping to do and I have birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, which means we have a date with the Flatiron district and Union Square.
Happy Weekend!
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