Lightship Frying Pan

Oh the joys of a Holiday weekend. One where I didn't have to beg, borrow and steal to get free time is even better! Laura and my good friend Prospect from our RC days came to visit all the way from Ohio and we have been very busy. Friday we intended to go see the Statue of Liberty, but when we got there the weather was gross and the line was very very long. There was a street show nearby and Laura got roped into being jumped over by street performers so that was pretty terrific. We will try again for Lady Liberty on Monday morning.

Laura, about to be jumped, in the street show.

We decided to head to midtown instead, to see Laura's friend Jessica, also from RC, who recently moved to the city. Jessica's apartment has a terrific balcony and we sat out there all afternoon, drinking wine and watching the Sailors and Marines walk back and forth. It is Fleet Week in Manhattan. After drinking we went to Five Napkin Burger for supper, but I don't have eating out money so I just got an order of 'Tater Tots' which turned out to be some sort of potato fritter hushpuppy and nothing like the things you are thinking of.

Wine in the afternoon on Jessica and Peter's balcony

Afterward we headed home. Laura and Prospect went to 773 but I decided to go home as I don't have beer money either.

I had to work today, which was no fun. After that I felt gross and ugly but Laura was texting that she and Prospect were at a restaurant in Korea Town and headed to an explorable boat park. I didn't know we had a Korea Town here! I met them at the restaurant and we headed to 26th and 12th. This location was familiar to me, as you may remember, from Cinco De Mayo. Remember when I tried to meet Rachel at an address that turned out to be out in the Hudson River. I knew it was a bar but it turned out to be so much more!

The Lightship Frying Pan is a party boat, docked on the Hudson. Its a barge, a lightship and, right now, a fire boat, kind of hitched together and used as a bar. If you haven't yet you really should click the link and read about it because guess what: it USED to be SUNKEN and they pulled it back up and now its a bar! Go look! I'll wait. Ok welcome back. So the weird thing is there you are on a formerly sunken ship/rust bucket/bar which is just crazy but very cool, but everyone else acts like its totally normal. People all over the boats were just sitting, drinking, talking, being regular, but we were on a rusty creaky, creepy, formerly sunken boat. Laura, Prospect and I combed the whole place and it was really freaky and wonderful. A floating scary basement, and we all know how I feel about scary basements!

Scary jars with things suspended in liquids, for no reason evident to anybody

Of course, every formerly sunken boat bar needs a bootleg piano

...and a DJ booth!

...and a caboose?!?

After that we headed home to recoup before embarking on a totally AWESOME second half of Memorial Day Weekend by going down to Coney!

Elton John Was Wrong

"I thought I knew, but now I know that rose trees never grow in New York City."

Roses are EVERYWHERE in our beautiful neighborhood. I always thought roses were hard to keep so I wonder if they begin to thrive when they are older because these roses don't seem to need any help. They are huge and lush and busting all over with fat blooms. Its late May so it shouldn't be any surprise that things are feeling summery. It really seems like summer has been holding out on us this year though, so the warm sunshine I saw today on my walk to the liquor store and drug store was lovely and welcome.

Does anyone out there know what the kids do in NYC when the weather gets hot? So far we have the park, the beaches at Coney Island and I guess a fire hydrant if Sesame Street is any indication. Anyone know of pools you could go to? Anyone know anyone with a roof? We're definitely accepting any tips.

Today, once I finish my pitcher of iced tea, I'm going to make my first pitcher of sangria. Cointreau is expensive so it better be amazing. I'll report back.

Concert List

Because I was talking about this with Jake last night, and because Gmail is an imperfect place to store such information: Here is a list of all the acts I've seen in concert over the years.

Ricky Scaggs
Kenny Chesney
Moxy Fruvous
Barenaked Ladies
Guster (x3)
Carbon Leaf (x6)
Ben Folds (x3)
Weezer (x2)
Tenacious D (x2)
Jimmy Eat World
Sparta
Dashboard Confessional
Pete Yorn
Remy Zero
311 (x2)
N.E.R.D.
Jay-Z
Nappy Roots
Hoobastank
2 Skinnee J's (x2)
Something Corporate (x2)
Bacon Brothers
Har Mar Superstar
Bowling For Soup
Welbilt
33 West
All American Rejects
The Ataris
Simon and Garfunkel
Phantom Planet
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Less Than Jake
The Virginia Coalition
Counting Crows
John Mayer (x4)
G Love and the Special Sauce
Better Than Ezra
Jessica Simpson
Cyndi Lauper
Maroon 5
Trace Adkins
Dave Matthews Band
Sheryl Crow
Rooney
Ben Lee
Jefferson Starship
Scythian (x4)
Flogging Molly
Fools and Horses
The Reflex (x?)
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Souled Out (x?)
Harper Simon
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Mika

The Roots

Talib Kweli
Naughty By Nature
Salt-N-Pepa

John Legend

So a Photographer Walks Into a Dentist's Office...

...and gets her filling replaced. Sorry, not a funny joke. A couple of nights ago I was flossing my teeth and popped one of my fillings out. At least I hoped it was a filling; it was tooth colored and alarmingly tooth-like but also a perfect little square and since my teeth didn't hurt or anything I assumed it was a filling. Anyway I grabbed a bus back to VA on Wednesday night to go see my cousin Heather and get that sucker fixed.

I saw Dr Heather on Thursday morning and then visited my old workplace for a little while. It was terrific seeing all the kids and my old coworkers again. Highlights were all the two year olds remembering me right away, Elaina telling me she loved me, and Ainsley spotting me down the hall and remembering me. Good to know they haven't all already forgotten who I was! Everything looked good there and most everyone was happy to see me. I missed my old boss Stacey so I called her on my way out and asked her to have drinks with me later that day.

Mom and Jake and I decided to have lunch at Cristina's Cafe in town. Our food was delicious and the owners; Wendy and Crissy stopped by our table to chat. We were all friends from my Koo Koo News days. After lunch Jake and I took a walk around town and then headed home to get ready for drinks with Stacey.

At 6:30 we met Stacey at Brewbakers where we were immediately treated to free beers from some Bud Light girls. Thanks! We sat and chatted for hours. It was great to catch up with Stacey and hear all about her new house and how things are going for her and tell her about life in NYC.

Friday morning I got up before Jake to make him his breakfast in bed. In case you hadn't heard already, I lost a bet with Jake and the stakes were breakfast in bed for the winner cooked by the loser. I lost and am here to tell you everybody does not like the Michael Jackson song 'Black or White' better than the song 'Smooth Criminal'. Anyway I had gotten a little grandiose with my menu planning as I was sure my victory was a lock. I had to make him stuffed french toast (with strawberries and cream cheese) and bacon. I got so wrapped up in the process of slicing and stuffing and frying I completely forgot to expect it to taste good. It was divine!! Everybody won in the end.

Finally it was back to the bus to get back to NYC and work on Saturday. I love being home in VA and miss everyone and everything very much. A little snafu occurred when my bus was an hour and half late to pick me up so I didn't get home until 4 in the morning, but I did get home.

Also, I've been entering photography contests lately. I entered four photos to one with a theme of 'Happiness' and am scouring my files for the perfect picture for a 'Baby' theme contest this week. The prizes for these contests will help me reach my goal of getting a digital SLR, the right camera to make my photography stand out when I'm not at work using proper equipment. None of my Happiness photos were chosen but I think they were great anyway and have gotten some feedback from other entrants in the contest. Wish me luck and if you happen to see any other contests feel free to let me know!

One of my 'Happiness' submissions

The Edgar Family Visits NYC

Amy and Jason and their two kids Easton and Bluebell came to NYC to see me this weekend. We had an absolute blast. I was amazed at how much the Edgar's were willing to do. They made a list and I was really looking forward to doing some of the things on it but I assumed that with two small kids we'd be lucky to do a couple touristy things each day of their visit. Not so. We did everything on the list. Here's the rundown:

Saturday Night the Edgar's arrived around supper time. I met them at their hotel here in Brooklyn, where they checked in and dropped off some stuff. They were ready to go even after a long car trip so we decided to take the subway back to my apartment and get some supper at Picket Fence. Picket Fence never disappoints and Amy and Jason loved the macaroni and loved Brooklyn Lager too. After supper I rode them back to their hotel on the subway so they could rest up for a day at Coney Island.

Sunday I met them at their hotel in time for free breakfast. We all ate together and then headed to Target to get a second umbrella stroller and then on the Coney Island Q by lunchtime. Easton and Bluebell loved the train ride and we were all cheerful and ready for a big day at Coney. As soon as we walked out of the subway Jason mentioned that he thought now was a good time for a hot dog. Nobody argued. We all got Nathan's and had a nice lunch at the outdoor tables in the sunshine. After hot dogs and corn dogs we walked toward the amusements and Amy and Jason took the kids on the carousel in the kiddie park. Then Easton rode a train ride by himself which he kind of liked, and a submarine ride with Bluebell which he did not like. We played some games and then Amy and I rode the Wonder Wheel.

Lunch at Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs

Amy on the Wonder Wheel

After rides and games we decided to walk along the boardwalk awhile and then out to the pier. On the boardwalk we stopped into a gift shop called Lola Star which had lots of really cool coney island stuff. I loved everything in there and then I found a floaty pen. I got so excited I bought four! I never want to be without one. It even had the Wonder Wheel on it. Floaty pen + Ferris Wheel = Happy Katy. The pier was bustling with locals fishing, sunning themselves and chatting in various accents. We even saw a couple and crew making some sort of wedding video on location. After all that sunshine we all decided we could go for a little ice cream. I thought the family must be getting tired so I was really surprised when they decided they were ready to take the train back to Manhattan and see the lights of Times Square!

Wonder Wheel Floaty Pen!

Bluebell looking cool at Coney

We took a nice long subway ride and I made sure we sat so we could see the Brooklyn bridge from the window as well as the Masstransiscope. We came out of the train in Times Square and there we were in the middle of everything. Amy and Jason really liked it. Times Square is something to see and if we weren't so hungry I don't know if Amy ever would have stopped walking and taking pictures. We stopped in Sephora for Amy and Toys R Us and a souvenir stand. Amy took pictures of horses and taxis and lights lights lights. The kids took it all in and I feel like the strollers kept the comedy show guys at bay. We didn't get one offer. After lots of walking and seeing we were all hungry, tired and kind of queasy. We decided to go to Ruby Tuesdays for salads and water and then back to Brooklyn for some much needed rest.

Jason and Amy in Times Square

Monday morning I met them for that free breakfast again and then we got everything together and headed to the Brooklyn Bridge. I was really excited because I have been wanting to walk across it for a while and had recently watched a documentary about how it was built. We started in Brooklyn and walked across, stopping often for this or that or to take pictures. I loved it. The bridge is lots of fun, with beautiful views and tons of people coming and going. It was beautiful weather. The kids were content and there was lots to see.

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

Once we got to Manhattan we took the 6 train to Midtown and stopped for lunch at Prime Burger. The price was right, especially for midtown, and the food was terrific. After lunch I took the Edgars to Rockefeller Center to see the Today Show window and NBC studios.

Outside the Today Show window

Next we walked further uptown to FAO Schwartz. Amy and Jason got Easton an NYC Taxi matchbox car and Bluebell an alphabet book of artwork from the Met. We spent a long time in the toy store browsing.

We were starting to fade, not to mention feeling some sore tired feet. We came out to go see the park but first stopped to drink some sodas on a bench. We were sitting right by the Plaza where the Central Park horse carriages wait for riders and Amy and Jason started discussing buying a carriage ride. We all thought it would be fun and a nice break to have a ride and I was very happy when they decided to go for it. Its definitely something I always wanted to do and never thought I'd be able to. The carriage ride was wonderful. We took a loop through the bottom part of the park and saw some of the sights of Central Park. The driver told us what different buildings were and what places were featured in the movies. My favorite part was when he pointed to the zoo and said the Central Park zoo was featured in the movie 'Madagascar'. We also rode past a huge corporate event hosted by the Fox network. We saw a paparazzi line and tons of camera flashes as Escalades pulled up to bring famous people to the network party.

Carriage Ride in Central Park

When the ride was over Amy and Jason wanted to walk in the park for a while so I took them back they way the carriage had gone so I could walk them up to the Bethesda Fountain. We walked by the Fox tents again but we still didn't see any famous people. The walk was beautiful as usual but the fountain was covered in scaffolding and drained. Yuck. Everything else was great though.

After all that we all decided we were ready to call it a day and go back to Brooklyn for pizza and beer at their hotel. We finished off their trip with Brooklyn Lager and New York pizza and Laura had a chance to stop by and see the babies too.

Amy and Jason were such great visitors and they have the best behaved kids around. They're all welcome to come back anytime. There must be something we haven't done yet, although I can't think of a thing.

Rain Boot Love

So awhile back I posted a blog that extolled my appreciation for my rain boots. The very next day they leaked while I was walking in a rain or snow storm. I was very sad and had very very wet socks. Then I began to search for awesome rain boots to rival the coolness of my old ones. That didn't happen so I got some plain ones. Here they are:

After that I took them to my friend Shannon at work. I asked her if she would like to graffiti them for me to make them unique and she told me to consider it done. I was so excited. I told Shannon she could honestly do whatever she liked but I wouldn't be sad if they said Brooklyn somewhere on them and that I love Ferris Wheels. She didn't disappoint. Today I got them and I'm crazy about them. I'll let the pictures tell the rest. After she gave them to me at today's staff meeting we did a little photo shoot for them and the pictures are so fun. They were taken in the studio where I work!

Katy and Katy take Manhattan (pt.1)

Today was my very dear friend Katy S's birthday! Her girlfriend Sam brought her to NYC for a semi-surprise birthday gift. I love visitors but I was crazy excited to see Katy as we are partners-in-crime at times and we always have a blast together. We met up yesterday evening and took a taxi (always a treat for me) downtown to go to a bar Katy had heard about called The Cubby Hole. The bar was a really fun lesbian bar with lots of kitsch on the ceiling and amazing drink specials. We sat around catching up for a bit and then went next door for a burger. I got the Bistro Burger at a place called Corner Bistro and was definitely one of the top five burgers I've ever eaten,. Wow! I have to make sure to go back there sometime. Plus: the burger was only like $6 and had bacon and cheese! What?!

After eating we headed back to The Cubby Hole and celebrated Katy's birthday until the early morning.

Katy wants to go to Coney Island and I insisted they come back for a visit over the summer when they can stay longer and we'll stay at my place and go to Coney. Can't WAIT!