Thursday, September 3, 2009

I LOVE NEW YORK!

I really do love New York! Ray thinks I'm crazy and he can't wait to retire and move away. But as long as we're still here I mean to savor it!

Jayden and I had a really busy day, first we had to go to his school to pick up his 'Admit To Class' card for his first day of school next Thursday, , then he and I stopped in Dunkin' Donuts for a treat, then we had an appointment to get his haircut, and then we took a bus trip downtown.
I'll tell you about our outing after I do my "Villagers Real Life Honest Food" post for Teresa:
(not a very good day for me, Teresa!)

Breakfast: 7:00 AM ~ A cup of Life cereal and a mug of coffee with French Vanilla flavor.


Snack: 10:30 AM ~ Wheat bagel with cream cheese and a small french vanilla coffee with milk.


And I finished Jayden's chocolate milk that he didn't want.


Snack: 2:30 PM ~ Starbuck's mocha ice cream bar.


Dinner: 5:00 PM ~ Mediterranean salad with grilled chicken strips.


And I had a mojito (well, I ordered the Pomegranate margarita you see in the background and Ray ordered the mojito, but when I tasted Ray's drink and loved it, he very kindly offered to switch!).


Okay, since today was so beautiful out, sunny, not too warm and not too humid, I decided to take Jayden downtown for a little treat as he'll be starting school full-time next week and we won't have the chance again for awhile.
I asked him what he wanted to do in the city and he said he wanted to go to Central Park. So that's what we did.
When we got there I asked him if he wanted to go to the zoo, or to the amusement park area, or take a carriage ride. He said he wanted to do everything! I explained that it was late already (it was about 2:30 by the time we got there) and we didn't have enough time or money to do everything, so he said he wanted to go to the zoo, but first he wanted ice cream, so that's what we did.


Looking up at the tall skyscrapers that surround Central Park!


Taking a little rest!



While we were eating Ray called to say that he left work early and was on his way, so after we finished our ice cream we headed to the park entrance to meet him, and Jayden spotted the horse and carriages and insisted now that was what he wanted to do!
He also spotted a colorful sculpture and had fun climbing on it.


Then he looked over the carriages and chose a beautiful blue and white one.



The driver was really nice, he told us the name of the horse was Charlie and let Jayden pet the horse, and he even tickled Charlie and got him to smile for us!



I loved the ride, and the carriage looked and smelled clean, and so did the horse, and the driver seemed to really love him, so that made me feel better as I had heard that some of the horses are abused. I'm glad they have a lot of regulations on the treatment of the Central Park horses now.



It was kind of exciting to be in a horse-drawn carriage right in the middle of traffic!


Then we did a loop around the park.


I love Central Park. It is a world of it's own inside a bustling city. If you didn't look up and see skyscrapers you would never know you were in the middle of Manhattan. It's really so beautiful and has so much to offer.
There are lots of rock to climb!


There are lots of stairs to climb too!
Jayden, wait up!


Running ahead again! Jayden, wait up! And this is the reaction I got...

...and he got a time-out right there on a park bench for that!

"Umma, I was only joking." Everything's a joke with this kid!


Central Park has it's own amusement park.




There are lakes.


There are tons of sprawling lawns.


There are tons of sketch artist, face painters, balloon artist, and puppeteers, and there are even Disney characters!



There are lots of musicians.



When we left the park Jayden said he was starving! I wanted to go to a favorite Italian restaurant of ours, but we were on the East side and the restaurant is over on the West side along Restaurant Row and it was about ten blocks away, so we opted to go to TGIFriday's instead. I knew that Jayden would like the Italian restaurant as he's eaten there with us before (and he loves pasta), but this was closer and I was sure we could get his favorite chicken fingers there!


I love walking the streets of Manhattan! There's always so much to see!
I love the traffic! I love the crowds! I love the stores! I love the hotels! I love the architecture!
I love the street vendors! I love those big salted pretzels (and I would have been perfectly happy to have one of those for dinner too)!


They sell everything on the streets of New York, from hotdogs and fruit, to purses and umbrellas!


I love the store window displays (this was one of the windows at Barney's, I have no idea what the display was for, but I thought it was cute, I just hope they're not advocating wearing fur)!


(I loved these shoes in one of the windows! But I did not care for the stockings.)



I love Park Avenue! And the building way down the end, in front of the Met Life building (which used to be the Pan Am building when I worked in the city), anyway, the building in front of that is where I used to work (maybe if you enlarge it you can sort of see it but maybe not because it's covered with netting for construction).



Jayden did get his chicken fingers and he stole some of Ray's rice which he preferred over his french fries.

And for dessert he had a 'bowl of mud' (chocolate mousse over crumbled Oreo cookies, with gummy worms, and they very kindly added whipped cream for him!), he loved it!



And after he finished his dessert, he started on his chicken again, and used his dessert as a dipping sauce!



And, Bernie, while in Friday's we discovered that Tim Horton's is now in Manhattan! Next time I'm there I am definitely going to try it!!



When we were done we walked to the bus stop and while waiting we saw one of those double (piggy-back) buses. I don't know how those bus drivers maneuver those gigantic things through city streets!



On the ride home I asked Jayden if he had a good day and he said, "It was perfect!" It was.

I LOVE NEW YORK!

19 comments:

  1. So you live near central park too? Amazing. I've heard about it all my life but have never been there. I don't think I have ever seen more than 1 picture of it at a time, so this was interesting to me. It all looked like such a magical day.

    As for your food....You have improved since yesterday. You had some vegetables in your salad!! I hope you continue to show your food. I always enjoy seeing what others eat each day. It's a question I will often randomly ask friends, "So what did you have for dinner tonight?"

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  2. Hi Eileen, oh did I have fun with you, Jayden and Ray today in New York....I love New York too! you had such a wonderful day and appreciated all your blessings, I loved this post, luv you....:-) Hugs

    PS: Did you get my e-mail? Trust me you will get addicted to Tim's....they have french vanilla creamers as well....

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  3. Hi Eileen...
    Your post could be an advertisement on why one should visit New York City and Central Park.
    Loved all of it, the street scenes and the rock formations, the vendors, and buggy ride. I see why you love New York!
    Little Jayden is a character isn't he, I see why you love him so much too!
    Smiles Eileen,
    Wanda

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  4. Okay, today I am commenting on everyone's blog site...it will take me all day because I have errands to run, but, with the Good Lord's help, I'll do it!!

    Well I thoroughly enjoyed my stroll through NY...it was my first trip! Having been born and raised in Chicago, I too LOVE the city and the hustle and the bustle. If I was rich (I have said this since Mario and I first married) I would live in Chicago in the summer, Europe in the Spring, GA in the Fall and Arizona in the winter.

    Lots of people can't wait to leave the city but I do love my city and I miss it so much as I haven't been back to Chicago in over 10 years now! There's SO much to do and see and wonderful parks and trees and plants everywhere!

    My mom came from a tiny farming town and we went there each summer when I was a little girl so I learned to love that too and it made me adaptable, so I can honestly say I have loved everywhere that I have been blesssed to live.

    You don't eat that much Eileen!! I have been watching everyone here and thought that no one seems to overdo on eating. I need to get back 'on track' and exercise and eat less as my clothes seem to be shrinking...MUST be the humidity here!

    Chicago has those piggy back buses and I would never want to drive one of those babies!

    The year my oldest daughter lived in NY (2000-2001), she sent pictures of their trips to Central Park so I got a little feel for the Park.

    Now I want to go to Tim Horton's...wonder if Atlanta has any??

    Is that your (hopefully) purse on the bench with Jayden? I just LOVE it!

    Probably because they are both so big, but Chicago has so many of the same things as NY with the street vendors selling everything and musicians everywhere etc. etc.

    Thanks for a fun time with you, just wish it could have been in person, sigh!!

    blessings and city fun hugs,

    marcy

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  5. I would like New York, too! I HAVE lived in Chicago & daughter lives there now. I've always thought I could live there again. Now Central Park....that's one place I have on my list of places to see before I am in the "Rest Home"! I've read books about it, seen movies about it -- now your blog!

    Actually, I've found EVERYWHERE I've lived interesting. There are unique, beautiful, and charming things about each place - large or small. But given the size of cities, there are just so many more sites and sounds! Could keep one learning and growing for a lifetime!

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  6. Good morning, ladies!

    Jill, yes, I am very lucky! I love our location, all I have to do is literally walk around the corner and hop a bus to Manhattan! If it's not rush hour I can be in the city in twenty minutes!
    And I love that we are not far from the beaches either (but those we have to drive to).
    And I'll be posting my food choices all this week, so you'll all get to see the 'real' me!

    Bernie, I'm glad you enjoyed NYC! I do love it!
    And I'm looking forward to my first cup of Tim Horton's! If Ray wasn't getting out of work early today for the holiday weekend, I think I'd be dragging Jayden down there again, but this time I'd go downtown near where Ray works and not midtown or uptown (and I think all the Tim Horton's are downtown!). I'll have to wait until one day next week after Jayden's in school full time.
    I did find your email and I responded!

    Wanda, I'm glad I could show you a little glimpse of why I love this place! Ray is always looking at only the negatives! Although I have to say he does enjoy when we spend weekends in the city sometimes.
    I'll have to do other posts sometime on all the shopping, the museums, Christmas in the city, etc., it would probably keep me busy for a year doing that though!

    Hi, Marcy! I would imagine Chicago and New York would be a lot alike. And like you, if I had the money I'd love to be living right in the heart of Manhattan, but then have a beach house on on Long Island for the Summer, and a thatched roof cottage in Ireland, and I wouldn't mind a home either out West or mid-West either!
    Oh, and yes, that was my pocketbook! I get them from a little kiosk in a shopping mall near us. I think the woman makes them herself, very reasonable prices, and they are very unique! I've seen similar ones from the vendors on the streets of Manhattan, but not as nice and much more expensive!

    Rebecca, if you enjoyed living in a big city I think you would enjoy Manhattan!
    And I agree with you about finding everywhere you live interesting, I love reading about the lives of everyone on the blogs and I find their surroundings so interesting too!

    Have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone!
    Love, Eileen

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  7. Wow what an exciting day for a sweet boy! And I felt like I was along with you Eileen! And leave it to a kid to come up with dessert for a dipping sauce! I love this post Eileen, I've always wanted to got to New York and I enjoyed the little tour, Thanks Eileen! Love Di

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  8. Oh, Diana, I plan on doing a special Times Square posting for you in the future, I remember how you said you wanted to visit there!
    I was going to get off the bus down in that area (right at the bus stop is the area that Mayor Bloomberg cut off to traffic and made a pedestrian promenade), I wanted to photograph that and also the area you are interested in, but Jayden had fallen asleep on the trip in, so I just let him sleep and rode the bus to the end of the line up on 57th Street.
    Plus, I want to do Times Square at night for you, so I'll wait until it gets dark earlier!
    Feel good, Di!
    Love, E

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  9. Hi Eileen,
    I too loved your post today and our little trip to New York. It is my dream to go there soon. My daughter, and daughter-in-law that lives in California, have talked about it many times. Now, I just have to get my act together. You live in a perfect place, I think, the beach the big apple, and I think you ate much better today. Thanks for this wonderful post (((hugs))) T 555

    P.S. Good eating today...I realize I eat for comfort, you seem to be a social eater : )

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  10. Oh, and I love Jayden too...How can you help it, he is so cute and such a jokester!

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  11. Hi, Teresa (555)!
    I'm actually the worst kind of eater I think! I eat socially and I eat emotionally! I too turn to food for comfort, and I eat when I'm happy and/or excited too!
    AND I entice everyone to join me! I know some friends of mine are trying to diet (for health and to lose weight), and we'll be out shopping and I'll say, "Let's not eat lunch, let's just eat desserts!" Or I'll say, "Let's go to Baskin Robbins for ice cream sundaes!" They look at me like I'm nuts, and maybe protest a little, but I just roll my eyes at them and say "Let's go!" And they follow!
    So I don't only destroy my own body, I take everyone down with me! I don't know why people stay friends with me!
    I should surprise everyone next time we're out and say, "Let's go to the Health Nuts store and get a salad for lunch!" Everyone would probably drop dead from laughter!

    I think you and I eat a lot of the same things, Teresa, and I think we make a lot of bad choices! Oh well, I guess there are worse vices in life! I'm not going to beat myself up about it, and I'm not going to let you beat yourself up either!
    But can you just imagine if we lived near each other? We would be so bad encouraging each other to indulge our sweet tooth!

    Have a good weekend!
    Love, Eileen

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  12. HI EILEEN-

    Oh my what a wonderful, perfect, fun day. I too love NYC and Central Park. I love your time with Jayden - it warms me all over. I didn't realize you were so close to me. I am about 90 minutes from NYC. My son lives in Brooklyn and teaches in the So Bronx - English as a second language at the "International High School' - a fascinating place with a very diverse student population. I really enjoyed being with you and Jayden in the City and Park -"thank you" for 'taking me' along. :-)

    Love Gail
    peace......

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  13. Hi, Gail, I was thinking about how close we are when you spoke in one of your post of looking across the Sound to Long Island, and how we look across Long Island Sound to Connecticut's shores!
    We don't go that often to Connecticut, but once in awhile we'll go to Mystic and then we'll take the Ferry from New London (at least I think that's where it is) home to Long Island, and we'll drive into Queens from there, it's a long drive but it's so beautiful to pass all the vineyards.
    A few relatives live in Brooklyn, and I went to high school in the Bronx, we live right by the Whitestone Bridge.
    It sounds like your son has a very interesting job!

    It's so funny to hear people say I live on Long Island! I don't consider living in Queens as living on Long Island, but I guess when my only connection to the 'mainland' is a bridge, then, yes, I do live on an island!
    But to say you live 'on the Island' sounds so weird to me! I only consider people that live way OUT on the Island as living on Long Island!
    And it's funny that I don't consider myself as living in NY CITY either! Friends from the Bronx always laughed at us Queens girls saying we were 'going to the city' (I still say it!), they would yell at us "YOU LIVE IN THE CITY! What do you mean, you're GOING to the city?!" It took me a long time to say "I'm going DOWNTOWN" when I was going into Manhattan. If you read my post I'm sure I wrote 'going into the city' over and over again! And I'm sure I have a lot of people cringing!
    Thanks for stopping in!
    Love, Eileen

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  14. Hi Eileen! I just loved this post SO much! Sam and I both enjoyed all the pictures..especially the ones with Jayden! The one of the bridge with the buildings in the background reminded us of the movie Enchanted..which I LOVE!! (I am a child at heart!) That and all the vendors and the balloons...if you've seen it think..the part where she's dancing and singing..I loved the pretty blue buggy and horse...and I LOVED the shoes too!!
    All your food looked yummy! It sounds like you guys had a gread afternoon out..:)
    Love and Hugs!! Jerelene

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  15. OOPS GREAT!! I've still got a touch of the cold and earaches...Sarah too..so obviously I can't spell :) Your post really did remind me of Enchanted...I took Sam to see it and I embarassed the kids cuz I came out crying...I love "LOVE" stories..especially fairytale ones!
    Love, Jerelene

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  16. Eileen! I had NO IDEA that you lived in NY! How wonderful! I have a friend in NY! Well actually my huhoney has a cousin that lives there but I am not sure exactly where. Your post today was soooo wonderful I felt like I was there. And what is even more perfect, I felt like I was sharing a part of you that is special and for friends only! Thank you for giving this villager a glimps of your wonderful world! I LOVED it! I must have missed a blogpost of something. Are the villagers writing what they have been consuming this week? OH DEAR, everyone would just laugh at me! I am not sure miniture snickers, licorice, oreo's, crackers would be a favor for everyone to see! OH DEAR!

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  17. Jerelene, I did see Enchanted on TV with Jayden! I loved it too! In fact, when Jayden and I were entering the park there was something being filmed and lots of signs were posted saying if you are in the area they have the right to film you. I don't know what it was they were filming, but it looked like nothing much was happening at the time, just a lot of people standing around the food carts! But that's nothing new around here, there is always something being filmed.
    My sister-in-law in fact was paid to let a film crew use her driveway to store lighting equipment, I can't remember who the stars were, I'll see her this weekend and ask.
    I know a lot of films have been done in her area, the one before this was that one with Julia Roberts where she was a teacher (Mona Lisa Smile) and Julia Stiles and Kirsten Dunst were in it, she said they were very, very nice, but Julia Roberts was snobby and would not talk to the locals at all!

    I hope you and your family are feeling better soon! Poor things!

    Hi, Linda! Yes, born and raised here!
    And Teresa had read about some exercise of logging in picture form what you eat, I guess to make you more aware. I always knew I made poor food choices though and that I eat like a pig! Seeing it in picture form is not making me change my habits, it is just letting everyone else know what a pig I am!
    Reading about your sweet diet is like Heaven to my eyes!

    Have a great weekend, girls! Thanks for stopping by! I have to go walk off my dinner a little now (wait to see what I post later tonight for everything I ate today)!
    Love, Eileen

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  18. Hi Eileen! Usually I don't get a chance to get over to this blog. I always read your other though. I noticed the title and HAD to comment! I think I told you that my 1st trip to NYC was last fall (Jon and his dad ran the NYC Marathon). I dreaded going b/c I was 7 months pregnant, but I fell in love with the city and cannot wait to get back! I just loved looking at your pix! We stayed right b/t Times Square and Central Park, so we walked to both! Loved Central Park! We watched Disney's "Enchanted" with the girls and noticed a lot of familiar C. Park areas! Girl, I could just shop and try so many new things! I would also be quite happy just sitting and people watching. I love to see what everyone is wearing! Ha! Love, love this post! Take pix of NYC every time you go!

    P.S. Jayden is soooooo handsome! Those LONG lashes are amazing! I want!

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  19. Oh, Lauren, you had the best of both worlds!
    I do plan on taking advantage more often of being so close to the city, and I will take pictures! I used to go all the time, but then my parents got sick, and then Jayden came along, and I just didn't get in as much. Ray and I try to do a weekend there once or twice a year, but other than that I haven't been going as often.
    I used to go with my girlfriends a lot, to the antique fairs, also to Greenwich Village, to the street fairs, to the theaters, shopping, etc. but not for awhile now.
    Thanks for stopping by!
    And I've been enjoying your blog and the beautiful pictures of your family so much!
    Love, me

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