NYC: There and Back Again

I LOVE NEW YORK!!!

Our trip was to celebrate our upcoming 10th anniversary as well as the last time we were actually in NYC. It couldn't have been more fabulous.


We stayed at The Surrey Hotel on the Upper East Side, kind of an old elegant place but not over the top. Mr. Zoysia (who will from now on be referred to as Mr. Z) was fascinated with our Rear Window view. Maybe a little too fascinated.


The weather was brisk, but not too bad. Before we left, I gave him his gift, a We Call Them Pirates Hat, made of Blue Sky Alpaca Sport Weight. It really came in handy.


We had so much fun. We went to the Met, and MoMa. We saw Spamalot which was a riot. I was a little skeptical at first, but it was more Monty Python than the actual movies. I didn't think Clay Aiken was Python material, but, I have a newfound respect for the guy. He was able to poke fun at himself and all the rumors surrounding him.

One of my favorite highlights was meeting Sharon. She's such a great person, and the two of us were like the proverbial peas-in-a-pod. We had the same taste in yarn, fabric, food, and so much more. I also had the privilege of meeting Monkey and A. They were both extremely charming. Here we are at Purl, wallowing in yarny fun:


We took a walk on Park Avenue, and the store fronts were fantastic. I was particularly taken with this paper bouquet:


We met up with a couple of old friends. Mr. Z's from college, Kimberly, took us to this great little Italian place, Supper, in the East Village. The food was great, and Kimberly is just one of my most favorite people. After we were done, we stepped outside, under the gas heat lamps, and took this pic. We're red cuz of the lamps:


Our last night in town we went to the New York Philharmonic. Did I mention I'm a sucker for strings? I can die happy now. Afterwards we ate at the Cafe Des Artistes. The food and wine were excellent, but the murals were spectacular:


Oh, it's hard to turn into a pumpkin after that whirlwind of friends-food-wine-art-music-fun, but the time has come. At least they make it worth coming home:

Antsy

I can't believe I've let so much time pass since my last post. I have been busy with school, soccer and baseball (both boys in both sports), knitting and crocheting like crazy. I've got stuff to show you, both good and bad, I just can't seem to pull out the camera and make it happen.

Part of what's holding me back, is it's midterm week, and that means lots of work for me and my students. Another thing is, I'm taking a trip with Mr. Zoysia this weekend to NYC. I'm so excited about that. We've got lots of things planned. I've been to NYC lots of times before, but I was always in starving artist mode. I'm finally going on a bit more than a shoestring budget and will be able to do a few things I never did before. Like see a Broadway show and go to the Symphony. I'm really psyched about the Symphony. There's something about live strings that just goes to the core of me.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is meeting Sharon, from Gimmesanity. I know, isn't it cool? I may even get to meet the Monkey! I'm just beside myself.

I'm not really prepared for the trip. I've got prescriptions to fill, clothes to wash, bags to pack, plans to make. I thought I'd make myself a hat and some mittens cuz I know it's cold as hell up there. I did get one mitten made, but didn't like the final product, so I never made its mate. I used the White Witch Mitts from Knitting Daily IWP, which called for Blue Sky Alpaca Sport Weight, but I used Blue Sky Alpaca Silk, also sport weight. My mitten turned out too small, and the colors didn't contrast as much as I thought they would:




Blah!

I did get a hat made for Mr. Z, but I he wore it last night, and I can't find it to take a picture of. It's We Call Them Pirates in Blue Sky Alpaca Sports Weight (love, love, love that stuff) in light green and cream. It turned out great, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Maybe while we're in NYC, he'll wear it & I'll take a pic.

Maybe I'll knit myself a hat on the plane.