Monday, December 31, 2007

First Semester- Only in New York Moments!

As we end our first semester let us reflect on our ONLY in New York moments!

-Reading The Post on the subway as a story for The Post is in the making.
The Post

-Realizing that, in an emergency, the most helpful neighbors would be those located in the local (downstairs) bar.

-On one subway trip we would experience the following: a fantastic guitar player, a ten minute sermon on "Crack to Christ". Switch trains. See the world's saddest clown lost trying to climb the stairs with extra long shoes (had to go kind of sideways). Get on the train. A father explaining to his five year old son what every subway line means in NYC. Then see our guitar player again.

-Best kept NYC secret... Halloween is bigger than New Years!

-When walking down the street hear a kid yell from his apartment the Yankees score to his friend across the street.

-Met a guy named Chris the Butcher. Asked him for some fish.

-Stairs would become my worst enemy yet I can't avoid them.

-See a world premiere avant garde opera by guy who wrote music for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and experience an uncomfortable audience response as people leave in throngs, clap with great disappointment yet the composer keeps coming out for an encore. Expect to hear goatee-sporting guy and his intellectual-looking date next to us to rant and rave about how great it was but instead hear them whisper, "Well that sure sucked."
Tan Dun

-See a world premiere short film with hoola-hooping dancers about an expressway with a full orchestra rockn' out in sequence to the movie and dancers. Amazing!
Sufjan Stevens.

-Honk your horn receive a $250.00 ticket. Oh, wait...there's another honking driver outside my window!

-We've screamed like an eight year olds because:
The Arcade Fire show on Randall's Island was a jump around good time with city lights as their background.
Arcade Fire

-The Macy's parade balloons really do fly through the city streets on Thanksgiving.

-New York at Christmas Battles
"The Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical" vs. "The Radio City Christmas Spectacular"
Rockefeller Christmas Tree vs. All the other amazing trees
Christmas window tourist gazers vs. New Yorkers who need to Christmas shop

Russian Extraveganza!

What a day! Chad and I had an amazing experience that took place in our own backyard! That's what we love about NYC. A friend from NYU treated a group of us to a day of Russian culture. His family moved to NYC from Russia when he was nine. Our day started by going to a bath house. There were several different sauna rooms and a cold pool. The idea is that you sweat-it-out in a sauna then jump in the cold pool. Wakes you up! People also had Oak branches that were soaked in water that would then be used to hit people with. Interesting scene.

Then we headed toward Brighten Beach (located in Brooklyn) for dinner. Little did we know that dinner would be a Russian style Las Vegas show with techno-music pumpn' out Russian tunes! Lots of vodka. Excellent food!

Our restaurant was located down a residential street. An man dressed in a military uniform checked out our dress before entering.

Latin-Russian techno! Packed dance floor!

Smoke machines, water walls and a cross-dressing MC turned the little restaurant into a ragen' scene.

Monday, December 3, 2007

First Snow!



Every neighborhood is decorated! All the trees are a glow! P.S. 93 is gearing-up for their holiday show! BUT TEARS no snow!
SUNDAY we woke to an old familiar sound of our youth! Someone scraping the sidewalk to get every snowflake off! People were fired-up about the snow! In Prospect Park the kids were trying their hardest to sled. Still a little brown in some areas!

Seattle and D.C. Visitors!



Fabulous familiar faced folk rolled through town!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!


Chad's family came to visit! We had an incredible time! Thanksgiving day was steamy warm. Perfect weather for the Macy's Parade. Perched in Central Park, we screamed liked the kiddles surrounding us as the Sesame Street characters rolled by (even Oscar was happy). Ronald McDonald scared the crowd and Snoopy walked on spectators' heads. Amazing. No turkey was served, but halibut with capers, tomatoes and olives filled the tummies of all. By the end we were the stuffed turkeys.



Wednesday, October 31, 2007

A NYC Halloween!


Happy Pumpkin Day! Hope this finds you with Snickers stuffed in your pockets and some witches brew served up. NYC in the Fall is amazing. Throw in some carved pumpkins and kiddles in costumes it's a postcard! Chad and I went to a party on Saturday. Chad amazed the crowd as Helvetica (a font...don't get me started). I dressed as a pillow fight. Super fun! On Sunday we carved pumpkins in SoHo. Then had to carry them on the subway! Today PS 93 was quiet. No pumpkin fun in NYC DOE. Tonight we are heading to Carnegie Hall!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Lights, Camera, No Action


On Wednesday, I walked out of the F train subway stop and strolled down one block to our apartment. As I approached our corner I saw all these bright pink signs saying "no parking". Oh tears, poor Park Slopians will have a difficult parking evening! Well, with further reading I found out a Citicard commercial was being filmed on our street. Cool! However, after even more reading the production notes instructed us that "black-out materials" were available at the mobile home because they were shooting from 9pm-8am (bitterly disappointed to learn this did not mean "cases of beer" -cab). Yikes! So last night I was prepared to head out and get my "black-out" material (so was I -cab). Well, 9pm, 10pm...many snores later no excitement. At 3am I woke up but no noise. Hmmmmm. 6:40am I headed out to work and there were tons of people but no action. All Hype! No Action!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Where in the world is Park Slope!?


OK, a three month catch-up!

Celebrity Sightings (Hello, the most important!)
-Modest Mouse on the street
-John Turturro Actor
-Paul Giamatti (No, he wasn't drinking out of the spit bucket but walking down the street!)

Our home is in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Now, where is that you ask! Right next to lovely Prospect Park. We like to call it the "Little Sea". It is a mini-Seattle with NYC flare. Lots of organics and earth-friendly folk.
prospect park
dailyslope news


Chad's Business
He's working for M-Metrics! While workn' he's writing like a mad man. Class is on Monday and Tuesday night. One is an interesting writing workshop! The other a Yeats all Irish, all the time class.

Sarah's Business
She's working for P.S. 93 NYC DOE! In Bed Stuy, Brooklyn 18 fifth graders with full personalities fill the basically equip Rm. 414. However, a new computer has arrived and maybe an overhead will be excavated from the basement. Working hard, so that she can play hard!
NYC DOE
Bed Stuy
ps 93

What's the Latest!
Sarah's sister Rebecca came out in September!
Highlights from itinerary:
Legally Blonde- The Musical
Sex and the City Tour
Today show
Radio City Theater Tour
Girlie fantastic fun!

We've been heading to Carnegie Hall!
Went Montuck Point for the weekend (the cheap Hamptons)
Saw "The Arcade Fire" on an island off of Harlem at a music festival.
Saw Modest Mouse play in a swimming pool
Yankees game...mmmmm...they put a hurtn' on our tigers
New Yorker Literary Festival talk
African Burial Grounds Memorial
Visited Ground Zero
Staten Island Ferry
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Historical Events That Occurred
Tornado in Brooklyn
Tornado
Joe Torre Retired
Joe Torre
If Nathan's Hot dog challenge news didn't make it to you! A new winner and world record!
nathanshotdog