new york: the fun stuff

the highlight reel:

rain (i'll explain why later)

in central park, the day before the walk

deb takes us (her friends justin, jennifer, and i) to a delicious dinner at blt prime. i had the largest (12 oz.) and most scrumptious filet i've ever had! couple that with a yummy chocolate torte for dessert and it was divine.

my department, sans boss, at belvedere castle

more rain

deb and i go to see the compahnia de danca, a modern dance performance, at city center. the performance was excellent - particularly the first numbers in each act. we spent the remainder of the night trying to decide on a favorite but ultimately determined that it was too much like comparing apples to bowling balls.

deb and i arriving at yankee stadium

deb gets tickets for us to attend the yankees v. angels, game 6, american league championship series the following night....and here is where the rain comes in. deb is a yankees fan, and me, an angels one. i had floated the idea of getting tickets to a game, but because deb already had tickets for the dance performance on Saturday night (game 6), the only hope was that the angels would win, forcing a game 7 so that we could go. as much as i enjoy the angels, i was doubtful they would make it through to one more game. and then it rained. and rained some more. and kept raining. and game 6 was postponed, making it possible for us to get tickets and go. have i ever mentioned how blessed i am in my friendships? not JUST my friendships of course, but they certainly took center stage this weekend.

the view from our seats

deb and i enjoy an amazing brunch at markt. i had the chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup and definitely made the right indulgent choice!

deb and i end up in soho for a little shopping. somehow i always end up in soho perusing the street vendor stalls. as usual i found a couple of truly amazing pieces (necklaces which will most certainly be making an appearance on the blog), and haggled the vendor down to a price i was happy with. i also scored a couple of new hats for my european adventure next month.

a snack break

deb and i at yankee stadium. despite the ultimate outcome (the angels loss) i have to say that being at a yankees postseason game is an experience. the stadium is beuatiful, we had great seats, and it was a good (close) game up until the last inning. yankee fans did not disappoint. they were loud, obnoxious, and emotionally charged. and i loved every minute of it.

tamara and i, saying 'until next time!'

and lastly, tamara and i enjoying lunch at eatery for our 'first date'. after literally years of developing an online friendship, suffused with bits and pieces from our mutual acquaintances, our lunch felt more like reconnecting with an old friend than meeting one for the first time. as tamara will be moving to the la area in december, i'm looking forward to developing the friendship even further!

as usual, my trip to new york was a unique one full of great friends, great food, fun times and lots of laughs! and i owe it all to my job;)