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;)

warning

lots of posting coming your way shortly!

new york: the work stuff

a city of firsts

despite the many, many, MANY times i've been to new york, there is always something i see or do for the first time.

today, i rode the subway by myself.


the new york subway, as many of you know, is not like other subways. i've ridden subways in countries with languages i didn't understand, and yet the ny system has always been soooo much more intimidating,

ok, technically i wasn't by myself, as i was with a couple of co-workers, but it was the first time i've ever ridden the subway without someone who knew where we were going. this time i had to figure it out for my little group, and we didn't get lost once!

worth every penny, part 2

spencer played most of the second quarter, roughly 12 minutes, with 5 points, and we couldn't get enough! i'm grateful for the close seats as they allowed some good shots, even on the little camera (i think i need to name my cameras - any suggestions?).

this great photo was taken by rachel :)

towards the end of the game a 'celebrity' entered the arena. we knew it was a celebrity by the way the girls in the section next to us reacted. but for the life of me, i could not figure out who it was! lakers games tend to draw celebrities, so i actually expected we might see someone. what i did not expect is that i would not recognize one if i saw 'em.

when the jazz game ended we had some time before heading out to meet spencer at his hotel. i continued to be stymied by the 'celebrity' but i suspected that once i found out who it was i would want to smack myself for not having figured it out. when the 'celebrity' decided to use our aisle as an exit for a food or bathroom run, i decided to take a picture, just in case.


the aforementioned girls went nuts, and when he had passed, brad asked them (for me) who the guy was. they responded 'he's on the hills' and i couldn't believe i hadn't recognized frankie, probably two feet away from me! the hills, for those not in the know, is an mtv 'reality' show i've been watching since when it was laguna beach. this was a guy i was pretty familiar with!

what i forgot, and was later reminded of, is that my 6'8" nba playing cousin is a HUGE closet fan of the show. he was extrememly disappointed to learn later of frankie's attendance stating (dejectedly) that he would have gone over and said hello.


after the game we stayed to watch the lakers tip off and really mostly to see kobe play for a bit. but we had a prior engagement, so we didn't stay for too long.

we headed to the ritz carlton to pick up spencer for some grub. when we arrived the valet told us we could park and wait 'behind the mustang.' i should mention, the mustang was probably the grubbiest car there and it was brand new.


mick called spencer's cell to tell him we'd arrived, but much to my relief, he didn't answer. you see, i wanted an excuse to go in. i figured some of the players might be hanging around...and they were.

okur was sitting in one of the lobby chairs waiting for some teammates to head out for dinner. he kept giving me that look that goes something like "does she know who i am? is this a groupie stalker girl?' he was joined by a few other players giving me similar looks, and i was waiting for spencer's arrival in the lobby to prove that no, i was not a groupie stalker girl, but rather, one of the cool kids who hangs out with nba players.

i was so disappointed when they all headed outside to grab a cab before spencer had made it down:( i would forever be groupie stalker girl (and by forever, i mean the 2 seconds before they forgot i existed). BUT, it turns out i'd have my moment yet.

they were still waiting for the taxi when spence and i headed out. i slithered between 3 or 4 6'8"-ish guys (hello, can anyone say, fantasy!?) excusing myself as a did so. spencer, following behind wished his teammates a good night, and the air palapably changed as we could both sense jaws dropping.

you see, my cousin, who is not only a good little mormon boy, is also married. and his teammates were watching him leave the hotel with a girl. spencer picked up on it quickly as he turned around, walking backwards, arms in air, yelling to his teammates "she's my COUSIN!". almost as amusing, we were getting a lot of 'yeah, sure's' as i told them it had been fun to watch them play, while trying to fight the sly smirk that seemed intent on taking over my face. as we approached the minivan where the rest of the fam was waiting, i think they finally started to believe that i might actually be his cousin.

the fact that i was and still am sooo amused by this scene is probably indicative that i do actually have a tiny little groupie/stalker side. oh well.


we took a vote in the van and headed to ihop for dinner! we were joined there by cousins of spencer's on his other side, and had some great catching up! it was fun to hear about his experience, his hopes, and his expectations. what really struck me is that he had clearly made a peace with not knowing what the future would hold, and maintaining a sense of gratitude and wonder at the journey so far.

have i mentioned before that i love my family? i seriously think i have one of the coolest families around, immediate AND extended. i am reminded of this regularly when i spend time with the donahooligans, and having a chance to catch up with spencer just reminded me again. as if i ever forget!

sadly, we learned that spencer was cut on wednesday. though not a surprise, i think we were all hoping he would beat the odds and fulfill this lifelong dream. nevertheless, he is one of those people who deserves nothing but good things, and i'm sure they will come his way!