I Heart New York- Part 2

On Monday, we left the hustle and bustle of the city and headed to Basking Ridge, NJ, home of Verizon Wireless. Basking Ridge is a quiet little town and it was the perfect contrast to two busy days in the city. This pregnant woman was ready for some R & R. We found a cute little restaurant for lunch and retired to our hotel room for the evening, where we both crashed out and slept through dinnertime. Around 8:00 pm we finally manged to get downstairs to the hotel restaurant for something to eat.

Tuesday, poor Fernando headed to the office early and I, after picking up breakfast for myself, returned to the hotel and fell asleep...again. That afternoon, I braved the New Jersey highway system (GPS in hand, naturally) and found my way to a shopping center. Oh how I enjoyed shopping without children in tow!

The next day, I ventured out yet again, this time with a mission to visit my childhood home (which also happened to be my mother's childhood home) and our old town. It was a good 40 minute drive, but time passes quickly when you have NO idea where you are. Much gratitude to the inventor of the personal navigation system for keeping me from getting lost somewhere in central Jersey. Here are some highlights from my afternoon of gallivanting-

Our old house at 22 Califon Drive in Colonia, NJ. My grandparents had this house built over 50 years ago and my parents purchased it from them when my sister and I were little. I remember playing in the snow in the front yard and in our playroom downstairs. I even remember the view of our backyard from my bedroom window.

The front entrance of School 21, my sister's elementary school. It was within walking distance from our house and I recall many mornings and afternoons, sitting in my stroller on the sidewalk outside this building, dropping her off or picking her up.

The grocery store where mom used to buy me giant dill pickles from a ginormous glass jar on the deli case.

What was once Vicaro's Italian Bakery. Our favorite place. Only one word is necessary...YUM!

Upon returning to the hotel, I got changed and ready to have dinner with my godmother, whom I haven't seen in 29 years, as well as my aunt and cousins. We enjoyed dinner at this little Italian hole in the wall- aah the joys of eating restaurant Italian food prepared and served by actual Italians.

The Marciante girls (minus my mom and sister). From left to right- my cousin, Lauren, my aunt, Nancy (mom's sister), moi, my cousin and godmother, Carla, her daughters, Marissa and Mariel.

It was so fun to catch up and spend time with my extended family.

On Thursday it was time to head back to the airport and return home to our kiddies, whom we missed terribly!

Until our next adventure....

I Heart New York- Part 1

It's been years in the making, but we finally got to take a trip to New York. A big thank you to Verizon for locating their headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ, and requiring Fernando to be there this past week. An even bigger thank you to our parents for being willing to come stay with our kiddos while we enjoyed a few extra days in the city.

We arrived at Newark airport around 4:30 Saturday and took the first of many death rides into the city. The shuttle dropped us off at our hotel in the heart of Midtown and we checked in. Upon our arrival we were greeting by swarms of "New York's Finest" who had blocked off the street alongside our hotel in the aftermath of the "America's Next Top Model" stampede that left at least one model hopeful unconscious. Welcome to the city! :) That night it was off to a little Italian restaurant around the corner and a stroll down to Times Square.

Sunday morning we engaged in our own walking tour of the city as we headed down 5th Ave. We enjoyed seeing in person Rockefeller Center, NBC studios, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Bryant Park. I quietly revelled in the glory that was Saks 5th Ave, Prada, Cartier, and Ferragamo (insert blissful sigh, here), and mentally began planning the shopping trip of a lifetime. We chuckled as we past stores like Best Buy, Staples, and Babies R Us sprinkled intermittently between the iconic New York scenes. By the time we had walked 14+ blocks we decided to return back to the hotel and rest for a bit before lunch.

That afternoon, my aunt and uncle picked us up at our hotel and took us for lunch at a trendy French restaurant in the West Village. After that, we embarked on a historical tour of the entire island, courtesy of my Uncle Bill. Seeing as how he was raised in New York and currently works there, he was just the man for the job. We cruised around "the horn", through lower Manhattan and up the east side. There was a moment of quiet as we passed by Ground Zero and so many scenes of that day flew through our heads. The day before I had a strange glimpse of what I can only imagine people seeing on September 11th. I happened to glance up between the buildings and saw a plane heading toward one of the airports. It was well above the city still, but from my point of view, watching it fly overhead and disappear into the skyline sent chills down my spine.

We drove up along the East River to see Wall Street, the UN, the Brooklyn Bride (and Brooklyn itself), and the Upper East Side. We ended up on the upper West Side where we parked and strolled over to Central Park.

It was a chilly day and much of the city is still showing the signs of winter, but the park was still a wonderful place to be!

After returning to our hotel, we changed and caught a cab down to the East Village to see the show Stomp. It. Was. Awesome. There is no other word to describe it. After that it was a quick slice of pizza (or two!) and took another "death ride" back to the hotel. It was a long day and we were officially exhausted.

Monday morning we got off to a slow start, but managed to head across the street and have lunch at the Carnegie Deli before heading back to New Jersey. There's nothing that screams New York more than a pastrami or corned beef sandwich on rye, complete with a chocolate egg cream and a black and white cookie, of course!

Most of what is truly wonderful about New York would be overlooked by the average visitor. It's the attitude, the energy, and the history that make it so unique and so special. Gertrude Stein once said, "America is my country, but Paris is my home town". That's exactly how I feel about New York. Not only is my family history deeply rooted in this great city, but there is something about it that runs through me- in the marrow of my bones. I feel at home when I'm there and miss it terribly now that I'm gone. I can't wait to go back. It's not just a novelty to me, it's a necessity.

Another One Bites the Dust

I looked at the calendar this morning to see that it's the 29th day of the month. Why is it that the older I get, the faster time goes by (except for when we are at the doctor's office and time apparently stands still)? August will be here by the end of the week. Perhaps we have just had a very busy and rather pleasant month, with the exception of a three hour plane ride during which a croupy toddler hacked all over both of my kids and super-sized beverages were apparently offered to everyone seated in the first 15 rows of the aircraft, creating a constant stream of passengers en route to the bathroom (I don't care how much my kids scream on the plane. Next time, we are NOT sitting in the back).

We spent 10 whirlwind days in Phoenix visiting family and friends. Yes, Phoenix in July. Alltel flew Fernando out so that he could work and it made more sense to me to bring the kids along. Let me put it this way... 2 round trip tickets to Phoenix- $700, 40 bottles of water to keep us from dehydrating- $12, 14 extra hands to hold, feed, and burp a baby while I chase her older brother around...PRICELESS!

No offense to our friends or family, but I do have to say that the best part of the trip was the 24 hours we got to spend away from Phoenix. Ginormous thanks to our moms for "taking one for the team" and watching our kiddos while we went to Flagstaff!

It's always great to get back to Phoenix. We love and miss our friends and family and enjoy spending time with them, even though it goes by so fast. Such is life!