My first-ever trip to New York (2004)

Going through our things before the movers come, I found this penciled record of my first trip to New York in my address book! (I know: An actual address book!? That’s the true relic!)  Anyway, I’m thankful that my penchant for over-the-top record-keeping gave me this glimpse back at our first (pre-blogging) visit. The photos, by the way, are truly ridiculous. First, because Aron looks about 16 years old. And second, because we took fewer than 50!

If you’re curious, here’s how it reads (with my annotations in itals):

Thursday 5/6
Hampton Inn/Chelsea 24th&6th–off subway at Penn just across from Madison Square Gardens. Ashley falls. [Why am I talking in the third person? And: Yes. I fell. Flat on my face upon stepping out of Penn station. I remember vividly being so thrilled at the sight of all of the people and the skyscrapers and the taxis and I was giddy about how it was just like in the movies and looking up and all around and then WHOMP! Classic.]
Walked around Chelsea. Went to Tapas restaurant: El Cid. Complimentary Cream Sherry! [I’m so glad I wrote this down! Aron and I have pointed to subterranean Spanish restaurants for years saying “Was that the place?”]
More time in Chelsea; funny parking spots. [I have no idea what I’m talking about. Thank goodness that one of those few photos is of a parking lot with stacked cars.]

Walked to Times Square; had caramel corn at Popcorn, Indiana. [There are way better things to spend your sugar budget on, by the way. The only caramel corn worthwhile is Garrett Popcorn, in my experience.]
Visited 42nd Street.
Walked back to Hotel.

Friday 5/7 [Note drawing of sun and exclamation “tank top weather!” How old was I?]
Breakfast at hotel
Walked to H&M (at 34th street) Ashley: 4 skirts, 5 tops, 1 dress / Aron: 6 tops [Wow. Go Aron. You have to keep in mind that this was before H&M was widely available. We used to stock up on cheap clothes from there on trips to Europe. So shopping at an H&M in the US was unique and exciting.]
Walked through Macy’s
Walked back to hotel to drop off purchases
Walked to Meatpacking District (south of Chelsea); Lunch at Florent [R.I.P. I still have the postcards somewhere, too.]

Went further south to West Village & did walking tour of our own; bought tea at McNully’s rare tea shop (since 1895); looked in Chumley’s (old speakeasy); saw theatre started by Edna St. Vincent Millay & narrow house; enjoyed cupcakes from Magnolia bakery at park. Aron bought me a ring; visited Gray’s Papaya; then Washington Square Park!
Took subway to WTC site in the Financial District; walked around and looked at reconstruction plans
Took subway back to hotel

Took subway to Guggenheim Museum (saw flies, eew). [Damien Hirst’s Armageddon (2002) was on display: a black monochrome of thousands of dead and rotting flies] Took subway to Madison Park and went to Tabla [also R.I.P.] at 11 Madison Ave. [And then I proceed to list everything we ate!]
Note–were right next to Flatiron–didn’t see it!
Walked home.

Saturday 5/8
Breakfast at hotel
Back to H&M for Ashley’s pants. Ashley bought another top (colder today). [Third person?! Really?]
Walked to NY Public Library–visited Reading Rooms
Walked to Grand Central Station–visited “Whisper Gallery”
Walked up Fifth Avenue & looked in Prada, Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue, etc. / Teuscher Chocolates [The champagne truffles from Teuscher are my favorite chocolates. Ever.]
Went to Rockefeller Center; Ate lunch at Dean & Deluca / shared giant cupcake.
Walked on Madison Avenue (looked at Knockoff bags)
Walked around lower Central Park (Sheep’s Meadow, The Ramble, the Boathouse & fountain; castle, too).
Walked to the Met and looked inside.
Walked down Lexington Avenue / Ashley has a tasti de-lite cone [Most likely because Charlotte liked them on Sex and the City]
Subway to Battery Park (TriBeCa concert beginning)

Looked at Statue of Liberty / multiple photographers solicited / Aron buys shoes on walk from subway to hotel
Subway to hotel (got off to see Flatiron / it’s where we were last night)
Subway to TriBeCa (end of festival/closing up)–Saw fashion guy  [Not a clue whom I’m talking about.]
Walked to Nolita/Soho–Ashley buys shoes
Lombardi Pizza (Basil/mushroom/onion/mozzarella) & Brooklyn lager
Rice to Riches–huge rice puddings (Caramel yogurt & maple with blueberries; chocolate hazelnut & rocky road)
Walked down Mulberry Street in Little Italy and shared a cigar; bought postcards & divinity candy as gifts
Walked to subway and went home

Sunday 5/9
Subway to Soho (Spring st.) to Balthazar for breakfast (croissants & coffee)
Back to H&M to return Ashley’s pants, dress, & one skirt [Third visit, but it looks like most of the original stuff went back]
Bought two purses from a street vendor
Visited Dean & Deluca for gifts and browsing

I had no idea we covered so much ground in those three days–or made so many trips to H&M! And we had no idea that, one day, we’d live here. If you’ve been to New York (or moved here from somewhere else), what was your first visit like? 

Seeing Once on Broadway (and that famous guy)

Going to a Broadway play was on “the list”–we chose Once, the musical that won this year’s Tony Award. I had seen the movie, and the songs were just as beautiful as I’d remembered them. It was a lovely, sort of simple production–it felt very intimate for Broadway, which was absolutely wonderful. We loved it.

Afterward, we sat outside on the patio of Junior’s and drank enormous cups of coffee and ate giant slices of cheesecake.

Sort of suddenly we noticed a mob scene forming and blocking the road to traffic. We all arched our necks and stood up to see what was going on and I told Aron to go run and find out what was so exciting: “Use the go-go-gadget arm! Bring back photos!” Then a woman passed by and said “It’s Ricky Martin” in a dramatically mocking tone of shock. “OH,” I said, “that makes sense.” Because that’s right–he’s in Evita. “Makes sense!? Maybe ten years ago!” she said, laughing. Aron returned with photos of multiple people, one of whom was indeed Ricky Martin but he had no idea which. He told me he had a sense of which guy was the famous one because the older lady next to him suddenly exclaimed “Aye yaye yaye!”

Going to Times Square is always such a bizarre experience. It is exciting–when you don’t go often–and you suddenly are among all the lights and the talent and the old theaters. But it’s also sort of depressing: I can’t believe that Times Square is what so many people equate with New York. How has it come to be that the thing to do there is to pose with random people dressed as cartoon(ish) characters? Batman… fake Mickey or creepy Elmo… a Naked Cowboy… El Diablo with a sign about the Apocalyse… topless girls in Body Paint… What?!

It’s so nice that it’s pedestrianized, but man-oh-man, there are some wacky pedestrians.

Have a great weekend!

Sakura Bloom Sling Diary: History

The theme for the fifth Sakura Bloom Sling Diary is history, so I pulled out some of my very favorite photos of Hudson in our linen sling, taken over his first few months. It really was such a memorable part of those early days. In fact, the very first photo we have of him in the sling was with Aron for a first walk around the block–it was about all I could handle in that first week of recovery (oh, man). Everyone we passed remarked on him; he was so tiny! We would hear a gasp, particularly from groups of young girls, after we went by: “Oh my GOSH, did you see the baby?” Especially on Aron’s 6’8″ frame, he looked like a little peanut–and it was so much fun to see those reactions.