I admit that I like shopping for clothes, shoes and home goods as much as the next girl, but nothing gets me more excited than walking into a book store and seeing all of the books I could buy. When I walk into a book store, I peruse the shelves and create mental lists of the books I've yet to read....everything from the classics of Tolstoy and Austen to the trash of Nora Roberts (yes, I sometimes need an escape into literary smut!). I usually have to hold myself to buying 3-4 books or limiting my purchase to $50, otherwise I'd overload my nightstand and bookshelves with piles of "must reads."
When someone mentioned that I needed to visit the bookstore, Strand, in New York, I filed it away as a stop I'd make on a future trip. When I was in NY for Susan's birthday, I went to Strand and discovered Mecca. Eighteen miles and three floors of books!!! I hardly knew where to start....Politics, Fiction, Non-fiction, History, Art, Classics, Photography, Cooking, Middle Eastern studies, new releases, first editions, new books, used books, rare books...I was in heaven!
I asked one of the employees for help finding a book and I started to imagine what it would be like to work amidst piles and piles of books. I'm guessing it's more romantic in my mind than it is in reality, but what a job!
Thanks to my friend's offhand tip, I've now discovered one of my new favorite NYC destinations! Here's hoping I'll be able to keep the Visa in check!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Goodbye, Civic....Hello, Acura
For nearly 6 months, Susan has been weighing the pros and cons of buying a new car. She's had her eye on the Acura TL, with its sleek exterior and plush interior, but she's had a hard time reconciling her fiscal prudence against assuming a monthly car payment. When she factored in the dismal economy and her somewhat shaky job status, she prudently opted to hold onto the relic that she's driven for 7 years - a sad and pitiful 1999 Honda Civic - and forgo a shiny new car with heated seats.
Until today.
This morning at 8:40 a.m., Susan called with a giggle in her voice to tell me that her car had been stolen from her parking garage. After talking with the Arlington County police, she learned that 30 cars were broken into in her garage, but only one lucky winner had their car stolen. (Un)fortunately, the police recovered her car about 3 blocks away, but the steering column and ignition were destroyed and everything (golf clubs, clothing, iPod, exercise equipment) was stolen.
Stay tuned....
Until today.
This morning at 8:40 a.m., Susan called with a giggle in her voice to tell me that her car had been stolen from her parking garage. After talking with the Arlington County police, she learned that 30 cars were broken into in her garage, but only one lucky winner had their car stolen. (Un)fortunately, the police recovered her car about 3 blocks away, but the steering column and ignition were destroyed and everything (golf clubs, clothing, iPod, exercise equipment) was stolen.
Stay tuned....
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Irish Eyes Must Be Smiling
Two weeks ago, in anticipation of U2 releasing its next album, I emailed Susan to reconfirm our year-long plan that, regardless of ticket prices, we would attend one of the band’s concerts on their next tour.Last week, the band announced the European stops for its 360 Tour and I again emailed Susan to say, “How fun would it be to go to one of these concerts?” She responded with dreams of London or Paris, but I threw down an improved dream of seeing the boys in their hometown of Dublin. Next thing I know, I get an email flight itinerary for Susan’s trip to Dublin on July 22-26!! Talk about a woman who puts dreams into reality! I matched her itinerary with one of my own…I booked three nights at the 5-star Shelbourne Hotel in central Dublin!
We were giddy with our vacation dreams – strolls through Grafton Street, tours of Irish castles, Bono in Croke Park – but we were missing a key ingredient….tickets to the concert!
Today, the luck of the Irish was with us! After a week of research, fan club registering and reconnaissance work, Susan got through on the ticket site and purchased four tickets for the U2 Dublin concert!!!!
I am beyond excited!! Not only will I finally get to see one of my favorite bands in concert, I’ll see them in Europe and with their hometown crowd! Honestly, just thinking about it makes me burst into a euphoric smile!!
Now onto the next hurdle…getting a flight to Dublin for less than $800! Fingers crossed that a European sale strikes soon!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated a little early this year when I watched the St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Denver with Allen, Jocelyn and their little leprechaun, Sawyer. I had no idea that Denver was home to so many Irish people! Allen and I were laughing at all of the “wanna-be Irish” who look at St. Patrick’s Day as a “legal” opportunity to get trashed on Guinness and walk around wearing ridiculous hats and green Mardi Gras beads!
The parade also gave Allen and me another opportunity to prove we’re from the same family. We arrived about 25 minutes before the start of the parade to a sea of people who had staked out their viewing territory. While all of the seated street curb spots were taken, we were able to stand against the police line that cordoned off the street. We had “front-row standing spots”, which were great especially with Sawyer. We put him down right under the police line and watched as he took it all in. Gradually, as the parade progressed, the three of us kept getting jostled by parents and their kids, who wanted a front row seat. “Can you please let the kids through so they can see?,” we were asked repeatedly. Of course we stepped aside as much as we could with 5 people deep behind us and an 18-month old in front of us, but Allen and I kept giving each other the look. It’s that look we inherited straight from Dad that says, “If you wanted your kids to have a front row seat, you should have bloody well gotten to the parade route early!” Ah, that good old Shelden patience with ineptitude and stupidity! By the end of the parade, I had five kids, two moms and two grandmas surrounding me and Allen was at least five people away. Thank goodness for Jocelyn’s petite frame and her ability to “make like a 10 year old” and saddle up next to Sawyer!
In the end, we had a great time watching the parade and watching Sawyer watch the parade. He’s very into trucks and dogs right now and the parade provided both. Nothing gets an 18-month old boy’s heart beating faster than dogs and fire trucks! It was also adorable to watch him return the waves of the “Queens Colleen” who are part of the Irish Society’s royalty court. He waved to every single girl riding on the back of a convertible! Already, the kid is a charmer!
We ended the day by having lunch with Scott Jardine, which was a lot of fun. I hadn’t seen Scott in more than a year, so it was nice to catch up with him. Sawyer was a model kid as we forced him to miss his nap time in order to break grilled cheese with us. I’m already looking forward to Easter weekend with the little guy!
The parade also gave Allen and me another opportunity to prove we’re from the same family. We arrived about 25 minutes before the start of the parade to a sea of people who had staked out their viewing territory. While all of the seated street curb spots were taken, we were able to stand against the police line that cordoned off the street. We had “front-row standing spots”, which were great especially with Sawyer. We put him down right under the police line and watched as he took it all in. Gradually, as the parade progressed, the three of us kept getting jostled by parents and their kids, who wanted a front row seat. “Can you please let the kids through so they can see?,” we were asked repeatedly. Of course we stepped aside as much as we could with 5 people deep behind us and an 18-month old in front of us, but Allen and I kept giving each other the look. It’s that look we inherited straight from Dad that says, “If you wanted your kids to have a front row seat, you should have bloody well gotten to the parade route early!” Ah, that good old Shelden patience with ineptitude and stupidity! By the end of the parade, I had five kids, two moms and two grandmas surrounding me and Allen was at least five people away. Thank goodness for Jocelyn’s petite frame and her ability to “make like a 10 year old” and saddle up next to Sawyer!
In the end, we had a great time watching the parade and watching Sawyer watch the parade. He’s very into trucks and dogs right now and the parade provided both. Nothing gets an 18-month old boy’s heart beating faster than dogs and fire trucks! It was also adorable to watch him return the waves of the “Queens Colleen” who are part of the Irish Society’s royalty court. He waved to every single girl riding on the back of a convertible! Already, the kid is a charmer!
We ended the day by having lunch with Scott Jardine, which was a lot of fun. I hadn’t seen Scott in more than a year, so it was nice to catch up with him. Sawyer was a model kid as we forced him to miss his nap time in order to break grilled cheese with us. I’m already looking forward to Easter weekend with the little guy!
Monday, March 2, 2009
New York, New York
The girls and I just spent another great weekend eating & shopping our way through New York City. We went to the City to celebrate Chappy's 38th birthday; Chappy decided that the only way she was going to get through another birthday was to spend a weekend in New York with girlfriends or go on a diet of Prozac - she wisely chose retail therapy!
I flew in on Friday late afternoon and expected to meet Amber, Chappy, Juju, Caroline, Lindsay and Kristin Coleman at the hotel, but their seven hour (!!) drive from DC delayed our festivities. Once we all got together around 10:00 p.m., we made our first run for a sweet treat by going to Pinkberry, which I love! If only Pittsburgh had a Pinkberry, I could be happy!
On Saturday, we headed over to Norma's at Le Parker Meridian Hotel to meet Blake Carter for brunch. The food was so delicious ... and just a wee bit expensive. Do eggs and pancakes really need to cost $40? You wouldn't think so, but in New York, what's $25 for eggs and $10 for juice?? Chump change! It was fun to see Blake Carter again and catch up a little bit with him. As for Norma's, I'll be going back....once I save my pennies!
After brunch, the girls and I wandered around for the rest of the day - making our way through some shops in mid-town and then heading down to Canal Street to bargain for purses and jewelry.
Canal Street is its own subculture - it's on the edge of Chinatown and includes blocks and blocks of ticky-tacky shops that sell counterfeit luxury handbags, watches, pashminas and jewelry. It's littered with Chinese and African people, who all but stalk you on the sidewalk as they hustle "Gucci", "Louis" and "Rolex". It's so annoying. At one point, after the 20th time of being asked if I needed a "Louis," I nearly turned around to snap, "Thanks, but I can afford the real thing" - a maneuver that might have been a tad obnoxious! Amber took a different tack - as we waded through a street corner of probably 30 people hustling Louis Voittan and Fendi handbags, Amber yelled, "INS! INS!" Talk about a quick scatter of people!
Despite my distaste for the Canal Street scene, I decided early on to hitch my wagon to Juju. Coming off of her recent trip to China for the Olympics, Juju declared herself an expert in negotiating and "talking Asian". As a non-Asian speaker and a pathetic negotiator, I rode her coattails and watched as she set off a series of "How much?", "Oh, too much!" dialogues. It was hilarious to watch the shopekeepers express stunned horror at Juju's offers and Juju's reflected indignation when the shopkeepers refused to come down another dollar or two. And yet, after an hour of wheeling and dealing, Juju walked away with a bag for $25, down from $40.
After a yummy dinner at our favorite Upper West restaurant, Pomodoro, we headed down to Broadway to see In the Heights. It was a fun show, with great music. 
On Sunday morning, we headed to our favorite breakfast spot, Cafe Lalo, which has the yummiest brunch, including steamed eggs with fresh herbs and goat cheese. It delivers every time!
Our final stop of the weekend was...ta da...more food! Crumbs Bakery. The BEST red velvet and coconut cupcakes around! Happy Birthday, Chappy!
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