Lady Liberty to the Brooklyn Bridge

Nick and continued our New York Adventure with a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

It was windy and cold, but we braved the elements and explored the island where our ancestors first arrived.

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, which was very cool. It is a tradition in NYC for people to write their name on the bridge, so Nick left his mark.

It started to rain, and our puny umbrella was shredded upon opening. Fortunately we had hoods.

We stopped for some bi bim bop at a kiosk just off the bridge. Does anyone know what kind of food that is?

We hung out in Brooklyn and took the subway to a cute cafe called #unclearthurscafe. Can you tell what we're eating out of the bowl? Hint: It's seafood.

Dessert was Nick's favorite ice cream and decaf cappuccinos. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

We made our way back to our friends on the subway, our preferred method of transportation here in the Big Apple!

Tuesday is sure to bring all kinds of excellent adventures!!

Super Sunday

New York is one of those cities where you feel like you need to be cloned to be able to see and do all the things you want to in the amount of time you have.

Yesterday, Nick and I started our day by taking the subway from where we're staying, at 103rd St. and Broadway, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, to the Wall St. Financial District to meet my brother, cousin, and cousin's wife for breakfast. 

We went to a coffee shop called the Financier. Nick was excited, because he got a chance to eat two chicolate croissants and this chocolate cake type-thingy that my cousin Larry got him. I think it was the best breakfast Nick ever had. He even had a decaf mocachino to drink!

Nick is in to videos and animation, so he brought his tripod in the train to take videos throughout the day. He just got an iPod touch for his birthday, so he has enjoyed using different features that his old I touch didn't have.

From the Financier we went back to a museum up in Madison Avenue in the museum district. My niece, Martha, works there. Do you remember what it's called?

I liked the message on this sculpture. Can you tell me what you think it means?

After the museum, we went to this amazing restaurant named Haandi. It is a kind if restaurant whose cuisine is very familiar to a student on the Joberts team. Do you know who I'm referring to? Here are some picture clues...

After the restaurant, we went to a bookstore in the SoHo neighborhood in NYC. My nephew, Joe, works in the cafe there. He's the guy behind the counter. Can you figure out what the name of the bookstore is?

In NYC with Nick!

The best part of being in New York is being with Nick and sharing the experience of his first visit to the Big Apple!

I had a pretty god blog post going yesterday talking about all the cool things we did, and them when I went to get back to it, it was gone - a classic case of "I forgot to save the draft".

Oh, well. In the spirit if the David Letterman show, here are the Top Ten reasons why the last 24 hours has been so awesome:

10. Flying on an airplane above the clouds

9. Flying to New York instead of driving 

8. Speaking Spanish to the airport employee from Ecuador

7. Riding the M60 bus to Manhattan

6. Coming back to my friend Pete's house at 103rd and Broadway to stay while we're in town

5. Walking/riding buses/walking/riding trains

4. Getting a private tour of the Whitney Museum from my niece, Martha

3. Visiting an Italian art exhibit at the Guggenheim  Museum of Modern Art

2. Eating lunch at an Italian restaurant

1. Hanging out with Nick in Central Park

Each one of these could be its own post. In the spirit if visual media, here are some photographic highlights.

Death Defense

"Dude, this crazy kid attacked me!"

Amazing Odor Eaters

Zack has the absolute smelliest feet in the universe. Hen he takes off his shoes, it's as if a bomb went off in our entire house. Wherever he goes, the odor is spread. It is impossible to describe in words just how disgusting the smell is. The best I can do is to say it smells like a very large animal - like a hippo - died in your living room, baked in the sun for a month, and then was left to rot on your floor. Disgusting.

Fortunately, our entire family found relief in Odor Eaters. I went to Walgreens, bought these magical inventions, and out them to the test. By some miracle, they actually work! Zack can now take his shoes off without killing anybody or wilting all the plants in the house.

Does anyone in your family give off nasty odors? Please tell your story!

April Fool's!

This is one of the most clever April Fool's Jokes I received from a student, Jane. Of course I can't forget the "April Fool's Day Sucks" sign with lollipops taped to my classroom door. THAT wins the award for the sweetest ;-) Thanks to Grace, I'Yana and Fiona for almost tricking me on that one.

Quartering Act Questions

How would you feel if 8 soldiers from the United States Army appeared at your door and informed you that you MUST house and feed all eight of them for an undetermined amount of time (they don't know when they would leave). You would lose your room. You would have to sleep somewhere else in your house that would not be a regular bedroom, like your garage.