missing new york

It has been 16 months since we moved and I miss New York City so much.  Everyday I think about living in New York or compare things to New York.

Moving out of the city and into New Jersey was necessary for my job and because we wanted to start a family.  Our apartment was too small for another book much less a baby. Plus at that point both of our jobs were in NJ, so it made more sense for us to leave the city.  BUT I was really sad to leave...and I miss it all the time.

city livin

I think it's mostly the food and the constantly changing lifestyle that I miss.  NYC is always updating itself with the latest trends when it comes to shopping, restaurants, and making city living easier.  I loved the "pop up" shops and restaurants, food trucks, grocery delivery, dog friendly activities, fabulous fashions, and the ability to get unique clothes or gifts for a steal.  There truly is no place like New York, so I have told myself to stop comparing.

We could live there forever, but we would only be able to have 1 or 2 kids (who would share a room) and would have to pay for so much of their recreation...and of course school. That's the thing about New York, your kids would grow up with some awesome experiences, but without being able to ride their bike down the street or build a fort in your backyard.  SO maybe one day we will own a pied-à-terre and we could go up there during the fall (best time to visit the city), around Christmas, and other times of the year.  (I'm dreaming here)

future nyc condo??  we love exposed brick!

Until then we will save our $$ for a trip every year where I hope we can get our fill of the city within a couple days.  I also keep up with lots of things in NY...I follow the changing colors of the Empire State Building because it's always for a cause or event going on in the city.  I also read the NY Times or Post and keep up with a comedian-journalist, Ben Aaron who does tv segments on one of my favorite NY shows, NY Live.  He is super silly and always makes me laugh.

Here are some funny videos by Ben Aaron:

New York is not that miserable.

The newest item that Mayor Bloomberg is banning

Ben at the Westminster Dog Show

Shrinking Little Italy

I also follow a couple NYC blogs and recently found this article that reminded me that it's not where you raise your children, but how.  It made me smile.

Love from Alexandria!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Hello!  Happy Holiday season...I must admit that I love being in the northeast and especially near NYC around this time of the year.  New York is so magical during Christmastime and I am also loving being in the suburbs/countryside where I get to see all the houses lit up, Christmas tree stands on the side of the road and the town center shops looking so festive.

We have had a great past couple of weeks...lots of fun get togethers with friends and have really been "nesting" as I like to say in our new place.  Nick surprised me with Broadway tickets to see Lion King for my birthday and we hit up Shake Shack afterward.  Shake Shack is a NY institution and we have yet to go!  It's a hot dog, burger, milkshake joint...yum!

i am wearing rainboots b/c it was pouring...nick chooses style over practicality and looks pretty good lookin' in this pic, i must say!  that's a cute husband i have!

mufassssa.

me with a shake in front of shake shack!

Our friends, Tina and Joey came up from DC for a weekend and I loved having them stay with us...they actually got their own room, bed and full bath!  An upgrade from the air mattress that Cole loved to jump on and sharing a tiny bathroom...right?!  We all had a great dinner with some friends (new residents of NYC), Kerby and Meredith, at one of my all time fav restaurants in the city....Extra Virgin.  There were many members of the clean plate club and many empty wine bottles that night!

Tina, me, Meredith

For Thanksgiving we drove south to Richmond, VA.  We spent thanksgiving with my family and got lots of quality time in with my little niece...who has quite the personality these days!  She definitely knows what you're saying when you talk to her now, she's walking/running all over the place, and has a high pitched squeal when she wants or doesn't want something...pretty funny!  She is just so cute with little bows and clips in her hair now...and she loves Uncle Nick!  It was so sweet to see her climb into his lap and have him read her a book...I was laughing though b/c it was for 1 min intervals over and over. It was very fun playing with her and being with family....the weather was incredibly warm which was so nice!

we were telling Caroline how to cheer on the Eagles against the Patriots while her daddy wasn't around

December has brought on the cold weather and all the Christmas decorating and festivities!  We got a large Christmas tree this year and it's turned out so nice...I love looking at it and the colored lights make it fun :)  I wanted to buy from one of the local farms or nurseries, but we have figured out that on week days most things close early!  Restaurants and the grocery store are open till 9, but we can barely get pizza delivered past 8....big change to our lifestyle!  So after heading down some dark, dirt country roads, we went to home depot to buy a tree....gave our $$ to the man. :( 

had a nice fire this weekend...but quickly realized we had no fireplace tools...opps.

I did buy a wreath from a local nursery though!

Although we're all unpacked, I haven't hung too many things on the walls yet and we've been waiting on furniture that we've bought...big purchases that will last a LONG time...couch, desk, ottoman, dresser.  So a tour will have to wait...

I actually have an office! 

We had some more friends visit...Trace and Natalie (we're going skiing in Colorado together January!) from Boston.  Game night with wine till 4am, lunch at Eataly, ice skating a Bryant Park, Hokie game at our favorite sports bar (3 Sheets Saloon in the village), then brunch and shopping in Soho on Sunday. During our time in the city, I also got to see one of my best friends, Allison and her new hubby Jared who joined us for ice skating!  so fun to have people in the city this time of year.  Trace and Natalie make us laugh so much and we absolutely love hanging out with them...we're so lucky to have friends like that!

Flatiron District

Eataly...love it...yumm.

after whipped cream cappuccinos, prosciutto on italian bread, and margherita pizza

Allison and I...she was ready for to watch the Hokies game!

Byrant Park ice skating...Jared's from Michigan, so naturally he's semi-pro.

We are so grateful to have friends and family (my parents this weekend!) come to visit us this time of year...we love having them! Thanks for visiting...can't wait to see you again!

Love from Jersey!

A Northeast Fall

Picture Blog Time!

moving co-pilot

new place...lots of stretch out space

New hood...The Hills

brewery tour...all those barrels are full of beer...yum.

Fall Sunset over the Hudson River

love seeing such a great couple tie the knot.

Octoberfest with friends!  fun night.

snow on halloween weekend in NYC

Brunch. A New York weekend event.

Clowning around with Frank N. Stein.

see the hanging corpse from the roof?? scary.

hidden skeletons.

on Halloween children play between windows and booths.

adorable trick or treaters...phillies player (jimmy rollins), tinkerbell, and a ninja!

our building.

Nick's favorite place in NY...3 Sheets Saloon, a philly bar.

cool window display

suburbs = buying a new man grill

suburbs = kitchen big enough to bake 50 cinnamon muffins to pair with Sam Adams Winter Lager for a sales meeting...

muffins pre cinnamon and sugar topping.  got rave reviews.

Jo Koy comedy show in NY!

Love from Jersey!

The Move.

I'm back...and I have un-earthed from the chaos of moving and all the many boxes, bags, etc!  Every minute I have free I feel like I should be unpacking or working, so I am happy to be blogging!  It was quite a move.  When we moved to NYC, our lovely parents agreed to store a lot of our furniture and belongings including most of our wedding gifts.  So we had to move things from Richmond, Delaware AND New York.

My logistical engineer of a husband and I created an itinerary that enabled us to do it in 1 weekend...one tiring weekend. 

-Thursday night: drive to Richmond
-Friday:  pick up UHaul truck, pack up our stuff at my parents, drinks with friends, dinner with family
-Saturday: drive to DC to at a friends to see their puppies and have breakfast, drive to Delaware, pack up our stuff at Nick's mom's house, drive to NJ, unload everything, and drive to NYC
-Sunday: hired movers arrive to move our couch, armoir, and mattress into our UHaul, pack up 90% of the rest of our apartment, drive to NJ and unload

new puppies are fun.

the size difference is hysterical

yoooo guys. are we done yet??

Some things went smoothly...some did not.  Nick and I took apart our couch to get it out of the apartment (the way it was moved in) and the movers could not get it out.  After being ripped and taken down to two separate pieces...it is put back together and in our new place, but may be retired soon.  Oh well...there's always something!

cole:  "this looks complicated, can't i just get some space around here?"

no couch apartment.

1/2 of it...

The rest of our moving week we spent in NY, enjoying our little apartment one last time by sleeping on an air mattress.  We had brunch with friends, went out for Halloween and then got the rest of our stuff out on Sunday & Monday.  This was the weekend it snowed in the northeast...2 feet at our new place...what a surprise!  Bedminster looked like a massive hurricane hit - beautiful trees or huge branches were down EVERYWHERE.  Every house had tree damage...worst I've ever seen.

heavy snow in October.

Halloween snowfall in NYC

Now what I must say is that the 10% we left in our apartment for 1 last load in our car turned out to be SO MUCH stuff...3 car trips...I don't know how we fit so much shit in 350 square feet.  After I was finished cleaning and everything was gone...I took one last deep breath and teared up.  Although ready to move, I was sad to leave.

empty apartment... :( 

We have been in our townhouse for 2 weeks and although we miss the city (especially at first), I do not miss our apartment because I am LOVING all our space.  It's great to have all our things in 1 place and to have space to walk around, spread stuff out, and storage space to spare!  We also really like where we are living...the neighborhood and rolling hills around us are beautiful this fall.

From NY...

to NJ...that snow is gone now...thank god.