Sunday, June 28, 2009

BOSTON!!!

Last weekend Travis and I had the chance to go to Boston to visit Michelle and Sean and sweet MAGGIE! It was a super last minute trip because we weren't sure if they would still be in town over the weekend. So Thursday night we booked our bus tickets and found a place to stay for a few nights, and after work on Friday we took off :).

Normally we would buy BOLT bus tickets but since it was so last minute they were all sold out and we had to go with the Chinatown bus LUCKY STAR......not so lucky. It was kind of a bummer because all week in NY it had been overcast and rainy and that Friday the sun was finally out and we were stuck on a bus, not just a bus, but a bus with NO A/C. It was sweltering in there and we couldn't even crack a window finally Trav asked the bus driver if he could pop open the emergency things on the top of the bus and boy did that make all the difference. Not only that but THREE times the bus stalled on the FREEWAY, we had to pull over and then cross our fingers that the bus would start again. It was just one of those things that you have to laugh because you can't do anything about it.

We finally made it to Boston and found the apartment we rented just fine. In fact when we showed up the owner upgraded us from the plain bed and bath to the actual apartment with a living room and kitchen too. It was so nice :).

Saturday morning we headed over to the Children's Hospital in Boston to see little Mags.
She is so freaking adorable, she was having kind of a rough day and wasn't super happy but she was hooked to so many wires and things who would be. We pretty much spent a lot of time at the hospital holding Maggie, getting updates and visiting with Michelle and Sean, it was fun to be there with all of them.
We took Mags for a walk in the courtyard of the hospital she was so tired...... zzzzzzzz
We did however get to go out for a few hours with Michelle and Sean to get them out of the hospital for a little bit. We walked to Fenway park which was really cool to see!
We found FREE cotton candy at Bestbuy :).
Went to Fanuil Hall in downtown Boston had dinner and walked around.
Also walked around Copley Place to window shop and just see the city.
I really LOVED Boston, from what I saw I would love to go back and see more. It was clean, green and historic. It was a lot of fun! Thanks Michelle, Sean and Maggie for a great weekend!!!
Maggie with a big smile :).

Saturday, June 13, 2009

What we've been up to......

Well I just want to start by saying "It's about time", I know that is what everyone is thinking. Sorry but I haven't had a camera, plus while Katie and Jeff were living in NY Katie updated her blog and we pretty much did everything together so everyone could just refer to her blog :). But now that Katie and Jeff have left NYC for DC :( (we are sad and miss them!), it is time I take responsibility for this blog I started.

Trav and I have been back in NYC for about two weeks after our FUN visit to Utah. For those of you who don't know we have decided to try and stay in the city for a while. Travis is done with his classes, he is writing his thesis this summer and graduates in October. But we decided that we would stay here in NY and look for jobs! Needless to say that is what we have been doing for the past two weeks straight. I found a temp job that I have been doing for about 4 days it is going good so far nothing glamourous but it keeps me busy. Trav is still on the hunt making some good contacts everyday just hoping something will come through, keep your fingers crossed.

Other than that we have literally been LOVING NY in the SUMMER it truly is awesome! There are some many fun FREE things to do and FREE are always really good......

As I mentioned we don't have a camera so I haven't been able to document the last few weeks through pictures :( but a camera is on it's way so I will be taking lots of pics!!!!

Last week Trav and I spent the majority of our days looking for jobs which honestly is exhausting. We were able to get out a few times to enjoy some of what NY has to offer. We were able to hang out with our friends Scott and MaryLynn and their sweet new baby Zoe, she is adorable. We've been on fun walks in Central Park with them.

On Friday night we met Brianne and Jeremiah at the American Folk Museum, they were having some live music and drinks and it was FREE. The museum had a cool Kaleidoscope exhibit going on and they had some really neat quilts like the one below that mimicked what you see in a kaleidoscope, they were very impressive. After the museum we went to the BURGER JOINT for burgers and shakes, yummy! They really do have one of the best burgers in the city.
Saturday night Trav and I were able to hang out with Shawn and Annie we met them near their apartment and walked through the park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We have been there several times, but this was the first time we were able to go to the rooftop garden. There was a neat tree sculpture that covered essentially the whole patio. The views from up there were amazing.
On our way back we stopped for dessert at a little cafe that is known for its popovers. I had never heard of them, it is a pastry that you top with ice cream and chocolate and it was awesome, I would definitely go back....thanks for the suggestion Annie.
Sunday afternoon we headed down to the park and literally spent the entire afternoon just lounging around and reading, it was a beautiful day. A little later that night we went to Central Park, the Classical Theater had a free play that was going on. It was really neat how they set it up, the performers started in one area and as the scenes changed the actors moved throughout the park and the audience followed. It was really fun.
This week we stayed pretty busy with me working and Trav having a few night meetings he had to go to so we didn't get out much. Monday night, the day before my work started we actually found a fun thing that was going on, it is called Taste of Times Square. A bunch of restaurants from around the city come and set up booths and prepare samples and tastes of their food. So when you arrive you buy tickets and purchase your food with tickets. There were so many people there and so much great food, we had crab cakes, Asian salads, gnocchi and two kinds of cheesecake. There were also a bunch of street performers and music. They only do this once a year so I am glad we didn't miss it!
After being inside for most of the week when the weekend rolled around we were ready to get out of the apartment. We stopped by the Fashion Institute of Technology and went to their museum. They had dresses and gowns on display from the late 1700's to present. It was interesting to see how they styles changed. The dress below is has Swarovski crystals all over it, that dress must be super heavy.
After that we headed over to Grand Central where they have a small exhibit of the NY Transit projects they have going on. There are I think 7 major subway projects that NY is currently working on and the museum just gave details and status reports on each of them, it was crazy to see that some of these projects have been in the making for up to 80 years and they just now have the funding to get it done.
We wondered over to Times Square when were done there, they recently closed down Broadway to cars in the Times Square area and the city brought out a bunch oflounge chairs for public use so we just hung out down there for an hour or so and people watched, gotta love that.

This morning we woke up early, to get a good start on the day. There is a new park in the Meatpacking District called the HIGHLINE that opened this week. We decided we wanted to go check it out, it was really awesome. It used to be an old train line and the city came in and developed it into a beautiful modern park.
We then walked through the Flower District in Chelsea, where the street is surrounded by fresh flowers and shrubbery. I want to go back to buy an orchid or at least something green for our apartment.
After that we made our way back up to Central Park where they were having a Summer Stage Concert Series, we wanted to stick around to hear a few songs.....I guess Ruben Stoddard was there, Trav loved it :).

Needless to say it has been an eventful few weeks. We are really excited to take advantage of all NY has to offer!