Wrapping up.

Tomorrow the movers will be knocking on our door at 9 AM! We officially just stopped wrapping everything up...and it's midnight.

We've been trying to squeeze in some of our favorite food before we leave. Today we hit up Shake Shack and Tom's Restaurant(the diner from Seinfeld). Tomorrow Ian is supposed to take us to an Ethiopian restaurant in his neighborhood. Hopefully it is better than the going away party he planned, tee hee.


We went over to St. John the Divine Cathedral on 110'th St. today and it was beautiful. The size was pretty unbelievable, considering it was in Manhattan. It reminded us of either Notre Dame or West Minster Chapel. I only got some pictures with my iphone, so the size isn't expressed very well. We went to get some prayers in before our move, haha. Plus the peace and quiet was very relaxing.




I've been telling Joey that we should go running in the rain some day, and it finally happened tonight. When we got off the subway tonight it was storming! Pouring down so hard that an umbrella didn't do justice. So...we decided to not fight it and just go with it. I ran laughing like a little girl, in my maxi dress and sandals. It looked like we took showers with clothes on when we got home....but totally worth it.

Wish us luck tomorrow!

The Last Chapter to Our NY Journey.

The walls are bare and every shelf and counter in our apartment is naked. You would be able to hear an echo, but the walls busting at the seams with boxes. The reality of our move is officially screaming at us....which is a bit surreal and awkward.

On Friday, Katee treated us to Korean BBQ and asked us what we will miss the most about the city. Got me thinking...

Things that I love/will miss/and am thankful for:

1. Cooking cajun food for everyone.
2. Staying out til' dawn with Nadya and her crazy Russian friends.
3. Riding home in a cab with chatty Ian pestering the driver.
4. Getting annoyed with Freddy consistently being late.
5. Making ridiculous/harassing phone calls to Jessica in Indiana with Beth.
6. Mike and I screaming at tourists from a cab.
7. Thursday nights in the Bronx with those awesome kids.
8. The mutual love relationship with our favorite check out girl, Sophie, at Pioneer.
9. Margaritas at Ronda's.
10. The cute lady at our laundry mat who always laughs when she sees me and Joey. Let's just say we always amuse her somehow...
11. Over hearing ridiclous conversations. For instance: Girl says to guy "Yeah, why would you go to California to kill someone?" Guy replies, "Yeah, I mean you can do that like right down the street!"
12. The lady who hands out nail salon coupons on the corner of 73rd and Columbus every day....rain or shine.
13. Jaywalking.
14. Being able to hail a cab at any hour.
15. Having a bar in the neighborhood that gives you free candy and access to cool games like Jenga.
16. Cheap wine at Trader Joe's.
17. The amazing saxophone players, violin players, and opera singers in the Park.
18. Ella.
19. Having picnics with Joey in the park on a sunny day.
20. Last and not least, every single friend we've made up here.

Things I will not miss:

1. The creepy homeless lady in our neighborhood who wears goggles and used the sidewalk as her toilet in front of me and Joey.
2. Paying way too much for pretty much everything.
3. Laundry days.
4. Walking through the city when you're in a bad mood. There is too much going on....and trust me everything gets on your nerves.
5. While doing laundry, on your last batch of clothes, realizing you are 10 cents short on your laundry card. Then realizing you don't have you're wallet on you, meaning you have to go home. Then getting home and realizing you have no cash, meaning you have to walk to an ATM. Then the laundry lady doesn't have change, meaning you have to walk to Lenny's to wait in a 10 minute line buy a water to get change....
6. Climbing 3 flights of stairs everyday you get home, with laundry, groceries, or Joey when he's drunk....kidding about the last one. :)
7. Bad street performers in Dante's Dungeon....aka the subway station.
8. Tourists.
9. Walking through snow and having 8 month winters.
10. The MTA stealing the city's money.
11. Long lines.
12. Not being able to wear heels....that much.
13. Wannabe 'Sex and the City' women/girls. They are the worst breed of humanity in my opinion.
14. People who don't walk up or down the escalators, causing you to miss your train.
15. High maintenance people!

I took the following pictures today. Each one either represents a story, memory, or something I'll miss:

The grocery we go to pretty much everyday, Pioneer.


Our laundry mat.


The Duane Reade that opened a little under a year ago right down the street making our lives so much easier.


The infamous Dive 75....Jenga and candy!



The craziest supermarket in Manhattan. You deserve a medal when you complete your shopping here.



Cute sundresses from street vendors for 15 bucks or so.


The 1,2,3 subway line!



The over pampered dog population in the city...


Our hangout after kickball games.


The best beauty store in Manhattan.





Buying produce from vendors.



A view we see everyday before we come home.



This guy was running from Central Park....with his Yorkie and driving shoes. *scratched head*


Cool people dressed up on a Vespa.


All of the romantic men bringing flowers home to their partners. (Joey, take note!)


The sophisticated kiddies of the city.


The old men and their socks.


People ranging from 5 to 85 riding their scooters down the street.



Yummy pizza place that beats Lombardi's in our opinion.


Open windows with flower beds.


Our late night go-to for glass bottles of coke, cookies, or milk.


Last, here is a cool shot of our apartment through the eyes of a Vespa mirror.


Hope you enjoyed. Not sure what we are going to do with the blog...but I will keep everyone posted!

A Living Legend

Last night, we were able to attend a concert at Citi Field (the new Mets stadium) like no other. Sir Paul Mccartney gave 3 separate concerts at Citi Field to break in the new stadium. The last time he played at the last Mets stadium - Shea Stadium, was when he was still with the Beatles. Some how, miraculously, we managed to get tickets for the 3rd show and fulfill a lifetime dream of seeing Paul Mccartney in person.

We arrived at Citi Field at about 5:30, just in time for the gates to open, and joined the mass of people waiting in line. After a relatively short wait, we walked in, purchased some t-shirts, got some food, and found our seats by 6:30. Here's a shot of the stage from where we sat:

At about 7:30, the opening band finally began. The Script from Dublin, Ireland, played for about 30 or 40 minutes to get us warmed up. Another 30 or 40 minutes later, the sun had set, the lights had come on, and we were ready for him to come out. Then the lights went out in the stadium, except for the stage, and the band appeared on stage to the wild applause of everyone there. He opened up with Drive My Car. From the very first chord played you could tell Paul never lost a step, he sounds as good as he ever did, if not better. As awesome as Paul was, his backup band was just as good. Abe Laboriel, Jr. on the drums was amazing, Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray were awesome, Paul Wikckens on keys was just as good. He went straight into the next song - Jet, another one of my personal favorites.

Throughout the show, Paul would tell jokes and stories in between songs. At one point he pointed out a sign in the audience that said "Last Chance Marry Me Paul" - to which he gave a bewildered "No!". At one point, he decided he hadn't taken the chance to "drink it all in" so he stopped in just looked around the stadium for a minute while everyone cheered.

Paul switched instruments constantly throughout the show. Starting on his old Beatle bass, he moved on to electric guitar, back to the bass, on to piano, back to guitar, then acoustic guitar, mandolin, ukelele even. The ukelele was probably the most interesting part. He told a story about writing a song with a ukelele given to him by George Harrison, then bringing that song back to George to see what he thought, apparently he liked it. He started playing simple chords on the ukelele and began singing "Something in the way she moves..." The rest of the band kicked in around the 2nd verse.

I wondered the whole show exactly when it was coming though. When was he going to do my favorite song? Was he going to do it at all? He started heading in that direction with Paperback Writer, then A Day in the Life. After that, he made his way over to the piano and I knew it was coming. He played Let it Be, the backup vocals were awesome throughout the whole song. And then it finally came...

When you were young

and your heart was an open book

You used to say live and let live

(We all chimed in a) "You know you did, you know you did, you know you did"

But if this ever changing world in which we live in

Makes you give in and cry

Say Live and Let Die

Giant flames shot up from the stage when those chords were struck. Then the chaos began with fireworks shooting up out of the back of the stage.

The second chorus of the song started again with Rusty pretending to fall over and die. And more chaos ensued with flames and fireworks throughout the song. It was by far the best performance I've ever seen. I think Melissa would agree.

He followed that up with the first last song of the evening - Hey Jude. We of course sang along for the na na na Hey Judes. He then exited the stage, I stopped Melissa from leaving just yet. He then came out of course for an encore which included Day Tripper, Lady Madonna, and I Saw Her Standing There, then the concert ended.

But two people in front of us had inside information and stopped us for the 2nd encore - including Yesterday, Helter Skelter, Get Back, and Sgt. Pepper.

Then the concert actually ended. We got on the train and went home, barely able to sleep after what we had just seen. If we ever get a chance to attend to another concert like that, we will be sure to spare no expense to get floor tickets. All in all, it was without question the best concert experience of our lives.

Here's the entire setlist for the night...

Drive My Car
Jet
Only Mama Knows
Flaming Pie
Got To Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It / Foxy Lady
Highway
The Long And Winding Road
My Love
Blackbird
Here Today
Dance Tonight
Calico Skies
Mrs Vanderbilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing The Changes
Band On The Run
Back In The USSR
I’m Down
Something
I’ve Got A Feeling
Paperback Writer
A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance
Let It Be
Live And Let Die
Hey Jude
---
Day Tripper
Lady Madonna
I Saw Her Standing There
---
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End

And some videos of one of the performances at Citi Field

Tomorrow our lives will change forever.

Two words: Paul McCartney.

Brooklyn Bridge.

Joey and I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset today and got these fantastical pictures. :) Check them out yo.

American Legion.

I have realized that some of my favorite memories from New York have been in Harlem. The night Ian took us to American Legion went down in the book for sure. He has only taken two people to this place besides us, since it is really special to him....and for good reason!


I was expecting a normal Jazz Club in a commercial area where you pay a cover to get in and get your wrist stamped. Well, instead we walked down the stairs of a Brownstone into this hidden gem. You sign your name in a guest book instead of the usual hassle of other bars. The music was just unbelievable. The saxaphone player was a cool cat and there was this one girl who had the voice of Billie Holiday. The guitar player played like Joey plays the bass. Oh man....just awesome awesome talent!


The energy of this place was like a big happy family. It's a place where your race, age, or social status matters to no one. The only requirement is you must love and appreciate the art of jazz. Ian introduced us to his people and it was clear they think of him as a son. "Hey bayyba, how are ya? How's your momma doin'?" They cooked us fried chicken nonetheless and it beat out Popeye's.


Here is Yvonne from Texas, (like Richard from Texas in 'Eat,Pray,Love") and she was my favorite. The two of us clicked right away! We talked about our love for Nawlin's and how Tori and Ian are soul mates. Don, the gentleman next to her, was soooooo nice and cute. Anytime there was a deep connection while I was talking with him, he would grab my hand or arm.


They would pass around a tip jar for the musicians, and Ian twisted my arm into being the tip girl. So I walked around collecting money, and some of the old men were funny. One paid me twenty dollars and said he would either accept change or...me. Haha.



Here is the cool saxophone player. It's blurry, but oh well. He seems like he would hangout with Obama. Speaking of which, Obama said the next time him and Michelle come into NY for a date night, they will be making a visit to American Legion. That's so funny, because it's totally off the radar.


Here's a cute couple that started dancing. There was such a great energy in there. As you can see, all of the men dress to the nines. I felt like we were at a club in the 1940's.


One of my favorite nights ever. :)