New York Trip

I promised a full report of my trip to NYC, so here it is. We took the MegaBus. This was our view from the front seats at the top of the double-decker.

The trip down was great.
I always get excited when I arrive in The City. The atmosphere is just . . . there's nothing like it.

We reserved a hotel room through Hot Wire, so we didn't know what it would be like until after we reserved it, but it turned out to be a boutique hotel called the Night hotel, which turned out to be really fun. Everything was decorated black and white and very Urban Gothic. Here is the view looking in to the room:

Here is a close-up of the wallpaper. I love the thistles:

This is the bed. It would have been romantic, if I hadn't been sharing the room with my BFF from tenth grade:

And the black-tiled bathroom:

After checking in, we went shopping in the Fashion District (the bead stores -- wow), went to the top of the Empire State Building and took pictures . . .

Then we walked to Times Square, shopping along the way, and had dinner at 10 pm (very New York).
On Sunday we went to the Guggenheim, and then down to Greenwich Village to visit Purl SoHo, shopping along the way (are you starting to sense a theme, here?). We had a fantastic lunch at an Indian restaurant in the NYU area, and took the subway back to the hotel to pick up our bags. Suddenly, it was late, and we had to run the 14 blocks to the bus station. We were toward the end of the line, so we didn't get seats together, so the trip back was not as pleasant. All in all, though, it was a relatively reasonable way to take a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple. I'll definitely do it again!

New York trip -- another sneak peak

My friend Penny visited from Vancouver last week. Over the weekend I took her to the City. I have lots to report, but here is a sneak peak: some of my loot from the great shops we went to. There are Day of the Dead skulls, plastic goldfish, a scarab beetle in clear plastic, and a few of the fabulous fabrics they had at Purl Soho. (I could have spent days just shopping for beads and fabrics!)

Ohio Is Actually Not That Bad

I had a great trip to Ohio.  I flew in on Saturday, and after a couple of delays (late flights, confusing city streets) Monique picked me up at the airport.  We went to the "Short North", an area of Columbus where her brother Sean lives, and where we spent most of the weekend.  We stopped for lunch at North Market (Vietnamese food) and then went to see a t-shirt designer who designed some great Obama t-shirts so Monique could get a t-shirt.  We stopped by to see Sean's friend, Jane, who has the coolest house, and then went "home" to Sean's cute brick Victorian.  We went to pick up Sean's daughter at her friend's house, where they were making plans for their all-girl band.  I am determined to come up with the best band name for them -- what a cool bunch of kids!

BUYING CRUSTY BREAD AND GOAT'S CHEESE AT NORTH MARKET

Later that night, the four of us went to a restaurant called Rigsby's, and had some fantastic appetizers and drinks.  Monique and I kept going until midnight, so we could celebrate her birthday.  We went to a bar where Sean's kick-boxing instructor was performing with her band. It was just like old times!

It took us a while to get moving on Sunday, for some reason (like old times?).  Sean made breakfast, and then Monique and I went to the Ohio State University's art museum to see an exhibit of Andy Warhol.  

HANGING OUT WITH ANDY AT THE WEXNER

Sunday night was dinner with Monique's parents at a really good Italian restaurant.    On Monday, we had big plans, but got bogged down at the mall, shopping and eating at The Cheesecake Factory.  We made up for it with Yoga that night, and then dinner of soup and veggie drinks at a health-food restaurant called North Star.  They made the best Rustic Tomato and Bread soup, ever!

All in all, it was a relaxing weekend of reminiscing, good food, and hanging out. Thank you Columbus!!!

MY ARTSY PICTURE OF HIGH STREET IN THE SHORT NORTH