I'm Dreaming Of A White Thanksgiving

On the radio this morning, they were talking about the cool temperatures (it was only 46 degrees this morning) and that it felt more like Michigan than Florida. Well, I'm glad that it's not THAT cold. I'll be watching the weather maps all day today to check that the impending snow fall will not impact my travel plans.

Breaking New Ground

Yesterday was the official Ground-Breaking Ceremony for the Cuhaci & Peterson Corporate Office in Baldwin Park. It's about time! We were originally supposed to be moved in to the office by the end of the calendar year. They're still saying we'll be in in 6 months, but I'm placing bets that it will be more like 8. I doubt we'll be in before the 4th of July, but we'll see.

I'm not much of a gambler. The first time I stepped foot in a casino (in Detroit), I placed a dollar in the slot machine (given to me by my Mom) and won 3! I quit while I was ahead, and treated to People Mover tokens. But I somehow got suckered into a wager on this weekend's UM/OSU game. It's not for money (because that's just crazy and I don't have any), but rather for dinner. If Daryl wins (OSU) we eat at Brio, but if I win (UM) we eat at Ruth's Chris. Anyone who actually knows me, knows that I'm not a huge sports fan, but I like to root for MY teams (other than that, I could care less). And basically, MY teams are any team from Michigan/Detroit. I have no allegiance to either UM or MSU. I have been spotted at a local bar on Sunday afternoons to watch the Packer games because some of my best friends are big fans, and I want to hang out with my friends. I will cheer for them as long as they're playing anyone BUT Detroit (then the gloves come off). But it's all in fun. I never invest too much into the games, because after all, it IS just a game.

Nothin' Much

Well, since hardly anyone else blogged today, I might as well. Although, I don't really have anything to say. Work has been very busy. Everyone wants their projects before the holidays begin. Other than that, I spent the weekend working on my apartment. I spent more time on decorating rather than unpacking. I think I've COMPLETELY unpacked 2 boxes since I moved in. Otherwise, I've been unpacking on a need basis. Some things are staying packed until I have a place to put them (like expanding my desk and getting shelf unit that I want from IKEA). When I eventually get my place together, I'll be sure to post pictures. But you'll have to be patient as time and money (mostly the latter) keep me from doing it all at once.

I <3 N Y

I do love New York City! Although I don't know that I'd actually want to live there, it sure is a fun place to visit.

Sunday morning, Wally & Linda dropped me off at MacArther/ Islip Airport. I took a shuttle bus to the train station and just made the 10:13 Long Island Railroad train into Manhattan. It's about an hour and a half train ride. I slept much of the way and listened to music, as well as the people around me. It's so fun to hear people talk in their New York accents. I arrived at Penn Station around quarter to noon. After exploring Penn Station a bit (and discovering that it's connected to Madison Square Garden, I took the 1 Subway to Lincoln Center. I did get a little turned around trying to make my way up to street level, but I eventually found my self in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House (the Met to all the locals). I took several pictures of the exterior piazza (not PIZZA - it's Italian for 'plaza'). I wandered around the complex a bit. The opera, ballet, and symphony all perform at Lincoln Center, as well as being the home for the Julliard School.

After exhausting Lincoln Center, I walked down 66th street, over to Central Park West, into Central Park, and found myself at the finish line for the New York City Marathon. I knew it was taking place that day, but I was unaware of the race route. I had to walk up to about 71st Street to get around the race festivities. I admire anyone who can run a marathon. I was exhausted after walking only 5 blocks! Running 26.2 miles would probably kill me. In my defense, I was dragging all my luggage with me (they wouldn't let me check it so far ahead of time). But still, I am VERY out of shape. I wandered around much of Central Park, making my way around all the marathon runners and such. I could have easily spent a whole day there, just relaxing and enjoying the colorful fall foliage, but I was on a tight schedule, so I pressed on.

I exited the park arounnd 71st Street and 5th Avenue, grabbed a hot dog & water from a street vendor for lunch and looked at my map (the only time I did this) to find the nearest R Train station. It was located at 59th and 5th (the SE corner of Central Park), so I walked the 12 blocks to the station, passing the Central Park Zoo along the way. It was a gorgeous day in New York. It was about 70 degrees and the sun was shining! In some ways, I wish it had been a little cooler so I wouldn't have to CARRY my coat (but I'm not complaining).

I took the R Train to 23rd Street to see the Flatiron Building (the triangular shaped building you may have seen in several movies and tv shows). I missed this on my last trip, so I made sure to make a stop this time. I was a little dissapointed when I emerged from the subway. The building was being renovated/restored and there was all kinds of scaffolding covering the "point" of the building. It was still neat to see, though. I went back down to the subway and rode uptown to 34th Street to make a stop at the Empire State Building (another missed stop on my last tour - but that was mostly due to the cloudy weather). Today was a perfect day to go up to the 86th floor observation deck. The sky was clear and I could see for miles. It was a little breezy on top of the tallest building in New York (it regained the status after 9/11). It was quite peaceful on top of the world.

By now, it was almost 4:00 and my time in Manhattan was drawing to a close. I didn't have much time to make my 4:14 train back to Long Island (before my 7:30 flight). Luckily, Penn Station was only a block away along 34th Street (the same block as Macy's Department Store). I did make my train, but it was quite crowded. I wasn't able to get a seat until after a few stops. Atleast I didn't have to stand the ENTIRE 1-1/2 hour trip.

I had no trouble making my flight (in fact it was a little delayed) I had to make a quick stop in Baltimore before continuing on to Orlando International Airport. I arrived back in Florida around midnight, and my Jen was there waiting for me.

I had a great trip, but I was thoroughly beat by the end of it. My whole body ached from all the walking and carrying of my luggage. Even though I only had a small roller bag, I still wouldn't reccomend it. I think I wore the little wheels down to practically nothing and everytime I hit a crack in the sidewalk, it would tip over. Carrying it up and down the subway stairs wasn't a whole lot of fun either (even if it was a good upper body workout).

Long Island Wedding

This past weekend, I traveled up to Long Island, NY for my cousin Lauren's (Kushnir side of the family) wedding. It was a beautiful wedding on a beautiful day. Who would have guessed that one would have an outdoor wedding, in November, in New York? But the weather couldn't have cooperated better. It was about 70 degrees and the sun was shining. The short ceremony started around noon. Afterwards, there was a cocktail hour on the patio dock along the waterfront. There was all kinds of food in the buffet including fruit, pasta, turkey, beef, various kinds of seafood (shrimp, calmari, salmon, oysters), on and on and on. If I didn't know any better, this could have been our whole meal, but it wasn't. Afterwards, we indoors to the dining room where we had a 5-course dinner. It started with fresh mozzerella an tomatoes on a bed of arugula, appetizer followed by ceasar salad and a lemon sherbert intermezzo. For the main entree, you could choose from chateau briand with a sherry wine and mushroom sauce, roasted duck a l'orange, flounder stuffed with crabmeat, chicken cordon bleau, or a vegitarian meal. They even had chicken fingers for the kids. Each entree came with roasted potatoes and green beans. I chose the chateau briand and it was delicious. Now with dessert, they had assorted cakes, pies, cookies, a sundae bar, a chocolate fondue fountain, and of course, wedding cake. Inbetween the courses, they had a DJ to emcee all the traditional wedding events and dances. We were kicked out of the hall by 5:30 and many of us went to an after-party at the groom's parent's house. All in all, it was a beautiful wedding and I'm glad that I was able to make it. It was nice to see Uncle Greg, Aunt Mary Ellen and Lauren, for I haven't seen them in probably at least 5 years. So yes, all this was JUST Saturday. We were all in bed by 9:30. But with the time change and the sun setting before 5:00, it felt like midnight.

Stay tuned for details on the rest of my trip...