Yanks For The Memories

Hey there friends and family! Lots of stuff to talk about, so I'm just going to go right ahead and get started. The Great White picture above is from the Camden Aquarium, which we visited on Saturday, and I thought was a perfect time to go, since Shark Week on the Discovery Channel started last night!

Anyway, this past Wednesday Sean and I went and visited my sister and Jamie in NYC. Jamie had to go there for work (he works at Microsoft) and there was some sort of training or convention in Manhattan, and Mandy decided to tag along for fun, and to see us, esp. since we're only an hour and a half away. They were staying right in the heart of Manhattan. We were going to try and find a parking lot for a cheaper alternative, but after swimming through the big city traffic for 5 minutes, decided that the $50.00 valet parking was well worth it! Yeah I know, $50, but what are you going to do? I told Sean, it's like getting a ticket, you pay it, and don't ever think about it again, b/c if you do, it will make you mad!

It was so cool and not at all surreal to see my sister again (after almost 7 months!). We dove right in to the touristy stuff, first stop: Central Park, a mere 5 or so blocks away from the hotel.

Together again!

Sean and Mandy

Once again, my long Go-Go-Gadget arm taking a nice photo!

I love this picture!!! Our Christmas card photo perhaps?

After a few days of being in the big city, Mandy became a whiz at the subway system. We went all over! We took the subway to Soho, where Sean had to buy cargo shorts at American Eagle. From there we walked to Little Italy. Before we got there, this tomato-red establishment caught my eye, and we needed a picture of it!

We stopped for a few beers and people-watching at this little pizza place. The waiter was nice enough to snap a photo of the three of us

Ooooh, here is where the story gets good, and soooooooo yummy. Before the food talk, I'd like to mention how we were able to get a lovely outdoor table at one of the most famous Italian restaurants in all of Little Italy. Sean had earlier asked the concierge at the hotel for some recommendations of good Italian food. First on her list was Angelo on Mulberry St. We got there around 7:30 and it was so happening. Sean went inside, shoulder to shoulder and packed in like a sardine w/the dozens of other people waiting for a table. He was told by an official-looking person (manager? owner?) that the wait was at least 45 minutes and they don't take names. Hmmm. He came back outside to tell us this, and intriguingly added that at least three patrons unsolicitedly told him to wait it out, it was absolutely worth it.

By this time, I was so hungry, and not really in the mood to wait for 45 minutes, without even the reassurance of putting a name down on their list, which apparently didn't even exist. I can admit it, I was the first person to check out of the situation mentally. Mandy and Sean had other ideas, and were cooking up plans to get a table. My sister, with her eagle eyes, noticed that a couple at one of the outside tables had left. A busboy came out and cleared the table. Unfortunately, a little girl (maybe 9 yrs old?) sat down at the table. She and her family were also waiting for a table, and for how tired the little girl looked, I think it had been for a long time. Mandy then said, "if that little girl wasn't sitting at the table, we could sit there and just see what happens."

So then Sean went over to the girl and said in a nice, apologetic voice, "excuse me, I think this is our table". She immediately leapt up, and said, "I'm sorry". Sean sat down, Mandy made a beeline for the other chair, and I leaned against a pole by the street, not really liking where this was going. I was sure we were going to be thrown out, by the waiter or owner, or one of the patrons waiting inside for a table that saw them sit down.

There they bravely sat for a few minutes, until a busboy/waiter came out to the table, and Sean, ad-libbing, said "Someone said they were going to bring a tablecloth and another chair". The busboy bought it, and magically, a tablecloth, silverware, and a chair for me appeared. I wasn't fully convinced at this point, but sat down. When the waiter, and menus came out, I was still not 100% convinced. When he asked us what we wanted to drink, I finally relaxed. I had to give Mandy and Sean credit. It was their wily ways that got us the best table ever, away from the huddled crowd indoors, with a nice breeze, and a view of the bustling street.

The below picture is supposed to represent my sister knowing how awesome she is, and me acknowledging that I was wrong, they indeed were right!

Oh and the food, the food was just so good. We started off with a few hunks of warm crusty bread, and on my sister's call, a classic appetizer of the freshest of fresh mozzarrella, tomato, and basil.

Sean's meal wasn't too shabby either. He ordered the rigatoni with meatballs, as you can see below.

I am still thinking back fondly on my meal, 5 days later. I ordered the half moon ravioli in a creamy tomato sauce. Oh wow it was so good!

Mandy ordered the lobster ravioli with shrimp in vodka sauce, another knockout dish.

Towards the end of the meal, Mandy noticed more people waiting outside to eat, and kept covertly encouraging them to do as we had, to just sit down at a table. Anyway, we left completely stuffed and sublimely happy. We took a cab to Greenwich Village to meet up with Jamie, who had just finished up with work for the night. We found him, and began walking down a main street to find a good bar to sit down and catch up. After asking a local where to find a good bar, we stumbled upon a fight in progress, between the unlikeliest of foes, an out of shape white male in his fifties, and a tall, black hipster in his late 20's/early 30's. They were arguing with each other outside of an electronics store, and just as we were walking by, the young black guy jabbed the older guy in the jaw, who's head snapped back from the blow. This was the 2nd of two hits, as Jamie had seen the earlier one from afar. Afterwards, the older guy was begging the electronics store proprietor for something to hit the other guy with. The proprietor refused, the young guy walked away to his van, and the older guy rushed to his trunk to get a crowbar.

Just as the younger guy and his girlfriend were pulling away into the street, the older white guy threw the crowbar through the back window of the van, shattering it. The van screeched to a halt. Not satisfied just yet, the older guy lunged through the driver's side window and began a clumsy struggle with the young guy, who was awkwardly trying to fight and keep control of his vehicle at the same time. This continued until a cop car swooshed up behind them to break it up. Sean, who had an eyewitness account to the whole thing, said that both parties ran up to the cop to tell him their side of the story. Out of nowhere came the younger guy's girlfriend, who had been a non-factor until this point, and hurled her half-empty (or half-full, depending on how you look at life) water bottle at the older guy.

Sean stayed in the thick of things, Mandy and Jamie started to walk away after the 2nd punch, I started to follow them, but came back to the action after seeing the crowbar emerge from the trunk. It was pretty crazy.

After the fight, we found a cool little bar and sat outside for about 5 minutes until a thunderstorm sent us inside.

Here's Sean and Jamie

After getting back to the hotel to put our leftovers in the fridge, we headed back outside to Times Square to take a few pictures and look around.

Day 2: Dang! my sister really loves to sightsee and do stuff! I am usually so opposite, I am more of a loaf on vacations, sipping wine, watching tv, taking naps. Not this Mountlake Terrace nurse and mother of 1. We headed out for some sister time, taking the subway to Union Square and then walking the rest of the way back to Greenwich Village, oops my bad, referred to as 'The Village' according to Wikipedia. Mandy had read about these really amazing cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery in the West Village. Here's a lovely picture of them.

Survey says? A little disappointing. Maybe we were secretly fed a day-old batch? The icing was very light and fluffy, delicious, but the cupcake itself was kinda dry. One of the residents at work brought in cupcakes last week, and they were heavenly and moist compared to these famous ones. I had heard terrific things about Cupcake Royale in Seattle, in the Madrona neighborhood, I referred my cupcake-loving sister to this joint when she got back home.

Here's Mandy in the cab, on the way back to Union Square, to take the subway back to Manhattan and meet up with Sean for lunch.

We had a terrific trip, and I was soooo happy to see two of my favorite people in this world for a few days! It was a nice dose of home, to tide me over til September 18th when we are back in Seattle for a wedding.

Next on the agenda, the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, which we finally went to this past weekend.

Ooooooooh, barracuda!

Sean, waiting for a shark to swim his way so he could touch it

A beautiful fish display in the middle of the aquarium

Me, by the jaws of a shark

My cute husband! I just like this picture of him

Piranhas! They swam around very angrily

This penguin was so sleepy and sweet

There was the coolest thing, a shark tunnel, where sharks swam right beside you and above you. Awesome.

Me, by this weird dude mannequin

I have some great news - (nope, I'm not pregnant, like I'd share that in a blog! no wait, I probably would), I am going to be reality TV blogger for Seattlepi.com. It's unpaid, and they have dozens of reader blogs, but mine is going to be one of the best ones. Who doesn't want to read a recap and my thoughts on Project Runway, The Bachelor, Survivor, and The Rock of Love with Bret Michaels? Those are just a few of the shows I am thinking about writing about. My picture will be displayed, as well as a short bio, and a description of my blog. I am still working on it, but I should have my first entry by next week. I am beyond excited. My goal has always been to work from home, since it's my favorite place to be, so maybe the blogging thing could one day turn into a career?? You never know.

For those of you who stuck it out to read this super-sized blog, thanks! I'll leave you all with a crazy picture of Swiff that I took yesterday.

Take care! Love, Mary.