Laundry

So,  Monday seems like a good day to do laundry.  We have washers and dryers on our floor.  It costs $1.50 for a wash and the same for the dryer.  The machines only take quarters.  My first stop this morning is to go to the bank and "buy" $20 in quarters.  Apparently other people also think Monday is a good day to do laundry.  It takes me about 4 hours to get it all done - memo to self "No laundry on a Monday".

Before Terry goes into the hospital he calls telecharge to get tickets for the US Open Tennis.  We decide that we should go and experience it.  We get tickets for tomorrow night (day 2 of the Open) Hannah, Terry and I will go.  I think we can get the subway straight to Flushing Meadows followed by a short walk.  I am not sure where our seats are - don't know where you sit with a $56 ticket.  Should be fun - Arthur Ash stadium, should be fun just to be there.

Terry goes in for a meeting in the morning but returns to the apartment to work on the computer this afternoon.  He has a meeting from 4.30 pm - 7 pm this evening.

It is 93 degrees today so it seems like a good day to stay home and do inside things.  

I get out my quilt top and "sandwich" it and the batting and backing fabric and pin it all together.  I made the quilt top at home and brought it here as one of the projects I want to work on.

Had an email from my landscape architect with another plan for our back yard - this is the 4th plan and I really like it.  I will call her on Wednesday to chat about it.  We hope to get this started next spring.

I get to Skype with Verna - Natalie sets her up on her Skype address.  They almost have a place to stay when they come to NYC.   This is probably where I should explain the Fabulous 5  - a group I mentioned a few posts ago.

Hannah, Natialie, Sammy, Dallas and Lindsay - all friends since Grade 1 in York House decided to call themselves the Fabulous 5.  Amazingly all of the mothers became very good friends too - we also call ourselves the Fabulous 5.  (We have had a couple of additions so we sometimes call ourselves the Fabulous 5 + 2 - Marina and Anastasia being the 2)  The mothers are, myself, Verna, Karen, Jacquie and Heather.   It somehow became a discussion that while Terry and I were here in New York wouldn't it be nice for the Fabulous 5 to visit.  Canadian Thanksgiving was chosen as the girls (all at Western except Hannah) could also come for the weekend.  Sammy and Karen are unable to make this trip but the other 4 can.  We are all very excited. The teenagers will stay 4 nights and the moms for 6 nights.  I am sure there will be lots to blog about during that time!!!!!

Well, I guess I will go now and let you know about Flushing Meadows tomorrow.

Bye for now

One Week Down

Hello folks,
Well, here we are we have been here exactly one week - so far so good.
Terry and I got up on Saturday morning and walked to The Metropolitan Museum.  We bought a membership for a year. They have "Associate" Memberships for people who live 200 miles from NYC.  It costs $60 per person but is good for one year. We thought it was a good deal as we hope to spend some time here.
We discovered walking 20 blocks (the streets not the avenues) is one mile.  Walking 4 avenues is also one mile. By that reckoning it is just over 2 miles from our apartment to the MET.
After checking out the roof top in the MET (it is always the first thing I want to do when I go to the MET) we looked for the old masters - another favorite. I love the Van Gough's and Monet's.  The roof top commissions different art projects.  At the moment it is an exhibition called "Big Bambu" (their spelling) by twin brothers from New Jersey (I think that is where they are from) It is really interesting. They have created an intricate "wave" from bamboo.  If you get the chance check it out.
We came home and rested for a bit before heading out to Mass. We are hoping to attend different Catholic Churches while we are here.  We attended "Our Lady of Peace Church",  237 East 62nd Street.  It is one and a half blocks from our apartment. It is very pretty, lots of blue and white paint, beautiful pieces of art and 2 amazing chandeliers.  There are a few stained glass windows but the light did not seem to get to them. This church has a building on either side of it which seem to block the light.
After Mass we returned home to cook some salmon for supper - made us feel at home.
We are so lucky to be able to Skype with Jonathan and Roision.  We have also set up an account with Skype to use for our long distance phone calls - can you believe 2cents a minute - what a deal!!!!!
Pat,  just in case others are wondering I will answer your comment here.

Hannah's apartment....  In July we discovered a $75 bill added onto out rent notice.  We called the Management company to find out what is was for. They told me it was because the girls picked their keys to the apartment up on the 31st of April and not the 1st of May (the start of their lease).  The office was closed on the 1st as it was a Saturday. The girls had a choice, pick the keys up Friday or Monday.  They were not told there would be a fee for picking them up a day early, had they known that they would have chosen Monday.  Now, I could make an argument that the Management company should have made arrangements to get the keys to the girls on the 1st - but I digress.
So, when I tried to talk to them about this they said they could do nothing about it - we need to talk to "Linda" at the Leasing Company.  We call Linda 4 times from Vancouver - she never answers her phone or returns messages.  We call as soon as we arrive in New York - still not answering her phone or returning messages.  It is very frustrating..... We may have paid the money had someone just returned our calls.
The other issue - the girls are on the top floor (they like to call it the Penthouse) They have had a leak through their roof since May.  When Hannah and I left NYC in May we were told it was going to be fixed the next day.  Not fixed yet .... the girls now have a black bucket in the middle of their bathroom - since  May 24th.  The maintenance man is always coming "tomorrow" to check it out.  Hannah has told him she is concerned about mold.  Did I say how frustrating this is..... I am not sure what good it will do  if I go to the Management office but I reckon I have nothing to loose.  I will keep you updated on this little saga.
Sunday, Terry was out running with his new fancy MBT shoes - he loves them.  He is trying to persuade me to look at a pair.  Perhaps when Roision comes we can look, I know she is very interested in a pair.

We were very excited as Hannah and Franky were coming to dinner.  Terry found a little Hibatchi (don't know about the spelling) on our deck and decided to BBQ.  I think the last time we used one of these was when Jonathan was 2 years old and we lived in Edmonton!!!  The coals did not want to light - the bag said we did not need lighter fluid - I think maybe we did.  It was way to hot to be up on the deck so we headed back downstairs and cooked the chicken on the stove.  We had a lovely time with Hannah and Franky.  After they left  to go visit some other friends Terry and I settled down to watch the Emmy's that we had taped - yes we have a pvr.

Friday.....

So here we are at the end of the week.  Terry went into the hospital for a meeting this morning.  I cleaned out some cupboard. I decided I wanted to use my own dishes,  cutlery, glasses etc so I packed away the things that were here and got the cupboards the way I wanted them.  I washed my new towels but ran out of quarters for the machines so only got the towels done.  I need to go to the bank and "buy" some quarters.
Terry returned quite early, he got changed and went out for a run.  We were waiting to hear from Hannah as we thought we might try and get together today.  When it got to 12.30 pm we sent her a text telling her we were off to Union Square. We know Union Square quite well as we have spent lots of time there on our previous trips to NYC. It is not too far from Hannah's.  Hannah did, in fact, come to meet us there.
So - here is the question... Hannah, Terry and Maggie are shopping in Union Square in Manhattan, who comes home with new shoes?  No brainer eh - it must be Hannah - WRONG... Mr. Terry gets a new pair of MTB runners - they look like those new Sketchers, you know, the rocking ones. They apparently do amazing things for you. They look a little strange. When I figure out how to put photos on this blog I will post a photo of the shoes.  He hopes to be able to run wearing them as he needs to run on concrete.
Anyway, after the shoes we take Hannah for some lunch at "Au Bon Pain", she is not feeling well, think she has a cold.  Interesting to note - we go to the drug store to buy her some Advil cold tablets. You cannot buy them over the counter!!!! I know!!! - we have to go to the Pharmacist where she asks for my ID (I reckon she knows I am over 21) she writes down my name address and number from my BC drivers license - can you believe it.... you can buy Tylenol cold but not Advil cold - go figure.
Anyway, we take the subway over to Hannah's and take her grocery shopping at "Whole Foods" We get them back to her apartment and climb the 4 flights of stairs up to her apartment - whew
We then go to the bank and deposit some cheques into Hannah's account.  We say goodbye, Hannah goes home and Terry and I take the bus up 1st Avenue and go grocery shopping for ourselves.
For supper tonight we just have some hummus and bruchetta (home made) and of course some wine. We check out our roof top deck and then collapse on the sofa.
I did "Skype" with Roision and hope to with Jonathan later this evening.
We are still trying to communicate with Hannah's leasing company - Linda - our contact - never answers her phone or returns messages. Business is so inefficient here, anyway, I think I will head off to the Management company on Monday and see what we can do.  I will let yo know what happens.
Love to all.
Talk to you tomorrow - night night.......

The Sun Returns

What joy this morning when we awake to sun streaming in through the windows.   Our apartment has floor to ceiling windows and the bedroom is on the loft level - it was wonderful - it was also great that it was 7am.  Can't believe how well I am sleeping here.  I am sure it is because I am not worrying - Roision is at home worrying for me.
Went to Macy's today and bought some Ralph Lauren towels. Now I know to most people that is nothing to get excited about but they are my favorite towels AND they were on sale. I got bath towels for $12.99 - these towels are $40 at home not on sale!!!!
I looked everywhere for "Glee" tee shirts in Macy's -  no luck - some of the sales assistants did not even know what I was talking about. Doesn't everyone know about "Glee"
Chatted to Verna on the phone, Roision on Skype and texted with Hannah - isn't technology great.... if only I understood it all.
Bought Hannah a $12 kettle which I will use for 3 months. All of the kitchen things I have bought will be given to Hannah to use or auction off to her friends. It is my justification for buying cheap kitchen stuff.
Terry and I went for a walk this evening. We walked from our apartment on 62nd and 1st Ave over to 5th Ave which is by Central Park.  We walked up to 82nd Street which is where the Metropolitan Museum is. We checked the hours and hope to come back on Saturday to get a membership. We then walked along 82nd to Madison Avenue. The streets in Manhattan run east to west and the avenues run north to south.
So we turned south and walked down Madison avenue to 62 nd (which is out street) we passed by ALL of the designer stores - Chanel, Hermes, Donna Karen, Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera and the likes, Terry is getting an education!!!!   When we get to 62nd we turn east back to 1st ave where we pick up a thin slice pizza and take it back to the apartment where we eat it with a glass of wine and think - life is good.
Talk to you all again tomorrow......

Lunch with the Knutsons

We woke up today with the sound of torrential rain.  Last year when we were here the sun was splitting the trees. I chose not to bring any jackets with me this year as my intention is to go to Fileans Basement in October and buy a winter jacket that I can bring home with me.  Oh well. Terry heads off to the hospital and I get some paperwork done. When you go away, the paperwork follows you....
I had a very nice surprise when my "skype" rang and there was my friend Julia on the other end. She was getting ready to go to the gym - it was about 6.15 am Vancouver time - she is so good. We had a lovely "visit".  Next, I got to "skype" with Jonathan.  We have a very nice habit of "skyping" every day - it is very special to me.
Hannah had an interview this morning with the company that she will intern with this year "All Saints" so she was up early (at least by her standard).  I talked with Marina on the phone and finalized our luncheon plans. Marina and Bill met me at 61 st and 1st outside "The East River Cafe" Terry managed to join us and much to our delight Hannah and Charlotte joined us too. We had a lovely lunch and visit, thanks Bill and Marina.   Marina, Bill, Terry and I had lunch in the Meatpacking District this time last year so we have suggested we make this a yearly thing - lunch in Manhattan.  After lunch the girls went off in a cab, Hannah wants to show Charlotte her school - Parsons the New School for Design.  Terry went off to an Ultrasound clinic and the Knutsons were interested in looking for the Ukrainian Institute of America at 2 East 79th Ave.  Marina has Ukrainian heritage.
I returned home to catch up with this blog.  Terry has since returned home but  has taken himself out for a run.  He has been searching for grass to run on - no grass. He is going to check out an area by the East River,  the drawback is that it is very close to FDR Drive - a big roadway with fumes from cars..... we will see.
Tonight will be a quiet one and I will talk to you all tomorrow.
Have a pleasant evening.

1st Day Out

For those of you who are really astute you will realize I am one day behind - blame it on jet lag. I hope after today I will be "on time"
So - Tuesday 24th August : Terry went off to the hospital for a health check, x-ray, blood work and history. Then he was off to the office to make sure all the papers were in order. So far so good.
I took myself off to the Gershwin Theatre on West 51st Street. I walked to the subway station and was very pleased with myself as I managed to get on the correct train and get off at the correct stop.  I picked up tickets for "Wicked" for October 10th  when the 4 of the Fab 5 will be here in NYC. I will explain the Fab 5 later to those of you who do not know.
After that I headed out onto 7th Avenue and started walking down to 25th Street. This is my old haunting ground. When Hannah, Megan, Pat and I were here in NYC in 2008, Pat and I would walk the girls to their summer school at Parsons on 40th and 7th and then take off exploring. It was a bit like old times for me without Pat though (if I knew how to insert a sad face I would do that - but I don't)
Anyway, I was heading off to a wonderful quilting store called The City Quilter www.cityquilter.com .  I discovered this store in 2008 as it was right around the corner from our apartment.  I previously bought some New York print fabric and made a quilt with them.  I was here now looking for batting. I brought a quilt top, that I had finished at home, with me as as one of my projects. I hope to put it together and start hand quilting it while I am here.  It is supposed to be 93 degrees on the weekend - might be a good day to stay inside and get started.
Following the trip to the quilt store I walked over to Lexington Ave. where I took the subway up to 59th Street.  Lexington is three Avenues from 1st Avenue (where we are) and 59th is 3 streets from where we are.  I love this grid system they have in New York.
One more shopping trip to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up some wine glasses (12 for $10) and dishes
(4 place settings for $25) The dishes in the apartment are ok but a bit mismatched.  I reckon that what I buy here and use for 3 months I can leave for Hannah or her friends when we go.
When Terry returned from the hospital he tuned his guitar. Apparently you have to loosen the strings when you take a guitar onto the plane. Jonathan, our son, told us that. He usually always travels with his guitar so he should know.  Terry's next big accomplishment was getting his "Wii" hooked up to the television (yes, he brought it with him) He was VERY happy.  We took a little walk around the neighborhood before returning home for supper, a little tv - "Americas got talent" - one of Terry's favorites  - who knew.  Off to bed - another successful day in The Big Apple

New York City

So here we are...
Just to recap the journey, I managed to mix up the cab companies. I wrote down the name of one cab company and the telephone number for another company. The cab was late in picking us up, so I called. They had no note of me booking a cab but said they would send one right away. Imagine my surprise when 2 cabs arrive at the same time. I felt really bad for the guy I had previously booked - but he was 10 minutes late!!! Anyway, we got to the airport in loads of time (mainly because I am paranoid)
Terry and I checked in and got our boarding passes 48 hours earlier. I was unable to get Hannah signed in because we had changed her ticket as she will be staying here until Christmas vacation.  I called Cathay Pacific and they were able to check her in. At the check in desk, however, the guy tells me "there is a problem" Our tickets were booked with British Airways points and I needed to talk to BA.  We head over to the BA counter - they can't help, I need to phone BA's 1 800 number.  At this point in time - and still today - I don't understand what the problem is. The Cathay Pacific fellow eventually hit some keys on his computer and the problem is fixed. I don't know why he could not do that in the first lace.  Anyway, all was well and we board the plane and head off for NYC.
We arrive at 7 am and get through Customs and Immigration. Lots of paperwork to verify Visa requirements. We each have our fingerprints scanned and our photos taken. I hope this means we will have an easier time next time we travel to the USA.  The luggage takes FOREVER to come off of the plane.
We get to Hannah's place at 9.20 am and have to wake Simone up to let us in (the girls needed to change their lock - another story)  We haul 6 suitcases and a guitar up to the fourth floor of the walk-up and collapse - we nap for about an hour.
Terry and I make it to our apartment to check in at 12 noon.  The apartment is fine and bigger than I imagined. Living room, dinning room and kitchen (complete with wine fridge) on the main floor. There is one wall of windows which is great - lots of light. Up a spiral staircase - a bit worrisome for a woman of my age - to the loft bedroom. There is a very comfortable king size bed and a bathroom. Another spiral staircase takes you up to our own rooftop deck.  We hope the rain will stop at some point and we can use it.
We check out the grocery store across the street and stock up on some breakfast things and a roast chicken for supper.  We try very hard to stay awake and manage quite well going to bed at 11 pm,  I think perhaps we nodded of a couple of times while watching "Lie to Me" The advantage of living on the West Coast is seeing programs 3 hours earlier than here on the East Coast.
Night night.

Count down to NYC

My husband and I are about to embark on a 3 month adventure to the "Big Apple."
Terry, my husband, has taken a sabbatical from his job to work on some research projects in New York.
Our daughter, Hannah, is studying at Parsons The New School for Design so this seemed like the right time to take this on.
We have left our home in the very good hands of our friend Roision - she suggests we wait until we return before we endorse her.  We trust her completely.
We are packing and saying goodbye to our friends and neighbors.
I will check in again once we have checked into our apartment - on the Upper East Side.