September 12, 2015

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 13 DAYS

A Weekend at Home(ish)

Good Day Everyone!

Our kitty, chillaxin'

It's the weekend, and it's one of the rare weekends that I'm not travelin'. 
Can you believe that?!

The kids had their first choir rehearsal last night since their couple of weeks break...
Although during the couple of weeks that they were "off" they had the Choir Beach Party, and a dance rehearsal! 
Seems like the only thing they were "off" from was the normal Monday night rehearsals.

I was so relieved to have finally typed up the minutes from our last board meeting - boy was I dreading that and put it off until the last minute! LOL

I'm so glad that its done. But as of Monday we have a new board meeting and I'll be there taking the minutes again... 
What a position I wound up with! Ugh

I also had plenty of running around and things to take care of yesterday. I'm glad to say that I managed to return that bloody awful and ugly pocketbook! And that I found a cute one that will work perfectly for our trip to Hawaii (and then some).

In general yesterday was a rather uneventful day. 
Today might be the same...UNEVENTFUL. 

But I'm okay with that, as my life is usually rather adventurous; I can take a few days here and there of down time (which isn't really down time, because I'm the busiest person that I know - it's just not a super exciting time).

What is on todays schedule is taking care of an adjustment to Cosette's choir costume, taking Dominic to one of his classes, going to another seamstress to have one of Dave's suits hemmed, and repair a pair of Cosette's breeches. 

Then we'll be heading back to the "set" for some filming! 
My sister Jet is an independent film maker and almost always casts Dominic (this kid is a marvelous actor!) 
And then occasionally even uses some other members of the family in small bit parts...

Today Dave is reprising a rather hilarious role that he brought to life for a few pick up shots that are needed.
Once he is back to himself and out of character, I think I'll surprise him and the kids and take them to try out this newly opened fairly close by Ice Cream shoppe, it is suppose to be absolutely DELISH and of course vegan friendly! I can't wait to try it!!!

And I'm pretty sure that the rest of the evening will just be spent enjoying a trip to the Bookstore - 
I've got plenty of trips that I've been prepping and would love to do some further research and the locations.
We'll also grab dinner out, and give me a break in the kitchen (I love cooking, but a night off every now and then never hurt!)

That should be it for my day. 

Please check out the pictures that I've posted below in honor of 9-11.

I hope that you enjoy your day no matter what you've got planned. And we'll meet back here at the same place and time tomorrow!

Bye for now,
-T

Here are pictures from One World Trade Center, the National 911 Memorial, and Pentagon Memorial that I should've posted yesterday, but I was running around too much to do so. Thanks to Elisa posting some pics today for reminding me!

One World Trade Center Observation Deck

Looking 100 floors down at the National 911 Memorial

Looking up 1,776 feet!

National 911 Memorial

Pentagon Memorial - Arlington, VA

Pentagon Memorial - Arlington, VA

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 13 DAYS

Long Rides and Great Sites

Hey Guys!  How's it going?

Well, I was up and out first thing this morning to get these girlies to horseback riding by 9AM OUT East.  

It was an interesting ride because we traveled through a number of different weather patterns. It was sunny and dry when I left my house.  As we continued on the parkway, we hit a patch where the sky was completely covered with dark and intimidating rain clouds.  

Soon enough, we drove through a stretch of rain for about fifteen minutes.  And then, finally, we were engulfed in the brilliant sunlight again!

Although the ride was only about an hour, it felt like a longer journey with the different weather we experienced!

And  speaking of drives...LAST NIGHT, I had a girl's night out. Danielle and I decided to meet a few of our girlfriends in the city - lower Manhattan - down by Battery Park in the Financial District.

The ride took us an unusual two hours! We hit so much traffic!!  What's interesting is just how differently NYC looks, the further downtown one drives. 

We took the FDR Drive, which is, of course, along the East River and as we approached the Battery Park exit, Danielle and I both commented to each other, how it felt like we were not even in New York anymore.  

I suppose the fact that the sun was setting over the water at that time, reflecting the most vibrant shades of blue, offset by orange hues just made for a picturesque atmosphere.

Lower Manhattan last night

What's more, being down by the Freedom Tower on the 14th Anniversary of 9-11 added to the lights and color palette.  

Buildings all around the city were lit up in blue, commemorating Patriot's Day.
 

Our destination was Pier A which is located where Battery Park meets the Hudson River.

This 28,000-square foot food and beverage complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated New York City landmark.

Possessing an interesting history, Pier A first opened in 1886 as the headquarters for the New York Harbor Police and Department of Docks and later served as the VIP entrance for European Ambassadors traveling to Ellis Island and as the main station for the Marine Division of the New York City Fire Department.

Today, Pier A Harbor House is a downtown destination for eating and drinking with three floors of unparalleled views of the Financial skyline and the Lower Manhattan waterfront. Surrounded by a promenade with tables for outdoor dining, I can tell you first-hand, how incredibly lovely a place it is to visit.

I cannot think of a more apropos place to be on September 11th and relished in taking lots of pictures from my evening last night. 
 

With the Freedom Tower looming in the background

The food was awesome as well!!!  We opted to share a number of appetizers as we chatted, laughed and reminisced with old, silly, childhood stories!

Never Forget

Inside Pier A Harbor House

One of the many views from Pier A outdoor promenade

Pier A Harbor House

On the Promenade's Waterfront with Lady Liberty way off in the the far right background

Here is a "visual" list of the good eats we enjoyed:

Giant Pretzel

Sliders

Chicken Fingers with Fries AND Mac 'n Cheese

This area of Lower Manhattan has completely transformed since the devastation of 14 years ago. It is a living testament to the heart and souls of New Yorkers and the strength of our nation.

After the attacks of September 11th, Lower Manhattan suffered a loss of jobs and residents in the aftermath.  However, during the past few years, studies that downtown has become a magnet!

According to census data by the Downtown Alliance, it is estimated that 717,000 college-educated people between 18 and 44 were living within a 30-minute commute of Lower Manhattan in 2010 which is 172,000 more than a decade earlier.

My opinion is that based on the "renaissance" I saw last night in this area, that these numbers will only increase!

TODAY... I'm enjoying a leisurely day just writing and working on some articles for our beloved blog while the girls are riding.

I'll be heading back to Nassau and I'm looking forward to a festive day tomorrow as we celebrate Kelsey's 9th Birthday at Adventureland!

Hope your day is sunny and bright!!

-E
xoxo