It's been almost six months since the last post. There are many interesting topics I could have covered, and I kick myself - like the parks and birdwatching which will have to wait until spring now. Also the literary scene here in NY, the Wall Street protests, and more sightseeing. The list is endless, really, and it has all taken the back burner for me because we've been too busy building the next chapter of our lives here, frankly. I started work at Sloan-Kettering, we moved to a larger apartment in Queens, and our son arrives next month. The shock of us becoming parents I think is what has really caused me to stop blogging for awhile. So as you can see, I have been way too preoccupied to blog about our transition from Aloha to the Big Apple.
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My pregnant self standing in front of the infamous Rockefeller tree, the night after Obama and Justin Beeber lit the tree. |
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Grand Central Station morning of Thanksgiving. Aren't places like this supposed to be deserted Thanksgiving morning, because people are spending time with their families? Not so in The Big Apple. |
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You can see the overhang of Toys R Us, where mom and I found refuge from the crowds, and our obstructed view. That was the catch to getting so close: no one reserved that spot for reason. |
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In honor of little Matty. |
On to the Big Apple. Boy do I love New York during the holidays - and we still have two more in this season to experience. It's actually cold, which is a stark contrast to the atmosphere we were standing in this time last year with 88 degree weather and felt snow. This season kicked off Thanksgiving day with the Macy's Day parade, which I of course made it to. So did my 5'2" mother, who was here to visit. We were quite the sight: a short little woman trying to push through the crowds that had been there since 6am as if she had some special right, and myself waddling through behind her clearly only thinking about the donuts we'd be getting later. New Yorkers take their spots for the parade seriously: as they should. If I had sat with my butt on the cold pavement of 5th Avenue for four hours before the parade started just so I could see more than the people standing in front of me, I'd be possessive too. Of course we didn't get through. That's why these pictures taken from me holding my arm way in the air are what we have to show for it. We also have the memories of all the dirty glares sent in mom's direction from people anchored to their spots like statues as she unsuccessfully tried to get through their chain.