The Hamptons

It had been almost 4 months since either of us had driven a car and we both really missed it. So this weekend, we made a last minute decision to rent a car and drive to the Hamptons. The Hamptons are about 2.5 hours east of New York City and consist of several small villages along the Atlantic Ocean.

As I explained to a friend, the Hamptons were clean, quiet and beautiful - everything New York City is not. Plus, rules! (See below). It was heaven.



We weaved back and forth between the villages for two days. The homes were quite a spectacle. It was one mansion after another, but they were almost always hidden by 12 foot high hedges. We could normally catch a glimpse between the hedges, but it was almost impossible to get a full photo. Here's one house we were able to catch, to give you an idea of what we were seeing:



Of course, the Hamptons' best asset is the ocean. The weather was cool, so there was little beach activity.



What a view.



We spent some time walking around and window shopping in Southampton.



Just your small town Saks and Ralph Lauren.





With all the water, it was no surprise that marinas and fishing boats were everywhere.



One fisherman let me take credit for his flounder catch.



There was basically one "landmark" we needed to see: the lighthouse in Montauk. Unfortunately, by the time we made it out there, it was so foggy we could barely see it.



We weren't too bummed, though, because we had just come from a great lunch at Turtle Crossing in East Hampton. This place is apparently popular with celebrities - pictures of Jerry Seinfeld, Alec Baldwin, and the Clinton's lined the walls. We were so eager to eat here, we were the first customers of the day.



I had the best pulled pork sandwich (from a restaurant) of my life here. Caramelized onions were mixed in and the BBQ sauce was to die for!



Other food highlights include:

A lobster roll at Lobster Roll.





A Lime Rickey at Sip 'N Soda. It was like a Cherry Limeade. Yum!





I saved the best for last. We found the answer to our prayers at John's Drive-In. A real malt! It was the perfect consistency, had tons of malt powder, and was cheap! Yea!!

NY Yankees + Alyssa = Not Okay

Sure, it's been tough not having any friends that live in NYC, but Alyssa went to extreme - and indefensible - measures to remedy that situation. She became a Yankees fan this weekend. It all started like this....

Our good friends Ashley and Matt decided to visit us this weekend (thank you!). Because the Twins were playing the Yankees, they suggested getting tickets for the game. We had been wanting to see Yankee Stadium for quite some time, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Ashley found some great seats and we were excited for the weekend.

On Friday night, before Ashley and Matt arrived, I noticed some very disturbing behavior in Alyssa: she was shopping for Yankees gear...hats, t-shirts, you name it. I tried to stop her, even suggesting she become a Mets fan, but it was useless. She was certain that becoming a Yankees fan was her ticket to finding friends that live in NYC. I hate to admit it, but she was right. Wearing her Yankees t-shirt was a blessing (in her eyes) and a curse (for us Twins fans). At the deli, someone yelled, "Go Yankees!" to her and she cheerfully yelled back, "Whoo hoo!" At the shopping center, someone flagged her down and asked if the Yankees had won. I have to be honest, this was the first time I saw New Yorkers acting friendly, so I can understand the rush she must have felt.

Still, her decision to become a Yankees fan was unacceptable. She's lucky her TRUE friends (me, Ashley, Matt) stuck by her side despite her reprehensible actions.

All of this aside, we had so much fun at the game. The stadium was amazing.



The two buds, Ashley and Alyssa, outside the stadium.



Alyssa just had to get nachos at the game - some things never change. Plus, it kept her entertained past the 3rd inning.

Alyssa's new BFF's - despite the fact she only knows two players on the entire team and only knows them because they have dated celebrities.

Although the Twins lost on Saturday, we had a great time. Our seats were really close to the field and seeing the stadium made it all worthwhile.

The rest of the time with Ashley and Matt was equally exciting. We went to the Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, and Chelsea, and we drank wine and ate pizza on an outside patio in the best weather we'll probably get here. It was hard to say goodbye, but luckily, they live in DC so this will not be their last visit!

Pops and Limelight

After our Wave Hill excursion, it was time to return to civilization, i.e., Chelsea. Never ones to pass up a good deal, our first stop was Pop Burger which was having Ocho Loco day - 88 cents for two burgers. We're pretty sure the burgers were legitimately good, though we've been known to think something is delicious simply because we got a great deal. These burgers typically go for $6.75, so you do the math.

After scarfing down our amazing deal (just another romantic date in New York City...), we ran over to Chelsea Market. The Market is filled with boutique shops, restaurants, specialty food stores, etc. In short, don't expect to be able to afford much more than a popsicle.

We chose Spiced Rhubarb. It was an inventive flavor - tasted a lot like cider - but we were almost certain that a place that puts tarragon in a popsicle is probably too hipster for us.

Next it was off to a brand new place called Limelight Market. We ended up being there on opening weekend, so it was pretty busy. What makes this market unique is that it is in a old church.

Stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings are definitely not standard mall design, but after seeing how cool this space was, they should be!

Using a church as a mall led to some absurd store designs, including people setting up shop in a window sill of a stained glass window. If you look closely at the first window on the right-hand side, you'll see what I'm describing.

There was a chocolate shop that looked like this (below). I don't think the chocolate would even have to be good - people will buy anything in a store this pretty.

Ultimately we concluded that Limelight Market, like Chelsea Market, is best used for window shopping, but that's exactly what we felt like doing. After all, we didn't want to spoil the joy we felt after walking away with 88 cent burgers.

A Wave of Excitement

Last Saturday we went to Wave Hill, a place that kept popping up on our radar as a site to visit. Saturday was supposed to be rainy, but Wave Hill is free on Saturday mornings so we gambled that it would clear up and made the trek out out there. As luck would have it, the rain stopped and the sun came out just as we arrived. Because everyone else thought it was going to be a crummy day, we had the place pretty much to ourselves.

Wave Hill is located in the Bronx, situated on the Hudson River directly across from the Palisades. The estate served as an home/vacation home to the likes of Mark Twain and President Theodore Roosevelt. It was absolutely beautiful - we felt like we were thousands of miles away from New York City, when in reality Wave Hill was only 9 miles north of us!



We really wish we had a wide-angle lens or panoramic setting because this photo captures only a fraction of the house.



Everywhere we turned, the views were breathtaking.





A greenhouse on site. I mean, why not.





There was even an aquatic garden! Not much blooming yet, but we'll have to go back in a few months once it warms up.



One of the mansions on the estate had been turned into an art gallery.



The trees were so unique. I wish I would have paid attention to the names.





The cafe had lemon bars, so naturally....

Needless to say, Wave Hill is now on our list of places to bring visitors!

Proud Parents (3)

On the final day of my parents' visit, the NYC weather was over 90 degrees, almost breaking a record. So, we went from coats on the first night to needing air conditioning (which we don't yet have) the last night. But who needs to sleep in the city that never sleeps? Well, me. But let's back up.

Unbeknownst to us, there was an Upper West Side street fair taking place practically right outside our front door. After spending some time there, we headed to Riverside Park on the East River, hoping to escape some of the heat. We walked north several blocks and realized we weren't far from Columbia University. On our way to Columbia, we came across a beautiful Baptist church which had been attended by John D. Rockefeller.



Just a few blocks away, we walked to Columbia University, which has an amazing campus, considering it is in the tight quarters of Manhattan. Columbia has graduated many Nobel Prize winners, three U.S. Presidents, and at least three of our Founding Fathers - very similar credentials to my alma mater, Buena Vista. For example, BVU was ranked 11th for academic quality in the Midwestern Baccalaureate category. So, pretty much even. Below is a picture of Columbia's library where Alexander Hamilton used to pull all-nighters studying for his "Becoming a Founding Father 101" exam.



Another Columbia building:



Who knew the Upper West Side had so many large, stunning churches? Here is another one we found on our walk back from Columbia.



Bonus! This church had resident peacocks. We think this was an albino peacock?

Alyssa tailed this one until...

this! Very impressive. It even posed a while to allow Alyssa to take a few pictures.

After our long, hot tour of the Upper West Side, we went to an excellent French restaurant - Cafe du Soleil.

The food was great but the company was better. Despite the swings in weather and resulting lack of sleep, we were so happy to have my parents out to visit. And we may welcome them back soon in October! Since they are avid readers of the blog - thanks Mom and Dad!

Proud Parents (2)

The parents' trip continues... Here is a picture of us in Times Square on Thursday night following the play.



The next day Alyssa and I worked while my parents visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Fun fact: when my great-grandpa Olaf came over from Norway through Ellis Island, his last name was Toftenhoven which was later shortened despite the melodic sound of Olaf Toftenhoven. The best part of this post is that if anyone ever googles Olaf Toftenhoven, I guarantee this blog will be the only result. On that note, welcome to the blog relatives from Norway!

After work, my parents met up with us and we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Below is a picture of the descendants of the aforementioned Toftenhoven.



After a very cold start to the week where the temperature fell to the 40s and my mom, due to our lack of blankets, resorted to covering up with towels to stay warm, we decided to defrost with a trip to sunny Central Park. Below is a view of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir, not far from our apartment.



We continued to explore Central Park and spent some time admiring the boaters.

Alyssa found the best deal in the park - $4 Stellas on the back patio of the Boathouse! Sure, your view is of the garbage cans and not the pond but after a few beers, who can tell the difference?

We took the picture below to prove to ourselves this was not an illusion due to heat exhaustion. In the middle of Central Park, there was some sort of roller skate dancing club and this guy must have been the president of the club. His pants were literally made of sewn together bath towels and for some reason, he tried to stack as many water bottles on his head as possible while roller skate dancing. I think my uncle was right when he said to me the other day, "If you don't see it in New York, you won't see it."

Recognize the name on the paper below? All visitors need a healthy meal at Shake Shack and my parents were no exception. Ask anyone, it's worth the trip out here.

More fun to come...