Happy St. Patrick's Day!


(plural)
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh
La ale-lah pwad-rig son-ah jeev

To start our celebration of our Irish heritage we went to a new pub Johnny Fox's that opened a couple doors from our apartment. I ordered a traditional Irish breakie that consisted of blood sausage, sausage links, a fried egg beans and large fries. Not meant to be ordered more than once a month! John had shephard's pie though is not comparable to their wings and $3 Buds offered every day.

A man with an Irish accent came up to us and gave Noah his own collection of shamrock ladden things - headband, hat and Guinness shamrock. I could'nt help but donn him with his new items and take pictures!

Most major parades go along 5th Avenue so we followed it by the park . The sound of bag pipes always get my eyes to welt up and it did not help that practically every county represented in the parade had their own bag pipe group.

Kiss me, I'm Irish
Tabhair póg dom, is Éireannach mé
Toe-er pog do, iss air-in-ack may

Central Park Perks



69F and sunny

Even with the slight chill in the air I was one of the few people wearing a tank shirt. After taking Noah to see the audiologist we went out for the second time to Central Park East. It was a spectacular day to be outside and I was in the company of hundreds of people milling around and relaxing on benches.

It is easy for us to forget that just blocks away from our apartment is the historical Central Park.

A few facts of the colossal green space:
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/general-info.html

843 acres or 6% of Manhattan
57 miles of walkways
14 lakes and ponds
48 buildings/structures
12 museums bordering around the perimeter

The Park stretches from Central Park South (59th St.) to 110th St. at the northern end and from 5th Ave. on the East Side to Central Park West (8th Ave.) on the West Side.

Brief History
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/history.html

CP was the first public park in the United States and was modeled after London's equally grand parks.

1853 City of New York was granted rights to develop park by authorizing eminent domain to work with 700 acres of land.

1,600 landless residents were displaced including Irish farmers and German gardeners who lived in shanties.

1857 first landscape design was held by Central Park Commission in which the 'Greensward Plan' was selected. It was developed by English born Calvert Vaux and envisioned an English landscape.

Winter of 1859 was when the park officially opened to New Yorkers. By 1865 7 million people visited annually.

Strange yet not so strange


After taking Noah to his monthly doctor's appointment I went across the street to buy lunch. The weather was pleasant enough to sit outside of the store and people watch. We were on 2nd Avenue in the 90's and there was heavy traffic coming from the highway exit.

I noticed a man carrying an archaic television in his arms. Next thing I know I hear the news being broadcasted over the sounds of horns honking and 16 wheelers passing by.

After having my coffee the curious part of me wanted to find the source. The man was leaning on scaffolding of the building and at the bottom of the light post was the t.v. It was plugged into wires protruding out of the base. The man bellowed out, "you want a color television?" and I responded "no thank you" with an amusing smile.

I took a picture with my camera phone.

Happy Daylight Savings Day!


We wanted to take full advantage of the extra hour of daylight and went on a family excursion to J-town (Japan Town) otherwise known to everyone else as St. Mark's Place. Our other destination was to go bargain hunting at the well known flea market on 11th Street and Avenue A.

Besides the outdoor vendors selling hats and sunglasses, one may notice all the Japanese restaurants nestled inbetween the seemingly misplaced punk rock stores. After doing some research I learned that St. Mark's was once the hub for all things punk rock. http://www.nikkeiview.com/blog/2006/07/26/a-semi-japan-town/

Above is a picture of John with Noah at one of the new additions to J-town, a self serve eatery of American favorites. You have a selection of hamburgers with all the toppings, my favorite the corn dog, chicken nuggets and other fast food treats. The concept of it is very Japanese. Insert $2 worth of coins in the desired section and you have yourself a tasty snack made on the spot.

The Avenue A flea market is not to be missed! Every weekend a parking lot half the size of a football field is transformed into a paradise for anyone in search of a piece of the past or bargain prices on anything imaginable.

John bought an Iron Maiden concert dvd filmed in 1983 in Germany. I bought a set of fondue forks to replace the ones for the family Christmas Eve fondue feast. I could not help myself from buying a pair of spring flats that seem like they are from the 80's as well. I guess I can wear them while we watch Iron Maiden --- for kicks -- hee hee!

Afterwards we met up with our friend Kym (pictured with Noah) and completed the afternoon a meal at the corner restaurant. We had ourselves one of the best smoked mac and cheese dishes though cannot beat Mom's famous recipe.

Going crazy for EBAY!

My obssession started off with Fisher Price toys but I have now graduated to children's clothing. I cannot even begin to tell you how many great deals I have won thanks to lots of practice on my bidding skills.

I just won 5 pairs of shoes for $2.99 -- S&H only $6.00. Though Noah will not be able to appreciate them until he is 1 years old I can check off 5 less pairs of shoes I need to buy full price. Be the first to bid and aim high -- most buyers tend not to want go any higher.

Some of the items may have been lightly worn while others are brand spankin' new! I also have a $14 bid on a pair of adidas - never been worn and also Vans (black with red V logo) for $6.49 (S&H $4.05).

Wish me luck!