Week 7: Jazz

This week I had no idea what to do on Saturday.  My list of things I want to do is getting all checked off so I went on-line to the events calendar for NYC.  It's an awesome tool if  you're not sure what to do.  http://www.nyc.gov/events  You can even set it to show you events that are free or in a certain neighborhood.  WELL, I was looking around and turns out that this weekend was the 37th Americana Jazz Festival!  I've been wanting to go to a jazz club but they have expensive cover charges so I figured I'd just wait for another trip.  Luckily the city answered my call and gave me some of the best jazz I've ever heard for FREE!!!! 

I got off the train and said hello to one of my favorite views!

While I was waiting for festival to start I decided to ride the escalators to the 9th floor of Macy's.  I've been there once, but couldn't remember and I was rewarded with CHRISTMAS!!!!

I then made my way down to Swing Street!  This used to be a street of jazz clubs and now it holds the longest running street festival of the city, the Americana Jazz Fest.

I was quickly greeted by two of my favorite things in the world: amazing jazz solos and yummy street food.  Can't help but love street festivals.    

I walked around the city for a while and when I came back, there was another group from the Duke Ellington Center for the Arts there.  They were amazing and quite a crowd had gathered.  Everyone was enjoying themselves and not afraid to dance and sing along.  Duke's granddaughter runs the center now and she was the announcer.   

There was a trumpet, wind, bass, piano, drums, and violin.  They also had dancers that accompanied a few songs and a few different singers.  It was quite the show.  My favorite was a latinized version of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"  which included this amazing growling trumpet solo.

I love this couple.  I don't know how early they got there, but they didn't budge.  They just tapped a long and sang to the music!

An amazing tap dancer.

It was a great day and definitely a good way to end this visit to the city!

Week 7: Montauk/Hamptons

This week was another great one.  Things are winding down and as of now, I only have 4 more full days left in NY.  It's crazy how time flies by.  On Tuesday this week I decided to take a drive out to Montauk Point, which is the furthest point on the southern tip of Long Island.  It is beautiful!

Montauk Point Light House

I don't know who this fisherman is, but I wish I did!

There was this fairly flat rocky trail that went all the way around the point.  It gave beautiful views of the water and the lighthouse.  

There were TONS of boats out and even more fisherman on the rocks and on the beach.  I talked to a few and it sounds like a fun life!

The most terrifying sign I have ever seen in my life.  BTW, if you want me stay away from you, put this up in your yard!

To get down to the beach, you can take a number of little paths like this.  The brambles made a perfectly smooth tunnel!

On my way back home, I stopped over in East Hampton.    It seems like any other beach town, until you notice all the "Private Drive: No Public Access" signs on every street.  It was a beautiful area with amazing homes and pretty beaches.

I'm sure this is amazing in the summer time.

I stopped in town and went to some nurseries to see their fall flowers.  

Although I was too afraid to touch anything, the shopping in the Hamptons was worthy of the A list.  What other beach town has a Tiffany's and FOUR Ralph Lauren stores on Main Street?

Yes, that's right, FOUR.  A regular RL, RL Kids, Rubgy, and RRL.  (I didn't know this existed but apparently there is a Double RL.  Same clothes, double the price.)  Someday I will dress my babies in this...  

Week 6

This was probably the best week in NY yet.  Work is awesome and I am getting more and more independent.  I treat people by myself now and more than one patient has told me that they like me as their therapist.  It makes it all worth it at the end of the day.  My favorite patients are the little Italian ladies.  Between bringing me tomato seeds and teaching me how to make my own marinara sauce, I just just fell in love.  They talk to me about food and family and household life.  They laugh through the pain and smile every time I look their way.  I'm thinking that if things don't work out for me too well in the US, I'm headed to Italy.
This best past of my best week was that MY SISTER CAME TO VISIT!!!!  Chelsey came on the megabus and I went to pick her up on Saturday morning.  I picked her up on the corner of 7th and 28th and as I was waiting, I went exploring the local shops.  Little did I know, I was in the neighborhood of flowers!!!!  Beautiful blooms were everywhere!

After I picked her up, we went shopping for jewelry.  Chelsey loves the larger-than-life studs and every thing that sparkles and I found a few good places last time I was in the city.  I suggest starting on 6th and 38th and working your way downtown.  There are so many shops, you will be seeing bling for days.  

We then took the subway to Brooklyn.  A few lines were under construction so that took a little longer than expected, but we found our way.

We walked around Brooklyn and found some pizza!  We wanted to go to Grimaldi's, which is supposed to be the best pizza in all of NYC at 19 Old Fulton Street, but we didn't feel like waiting in the 2 hour line so we headed down the block for a less crowded and posher looking place called Ignazio's Pizza.  We only waited about 20 minutes and we got a window seat with a beautiful view of the Brooklyn bridge.  The best part was it was only $17 for a nice sized pie.  The place was packed full of scary, yet classy looking Italians (we were hoping they were in the real mob) and we loved it.

After lunch we headed to the bridge and started walking.  It is 1.3 miles across.  It was very sunny and nice, but windy.  Walking from Brooklyn to Manhattan is supposed to afford better views than the other direction and we were not disappointed!  The Brooklyn bridge was completed in 1883 and was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first steel-wire suspension bridge.  It was designed to always be a walking bridge which is awesome because the walking part is on top and beautiful.  

Beautiful view of the Manhattan bridge, Empire State Building, and the Chrysler Building!

 I love Chelsey's hair in this one!

After our bridge walk, we went through town and walked down Broadway.  There were LOTS of jewelry and shoe stores and we just went and stopped at whatever we wanted to look at.  I want every pair of these boots, btw.  

At 5:30 we met some of my lady friends from work for a dinner out at Lucky Chengs.  It is an Asian restaurant, but what makes this place unique is that all of the waitstaff are transvestites.  A little crazy, but a fun night.  I love the ladies from work and it was super nice of them to take us out!

After our crazy dinner, we took the subway up to Times Square and went to our favorite place, the 4 story Forever 21, and saw the Naked Cowboy man and the lights and all that.  It was a beautiful night and a lot of fun!

The next day, while waiting for the train, Chelsey and I went to this nice park in Babylon out on Long Island.  It is such a cute little town.  Full of amazing old homes and sailboats and little shops.