Day Three: Long Version

View of the archway and ceiling above the entrance of Grand Central Station

We started day three with breakfast at a french farmhouse style bakery called Le Pain Quotidien. It’s actually a chain but you wouldn’t know it by the surrounds.  The food was very fresh and very french. With full bellies we were off!  First stop, Grand Central Station for a photo op.  It’s a beautiful space and there are a lot of great shops including Pylones a very bright and colorful gift store.

From the station we hopped in a cab and headed for Harlem to see John’s apartment. He has a cute space that he’s in the process of redecorating.  I loved the beautiful exposed brick and there’s a nice little bar area attached to the kitchenette.  From there, John gave us a tour of Harlem which included a stop at The Apollo Theater.  We ate lunch at Mobay which had the best Jerk Chicken sandwich and I indulged in a mid-day Mojito. After all, I was on vacation! We left John to enjoy his Saturday afternoon while E and I headed to a couple of museums.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956

Since we didn’t have a lot of time we stopped at the Guggenheim for a photo-op. The structure itself was more impressive than the current collection so we moved onto The Met which was within walking distance.  Due to the massive crowds we quickly browsed through the Picasso exhibit before hitting the roof top deck for the very fun Big Bambu exhibit.  Other than being an exhibit, it also provided some much needed shade on a sweltering hot afternoon.

E among the Big Bambu

By late Saturday afternoon our brains were fried.  That always seems to be the case when visiting a big city.  There’s so much to see and do but our minds can only process so much before it shuts down.  So, before we started babbling and drooling out of shear exhaustion we headed back to the hotel.

Our evening began with a pre-theater cocktail at the Glass House Tavern then we popped across the street to the Barrymore Theater to see RACE, a David Mamet play.  If you’re not familiar with the name he also wrote Wag the Dog, The Verdict & Glengarry, Glen Ross. As the title simply states its about race relations among the characters and within our judicial system.  It has received mixed reviews and even among the three of us, it was clear that we each reacted to it very differently.  Although it may seem like a dated subject matter I think its important to recognize that it at least got everyone talking. The brand new cast seemed a little wet behind the ears but seeing Eddie Izzard  perform in a very serious role was an interesting departure from his cross-dressing stand-up gig. 

After the intense play and discussion we enjoyed a late dinner at a really fun Thai restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen called Room Service.  Unfortunately, the lights were so dim that is was impossible to take any good pics of the interior.  Just imagine a very hip and cool space with vintage mirrors and frames all painted black and smokey blue walls. To top it off there was a massive encased crystal chandelier in the middle of the room.  The drinks however cost more than the entrees. Buyer beware! 

That’s all from day three. Our final day, day four was really only a 1/2 day so it will be a short final trip entree.  I’m sure that will be of some relief!  Then it will be back to crafty stuff, I swear!

Thanks to all the new visitors that have stopped by and left comments.  It’s great to hear that you will be adding my little project to your holiday gift list.

All month long SMS will be featuring handmade gift ideas and tutorials so if you’re part of a holiday gift exchange or just want some fun ideas be sure to check it out. If you not an avid sewer don’t worry!  There are recipes, printables and lots of giveways! 

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/

As a way of sharing the special day I created a pdf of Bookworm Bookplates for you to download and print.  You can either print on regular cardstock and use doublesided tape to adhere to the book or you can print this straight to label paper. Enjoy!

Baby Shower Details
Sunday’s shower was a wonderful low-key afternoon with the girls.  We played a baby name game using scrabble letters that gave everyone a laugh.  The names Axl and Zorro found there way onto one teams list.  Awe-some!  I don’t see either names making the final list but A for effort.

As for the books there was a great selection and I’m so thrilled that everyone got into the idea. The books ranged from the classics like Green Eggs and Ham and Best Mother Goose Ever  to modern sculpture art books.  Cool developmental Infant books like White on Black made it into the stack and no childrens collection is complete without Everybody Poops!

E did a fantastic job organizing and I can’t thank her enough!  So, if you’re looking for a non-traditional shower idea I highly reccomend this one.  It allows friends and family to personalize their selection while building a library that the little one will enjoy for years to come.