December 7, 2007

We had a slow start to the day because we could - breakfast in bed while watching NBC's morning show. No, we had no plans to stand outside to be seen on tv - it was way too cold (29F). We first went to the UN to see the flags. Then we headed out around 10.30am and only made it up a block and a half because I found the Ann Taylor Loft store. We took the purchases back to the hotel and then caught a taxi to go to Radio City Music Hall.We ate hot dogs from a street vendor while we waited in line. The inside of the building was fantastic and two organists were playing while we waited for the show to start. All we can say about the Christmas Spectacular was WOW!!! The orchestra was great, the effects were phenomenal (we even had 3D glasses) and the numbers were amazing. I don't think we had a favorite part. The toy soldiers were impressive and I was entranced by the kicklines (I could have been a Rockette!!!). The Nativity scene at the end even had live sheep and camels! We left dazzled!We then went to Rockefeller Center and as we looked at the tree it began to snow. We walked down 5th Ave looking at the windows. We stopped in Saks 5th Ave, Cartier and Tiffanys. It was getting tough walking through the crowds so we then went to 6th Ave and began walking to 34th. We visited a few stores in Herald Square and ended at Macys. I got to take a few pictures of the New Year's Eve ball that was displayed on the ground floor. Itbis amazing to see it up close in person!We headed back to the hotel and Aidan got a dinner recommendation from the concierge. The doorman grabbed a taxi for us and we went to DIP, a fondue restaurant. It was trendy with people having coctails and conversation on a Friday nbight. We had a White Cheddar fondue with french bread, broccoli, apple slicesn carrots, raisin bread and cherry tomatoes. It was great fun!We walked back stopping at the pet store and the bookstore. I had to get a heat wrap from the pharmacy - all the walking had my lower back so tight. I actually did yoga before bed to work it out.

December 6, 2007

We left home at about 6:30 to go to the airport. Checked in, through Customs etc and boarded the plane. The flight was quite uneventful and we arrived at JFK on time at 9:55. Our bags were just about the last off. We took a taxi to the Tudor hotel. It was quite cold, about 28F outside. We were unable to check in, so we dropped off our bags and went off to find a Lenscrafters. Marisa had her eyes looked at and discovered that her previous prescription had been too strong. Then we walked around to find a pizza for lunch, although the guy selling Philly cheese steaks on the street looked really good. (Not the guy, the steaks you must understand). After lunch we went to Macy's, who have a spectacular Christmas display and windows. It reminded me of the windows of Hamley's in London. We stopped at various other places on the way back to the hotel where we checked in. The room is cosy, but well appointed. Later we walked to 8th Ave to take our city lights tour. I was glad I brought extra clothes as the best views were from the top (open) deck of the bus. I managed to stay upstairs for the whole ride, but was frozen by the end. We saw the Christmas trees at Bloomberg, Rockerfeller Center and windows of Saks, Macys and others. We also witnessed a Menorah lighting and dance from the bus. Suffering a bit from the beginnings of hypothermia, we had dinner at the Olive Garden on Times Square and walked back to the hotel.

September 22, 2007

Today we celebrated a year of marriage. We slept in a tiny bit later - but still managed to make it to breakfast around 8.30. We exchanged gifts before breakfast. Aidan gave me earrings from Tiffanys that matched the necklace that he gave me at the rehearsal dinner. I gave him the beginnings of his US Dollar Coin collection. After breakfast (again with classical music) we headed to Fanueil Hall. Everything opened at 10am so we went to the Rose Kennedy Rose Garden and walked around the aquarium area. At 10 we weent to the Bostix booth to get half price tickets to see 'The 39 Steps'. We then explored the stores in and around Quincy Market. After that we walked to Downtown Crossing. It has changed so much. It was upsetting to see Filene's closed. Thankfully there are still a few places there that I remembered.We picked up lunch from McDonalds (including the fruit and walnut pack) and walked across to Boston Commons to eat. We were serenaded by a guy playing the flute and he was pretty good. We also watched all of the squirrels - there were so many and they come right up to you. We then walked through the Frog Pond (it was empty - ice skating starts Nov 15) and through to the Public Gardens. I got a few pictures of the swans from the dock were the Swan Boats used to depart. I was so impressed by the roses in the Public Gardens. So beautiful! We then walked down Newbury Street and visited a few stores, including Filene's Basement. When we got back to the guest house it was already time to leave for the Hatch Shell.We walked down BEacon Street to Arlington and then across the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge. There was a Blues Festival going on so there were many people on blankets and chairs. We boarded our gondola and learned about the mechanics of the boat. The 2 gondolas that they have are handmade from venice and were in service on the Grand Canal for many years. It was so comfortable. We had champagne, cheese and crackers and chocolates. I took so many pictures of the Charles River, Cambridge, Boston and the sailboats/kayaks/etc. We also had Andrea Botcelli playing in the background. We had to kiss under every bridge as well - fun!!!!! 50 minutes seemed to fly by and before we knew it we were disembarking. It was superb and I highly recommend it because it was so romantic.We caught the T back to the guest house, showered and changed for dinner and the theatre. We ate at Brasserie on Huntington Avenue. It was lovely. The service was superb and there was way too much food. It tasted devine though. We then walked to the Boston University Theatre (Hntington Theatre) to see 'The 39 Steps'. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were only 4 cast members and they were amazing. Only the male lead played one part. The female lead played 3 and the other 2 males played too many characters to count. It was a comedy that also included references to many other Hitchcock movies. It was just so clever! It will be moving to Broadway in January so I'm glad we got to see it. After the show we headed back to the guest house where we intend to crash shortly. A long weekend is not enough time to enjoy all Boston and Massachusetts has to offer.

September 21, 2007

It has been a busy yet relaxing day. I got up early to watch the end of a DVD (Failure to Launch) and then went back to sleep until about 8.30. We then went down for breakfast in the lounge. It was so cool to see other guests having their breakfast while talking or reading the Boston Globe. We sat near the fireplace and ate while listening to classical music.... nice....We decided to do the Gray Line Trolley tour so we caught the T to Copley and then ended up walking down Huntington to the Colonnade. We waited so long that we decided to stay on the trolley for the full 2 hour tour. We saw a bit of everything from the USS Constitution to Boston Common to MIT to Beacon Hill and the Theatre District. The guide told some great stories and I think we may visit Boston Common and Fanueil Hall tomorrow.We got off and decided to go to lunch. We got sidetracked because we walked around the Market at Copley Square and ended up going to a 45 minute Organ Concert at Trinity Church. The 3 pieces played were wonderful and the church was stunning. We then went to shops starting at the Westin. We spent a bit of time in Tiffanys looking at their new diamond cut and some of their eternity bands. We then went to Saks Fifth Avenue and I did it..... yes I FINALLY purchased a pair of black leather Christian Louboutin pumps (on sale!!!!!). I smiled all the way through lunch at Pizza Regina.We returned to our homebase and then jumped in the car and went to Babson. It was as lovely as I remembered. I visited with Bob Wagner in Admissions and then I should Aidan around Olin. We then drove through Wellsley and headed to the Natick shopping area. We did a bit of shopping before heading down Rt 9 E towards the Atrium Mall. We met Carrie and Peter and had a few Bermuda goodies for them. Dinner was great and we got to catch up. Carrie got a group picture that I will have to get a copy for my vacation scrapbook. Carrie looked great - really chic!!!We headed back to the city but got a bit lost and before you knew it we were at Harvard Square (yes, we got pretty far off course). We finally got back to Boston and went for a walk from our guest house, to Newbury Street, up to the Boston Commons and then back along Newbury Street and back to the guesthouse. It was a nice 1.5 hour walk with great window shopping! Well, we've reserved our gondola ride for 4.30 tomorrow afternoon and we're going to see 'The 39 Steps' at the Huntington Theatre tomorrow night!

September 20, 2007

We've had a fun afternoon and evening thus far. We had a really pleasant flight on JetBlue. I actually wish we booked JetBlue for our December trip to NY. We landed early and Logan was just as busy as I remembered it. While we waited for our bags I emailed our parents and texted Saffron & George. Then it was off to pick up the rental car.The traffic was light which made getting through the Summner Tunnel and onto Storrow Drive easy. We had a bit of trouble finding the guest house on Bay Street. It was one way so we were looking for 9 and ended up at 23 in no time. We went back down Comm Ave and after two attempts found parking. The Gryphon House is so beautiful. It is the brownstone of my dreams. Our room is so open and bright. I truly feel on vacation here!We went for a 2 hour walk from our guest house (a bit up from Miles Standish Hall at BU), down to Cleveland Circle and back up to Coolidge Corner. My feet were killing me! We had dinner at my favorite Japanese Restaurant. We did a hot pot where you put vegs and meat into the pot of broth and then when it is cooked you dish out the food and the broth and eat it. It was sublime!!!! We ate way too much. We then went to Trader Joes and Walgreens for supplies.We are going to spend the evening watching a movie after I test out the bath. We also need to think about which tour we're goig to do tomorrow. and I think we're going to go on a gondola ride on the Charles River on Saturday!!!!! This is too cool!!!!!

June 22, 2007

Today marks 9 months of marriage! After a very difficult May with the loss of Loreley and Deaglan we just slipped into June and hoped that life would get back to normal. Business is picking up for Aidan and I am close to the end of my second-last course before I have to do the dissertation. We had a relaxing trip to Dublin after Brendan and Suzie's wedding and we're grateful for that as we were able to regroup and figure out what comes next.On a brighter note, we adopted a new kitten on June 16th. Artemis Penelope is a pure white terror. She is more vocal than Matthias has been in his whole 8 months in our home. Still, they have taken to each other and we are enjoying the antics of a kitten in the house. I look forward to seeing how she will grow up!

May 31, 2007

We definitely had a very different holiday day today. We drove to the bike shop at University College, Dublin in Stillorgan and rented two bicycles. As part of the deal, you receive a map and a course. And so we headed off down the cycle path beside the N11 to the Ramada Hotel and turned left down to the coast. There we cycled the coastal path through a park and then along the breakwater by the railway to Sandy Cove and Blackrock village. There we passed the Royal Irish Yacht Club, the Royal St. George Yacht Club and the Irish National Yacht Club and on to the sea port. There was a very large ferry for Holyhead departing as we arrived in the port of Dun Laoghaire. We cycled to the end of the pier and back and had some fun with a sundial. You can see this on our photos. We then continued along the coast road towards Dalkey. It was about this point where I observed that the Irish Sea must be sloped as we seemed to travel most of the journey uphill and still end up at sea level after each incline. We cycled around the James Joyce Tower and into the centre of Dalkey, where we stopped and had lunch at the Queen’s Pub. Following this we continued along the Vico Road which took us around the ritzy part of town – it seemed everyone had a Mercedes. It was a very, very long steep hill. We were overtaken by a Ferrari on the way up. Apparently this is the “Beverly Hills” of Ireland and we passed houses owned by The Edge and Bono of U2, Enya and Eddie Irvine of racing car fame. We then travelled back via a slightly different route to Dalkey and Blackrock and then up the hill and back to UCD. The whole journey took from 10:30 until 3pm. Following this we travelled back into Dublin and went to Trinity College, Dublin to the old library where we saw the Book of Kells, copies of the four gospels written in illuminated script in about AD800 as well as the books of Armagh and of Mulling. Then we went for a bit of a wander around the shopping areas, before heading back to the hotel for a relaxing meal at O’Connell’s and an easy night. We are very much looking forward to meeting Aidan's cousins tomorrow evening.