New York, New York

Dan and I are having a fabulous time in New York this weekend. We arrived Thursday at lunch time. We spent some time catching up with my extended family in the lobby of the Beautiful Barclay Hotel. After a quick deli lunch we walked up to FAO Schwartz for Kenzie to do some shopping. She thought the escalators were more fun than even the big piano. (Video of her and daddy to come as soon as I'm home). Thursday evening Kenzie had a sitter, so Dan and I could go to the rehearsal dinner at PJ Clarke's. We dined on raw oysters, 1/4 lb sliders, filet mignon, and more. Never mind the excellent Piper Champagne.

Friday we were set for a bit of wandering, but again Kenzie just wanted to ride elevators. We headed to Bloomingdales so we had 9 stories worth of escalators. Kenzie has been fantastic with all the walking. She was a huge fan of the subway with Gramps (my dad). Our sitter came at 3 on Friday so we could go to the wedding. The priest knew my cousin well as he served for 5 years at the private school she teaches at. He is now at St. Patrick's cathedral. He was an absolute hoot. It was strange sitting through mass, but enough to make me question my thoughts on the Catholic Church. The reception was held at the United Nations. My uncle has been the stamp wholesaler (or some such thing) for years, so pulled some strings for pictures in the rose garden too. The dining room had a beautiful patio overlooking the river and Long Island. Lots more pictures to come. We met some of my parents friends from years gone by including "Tony" who owns a construction/real estate business and finds "family" quite important.

Saturday we took Kenzie to Central Park and the zoo there. She had great fun with the animals and the super designed children's zoo. Lots of up close contact with the animals, and better was all the stuff to play on. Stay tuned for pictures of her and I as turtles:) After a sponge bob popsicle in the park and a sushi/japanese lunch with my parents it was time to say "Good Bye". My parents and Kenzie flew home on Saturday. Dan and I changed hotels moving in to the Algonquin in the theatre district. A historic hotel famous for it's writers, and stage actors of the '20's and '30's. We spent the afternoon going down to the old Miller's Harness company that I haven't been to in 20 years. The last time I was there I had been given a $100 gift certficate by a rider that they sponsored who was friend's with my dad. I spent hours wandering around the store looking at everything trying to decide how to spend my "lottery winnings". Back then $100 seemed like all the money in the world. Yesterday Dan managed to escape without me spending a penny. After getting changed we went to the theatre to see God of Carnage with James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, and Marcia Gay Harden. We had excellent seats in the front row of the balcony, and laughed for a non-stop hour and half. We finished the evening with a late meal at an irish pub that served some of the best bread pudding I have had this side of the Atlantic.

Today Dan and I are off for a hotel breakfast, Ground Zero, and the Ikea store in Brooklyn. Our flight home is late afternoon. We'll be spending tonight with my parents and home in the morning. I'll be at the barn in the afternoon, and teach lessons as usual.