Having been to America only once as a child of 7 years old to simply experience Disney World, a move to the States for a year with two young children of my own is undoubtedly going to be a life changing experience. Thanks to my husband's growing travel business, my girls and I have been blessed with this opportunity. We embrace the change in lifestyle and welcome the adventure!
I just love the fact that anything goes in this city and no-one blinks an eyelid (except me!) :-)
We've endured a lot of rain this month and seen some really cute wellies and raincoats on the streets but walking home from school with the girls today, we spotted this Chinese lady using a traditional umbrella - what a pretty sight!
We love the influences that each culture brings to this melting pot of a city...
It's the 25th anniversary of Fleet Week, which this year commemorates the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. And to my complete surprise this morning (although I should know by now that there is ALWAYS something going on here), the festivities kicked off with a parade of ships, featuring 22 vessels from around the World that made their way up the Hudson River.
Much of the action took place in front of our apartment and was spectacular to watch.
A US Coast Guard boat did an amazing water display from its decks, whilst old sail ships glided gracefully past.
The action seemed to slow traffic down and many New Yorkers and tourists gathered on the water's edge to catch a glimpse. Unfortunately like most days in May, the weather was humid and hazy so visibility was not clear.
And to finish, US Navy ships dominated the waters…
Jess and I loved watching the action and unbeknown to me, Caitlin’s school had walked down to the river to watch too as it ties in perfectly with their current study of water and the ocean! Her headmistress sent us this pic at the end of the day! Sweet…
We are hoping to walk along the prominade this weekend to where the ships are anchored – they are open to the public and it’s a long weekend with Memorial Day on Monday!
Along with warmer days comes the arrival of iced teas.
Available at random places, I've enjoyed two flavours in one week. Freely available, you help yourself to a complimentary taster - the gesture is friendly, refreshing and appreciated on a hot day!
First I tried a deliciously energizing Chocolate Mint Iced Tea:
And today, I discovered an alluring Crimson Herbal Punch presented in a gorgeous glass decanter:
Tea as we enjoy it back home is a funny thing here... there are SO many different types and if you order it in a restaurant, you're sure to be served Iced Tea (unsweetened) unless you specifically ask for Hot Tea!
Aside from Rooibos, I really do miss the brands of strong regular tea such as Joko and 5 Roses but I'm excited about tasting more flavours of American Iced Teas this summer.
Did you know? New York's yellow cabs and school buses are yellow because John Hertz, the company's founder, learned from a study that yellow is the easiest colour for the eye to spot!
And I can vouch for this as I think back and remember the day I landed in New York in October last year... the first thing that struck me after 34 hours of travelling was the sight of the yellow cabs and buses - it was possibly the only thing at that moment that made me realise, we've landed in The Big Apple!
It’s on days like today that we know for sure that living in the city for longer than a year will surely make us mad!
The weather is stunning – 74 degrees Fahrenheit (about 25 degrees C) and everyone is out and about which is honestly a nightmare. We decided to hire a Zipcar to drive out of the city to enjoy space in the sunshine, however all we did was rev up our stress levels a good few notches in bumper to bumper traffic.
It took us over an hour both ways… just to drive to a little farm in a suburb just north of Manhattan.
You might remember I blogged about a meal at Blue Hill New York a while back – one of New York’s first ‘farm to table’ restaurants… well, today we visited Stone Barns farm to see where the Blue Hill produce comes from and to give the girls the chance to enjoy farm life again!
We went from this…
To this…
It's a beautiful working farm with lots on offer for both kids and adults. We stumbled upon the weekend market too which sells pork, beef and lamb products made on the farm. I couldn't resist a pack of pork sausages - perhaps I've found something close to the porkies we get back home.
I also learned that children can help the farmers collect hens' eggs on the weekend if you book early... perhaps we'll build up the energy to venture out there again!
Even though the word it not understood here, it's the headline of my blog this evening because we've just enjoyed our first sundowner on the Hudson River below our apartment. The temperature is in the mid 20's well after 6pm and it's glorious!
The girls scootered down to the water's edge and we joined what felt like trillions of people for a drink on the riverside.
I still cannot get used to the number of people that live here... we had to queue for a table but it was worth the wait...
Cheers!
Yesterday turned out to be a very exciting day filled with firsts! I was a school chaperone for Caitlin's first school field trip... we ventured to the butterfly conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History because the children recently completed a study on the life cycle of the butterfly.
Pictured here, Caitlin could choose a friend to partner with for the outing - she chose Gideon (Giddy) one of her best friends at school...
I've always seen lines of kids walking with adult chaperones on these busy streets and gaped at the undertaking and now, I did it!
The field trip involved walking 5 blocks (in the heat) and then catching a bus which took us fairly close to the museum. I have to admit that this was our first bus ride and I had to watch the other chaperones to see what to do!
Needless to say that the bus ride was just as exciting as the butterflies!
In a very hot and humid conservatory, we were able to observe butterflies up close... we saw some beautiful patterns and colours.
It was a fun day out for both Caitlin and I!
Danny Meyer is a New York City chef, restaurateur and the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group which owns many highly regarded eateries such as Maialino; Gramercy Tavern; Jazz Standard, Shake Shack and Union Square Café to mention just a few. All of which are in Manhattan except for Shake Shack which has expanded to 14 restaurants around America.
Last night we were privileged enough to meet Danny at The Modern, another of his acclaimed restaurants housed in the impressive Museum of Modern Art. This, thanks to Peter and Lyndal who passed on the experience to us because Peter is away on business.
It was a real treat to meet Danny, a friendly and dynamic man who has clearly succeeded in the tough world of hospitality! And it's a small world as we discovered mutual acquaintances from Cape Town's hospitality industry.
Murray arrived a little late from LA but got to meet Danny too!
We were also taken on a tour of the busy but well organized kitchen… again, so fascinating for me given my career history. This is probably one of the 'prettiest' working kitchens I have ever seen... I love the copper pots for their aesthetic appeal and apparently they spread heat best too!
The food that followed was seasonal and interesting with the two most unusual and beautifully presented courses being…
Yuzu-marinated Langoustines
And Sturgeon and Sauerkraut Tart - a first for me!
We left with huge admiration for Danny and a signed copy of his book…
What an experience our time in New York is turning out to be! Thanks again to great friends who make all the difference.
On the way home from dropping Caitlin at school this morning I stopped off at Starbucks to redeem my birthday voucher... yes, it's impressive, many shops acknowledge you on your birthday and entice you back with emailed vouchers!
Caitlin and I both received vouchers from clothing stores to kids gyms!
But what I noticed this morning at Starbucks is the ever increasing trend for people to buy coffee with their phones! You simply download the app; swipe your phone infront of a machine which deducts the amount for your choice of beverage. If your balance goes below a certain threshold, you can set up an automatic top up so that you are never short of credit for your essential caffeine boost! And apparently after every 15 drinks you receive a free cuppa of your choice!
Wow... soon we will not need humans to do anything!
As we know, Rooibos tea grows naturally in only one place in the world – the Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa but it is slowly becoming more popular around the world.
It’s known as Redbush in the UK and quite widely available there now I think… however it’s still relatively unknown here. Most people I chat to have never heard of it. I have however found it at one store about 7 blocks away - Twinings African Rooibos. It doesn’t taste exactly like the brands we get back home which makes me wonder if perhaps they are growing it in other countries now. I suppose anything is possible!
And so the following discovery took me by surprise… upon returning to New York after our SA trip we noticed a new little coffee shop one block away. This in itself is amazing because we live on a newly developed piece of land which consists mostly of residential buildings – we usually have to walk at least 2 blocks uphill before we hit the first coffee shop!
And so together with my mother-in-law Shirl, we tried my little local this week and to my surprise, it stocks the following…
Red Velvet is a popular type of cake here and combined with Rooibos, I really enjoyed it!
I also quite like the fact that the menu is easily changeable on an I-pad, according to what’s fresh daily!
And it seems I will be meeting many of my fellow Trump apartment residents in this coffee shop... we sat next to a chap who lives in the same building as me and is - according to his business resume which he gave us - 'the number one Private Investigator in New York'! :-)
