Trip to Queens County Farm

Fall is here in the city. Well, it has started to make it's way. Last week the air was cool and crisp and we were pulling out our sweaters, scarves, and jackets for the first time. Abby's favorite holiday is Halloween and she really wanted to find a pumpkin patch. I had heard about how beautiful the leaves were when they changed colors and wanted to see this with my own eyes. And Julie was down for a great adventure. We did some internet research and found the Queens County Farm Museum, which we could take the train and a short walk to get to. It's located on the border of Queens/Long Island and a working historical farm owned by the city.

For October, the farm had a corn maze, hay rides, animals, food, and a pumpkin patch. The area was beautiful and reminded me a bit of Deer Hollow Farm in that it had a lot of educational programs and was a really neat space for people to visit (sans hiking). When we got there, we had a snack and yummy apple cider. After walking around we decided to do the corn maze. Each team had a map they had to fill in with puzzle pieces they would find at mail boxes located at different areas in the maze. It was really fun to try to find mailboxes and walk through the maze. And to be in quiet open space away from the city. Abby ended up not being able to get a pumpkin because the line was really long, and they were expensive. We saw a few trees with leaves changing colors, but not to the effect people had described. But we had a great time! See pictures from our adventure below!

One of the barns on the farm. This one was finished inside so event could be held there.

One of the pumpkin patches.

The main pumpkin patch.

Following Abby through the corn maze.

Julie getting a puzzle piece from the mail box we found!

I carried the flag. Each group had their own with a different flag color/pattern. This was so groups could be recognized, and found!

Corn maze! Do you see some flags? The blue tower is where staff was located to help answer questions and monitor the game.

Corn maze with people going through.

End of the corn maze.

We finished the maze!

Gift shop.

One of the green houses attached to the gift shop.

Abby, Julie, and I.

Corn!

Photo of the Day

I took this picture on the way to the subway after work. I did not edit it. The clouds are amazing this afternoon!

I've Got Mail!

Thanks Laurie for the Cheap Bastard's Guide To New York City book! It arrived in the mail today! In addition to the 2012 Not For Tourists Guide to New York she gave me as a going away present, I have lots of resources for future adventures.

Wanderlust Yoga in the City Event

In one of my fitness magazines, I saw advertised the Wanderlust Yoga in the City event. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to partake in a free event, Julie, Abby, and I decided to attend. It was also the weekend before school started, so we figured we should have a little fun now before the semester started and we became occupied with school work.

The event took place at the Hudson River Park. It was a nice day, and although hot, there was a breeze blowing. As you can see by the picture, the clouds were amazing against the blue sky. It made for a really beautiful backdrop. Each group yoga session was led by different instructors. For our class, we had three different instructors that led a segment. The last woman who led the class was pretty hilarious. She had this hip hop, yoga, interpretive movement hybrid technique. We started out by chanting, "Start the day with love. Fill the day with love. End the day with love."  At one point we were instructed to pair up and do this mime activity with a partner. All in all, it was an interesting event and a neat experience.

Empire State Building

So I've been in NYC for about 6 weeks now, just long enough to feel comfortable in my surroundings, yet continuously blown away by the cool things I see on a daily basis. The family I nanny for lives in Gramercy Park, and I pass by the Empire State Building on a regular basis. I took this photo last Friday after work. We had the nicest weather that day; in the upper 70's and warm, but not humid. It was heaven!

Mad. Sq. Eats

For a few weeks now I have been passing by the Madison Square Eats event on the way to taking Tyler to Apple Seeds indoor kid's play center. I haven't gone grocery shopping in a while, so I decided to grab something for lunch here today. I settled on a "Mel & Steve" hot dog from Asiadog. My beef hot dog came topped with Asian sesame slaw. Super yummy!!! I could have had another, but Tyler was getting antsy so we headed out after I enjoyed my lunch. Their restaurant is located in NoLitta, so it doesn't look like I will be trekking down there anytime soon for a hot dog. 

And we Brunch!

Keeping up with what New Yorkers do, my friend Abby and I had brunch this morning at our new favorite spot Community Food and Juice. I had been here with my mom back in June and had their fabulous Vegetable Frittata. A few weeks ago Julie, Abby and I went for brunch and I had the Brioche French Toast, also fantastic. Today, I decided to try something new and ordered the Eggs Benedict. As expected it was also tastefully delicious. The hollandaise sauce had a little spice to it, like they had added paprika or something. It was just the right amount to give it a different taste than the usual sauce you expect. With my encouragement, Abby had the frittata.  What I love about CF&J is that their food is made with organic, sustainable ingredients when possible. And the jam is real, house made jam! Not the stuff that comes in the small plastic packets. I think it's raspberry jam because it has the large seeds in it. I'm trying to figure out if they sell it in jars.

Even though we were there at 10:30 am, it was busy. The hostesses are kinda lame and don't seem like they can handle the stress of the large crowds very well. But once you get past them and to your seat, the waiters and waitresses are really nice. When I was there with Julie and Abby, our food had taken so long that our server comped us our drinks.

For my future out-of-town visitors, this is one place we will stop at! :)

Welcome to the Big Apple!

Since NYC seems to be a hotspot for celebrity sightings and run-ins, I find it only appropriate to dedicate the first post to my first celebrity encounter. My third day here, my roommate Julie and I decided to attend the Fashion's Night Out events. My research discovered that Clinton Kelly, one of my favorite TV personalities and fashion messiah to the helpless, was going to be doing a fall preview at Macy's.  Even before I moved here, I was commenting how great it would be to run into him. Here was my chance!

Putting together my outfit with the hopes of meeting someone very fashionable was rather difficult, if not sheer frustrating. The summer heat and humidity was still "blessing" us with its presence and I was so delirious from the weather I could not make up my mind as to what to wear. I didn't want to wear the same dresses I had been all week because I was tired of those, and just wanted to look hip and put together. I settled on a sheer top that I feel "hip" in and paired it with pants that I thought would work. Looking back, the color choice might not have been right and in hindsight I would have worn something else, but what can you do. 

I made sure to get there early because I didn't know how crazy it was going to be. I got there with about an hour or so before the event to save Julie and I a seat. There were only two other ladies there at the time, and I made myself comfortable in the first row. I began to strike up a conversation with the young woman sitting next to me. She was wearing a simple black dress with really interesting gold metal detailing on the hips. Observing her simple, classy outfit made me feel like a teenager that wears multiple fashion statements at once. When you shouldn't. She commented that she had just run into Clinton while she was waiting and he commented on how great she looked. Awesome. I thought about moving to another row where Clinton wouldn't be distracted by my outfit (it was pretty bright), but I didn't want to lose the great seats. Maybe he would give me a makeover. Well, when I looked around again, that was doubtful. There was an older women waiting, wearing a well-worn t-shirt, mom jeans, and sneakers. She probably let her roots grow out for weeks hoping Clinton would pick her for a free makeover. I would.

While we were waiting, someone came by to give me a numbered card. I was eligible to meet Clinton after! I chatted with the young woman next to me as more people started to arrive. She was also an avid Clinton fan and super excited, even giddy at times. Julie eventually arrive and the event got underway. There were three separate looks that were shown to us, mostly highlighting I.N.C. brand. I really wasn't impressed with the clothes that were presented, however he made a comment that he hadn't pulled the looks, so someone from Macy's must have. In general I'm not a fan of the I.N.C. brand because (to me) it's like a crappier made version of what is in style, and their patterns and colors are weird. After the fashion show, Clinton took questions and did a great job of not only answering the question (humorously I may add), but giving fashion advice that was empowering to women's self esteem. Having watched him on What Not To Wear for the last like 10 years, I didn't learn anything new really, but it was great to see him do what he does best.

After my new friend and I got in line to meet Clinton. I had forgotten to get Julie a numbered ticket too, so she was not able to come in to meet him. Before my turn, I wasn't sure what to say to him. I just didn't want to sound stupid. When it was my turn, I told him my name and where I was from. I said I watch the show and thanked him for his fashion advice to the public all these years. Before I left, I asked if I could have a hug, which he was happy to do. He's really tall, even though he was sitting in a chair. It was such a neat moment and I'm so happy it happened. I'm going to frame the picture and put it on my wall so I don't forget to be fabulous. And I definitely won't wear that top with those pants again. :)