Moving Out - The Pink Chair

 

 

This pink chair was painted this week, in the midst of moving my daughter Melissa into her house on campus.

It was painted with love and is my way of making sure there is a little piece of home in her newly decorated pink and black room.

Along with many bins of clothes, kitchen supplies, bedding and other essentials, the chair was loaded into her car - full to the brim, as I waved goodbye.

She will only be an hour away, but when you are missing your daughter, any distance is too far.

Especially when she reminds you she may not be back to live at home ever again - a twelve month lease on a house means no more summers at home and then of course there is graduation looming.

But, I have learned a few things in this empty nest life. They need to go and you need to let them. They do come back for visits and those visits are special times. We will meet for tailgates, for lunches and dinners. There will be a lot of happy hellos and sad goodbyes.

You find they still need you - your advise and sometimes just a sympathetic ear. And, most importantly you find that hearing how happy they are - becoming who they are supposed to be - is all a parent can ask for.

Happy Monday!

 

Linking with Between Naps on the Porch and Savvy Southern Style and Jennifer Rizzo

 

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NYC - Shopping in Soho and Restaurants

 

 

Shopping in NYC is amazing. There is every store you can imagine and that store is bigger and better than the one at your local mall. We did a little shopping on 5th Avenue/Herald Square, but spent our last day in Soho. We loved the atmosphere, with the old buildings and cobblestone streets. There were well known designers, as well as small, fun boutiques.

Melissa had one store where she wanted to shop and had some birthday money to spend. We made our first stop at Brandy Melville and I think Melissa fell in love with every item in the store - it was definitely her style.

We also did some shopping at Alex and Ani for their unique and fun bracelets. My sister has built quite a collection and they make great gifts.

I bought this pretty bracelet, with a light blue bead to help me remember our visit to Soho.

All the restaurants we went to for lunches and dinners were fabulous and there are so many to choose from. It was hard to know where to begin, so I researched in advance, using Trip Advisor to find affordable, well recommended restaurants. Our first lunch was at Alices's Tea Cup on the upper west side, near Central Park and it was perhaps my favorite of the trip.

You could choose from an extensive list of special tea blends for an individual pot of tea, served in mismatched china cups. The homemade egg salad sandwich I ordered went perfectly with the tea.

For dinner one night, we headed to Broadway to Ellen's Stardust Diner, where the waiters and waitresses sing show tunes while they are serving. It is a fun place, with a lively atmosphere. The food is old fashioned diner fare and is surprisingly good. I ordered a Sex In The City martini to start the night - it seemed fitting while in NYC - and it was delicious :-)

Our last night, after dinner and a little walking, we jumped in a cab and headed to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate. It was definitely worth the hour wait to get a table. Frozen, rich chocolate and a mound of homemade whipped cream - so yummy!

Two other restaurants we loved were Dos Caminos, for their made to order guacamole and Le Zie, a neighboorhood Italian restaurant in Chelsea. They claim they have the best spaghetti and meatballs in NYC. We didn't try that dish, but Melissa said she had the best gnocchi ever.

Happy Friday!

If you missed my other NYC posts see Tourist Spots, Central Park and The Highline by clicking on the links.

 

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NYC - The High Line

 

 

The High Line is an amazing park and 1.45 mile walking path made beautiful, from a former elevated railroad platform. Its location, in the heart of the neighborhood of Chelsea, makes it even more striking, as the backdrop of the buildings frame the beauty of the flowers and plants. It was one of the things that I really wanted to experience on our trip to New York City and the whole time I was walking and snapping photos, I was in awe that such beauty and serenity could have been created from something so industrial and harsh.

There are many pieces of sculpture throughout, giving interest to your walk.

It is in pristine condition and we saw many gardeners from The Friends of The High Line working on maintaining the lovely flowers and plants.

The rail lines are evident throughout and used as a reminder to what came before.

Truly an oasis in the heart of the city - an example of urban revitalization at its best.

 

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow my last New York post - restaurants and shopping :-)

 

Linking with The Tablescaper, Oh The Places I've Been

 

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