Six Months in New York City!

Hello, friends!

It's been quite a while, but I'm finally back to blogging! We've been really busy trying to make a home here (I finally painted the living room!) and a lot of other new changes have come our way, as well.

My interior decorating career is taking off in a really interesting way. I was offered the opportunity to manage a NYC design studio for Rafael Fuentes, ASID. Some of you might remember that I took a certification track in decoration last year, and the designer who taught the courses invited me to partner up with him in his business. So, here I am, manager/partner of this business....and I'm totally and completely excited, of course! I've been able to see and do a lot of really cool things since we opened the studio here, like attend trade shows, walk through showrooms with beautiful things, meet amazing artists who are passionate about their work, and just learn more about the exciting field of design. The more I learn, the more I realize how many opportunities there are for our business to expand in any direction we can think of, and it's a bit overwhelming sometimes! At the same time, it's truly exciting and I am determined to hang on for the ride. :)

Aside from jumping head first into a new career, we've been taking the time to see some shows, like Les Miserables, Waiting for Godot (with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen) and a Brazilian jazz group at Carnegie Hall. All amazing! And Dan, who has never been to any live shows like this, has been thoroughly enjoying each one and I'm so glad! We'll be seeing Phantom of the Opera in June (when my mama comes to visit) and I am so excited! I've been waiting ten years to see it on Broadway. I am also trying REALLY hard to score The Tonight Show tickets to see Jimmy Fallon. I'm obsessively checking every day, twice a day!

Living in this city for six months has been a whirlwind and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love the people, the food, the energy, the opportunities, the endless list of things to do, and being able to hop on a subway in the middle of the night that will take you anywhere you want to go. There are new discoveries around every corner...

So, enough of all the talk! You're saying, "let's see some pictures!", so here are a few of the city in all of it's glorious beauty! Enjoy!

Midtown Manhattan on a foggy, rainy night. We were just coming back from dinner when we noticed how all of the tall buildings were disappearing in to the sky. It was kind of eerie!

A beautiful church on our street. I just love these doors!

Apartments in Greenwich Village. Would you like to live here?

I never thought I'd find an ivy covered cottage in Manhattan. But, here it is in Greenwich Village.

View of Jersey City over the Hudson River. One of our first warm, sunny days out of winter! There are a few piers on the west side of Manhattan that are being converted to park areas. They have great views.

These flowering trees are in Central Park where I run. So haunting and beautiful. Sometimes you just gotta stop mid-run and take a pic.

Pier 54, where the survivors of Titanic arrived after it's disaster.

The iron arch at pier 54. This dock has not been preserved well, and so far there are no plans to restore or repair it.

Early spring in Central Park.

Coney Island Nathan's! We got some hot dogs and cheesy fries. Still a bit cold for the beach!

Obi Wan and Darth Vader share a moment in Central Park. Someone said they saw this pic on Humans of New York. I'm sure their photo is better. Ha.

This little park down the street, Carl Schurz Park, is a charming and quiet neighborhood place to bring your dog, take in views of the East River and it's bridges, and get some sun...unless you're in the shade of a beautiful flowering tree, of course!

An apartment front in our neighborhood. Some of these buildings really know how to make themselves so charming.

Carl Schurz Park. There are SO many plants scattered around and I couldn't stop taking pics!

Carl Schurz Park. I just love stairways that lead to a place unknown. Don't you?

Carl Schurz Park. Even this little jewel box of a park has a bridge. Can't get enough of all the bridges.

And finally, the Peter Pan statue in Carl Schurz Park. New York sure has a lot of Disney characters hidden throughout the city! Do you know who is hiding in Central Park?

Thanks for reading friends! I hope you enjoyed watching the city's winter melt away into a beautiful and lush spring. I know I have! It feels like a whole new world here.

Carole