More than One Tree Grows in Brooklyn

After spending half of the day in Palmyra, it was time to get on the road to Brooklyn, where we were to stay in my high school friend Liz Kenney's house for a week while they took their kids to a farm for vacation. Talking about trading places! It was a 5.5 hour drive. Keenan did well, especially when it got to navigating freeways and across bridges and into Brooklyn. We had some great CD's to listen to. They were motivational talks by a seminary teacher in Springville. Starlyn's friend loaned them to us. It really made the drive go by quickly. The girls slept and Keenan and I listened. The toll on the Holland Tunnel was $12.00. I've never heard of such a toll. Then we paid another $5 toll before getting to Brooklyn. Crazy!

Snacks for the trip from Palmyra to Brooklyn

Cheeto Love!

We stopped at a Target in New Jersey to get some dinner, a few groceries and a soccer ball for Mel. She was hoping to get some drills in, but that never really happened. We got to Liz and Jeff's house around 8:30 pm. They got us settled in our rooms, then we went with them and Roxy, their dog, to Uncle Louie G's Italian Ice. It became a staple of our vacation. Liz and her husband, Jeff, showed us some of their favorite spots in the neighborhood. They walked us by the church and parks, etc. They showed us the subway near their home. Theirs is a quiet, tree-lined street. Everyone lives in a brownstone. Most have been restored and are valued at over a million dollars. Theirs was a bit of a fixer upper when they bought it and they've done a ton to it. It's really a cute, cozy and comfy place. It was so nice to have a place to call home.

Liz's 2 kids, Ava and Max, were at their dad's place and Jeff's two, Julian and Mia, were at their mom's place. They didn't start to arrive til Sunday night. Sunday we got up and went to church, then we got pastries at a bakery that was recommended. We then walked home and reported to Liz that, yes, there are Mormons that attend that church. She said she'd never seen anyone go in or out. We then got on the train to Coney Island. We had Nathan's hot dogs there. That's where they have the annual hot dog eating contest. We've decided that JDawgs are better. It was hot! Humid! The girls played on the beach, we walked into some cute little souvenir shops, and the girls rode the roller coaster ($9 each, which they paid for). After a couple of hours, the girls were ready to go home. Boy, we saw all kinds of swimwear on the beach there, most of it should not have been on the bodies they were covering. It made for good laughs. Jeff grilled chicken and we had a delicious salad and fresh berries from their garden for dinner. Liz tutored me on how to care for the garden and dog, while Jeff explained how the de-humidifier worked, etc.

Keenan and me in front of the building of the Park Slope Ward

Eating a famous Nathan's hot dog. JDawgs is better

Girls at Coney Island Beach

Now those are some great treats!

Can I get this one? I love Hot Tamales!

Allie, Ava and Melia playing in the kid's room

Melia and Max playing the Wii

Julian, Jeff, Liz
Ava, Mia, Max, me and Keenan

Our kiddos, in front of #112 2nd St

View of kitchen from living room. Notice my homework on the table - charting our course for tomorrow

super comfy living room. So nice to come home to each night.

going upstairs to bathroom and 3 bedrooms

Their awesome kitchen!

Liz and Jeff met online. A match.com success story. They've been married a couple of years and bought this house to fix up for their family. It's 1200 square feet. When they finish a room in the basement, they'll have about 1600 square feet. Jeff works in advertising on Wall St. Liz stays home with the kiddos. She used to work full time as a textile designer. Now she freelances from home. Funny that I did home economics and she did textile design since we had sewing together. We loved to exchange ideas on projects.

Monday was our first full-day New York City adventure. Now I shall consult my notes and maps to make sure I remember where we went when. Thanks to many great suggestions from Liz and friends here who'd been to NYC, we had great stuff to see. We left most days around 10:00 am and got back around 5:30 pm. We needed to see Roxy off and make sure we were home when she got back from doggy day care or come home and keep her company, walk her and let her out to "do her business." We also watered the garden when there was not enough rain. So, back to Monday... we took the subway to the financial district. That was a quick ride. We got off, only to find Trinity Church totally covered in scaffolding. Allie didn't get a good pic of this church. Bummer. We then went to the 9/11 memorial. The water features there to commemorate the deceased are quite impressive. It will be nice when it's all done. Right now, there's a lot of construction. From there, we walked to the Staten Island Ferry. It's free and it goes by the Statue of Liberty. Not real close, but we got to see it. It was a nice hour of resting our feet. We had walked a ton already because we hadn't gotten the hang of the trains yet. Nor had we realized how far a block was, or one place from another when they look close on a tiny map. We walked to a funny candy store that just assaulted you when you walked in with candy floor to ceiling. It was one of Liz's recommendations and it did not disappoint! Whoa! We also backtracked to find a special t-shirt for Kamiko at a store called the One Hundreds. We got a shirt that was a NYC store exclusive. I think it's pretty cool. We then found Jenny Lee, a girl from our ward who is serving in Chinatown. That was fun to see her. She was finishing up lunch after a zone meeting. She looks great - so happy. I was glad the girls could see her. Ok, then we went to a highly-recommended museum called the Tenement Museum. We had a tour of "Sweatshop Life." We learned a lot from our guide about life in tiny apartments of those who made clothing either in their apartments or in nearby warehouses. She brought in quite a bit of history, culture, etc. It was one of the best tours I've been on. I highly recommend it. We got home around 5:30 and walked Roxy. We got ice cream and had dinner.

Keenan and me at 9/11 Memorial - cops in the background for Adrienne

girls on Staten Island Ferry

Can you see it? Statue of Liberty!

Yeah! We found Sister Jenny Lee. She's serving in Chinatown

Only the BEST ice cream ever! Peanut butter sesame seed and almond cookie @ Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

Craziest candy store EVER!

Thanks, Liz, for suggesting we visit Economy Candy

The PERFECT avocado. We turned it into a salad to have with dinner.

Tuesday: We first went to the Highline, which is an outdoor park. It's made from an abandoned above-ground railway. It was beautiful. We enjoyed the walk. It wasn't too hot yet. From there, we went to the Donut Pub. That is Jeff and the kids' favorite Donut place. They were delicious donuts. The gal was really nice. We ate at the counter and visited a bit. Then we ordered a dozen holes to go. She loaded the bag with way more than a dozen and winked at me as she put a red velvet donut on top for me. She's my new best friend in Manhattan. Then we were off to Kleinfelds, a bridal store that is the setting for a reality show called "Say Yes to the Dress." We asked if Randy, head stylist, was there, but he wasn't. We did see the lobby and beautiful gowns. We then went to Mood Fabrics, site of fabric shopping for "Project Runway," a show that showcases aspiring designers. Keenan really wanted to go there. Funny thing happened at Mood. We got there and noticed a line. We went to the end and asked if it was the end of the line. We were told there really wasn't a line. They just hadn't opened yet. They would be opening soon. Had been closed for a "private event." Keenan recognized the guy who gave us this info as a past contestant. Keenan was really excited to talk to him. The girls were convinced the store was closed due to filming of "Project Runway." Well, in a few minutes, people came out, including some carrying big cameras. Then, right past us walked Tim Gunn, stylist and consultant/mentor to the contestants. Mel got a blurry shot of him. That was our star sighting. I mentioned it on facebook and everyone went kinda nuts. Wow, Tim Gunn. Who knew? We also went to a store called New York Quilter where I bought NYC fabric to make an apron out of someday. We finished the day at Macy's, the largest department store. It was overwhelming and we actually didn't spend much time there. The girls also made a stop in Victoria's Secret to get the special sweaters that they sell there that are New York exclusives. They really are quite cute. They have their PINK logo, plus something about NYC.
We went back home, ate dinner and walked Roxy. Then we went back to Times Square to see it at night. After about 45 minutes there, the girls had had enough. That surprised me. It's so bright and full of life. I thought the girls would want to stay longer. Nope. They were ready to get to bed.

Allie "waiting for the Keenans"

Art/architecture on the Highline

Mel on the highline

girls walking on the highline

gardens on the Highline

Kleinfeld's, home of "Say Yes to the Dress"

Say "CHEESE" the photo booth at Victoria's Secret

I found another cop for Adrienne Murray. She noted my first picture posted on the trip had cops in the background

Free water bottle...well, with purchase

The girls at Times Square

Keenan and his girls at Times Square