Places to Go, People to See

So, it's finally spring. And we're doing stuff.

Sunday walks in Battery Park City, Central Park and lower Manhattan.

(Hint: this picture is not of Noah.)

Golfing in New Jersey with the Cromars. Unless windmills, pirate ships or hitting the driving range with Ben L. in the 10th grade count, I had never actually been golfing. I was pleasantly surprised and Noah was tha-rilled to discover I'm a big fan. Golf has a promising future in our summer plans. Now if only I would get those feet of mine properly shod...

Lauren and me - still smiling even after the ground guy started a conversation with, "if you're going to let the girls play..." Ahem? Who says that?

As tends to happen in this town, with the warmer weather also comes the crowds. It means running an errand that requires cutting through Times Square is now nigh unto impossible. Fortunately, it also means a lot of faces we really love.

After Mike showed that Boston Marathon who's boss, the Eads made their way to NYC for a stroll through the High Line, Thai at Chelsea Market, Shake Shack in the park and a lesson on Antony Gormley's public art exhibition.

I lived with the adorable Megan in China five years (gasp! years!) ago and we've kept in touch through movings and missions and marriages (one each). It was wonderful to see them that evening and we also caught up with them a few days later for some people-watching and grass-sitting (grass!) in Central Park's Sheep Meadow.We were also excited to have the Buswells come to town. Tyler hired Noah for his first on-campus job at the Quick Stop (thanks to that job, I'm forever forbidden from eating corn dogs. or, at least gas station corn dogs. which really are the best kind. so it's kind of like being banned from all of them.) and I met Tyler through classes and mutual friends in Logan. Trails happily crossed again and again and we got to know his lovely Rachel when we were all living in Salt Lake.

Tyler had a work conference in the city, so they made their way out for that - but not before we dragged them (not reluctantly, I might add) all over this city. We hit all the downtown sites, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, shopped in Chinatown, lunched and cannoli-ed (um, yeah, best cannoli on planet earth. sign says so.) in Little Italy, got our art on at the Met and the Guggenheim, dined at a gen-u-ine NY deli for dinner and kicked back virgin strawberry daquiris at a comedy club in midtown. And that was just Saturday.

Apparently we were too busy having fun to take a picture together during any of the aforementioned activities. So instead, I bring you the lobby of our office building and Allison's fist and arm of justice (what am I doing?).

Tyler and Rachel stayed with us for a few days and then graduated from studio staying to a room at the Waldorf-Astoria (cuz they're classy like that) during the conference. When their trip was unexpectedly cut one day short, they very graciously offered us their room for the evening.

It worked out perfectly, as we just so happened to have family in town also staying at the Waldorf that same evening. "Of all the gin joints..."

We met my aunt Ileen (you may have heard of her... National Mother of the YEAR) and two of her (10!) wonderful children, Angie and Jared, for dinner at Patsy's on the Upper East Side then made our way back to the the hotel. Oh, so convenient.