Macy's at Christmastime

Yesterday I realized I am going to have to continuously remind myself that, no nothing is going on... it's just Christmastime in the city. I saw crowds on 5th avenue- just people shopping. I saw bussess and crowds in Midtown- just tours/people looking at the Rockefeller Christmas tree. I saw people lined up on the sidewalks at Macy's- just people admiring the window displays. Yes it is Christmas time. Below is the view I got emerging from the subway at Herald Square.

A friend and I stumbled upon last years New Years Ball inside Macy's while looking for gloves.

Schnitzel for Thanksgiving

I have yet to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in person, but this year I have a better excuse as I was in Germany.

This wasn't my Thanksgiving meal so I didn't feel obligated to finish... And there was no way I was going to. Although if you look in the upper right hand corner you can see my 11 year old cousin Matthew finished his with no problem. I had a schnitzel folded in half with ham and cheese inside... covered in a gravy... with a salad... and spatzle (homemade noodles). A Hefe weisen to wash it down.

Our home base was Heidelberg this castle sits on the hill guarding the city.

View of the Neckar and old bridge from the castle

Climbing to the castle.

French street musicians

Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg's version of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg

-and some other cathedral

Somewhere in the French countryside

When you see a John Deere in town in France, you take a picture.

Can't pass up a horse ride.

Some of the cookies and chocolate for sale at the Christmas Market in Manheim.

Market in Speyer

Penguins helping kinder skate in Speyer

As good as a Pumpkin pie. Apple strudel for desert on Thanksgiving.

Food Stand in Heidelberg at the Christmas Market or Weihnachtsmarkt decorated like a "Pyramid"

Yarn shopping done right

Where does a girl go to buy yarn in Manhattan? There are no Walmarts nor JoAnns and the five colors of cheap yarn my local hardware store carries just doesn't cut it. Instead I headed downtown to Lion Brand Yarn's only retail outlet in the world. The Yarn Studio just opened last week. The studio is small, but well stocked with many types and colors of yarn. Also inside were free yarn samples, knitting and crocheting accessories, free patterns, and patterns for sale. The studio also leads classes and had casual knitters sitting around a table when I was there. I'm knitting a hat from the yarn I bought today to keep my head warm this winter.

Too cold for real post

Sadly this week I've been reminded of how cold and fierce the wind can be tunneling through the buildings of Manhattan. Turning a corner can be deadly... I've been limiting my trips outside for this reason. However I have not been idle...

The homemade pizza tradition alive in NYC. I often crave pizza on Saturday nights (or any night really) because growing up Saturday night was pizza night. Not only would we have pizza, but we would make it from scratch. I decided to go for it myself tonight. Not only was the dough pretty easy to make but the pizza turned out great. I was even able to pat my own crust! (Mom aren't you proud?)

Every once in awhile my closet gets in such bad shape that I have to pull everything out and start again. Last weekend I had this challenge and was so proud of how neat my closet looked afterwards that I felt the need to take a picture. And for those non-NY'ers this is the actual size of my closet.

Ikea replacement

Last weekend I headed out to Ikea in Brooklyn for some supplies (can't be divulged yet). To get there I took the subway and city bus. On the way back I took the free Ikea shuttle to the subway. I have to say the city bus was cleaner and more comfortable, but the shuttle took me back to the Borough Hall stop a lot faster than a city bus could have. While wondering around Ikea I found this chandelier reasonably priced. So for all of you that were appalled by my homemade contraption I hope you enjoy this replacement!

Marvelous Mules

My shoes are finished! They had their debut at work on Friday. To be honest they are a little tight around the top and a little slick on the bottom, but hopefully both problems can be resolved.

NYC Marathon

Runners speed from Staten Island across the Verrazano bridge through Brooklyn and Queens before crossing the 59th Street bridge and running up 1st avenue on the Upper East Side. By the time they reach 79th Street they are on mile 17. I walked two blocks over to catch the action. My original plan was to see the runners, get inspired and then head over to the gym. Crossing 1st avenue proved to be impossible and I ended up watching the marathon for over two hours. Watching the runners was mesmerizing. I got down there just minutes after the elite men passed and awhile after the elite women had passed. For awhile the runners came sparsely, but soon it was a steady pack that lasted for hours.

Some of the first runners I saw. Probably about ten minutes back from the leaders. These guys were running fast. My camera couldn't keep up with them.

Running.

Some of the news coverage. The guy in the orange was running and interviewing at the same time. Here they are taking a break.

People were handing out fruit to the runners and cheering on everyone. Here is a group handing out bananas. There were also people handing out oranges slices.

This building at 1st and 81st had signs and groups cheering the runners on all the way up.

There were a lot of international runners. I saw a lot of runners wearing France and Italia shirts. There was a huge German cheering section at 80th street.

Wet sponges being handed out. This was at about 1 pm several people were walking by then.