Back from the Big Apple

We made it back to Dallas Monday night with a renewed appreciation for our personal space. Man there are A LOT of people in New York City! I mean I knew that going in, but until you are touching a stranger in the subway, because there is no other place to stand, or can’t see the sidewalk traveling from point A to B, it is hard to imagine. April and May are also peak travel months, which may have contributed to the numbers. While crowds are not my thing, I am glad we visited NYC. Many memories were made, and I can now watch Law and Order with more understanding of the plot’s context. I am deeply grateful for that.

I don’t want to bore you, so I plan to share our trip happenings over a series of posts. I will try to be concise, without leaving out any of the crazy/entertaining events that we experienced during our 4 days in New York, New York. So without further ado…

Part 1: Art and “Egg on a Roll”

As many of you know, real estate in Manhattan is quite pricy. This fact makes living there look like poverty for the middle class and staying there in nice accommodations pretty much impossible. I mean we could have drained our savings, but if you know me at all, I loath spending money unnecessarily and wanted to find a deal. Which brings me to our NY living quarters: This lovely brownstone in Queens 2 stops outside Manhattan. To me this street looked exactly like the Cosby’s.

I found it through www.vacationrentals.com . A guy lives there and rents out his bottom floor to vacationers such as us. It was small, but perfect for my mom, Andrew and I. The bathroom was my favorite part complete with a 5 headed steam shower! It was the perfect end to every day when I desperately desired to be clean after being in the city and subway. It wasn’t a romantic type of trip as we all shared this room, but what a deal we got! Plus, it was off the beaten path, and not full of tourists.

This is my mom. She slept on the futon pictured here.

the other part of the room...I should have backed up a bit here to show you more to scale

The homeowner did have interesting taste in art that I wanted to share with all of you. It seemed to have somewhat of a fertility theme. Outside our room (sorry no picture) was a large wall hanging of a pregnant belly and breasts carved out of wood. The following paintings were inside our room.

Andrew and I argued about what this painting means. Are they children? Adam and Eve type thing? We still don't know.

I found this very intersting...yeah...hummm

The first morning we woke up hungry. Our host suggested we visit the local deli around the corner for breakfast. It sounded like the perfect quick bite before our day of sightseeing. It was an establishment unlike anything I had ever seen. It was a convenience store, bakery, short order diner, and newsstand all in one small storefront. Mom and Andrew went with muffins, but I was feeling adventurous wanting to try the local flavors. I noticed an item on the menu called “egg on a roll”. Having not seen this choice on a menu before, I was intrigued to learn more. I asked the deli clerk who I believe was from India from her accent what exactly an “egg on a roll” is. Nodding she responded, “It is an egg…on a roll” then smiled as if she had perfectly explained it. Not wanting to seem stupid (there were several locals in the deli), I ordered egg on a roll still wondering how the egg would be prepared and what kind of roll it would be served on. It ended up not being that great. A scrambled egg on a poppy seed bun would more accurately describe the dish. It was dry, but got the job done. I was full and nourished for the coming day that would prove to be full of new sites and experiences. More on that to come…

Nathalie