Fabbrication

Jocelyn and I packed up our bags and I called Balducci's to order a Pannetone for my grandparents (Nonny and Grandpa, the Fabbri's). We went to Vynl for breakfast. Travis and I hopped a cab to the flagship Thomas Pink store at 53rd and Madison. I found a super-sweet shirt right as Melissa and Jocelyn arrived to take me to the airport. Travis stayed behind to pay for the shirt. Thanks Travis!

In closing, I want to give a shout out to Travis and Melissa for their generosity during our stay in NYC. They had a busy work week, but that was okay because it gave Jocelyn and I time to go and explore the city. We really had a super time, thanks to Lis and Trav; you guys rule.

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We nibbled some buttered cibatta w/ Momma Linda'a Rasberry Jam (yum) for breakfast, then hopped the subway downtown to Canal Street. Canal street was an insanely dense row of bargain import shops. This led us into SoHo (south of Houston St., which was exremely, busy on a Saturday. We stopped in many shops and, amazingly, I bought nothing.

Next we went to Little Italy. Little Italy was also very busy today. People spilled on to the streets. Little Italy is very little, and it appears is being slowly devoured by Chinatown. Some "Italian" shops were run by asian people. We stopped at a small cafe for espresso and sweets. I had affogato (vanilla gellato with espresso poured on top) which was giddy-up-good! We found a personalized souvenir for Jocelyn; an old-style mini NY licence plate, "JOCELYN". She was just complaining how they never have such things in her name. We tried to catch the subway back from Chinatown/SoHO, but with all the Christmas shopping, the stations were super packed. We walked N/NW to The Village (Greenwich Village) and caught a train there.

We did a little shopping around the Columbus Circle (by the
apartment). Travis and I did some work on finding a shirt and tie for me to wear for my wedding in August. (I need to bling out my outfit so people know who is tha' man.) Trav was super helpful and was paying the bill as a gift (aww shucks). We hit Thomas Pink and Hugo Boss.

Back at the apartment, Melissa had a work call to make, so we hung out there. Around 9pm we went out for margaritas and mexican food at Gabrielles. We stopped on the way home and bought a mini Christmas tree (potted) and some lights. Lis set the tree and lights up on their 36th floor balcony when we got home.

On Friday, the weather was bad again, so we slept in and did laundry. Melissa worked from home. Jocelyn wore Melissa's Pink Wellies, and we went to Zabars to look at espresso and kitchen gear. We went back to the apartmend, and Lis (Melissa) broke away from work, and we went to MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art). I should have brought my camera today. MoMA was suprisingly good, having just reopened downtown after an expansion. MoMA has many famous works; my Art History classes in college are finally paying off. We saw a ton of Picasso, some Mondrian, Miro, DeKooning (one of my faves), Pollock, Warhol, etc...

After MoMA, we returned to the apartment, got all dressed up, and headed to Blue Chili for some great food with color-changing LED lighting and a live DJ. My dish was excellent. We stopped by The Hudson for dessert on the way home.

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We made a simple Egg & Toast breakfast, then caught the Subway downtown near the Brooklyn Bridge. We walked over the old Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn and did a walk around Brooklyn Heights. We walked along the promenade with great views of Manhattan and the bridge. We walked through shops and restaurants (Henry Street), went to a great coffee/tea shop Two for the Pot. Next we went to the New York City Transit Museum, saw the history of elevated trains and Subway construction. Early subway construction in NYC was hard work. The museum had a great history in photos and facts, but was was really cool was all the old subway cars from the early 1900s on! nycsubway.org is a good site to check out. Apparently I wasn't supposed to take pictures in Grand Central Station, or in the Subway. Apparently the terrorists won--whatever.

Next we headed back to the Apartment for a break, then over to Aixa's for some good NY Pizza.~

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On Wednesday, we ate yogurt with some of Momma Linda's granola for breakfast, then headed out. The weather was actually nice for the first time, so we headed for the SW corner of Central Park to begin our Central Park Walking Tour.

Some highlights were: The Dairy (visitors center), Columbus Statue,
The Mall, Bethesda Fountain, The Angel, Belvedere Castle, Loeb Boathouse, The Ramble, Jacqueline Onassis Resivoir, Playgrounds, and Strawberry Fields.

Central Park is big, historical, and great. We covered almost 2/3 of the park, and it took 3-4 hours--it is big. At Strawberry Fields there was the most concentrated group of people we'd seen in the park. A couple musicians were playing Lennon/Beatles covers as others sang along. People placed flowers on the memorial (see pictures). It was moving, unsettling. We exited the park west on 73rd for some food at Panang, then shopped on the way back to Lis & Trav's apartment.

We called Aixa and later went out to eat at Old San Juan with Allen Alverez (Aixa's fiance').~ Allen was fun to meet and hang out with, and the food was awesome. Melissa and Travis pretty much worked all day.

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On Tuesday, we first tried to go to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), but it was closed for the day. Next, we went to Grand Central Station (actually a Terminal), which is an amazing building. A nice older man, who goes their in his spare time to tell "hicks" about the station, gave us a historical and spacial overview. He recommended we see three things there: 1. The Market, 2. The Oyster Bar restaurant, and 3. the Eateries below. Grand Central Station is really an amazing example of functional beauty; the station handles 150,000 commuters a day, and is the largest in the world by some metrics. (See also Wikipedia, Official Site)

Next we headed down to the City Hall area, went to J&R Electronics (to buy a 1GB memory card for the camera: $80). We saw Trinity Church (wow). Since we were in the area, we decided to check out Ground Zero. We walked through City Hall Park.

We've really been enjoying Melissa and Travis' apartment. Its up on the 36th floor on 60th and Columbus (9th ave). Travis made us an amazing dinner tonight. Melissa worked late (again).

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Our first day in NYC; cold and rainy. First we went to this really nice bread/soup/coffee cafe (insert hard-to-remember
French name here) that Trav and Lis reccommended to us. The open-faced tuna is where its at. After a late breakfast (brunch) and coffee, we walked to Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Lincoln Center. We went to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), but the line looked long so we just browsed the gift shop. We took a break from the rain and went inside St. Patrics Cathedral, which was amazing. They had a choir singing. I felt like returning to my Catholic roots. After that we hopped the subway north about 30 blocks to Aixa's charming brownstone apartment.~ Aixa, Jocelyn, Travis, and I went to Poona--an excellent Indian restaurant. I give that place 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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On Sunday, we checked out of the Crown Plaza Hotel in Pittsfield, MA. This was
the worst hotel stay we'd ever had; they rented out the area directly above our room for a loud party with a DJ and dancing until 1:10 AM! We were tired after the long day yesterday (especially Jocelyn). I talked with the hotel staff at 11pm and they told me that the party would end by Midnight. At 12:10 AM, I called again because the party was still going, louder than ever (I could name every tune). This time, they said it would end at 1 AM. I said this was unacceptable. I went down to the front desk, saying that this was unacceptable, and that we would not be paying for our second night. The next morning, the manager refused to adjust our bill at all. TERRIBLE!. He gave me a number I could call with my complaint. Basically, the run-around that began with my first call at 11PM would continue. I wonder if I can refuse payment on our credit card?

Well rested (not), we left and drove back to the Naples' house in Amsterdam, NY, for our
East Coast Engagement Party. They threw us a very nice party. Melissa and Travis prepared some amazing Hors D'oeuvres (or durvz). Momma linda baked up some tasty lasagna. Jocelyn's extended family, neighbors, and friends, were all very nice and we had a good time. Around 5pm, (after leaving a mess of Silly String around the house) we left with Melissa and Travis to head to their apartment in Manhattan (map), at the Southwest corner of Central Park, in the Upper West Side neighborhood.

Marie Pothier (Jocelyns good friend) and Mike Tarentino got married today.

Date: December 4th, 2004
Time: 1 P.M.
Location: St. Charles Parish
89 Briggs Ave
Pittsfield, MA

The ceremony was beatiful and well planned. Everyone looked great. There were live musicians, and five priests. The ceremony lasted almost two hours but went by quickly. Next we went to the Brookshire Hills Country Club for the reception. When we arrived, there was an open bar, "cocktail hour". Basically, drinks were on the house for a while until the food is served. We didn't know coctail hour was really two hours, so we drank like we only had an hour of free drinks. By the time the second hour had passed, we were feeling the love.

We ate dinner, listened to speeches, and danced until 10pm. Jocelyn was in the wedding and so she had a long day. She looked great though.

Marie and Mike's wedding was very nice, and very formal (by my standards). It was good for me to see as an example of many things Joc and I could do when we get hitched in August. Our event is going to be somewhat different, however.

This morning, we took mommalinda's car to Pittsfield, MA and checked into the Crown Plaza. We prepared for Marie Pothier's rehearsal dinner on the top floor. There was good food, lots of drinks, and a lot of heartfelt speeches.

(I'm entering these New York entries from my paper journal I brought with me).

Jocelyn and I caught a direct flight from SEA (Seattle, WA) to EWR (Newark, NJ). We arrived around 4pm, rented a Ford Focus (wanna-be Honda Civic), and drove out to Joc's Parents' house in Amsterdam, NY. It was a 3+ hour drive. We arrived to a welcoming Pops and Momma Linda, fully supplied with Pizza from the Crystal Bar and Restaurant. It had actually only been a couple of days since they left our house in Seattle after visiting. Jocelyn misses them living on the west coast, and we always have fun hanging out with them. Plus they feed us PIZZA!