Monday in New York

Today was special because Tom and Tracy took the train in from Philly to hang with me in New York for the day. I don’t get to spend time with them that often so I was excited that they were willing to come into the city. Penny was excited to have a few new people to pet her and play fetch.

She likes me but sometimes she gives me a look that says Are you for real lady? 

Tom and Tracy were up for some walking so we headed over to the Chelsea Market. It’s in the refurbished old Nabisco Factory on the west side. The Food Network has its studios above the first floor which is open to the public, and there are all kinds of excellent food shops, restaurants and bakeries. We walked through to see all our selections and then went back to get just a few things for a snack. Tom and Tracy shared a homemade hot dog with sauerkraut from a meat shop and I had a piece of amazing margherita pizza. I’ll get back there at least once if not twice for a few bakery items before I leave town.

Chelsea Market

We were revived so next headed to my favorite New York museum The Whitney. I have blogged about it before as I try to go just about every time I’m here. I love the building, so clean and perfect for displaying art. Also lots of outdoor terraces with great west side views of the city. Tom and Tracy had never been there and they really liked it as well. The focus is on all American artists and they have exciting new exhibitions every few months. Since I’m here for awhile longer I will probably go once more. The new exhibits were very thought provoking so I need time to digest it and I’ll hopefully have some comments after I see it again. 

The Whitney

The Highline is accessible right from the Whitney so we walked on it a bit. The Highline is an old elevated train track that has been converted into a fabulous pedestrian walkway with lots of gardens, seating, artwork and food. I love when old areas are repurposed into something so cool! 

It’s cool to be up above the street! 

Tom was really craving a visit to the famous Katz’s restaurant on the lower east side so we figured out which subway we needed to take to get there and we were on our way. Katz’s has been around since 1888 so it didn’t last this long with bad food. It’s a delicatessen and very well known for corned beef and pastrami sandwiches. There is almost always a line and even though it was 2:30 in the afternoon we still had to wait about 15 minutes to get in. But worth it! If you’ve ever seen the movie “When Harry Met Sally” there is a famous scene that takes place there. 

That’s a half of corned beef sandwich! Great idea to share with someone.  

Such a fun day. Time to get back and see how Penny was doing. I guess all that playing fetch tires a girl out! 

That sweet face!  

More fun planned for tomorrow. Check back soon! 

Sunday in New York City

Today was a cooler day in NYC which was a nice relief, but cloudy and a little rainy all day. It was tempting to just stay in and cuddle with this little fur ball of love - who could blame me!

Penny sitting like a Queen!

Instead I headed out and caught the subway up to spend some time at the Museum of Modern Art, always a favorite of mine. 

Under construction for an expansion but still lots to see inside.

Since it hasn’t been that long since I was here I stuck with seeing the new exhibits that are here only a limited time. The first was a sculpture exhibit by Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957). He first exhibited in 1913 and was considered quite revolutionary for the time. I loved the beautiful simplicity of his pieces.

Top right called Fish, Bottom right Mlle Pogany - a sculpture of a woman.

Another interesting special exhibit was City Dreams by Bodys Isek Kingelez (1948-2015). An artist from The Democratic Republic of the Congo. He called himself an architect, a sculptor, engineer and artist. His work is made of everyday materials and found objects - paper, plastic, soda cans, bottle caps and commercial packaging. 

The pictures don’t do it justice. So intricate and interesting! 

The last exhibit I saw was my favorite. It was entitled The Long Run. It was quite a large exhibit of many different important artists that had the courage after they had reached success of changing their style. It showcased artists in what they called the second half of their careers. I found that really compelling and something I have been thinking about all day, because I think it can apply to anyone of us. Having the courage to do something different from what you’ve always done. Think about it!

Top - Andy Warhol, Bottom left - Joan Mitchell, Bottom right - Frank Stella. 

Next up perhaps a little browsing and lunch. Since I wasn’t too far from Bloomingdale’s flagship store just east of Central Park and we don’t have one in Kansas City I decided to head there. I had heard their food was good too! I rarely eat hamburgers but lately I have been craving them, so decided to try their restaurant called Flip, as in burgers! Lots of choices of kinds of meat including turkey and veggie, but decided to go with the standard Flip burger. The meat was a sweet brisket and it came with skinny fries. Delicious! I’m not much of a shopper but I have been thinking about changing my skincare routine and products. I think I’ve been using the some stuff since college, and no one knows better than I that my skin has aged. So when a lovely woman from Clarins approached me with an offer to show me some products I decided to hear what she had to say. It felt good so I decided to try a few things and see how I liked them over time. I’m hoping to look 10 years younger soon!

Meet Nuri! If you’re in Bloomies on 59th St she’ll be happy to help you!

Look what I walked by! No plans to try and see a show but still fun to see such an iconic place.

I did a little more walking around and happened across one of the best bookstores you could have the pleasure to shop at. The Strand was established in 1927 and such a great place. I was happy to see that it was packed. I love to read and am always happy to be with others that like to read also. 

I want to see the movie but I bought the book for some light vacation enjoyment first.

Well that was my day! Thanks for letting me share it with you😊

Lots of beautiful little spots all along the way. I love NY!

Brooklyn!

My NYC  adventure begins! Four or five years ago I was visiting Tom for a long weekend, and when I was flying home I decided when I retired something I really wanted to do was spend a few weeks in New York City living like a local. I wanted to get an apartment and have time to see all the museums, walk the neighborhoods, and eat at lots of little quaint restaurants. I knew it could be a reality so I made up my mind and here it is happening. The perfect opportunity fell into my lap. Tom and Anna are leaving for Europe and needed someone to watch their amazing pooch. I was like Horshack In Welcome Back Kotter (google it) with my arm raised in the air waving it wildly! Pick me! Pick me! Luckily they did so let me introduce you to my gal pal Penny! The Penny🐶 and Patti🙋🏼‍♀️ Amazing NYC Adventure begins tomorrow! 

The adorable Penny!

Since my duties don’t begin until tomorrow I took the opportunity today to make some stops in Brooklyn that have been on my list. First up - Prospect Park. Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s answer to Central Park. Not quite as big - about  two thirds the size but lots of great green space. It was a beautiful but humid day. 70% humidity so it looked like I had showered in my clothes within the hour. There is a reason people here wear mostly black or white shirts. They can’t see you sweat in them! Noted!

Prospect Park - a lake and waterfalls. Lots of kids playing too.

Across the street from one of the entrances to Prospect Park is this beautiful arch. It’s called Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. It was dedicated in 1892 and really quite impressive. It is in honor of the defenders of the union. 

Reminded me of the Arc of Triomphe in Paris.

Next up was the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Got there and found out Friday mornings are free entry - bonus! I am the first to admit I don’t know a thing about flowers, plants or really anything that grows, so my intention was to just take a quick walk through. They have a great discovery area for kids, an herb garden, rock garden, rose garden, lily pond, conservatory, visitors center and quite a large general green space. I spent about an hour there and it was very pleasant.

Lots of different species of lily’s In the ponds.

I am really a museum person so my main focus was getting to the Brooklyn Art Museum and it exceeded my expectations.

Such a gorgeous building! 

I had such a great time there. Five floors and some really interesting exhibits. My favorite was one of the smaller installations, but I found it fascinating. It is called Disappeared Quipu by Cecilia Vicuña.  The Quipu is a knotted-cord device used by the Inca (1400-1532) and earlier Andean cultures. It was a system of communication when there was no formal written language and delivered both administrative and narrative meaning. How and where the knots occurred delivered specific information which scholars today are still trying to understand. 

Quipu

The third floor gallery is mostly European art, and has this gorgeous atrium right in the center.

The fifth floor had a really interesting exhibit of American art but intermingled with it was a special collection of work by Rob Wynn of molten glass called FLOAT. It was fun to round a corner and see up on the wall some of his work next to a much more traditional work of art.

Really pretty in person. 

I spent close to three hours there which included getting a bite for lunch. Definitely recommend a visit if you are in NY and have time to get over to Brooklyn. On my way back I walked past the Brooklyn Library which was super impressive. 

Right across from Prospect Park. 

Dinner in the West Village with Anna and Tom at an awesome restaurant called The Clam.  

Top to bottom - Char with a beet salad, Linguine and clams, Steak and asparagus. We also shared delicious sides of Heirloom tomatoes, Roasted corn and the most incredible dinner rolls. 

Always something fun to see in NYC! 

Lots of fun things planned for my visit here. Living like a local......dog and all! Check back soon for the Patti🙋🏼‍♀️ and Penny🐶 update.

Packing List and Tips

I have been asked repeatedly for suggestions on how to travel in a carryon since my trip to Europe for a month where I accomplished exactly that. It is not only possible but easy and makes travel more pleasant since you’re not hauling a huge suitcase everywhere with you. And since you have fewer choices it makes it easier to get dressed - bonus! The most important thing to remind yourself is that no one really cares what you are wearing - travel is about what you are experiencing - not how you look. And no one is keeping track of how many times you wore it! 

First of all you need the right supplies. The current maximum size suitcase on a domestic flight is 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches, and that must include the wheels and handle. Some international flights allow a slightly larger size but just get one that will work on domestic flights to be sure. I have a Travelpro Max-lite 4 22 inch roller bag. Travelpro is a common choice of pilots, flight attendants and airline employees so I thought that was a good recommendation.

Me with my Travelpro. You can see it comes about to my knees.

I got my suitcase and many of my travel supplies from a great website called eBags.com. Go to the website and sign up for their emails. They will email you everyday with a 25 or 30% discount on anything on the site, and they have great sales all the time. Never pay full price for anything. Tomorrow you will get an email offering you a discount. True!

Another thing I highly recommend are getting some packing cubes. You can also get these from the eBags site. They come in lots of different sizes but the medium and small are the most versatile - the large are too big for a carryon. The packing cubes help you pack efficiently and keep outfits or like items together. For example you can keep all your shirts in one cube, underwear and socks in another etc. and your clothing gets way less wrinkled. This has been a huge help to me when I’m staying in a small space or with other people and you don’t have anywhere to unpack into or no time to do it. You can just pull out the packing cube you need and everything else stays nicely in the suitcase.

Medium size is 13.75x9.75x3 and small is 11x6.75x3

What takes up the most space in your suitcase? Shoes! You need to take two pair and a pair of flip flops. One pair should be a pair of very comfortable walking shoes or gym shoes. If they are gym shoes they should preferably be solid black. Black gym shoes look much nicer than colorful ones so that makes them more versatile. The other pair should also be very comfortable but able to be worn for something a little dressier. I have a pair of gray slip on loafers that are labeled a walking shoe. I can wear them out for a nice dinner or on an all day walking tour if necessary. Don’t take anything you haven’t totally broken in. You don’t want to find out on a trip that they give you blisters. That will ruin your day for sure. That’s it for shoes!

As far as clothing - think one basic neutral color scheme. Either black/gray/white or browns and tan. Everything needs to go with everything. That way you can just wear what’s fairly clean, emphasis on fairly clean. Unless you are working out or running lots of miles your clothes are not getting dirty and you can wear them multiple times before they need to be washed. Especially jeans. You shouldn’t be washing your jeans hardly ever - which makes them a great travel choice.

The List: 

* 3 pairs of pants (and that includes the ones you are wearing) Preferably 2 jeans and one pair of nice neutral ones

* 2 pairs of shorts  

*  6 shirts - 3 long sleeve and 3 short sleeve

* 1 pretty blouse for going out

* 1 cardigan

* 1 light weight rain jacket

* 1 pair workout pants or capris

* 1 pair of pajamas ( only one!) 

* 1 swim suit

* 1 scarf to dress up your tshirts

* 5 pairs of underwear (Try ExOfficio Travel underwear - wash in the sink and dries fast) 

* 6 pairs of socks - 3 for gym shoes and 3 for the other shoes (pack them in your shoes)

* 1 hat - straw, baseball, visor etc. 

*  jacket/coat - I usually bring my jean jacket. It can be worn anywhere!

* Travel size toiletries  

You can adapt this list depending on where or when you are going. If you know you will only need pants just bring an extra pair instead of the shorts. Same with shirts. Go with all long sleeve and a warmer sweater. If you need a heavier coat than skip the jacket and light weight rain coat. 

Other things that you want to bring: 

* portable phone/computer charger

* hand wipes

* Travel Kleenex  

* plastic bags - a few assorted sizes, gallon, quart, snack ( you can put wet or damp things in so they don’t get your other things wet.  

* Travel clothesline (available at Travel store and needs no clothes pins) 

* Travel laundry detergent strips

* sewing kit

* travel umbrella

* adaptors if leaving the US

* rubber door stop for security in an Airbnb

* light weight gloves

* money belt or secure cross body purse

* pashmina or shawl for the airplane or restaurants

If you like wash cloths and are going to Europe most hotels and Airbnb’s don’t have them available. Bring one or two of your old ones and keep them in a plastic bag and when you are heading home just throw them in the trash. 

In your personal item put your travel documents, iPad or computer, book to read, passport, etc.

That’s my list! I hope it helps you travel lighter but still have everything you need for a fun and memorable trip. I’m keeping this list handy since I’m leaving very soon on my next adventure! Check back to read about that soon😊 

• This is an addition to my original post because when I wrote this in 2018 these didn’t exist. Or at least I was unaware of them. Cell phones are one of the most commonly stolen items while traveling and we all depend on them so much now between boarding passes, GPS, etc. So this phone lanyard has brought me so much peace of mind. I attach typically the wrist strap to my crossbody bag and if someone tries to grab my phone and run they will be taking me with them. Very easy to use, but you must have your phone in a case for it to attach. There are lots of choices but this is the one I have. Available on Amazon and probably other places as well.

Big Chicago Finish!

Instead of slowing down activities as I wound up my visit to Chicago - I went into overdrive! Three good friends from KC - well one lives in Des Moines now but we all know each other from KC - flew up on Thursday morning and the next two and a half days were action packed. We kept track of our steps and had a wager on what our total would be. No one won because we exceeded all our predictions- so I guess you could say we all won. We logged over 30 miles and not a single complaint. You ladies were awesome! So here goes - 3 Blonds and a Brunette!

We booked an AirBnb in one of my favorite neighborhoods - Old Town. So close to everything but a real neighborhood feel. We had the coach house behind a beautiful brownstone on N. Hudson.  

The beautiful brownstone.

The door to our coach house just behind the brownstone. It was perfect for us! Two bedrooms, living room and kitchen - very nicely decorated and clean.  

Time for lunch since we couldn’t check into the coachhouse till 4. We stayed in the area and had a great lunch at a place called the Summer House. Very open and fun inside and the food was very good. As soon as you walk in you see an amazing display of cookies. That got my interest for sure. 

Kicking off a fun weekend with wine! And a cookie! 

We browsed the shops on Webster and Armitage until we could get in to the AirBnb - and then headed there to get settled in and change for a fun night. When in Chicago one must eat pizza so we headed to one of my old favorites, Ranalli’s on Lincoln Ave. 

Garlic knots, salad and a sausage pizza. 

Then we headed to the famous Second City!! The vast majority of Saturday Night Live cast past and present have come through Second City so to say its famous in the comedy world is an understatement. And it’s easy to buy the tickets in advance on the Internet. No reserved seats so the show starts at 8 but it’s best to get there between 7:15 and 7:30. We did and got seated in the second row! 

We all had a great time and thought the show was very funny. And almost 3 hours long! The third act is all improv which is really fun.  

Keeping an eye on the cast to see if any make it to NYC! 

Friday morning we headed out to Nookies for breakfast. It’s right on Wells and is legendary.

Now that’s an omelet!

Everyone had on comfortable shoes because the extreme walking began. Off through Lincoln Park heading for shopping on Michigan Ave. 

Ready to shop on a beautiful day in Chicago!

There is a special art exhibit on display on Michigan Ave called Lighthouses on the Mag Mile. Reminiscent of the famous painted cows only lighthouses because the organization putting it on is the Chicago Lighthouse - a world renowned social service organization serving the blind, disabled, visually impaired and Veteran communities. The lighthouses will be auctioned off to benefit the group. There are 51 total and I think we saw about 40 of them. Very cool!

We all had our favorites. 

Shelly’s favorite - Be Happy

Shopping! My two favorite stores - UNIQLO and Zara. Great prices and fun clothing. There is a possibility we all bought the same shirt - just in a different color😉

We made a stop at Eataly which is just east of Michigan Ave on Ohio. Combo restaurants and shopping. All Italian and all delicious! We were going to get a bite there but it was pretty crowded and we didn’t have a lot of time. Shake Shack was right across the street and getting a burger to eat on the go seemed like a better idea. Shake Shack has wonderful burgers, fries, shakes etc. Maybe coming to your town soon. It started with one location in NYC in a park and has exploded all over the country.  The one in KC is under construction and will hopefully open in the fall.

I don’t eat many burgers but this one is great. I also love the black and white shake but used restraint.

We needed to head back to the coachhouse to get ready for our evening, but passed through Rush St on the way. So many memories! The Lodge! Butch McGuires! Shenanigans! That was the place to be when I got out of college. Not sure it still is but it’s there and looking great.

Thank goodness the walls can’t talk!

The ladies impressed me with their ability to get ready fast, and when our Uber arrived we headed out for our big night. First stop was dinner at Volare. An Italian restaurant in the Streeterville area that has been there for over 20 years. The food is always great and for Chicago it’s not too expensive. 

A great salad and half order of risotto with chicken and peas. Glad I didn’t order a full order! 

Now time to head to Hamilton!! So excited to finally see it. I was worried that with all the hype I would be disappointed but not in the least. The minute it ended I said to myself, I want to see it again! Everyone loved it and we couldn’t stop talking about it. Definitely a trip highlight for me.

  4 excited ladies!

We walked back up Michigan Ave and treated ourselves to a couple of pieces of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory to share. What a fun day!

 One more day and still lots we want to do. Up early and heading for breakfast. Along the way guess what we see??

Jayhawks are everywhere!

I have heard so much about the 3 Arts Cafe on Dearborn so was glad the girls were up for trying it. It’s located in a beautiful building that also houses the Restoration Hardware Store. They don’t take reservations and I was told to get there before they open if you don’t want a long wait so that’s what we did. There were probably 30 people in line ahead of us when we got there about 9:45 for the 10 AM opening, but when they opened we were In the first group seated.

Waiting to get in. A spectacular space!

Not sure why the flowery head wreath but it fit in perfectly so I had to take her picture. Bridal brunch maybe? 

The food was very good but it’s really the venue that is the draw. I am not a bacon fan but we all shared an order and it was really excellent. 

Eggs with creme fraiche and avocado. And a donut to share for dessert!

Now we are off for a lake walk to Navy Pier. A must if you visit Chicago. A ride on the big Ferris wheel!

Lots of people enjoying the lakefront. 

Fun with friends!

Next up water taxi ride. Since I did the Architectural Boat Tour the week before we decided just to take the water taxi from Navy Pier to downtown and I could narrate what I remembered. Pretty sure I didn’t do that great of a job but it’s fun to see the buildings from the water, and it got us downtown fast.

It’s happy hour so we head off to Cindy’s in the Chicago Athletic Club Hotel. They have a wonderful rooftop bar with a great view of Millenium Park and the Art Institute.

Top left picture - you can see the rooftop bar! It was crowded but people were very nice.

It was too crowded and busy to get a bite to eat so we went a few doors down to the Gage. I had eaten there the week before with Sue and thought the food was good. We got seated right away and had a nice early dinner since we hadn’t eaten since brunch. 

Cheeses, wedge salad, burger and fries. We shared them all.

Another trip over to Millenium Park. 

Shelly holding up the bean!

Buckingham Fountian  

We had tentatively planned to go to hear the Chicago Symphony play in Grant Park and then catch the fireworks on Navy Pier but we were running out of gas. So instead we walked up Michigan Ave and stopped at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Store in the Wrigley building and got some ice cream - and free chocolate! There are two stores in Chicago both on Michigan Ave. The other is up by Water Tower and we might have hit each store twice! Yumm!

Our last stop was at the John Hancock Building to go up to the Signature Room on the 95th floor for a drink. And to enjoy the spectacular view of the city at night. Much better to go up and buy a drink then pay to go to the Observation Deck on the 94th floor and get no drink. Totally a tourist thing to do but fun anyway.

Look closely at the lower right picture and you can see the swimming pools on the roofs of the buildings!

We Ubered back to the coachhouse and fell into bed. Sunday breakfast with Keeley and Matt at Spinning J and we said goodbye to Chicago. Such a fun time with good friends. Great travel partners - can’t wait to plan another trip together! 

Next post will be the long promised and much requested packing list. Check back soon and I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer!