Christmastime in NYC

I've spent maybe 2 Christmas-times away from family because of work.  This is the first Christmas I chose to stay away and be in NYC with Elisa.  It wasn't an easy decision but I thought it was time to make our own traditions and be on our own.  Luckily, Elisa thought the same thing.  We ended up doing very different things from what our family does (but incorporated some of what they do).  My mom makes tamales every Christmas Eve and as a family, we open our presents late on Christmas Eve.  It was a big family event.

This year, Elisa and I did some last minute shopping on Christmas Eve day.  As a surprise, she bought some tamales from a Mexican shop up in Spanish Harlem.  We ate tamales and then ended up going to church at 11pm.  It was a beautiful service.  We opened up one gift and then headed to our local pub, Ryan's Daughter.

Christmas day was spent opening gifts and reminiscing about Christmas' past.  Dinner was pre-cooked and Elisa warmed it up. It was nice;  different but nice.  I have to say it was a Christmas I will not soon forget.

I can't wait to make more memories and traditions with Elisa.

-Carlos

Fall is in the air...

I think everyone knows I love the seasons... which is why I couldn't see myself stay in Tampa.  Down there, it was only two seasons.. hot or really hot!   But here in NYC, I experience all the seasons and I love it.  

Most of you might know that I walk my 2 miles to work almost every morning from the Upper East Side to the Upper West Side cutting through Central Park on my way to work.  It's even more of a treat if I can walk home from work (unless it's pouring raining or just too damned hot!).  

Central Park Mall (taken Oct 2011 early morning)

Anyways, on my way to work last week, I noticed Bethesda Fountain was not running anymore. Central Park starts closing all their fountains down for the winter season.  I assume it's so the water doesn't freeze in the fountains and pipes.  Either way, it's a time of season I love and miss.  Fall is here and they are preparing for Winter snow!  

Bethesda Fountain 2010

The colder it gets in Central Park, the less people and tourists are around.  Now that's my favorite time to walk through and get it all to myself (maybe with a few hundred others instead of thousands).  

Another sign of Fall is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  As I write this blog, that day is tomorrow.  And as tradition goes, the day before the parade, the Upper West Side of Manhattan is full of families walking by the balloons filling up with air to float the next day.

Balloons being blown up for the parade, 2011

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I hope everyone has a great time with family and friends.

-Carlos

AMC TV and Halloween

I like holidays and that includes Halloween.  But is Halloween a real holiday?  Anyways, what's also great about Halloween (besides brisk cool air, fallen leaves, and Oktoberfest) is the 30 nights of Frightfest on AMC TV.  Ask anyone who really knows me and they will tell you I HATE scary movies.  I will not see a scary movie in a theater at all; not even in the daytime.  But AMC has the cheesiest  horror movies--- from the 80's,  90's, and even the 2000's.  Where else can you see a young Jen Aniston  act horrifically in Leprechaun or every cheesy made-for-tv movie from Stephen King?  But I will say this-- I LOVE the Halloween franchise!  Me, a case of cheap beer, and a marathon off all things Michael Myers-- and I'm happy!  (with the exception of Halloween III--really??).  

So the big question- what will I be for Halloween this year?  Elisa wants to be the E-TRADE babies, an idea I am not a fan of.  It's Tuesday and we have until the weekend to decide.  If anyone actually reads my posts, please give me some ideas!!!

-Carlos

Last Saturday night!

Wow!  Where do I begin? Last Saturday was an eclectic mix of a casual upstate drive, classy dinner and raunchy afterparty!  We started the day driving to Cold Spring, NY, a nice sleepy town with antiques galore and a picturesque  view of the Hudson River.  We had lunch at The Depot, an old train depot dressed up in the Halloween spirit.  After our late lunch, we roamed the antique stores and then started our hour drive back to NYC.

After our trip back, we relaxed at home then off to dinner at Riverpark, a nice restaurant off FDR drive in midtown Manhattan.  This place was classy!  We opted to have dinner outside on the patio; what a great idea since the whole time we were there, no one else sat outside! Okay, it was a bit chilly but Elisa had a nice heat lamp behind her and I had a jacket on. The food was DELICIOUS!  If you know me, I'm not a foodie-- but I really enjoyed the food.  (On a side note, I think the food tasting we did in Michigan for our wedding reception made me appreciate food.  Now I'm always on the lookout for other good places to eat!)  I really couldn't have asked for a better place that night!

Patio at Riverpark Restaurant

We had an opportunity to meet up with my old boss from my old ABC station, WFTS Tampa, but he was with his family in Times Square and with the Occupy Wall Street movement marching into Times Square, he was boxed in.  So we took advantage and met up with our longtime friends, Bob and Cecilia, for drinks.  Afterwards, the real party started....

Boss Tweed's --thanks to New York On Tap for the pic!

We took a cab to Boss Tweeds, a dive bar in the LES (Lower East Side for you non-Manhattan-ites).  This was an "invite only" party and I could understand why!  Women dancing on the bar, women playing with fire, and women using power hand saws and making things sparkle all over!  You had to be there to believe it!  This was the most unusual night I have spent in NYC, which is why I love this town!

What will this weekend hold?  Only the city knows!

-Carlos

New Blog!

Hi all!
So hopefully people will start following us on this blog and see what we are up to!
Here's to a new beginning!

-Carlos