NoHo Field Trip Part 3: M&J Trims and Times Square

Off to M&J Trims in the garment district to get some edging for Isabelle's bib. They have EV-ER-Y-THING for trimming and handbag hardware, millinery doo-dads, tassels and ribbons. Overwhelming. Completely overwhelming.

An obligatory stop at the Apple store. One of each please.


Shopping for finger puppets for another cousin from a street vendor. A silly dispute over which was Yoda and which was Shrek. I wanted neither, but some days these kiddoes can argue over ANYTHING! We bought a generic monkey for Cousin and moved on.

S. Coveting some running shoes at the Adidas store.

When we said we were leaving SoHo (derived from SOuth of HOuston) someone asked, "Now where? NoHo??." Logical. There must be something north of Houston.
Love that.

NoHo Field Trip Part 2: NYC Library

Between The Lions.

The Reading Room.
And after that we took a brisk walk to The Times Square Toys'R'Us Store with its ferris wheel and mobs of shoppers for a mini-shopping spree with Christmas money. Followed by a mild panic attack for Mommy...M. doesn't like to hold hands much and well, it is Times Square. Clearly not designed with a family of 7 in mind. Easy for a maternal imagination to migrate from a released hand-hold to a lost child to human trafficking. Perfectly legitimate concerns. A ride on Daddy's shoulders-the best solution.

Time for a relaxing dinner in the back room at The Heartland Brewery. Bellies filled, we joined the line of cars in the Lincoln Tunnel headed to the more sedate life of South Jersey. NYC...a nice place to visit...

NoHo Field Trip Part 1: Bryant Park

Just some sweet shots of a whimsical carousel in Bryant Park, alongside the skate pond.
Those too cool to ride.

Those who ride and look cool anyway.

Not pictured: The Banker who was looking for parking. He would represent those without whom the ride would not be possible. You only go around once in life- enjoy the ride!

SoHo Field Trip Part 2: Russ and Daughters Appetizers

And then there was a stop at Russ and Daughters Appetizers for a little lunch. Our N., the gourmet and seafood lover wanted to try their exceptional delicacies, settling on a sampling of the sturgeon rather than chub.

The most unique sides and salads, fabulous bagels voted the best by those who know such things.

Tight quarters, but great food and legacy.

SoHo Field Trip Part 1: Purl SoHo and Purl Patchwork

A little eye candy here. We took to the crew for a day in Manhattan to do some exploring, and went to SoHo for the first time.

One destination was inspired by one of my more innocuous New Year's resolutions: Knit SOMETHING. I caught the knitting bug from Sarah's blog and need to get going. Purl Soho and Purl Patchwork are sister stores just a few doors apart. Their shops are as enchanting as their websites, which have such great free downloadable tutorials. I would describe them as pastel hobbit holes, full of customers bearing that eccentric and ethereal knitting air about them; colorful and multi-textured and free-spirited. I'm profiling, I know. Please know that I mean all of these things as compliments!

I felt a little self conscious walking into the place with my copy of Knitting for Dummies under my arm. I'm not kidding.
Haven't uploaded pics of purchases yet. Will Do. I may need some accountability here.

Patiently waiting.

Got the sweetest Japanese fabric, Kokka, for a bib for a brand new little cousin in Germany.
I am in love with all of their prints and need to track down some cheaper yardages. Ebay maybe?

Therapy

The last two weeks have been extraordinarily full, which is sayin' somethin' around here. Thus the bloggy lull. At times like these I get pretty whiney, leaving The Banker at a loss. Today after church he told me that what I needed was to go by myself to Longwood Gardens and have a meal in their yummy restaurant. He was almost exactly right, just forgetting that there are few things which I like to do all alone.

So I grabbed one of my favorite sons; the one I hardly get to see these days because of his basketball talents. (He won the game for his team recently, by the way. One of those last minute, all-net shots where the entire gym holds its breath with anticipation.) Anyway, he dutifully went along and even let me hold his arm from time to time, practicing in case I ever get to be the eccentric old lady that I am in training to become.

We listened to separate music on the way, but the company was great.

My Music. One of the very few Christmas songs I like.


His Music. I like it too, makes me run faster in the morning.

We ate THIS. Chester County Mushroom Soup.

We saw THIS.

And THIS.

I took THESE along, but never did read them. Reading is over-rated anyway.

We posed HERE. Such a nice boy.

We shopped HERE on the way home.

The boy honestly thought this hairband was a fancy sleep mask.

So now I've got my color fix and we're ready to face another week of Christmas prep. Hope to catch up on the bloggy lull right away.