A week's residence in NYC

I spent several days and many hours researching hotels for my trip to NYC.  Even though I was going to be in hotel most of the week for work, I had to be mindful of spending the state's resources.  I wanted to be sure I was getting a decent hotel at a good price.  Some of the decisions I had to make included staying in a chain hotel vs a "boutique" hotel, staying near the training vs a more central location for visiting friends, and going with a refundable vs non-refundable rate.  Many of the better deals in NYC require that you pay up front and I wasn't about to do that until my flight was booked and my registration was processed.

Knowing I wanted to be on a subway line that was an easy trip to the training, I ended up monitoring the price of the Hilton in Chelsea because I had 4 subway options to choose from. Unfortunately, the prices kept fluctuating from $106-140/nt and I was simultaneously bidding on Priceline hotels daily, hoping to get less than $100/nt deal.  My over analyzing was making the booking process a challenge.

During one of my searches a new hotel popped up on Booking.com for a studio apartment hotel rental for $119/nt + tax.  The location was ideally located 1.5 miles from the training and 2 blocks from Union Square and many subway lines.  I was intrigued by the photos previous guests had taken and I loved the idea of having a small kitchen area for breakfast, snacks, and a place to store and heat up leftovers.  The site indicated there was one 1 room left, so I somewhat hastily booked it (I'm pretty sure that is a ploy because booking.com said the hotel was booked through Saturday but the front desk told me they had room if I wanted to stay another night).

While a hasty reservation is not usually my style, the search was becoming exhausting and I was running out of time.  Thankfully, the hotel turned out to be a great place to stay.  I won't say it was the best place I've ever stayed, but I think it was a good value and had a lot of great things about it. When I arrived at the hotel, I wasn't thrilled about carrying my luggage up 2 flights of stairs to the 3rd floor, but thankfully my parents were in town and helped me "move in."  I had also been warned about this and it was very clear on the website when I reserved the room.

The stairs leading up to my 3rd floor walk-up

Because the hotel isn't a chain or a typical accommodation, I had to work with the staff to get a receipt that reflected my total cost and would be reimbursable by the state.  Thankfully, they were able to do what was necessary to show my costs were paid and once I walked into my room, I was pleasantly surprised at the decor, cleanliness, and size of my "apartment."

My spacious studio apartment 

The kitchen and it's basic necessities

 The small fridge, and "closet" area

The bed

The simple Ikea furniture gave the room a modern look, while the radiators, hardwood floors, and trim reminded me that I was in an old building in NYC.  The apartment provided me with lots of coffee and tea and a coffee pot and hot water kettle to easily prepare these beverages.  I would have liked a few more decaffeinated tea options, but I didn't care so much about it to ask.  The microwave served its purpose in heating up leftovers one night, and the small refrigerator allowed me to keep the few items I wanted from spoiling.

One of the things I take great notice of is the water pressure in the shower.  I would have preferred a better showering experience, with more water pressure and instant hot water, but I was only slightly inconvenienced.  Where I had the biggest challenge was with sleeping.  The sheets were fresh and clean, but were very strongly scented.  I kept trying to "air out" the bed, but it took a few days for the fragrance to dissipate. The pillow was also a bit too soft for my liking and I wished the company took the idea from hotels to offer "soft" and "firm" pillows.  And worse of all, the building next door was under construction, so I was woken up at 7:15am every morning.  In NC I would have been fine getting up that early, but I quickly fell into the "late to bed, late to rise" NYC lifestyle.  Knowing I would be on a major road (5th ave) in NYC, I used earplugs and a mask at night.  The mask was helpful because NYC has a constant glow - especially if your room faces the street.  I don't know if the earplugs were necessary, but they would always fall out sometime during the night, so they didn't help at 7:15am.

One of the best things about the hotel was that I was "in the middle of it all."  I walked the 1.5 miles to and from the training pretty much every day, and walked to dinner in the evenings (even getting up to 46th and 9th was only 2 miles).  My commute was fun because I got to see the change in people and atmosphere from the NYC crowd in Washington Square Park, to the posh shops in Soho, and finally making my way into the more "business" area of Tribeca.  It was also cool to spend my training days in the building right next to where Colin went to law school.

I don't know if the "hotel" will go up in price once there is no longer any construction next door.  But if it remains in the low $100s/night, it is a great deal.  I will certainly look for it the next time I'm in the city and the only thing I will change will be to ask if they can use a hypoallergenic detergent for my sheets.  If you love lavender scented sheets, soft pillows, and don't mind low water pressure, a 3rd floor walkup, and only 1 stovetop burner, this place is definitely like living in a studio apartment for a little more than the cost of NYC rent (wait, you can get a studio apartment in Union Square for less than $3900/month, right?).  Some of you might need to correct me on here if I'm wrong.

Where is the best place you've ever stayed in NYC?

North Carolina Launches Helpful Healthy Shopping Videos

There is so much more I need to post about my trip to NYC, but I had to share this first...

One of the cool projects I worked on at NC State University was launched online this week and I wanted to share it with you because it is awesome!

There is a really wonderful website in North Carolina called My Eat Smart Move More (http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/) that provides lots of tools and tips to help people eat better. It supports some of the curricula used statewide (the most popular is "Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less)." But it is a great resource for anyone trying to eat and live better.

If you go to the website, you'll see a grocery store shopping cart and a link to "Aisle by Aisle" (http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/AisleByAisle.html).

The link brings you to a page with 12 videos (or aisles) from the grocery store. I wrote four of the video scripts and did quite a bit of work on the pocket sized guide (also available on that page). But, there was a whole team of us that worked together for almost a year to create this.

I am really excited because I think the videos can be really helpful for people who want to buy better food for themselves and their families. I hope those of you looking for something like this find them helpful.

Here is the press release from the NC Department of Health:
New Videos Help Grocery Shoppers Buy Healthier Foods

RALEIGH – A healthy diet starts in the grocery store, but knowing what to choose when you get there can be challenging. The N.C. Division of Public Health in collaboration with N.C. Cooperative Extension has created Aisle by Aisle: Choosing Foods Wisely – a series of 12 free online videos to help North Carolinians navigate their grocery store aisles.

The video series helps grocery shoppers with simple tips on making better choices when buying food for themselves and their families.

“Most people know they should eat a healthy diet to prevent disease and promote good health, but there is still a gap between what we know and what we do,” said Dr. Ruth Petersen, chief of the Chronic Disease and Injury Section in the Division of Public Health. “The videos provide great take-along messages with specific information about how to make smart choices for yourself and your family.”

Each video is approximately two minutes long and covers tips on how to shop, read nutrition labels and understand ingredient lists. Video hosts provide a range of choices to help consumers feel confident when buying and eating healthier food items.

“These videos were designed to specifically improve grocery shopper confidence in making better choices in food purchases,” said Dr. Carolyn Dunn, a nutrition specialist with N.C. Cooperative Extension. “They also help shoppers reach the goal of cooking and eating more meals at home – an important strategy for managing weight and controlling sodium, fat and sugar.”

The video series can be found on www.MyEatSmartMoveMore.com. Each video is accompanied by a tip sheet that provides specific tips for each aisle in the grocery store, from frozen foods to bread and snacks. The tip sheets are free to download and are sized to fit into a purse, pocket or coupon book for ready reference.

Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina is a statewide movement that promotes increased opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray. The N.C. Division of Public Health works to prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer, some of the leading causes of premature death and disability among North Carolinians. For more information on healthful eating and active lifestyles, visit www.MyEatSmartMoveMore.com.

NC Cooperative Extension helps individuals, families, and communities put research-based knowledge to work to improve their lives. Contact NC Cooperative Extension’s Family and Consumer Sciences online at www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/F&N.html.

Did you check out any of the videos?
What do you think about them?
Are they useful to you?

Back in NYC part 1

When I was offered an opportunity to go back to NYC for a work training, I was ecstatic.  Yes, NYC is cold in February and I'd have to spend most of the work week using my brain.  But, I looked forward to having dinner with friends, enjoying the weekends before and after the training, and just walking around the city.

I had one of the most amazing travel experiences getting to the city on a Saturday morning.  I literally left my house in North Carolina at 7:10am, arrived at the airport at 7:25am, walked up to the kiosk to get my ticket, walked through the process of security in a matter of minutes, got a coffee, used the bathroom and when I got to the gate, was able to board right away.  The 10-15 minutes I waited for us to take off gave me time to stow away my bags and gather the essentials for the trip, which included a pen, the sudoku puzzle in the airline magazine, and headphones.  After the smooth takeoff, we had a very smooth 50 minute flight along the eastern coast.  Sitting on the left side of the plane allowed me to see the Chesapeake Bay, Philadelphia, the Jersey Turnpike and the Manhattan Skyline.  We literally flew in a straight path along the coast, over brooklyn and queens to LaGuardia airport.  It was fun to identify Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn; the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro Bridges; McCarren Park, and all the major buildings in Manhattan as we descended.  Outside of the airport, a cab was readily available and since it was still before 10am, I reached the upper west side by 10:15am.  I was amazed at the 3 hour door-to-door service!

My friend and former teammate, Jenny, served as my hostess on Saturday and we enjoyed preparing a delicious brunch that included banana-nut muffins, a ham and cheese quiche, and a salad.  We also walked from her upper east side apartment to the Flatiron District to do some shopping and have dessert and hot chocolate at The City Bakery.  I've never had such rich hot chocolate in my life - and I choose hot chocolate that was half milk!!

After enjoying the beautiful day, we climbed the 5 flights of stairs to her 6th floor walk-up and prepared ourselves for an evening out with some of our teammates.  Galway Hooker was our destination for dinner and drinks.  It was a nice outing and felt great to catch up on the lives of my friends.  When the pub got too loud and was no longer conducive to talking in a normal voice, we decided it was time to go.

Earlier there were 7 girls, but one girl left and Steve joined us

I'm sure he enjoyed this scenario

One thing about NYC apartments is that people are good at doing more with less.  I wish I had taken some photos of my friend's apartment to show you how creative she, and many others, are in NYC.  I slept comfortably on the futon and enjoyed the warmth that radiated from the furnaces. It is going to be difficult to get back to my house in North Carolina, which we keep at 58 degrees at night!

Sunday was another enjoyable day where my parents came to visit me in the city. They took Megabus from Providence to NYC, and used the bus' free wifi to e-mail me the details of their trip as they traveled (yea - my parents are pretty hip!).

We decided to check out the World Trade Center area and were pleasantly surprised that we didn't need advance tickets to get into the Memorial (they were not busy, so we got standby tickets).  I was amazed at how much has been done - even though there is still a lot to do.  I think the Memorial fountains were tastefully done and walking around brought out mixed feelings.  There is always a deep sadness and some anger about what happened on September 11, 2001, but the Memorial offered me an opportunity to value the lives that were lost on the planes, in the buildings, and among the first responders.  I look forward to the day all those blocks of lower Manhattan are rebuilt and people can walk freely up to the Memorial lost in their own thoughts.

The Freedom Tower still under construction 

The Museum still under construction

One of the completed Memorial fountains

Overall, it was a wonderful start to my 10 days in the city.  I didn't have an opportunity to feel like I was in the city alone - not that you can ever really feel alone in this huge city!  Having friends around and my family visit allowed me to quickly reconnect to a place that was once my home.

What helps you reconnect to the places you've lived when you come back?

Four rainy days with Darwin

When Colin went to New Orleans for a conference last week, I was left by myself with Darwin for 4 full days.  It would not have been so bad if it wasn't for the bad weather.  I'll admit, it could have been worse (like getting the snow all our family and friends received up north).  But still, having a dog tracking wet, muddy paws in the house (a house that still has carpeting) is a challenge.

I kept trying to get him to sit still to wipe his paws each time he came in, but he loves to run full blast from outside - slamming the door open and bringing those wet paws with him.  I did a lot of vaccumming, and spot treating the carpet and exhibited a great deal of patience each time a paw print showed itself on the floor.  My type A personality was definitely put to the test!

I've also been trying to walk him in the mornings and after work to tire him out.  We have gotten into a routine of taking a 15-20 minute walk in the morning (the "take care of business" walk), and then a 3 mile (about 45 min-1 hour) walk in the evenings.

Darwin loves to carry the biggest stick he can find on our daily walks

Even with those walks, Darwin has what Colin and I refer to as "crazy time" in the evenings (usually closer to 10-11pm) no matter how much exercise we do during the day.  Our common joke when Darwin is passed out on the couch is that he is "resting up for crazy time."

The "resting up for crazy time" hour.

If you've followed the blog before or read some of my posts on Facebook, you know that Darwin has experienced some stomach issues on and off since September.  We think he's eating acorns in the back yard.  He loves to chew on elements of nature (sticks, acorns, pine cones), and he loves drinking water from puddles and the bird bath.  With the sticks and pine cones, he leaves a chewed up mess, but with the acorns we only find the outer shell. With all the rain, I also tried keeping him away from pooled water.  Although his stomach was upset 1 or 2 days while Colin was away, I am so grateful there were no messy crate cleanups.  A cleanup is definitely a 2 person operation. Colin's responsibility is to clean the crate and I give Darwin a bath.  For the past 9 months, I have frequently felt like we are caring for a young child!

On that note, I'll also share with you that Darwin just celebrated his 1st birthday on January 5th!  We hope this second year brings him out of the high-energy puppy phase.  I'm ready for the crazy time that includes chewing, barking, and sprinting to be reduced to a minimum (or at least earlier than bedtime).

One element of crazy time includes chewing. 

While Colin was away, the chew toy was the towel I used to wipe his paws.  I've been trying to get it on video, because it's actually pretty funny to see him grab the towel and jerk his head side to side with it in a very rapid motion.  I will admit we aren't the hardest disciplinarians.  While crazy time can be really annoying, it is often very amusing.

It's so hard to discipline this face too often!

Every new beginning...

....comes from some other beginning's end.

I've gotten pretty good at transitioning from one job to another, but it is never easy.  This week I said "goodbye" to some colleagues as I left one job and said "hello" to new colleagues as I began a new job.

Every transition brings with it some excitement and some sadness.  There are usually some good things and some bad things you leave behind and good things and bad things that await you.  There are people you hate to leave behind and others you are very glad to not see regularly.  There are projects you wish you could keep working on and projects you're glad someone else will take over.

I'll admit that I don't particularly like the transition period.  I want to know what I need to do off the bat.  I hate spending all day trying to figure out how to complete one project because I don't know how to send a fax, or don't have the copier code, or I have to figure out the filing system.

I am among the few fortunate ones who have had opportunities to move into a new job when the time comes.  In this economy, that is a luxury.  Thankfully, I've made some wonderful professional contacts in the past year and a half, which led to more prospects than I ever expected.  I got to choose the job with the decent salary, the window office, and a position with some authority instead of settling for something that was just available.  While I wish circumstances were different and I could have stayed on doing what I enjoyed in an environment that had great potential, I'm happy for the new challenges and opportunities that wait for me.

My old office served me well for a year.

But I'm looking forward to what awaits me in my upgraded office.

REI Garage Sale and A Quiet Start to 2012

After having family in town for a week, we opted for a quiet New Year's Eve.

The day started out with a 5:30am wake up to get my parents to the airport for their 7am flight.  We decided not to go back to bed, because we wanted to check out REI's garage sale I had heard a lot about.  The sale was set to begin at 10am and tickets were to be given out 2 hours beforehand.  We considered going straight to the store to wait in line after dropping my parents off, but opted instead to come home and eat breakfast first.

Arriving at the store around 8:15am got us #s166-167.  The first people in line had arrived at midnight and slept in tents outside the store.  Granted it is fairly mild in Raleigh, the overnight lows were in the upper 20's to low 30's.

Instead of waiting around until the store opened and then waiting some more inside the store until our number was called, we used the time to go grocery shopping and run a few errands at Target and Sam's Club. 


Back at the store, our numbers weren't called until close to 11:30am.  We managed to find some pieces we needed for a Yakima rooftop car rack (since 1 tower of the 4 that was supposed to come in the box was missing, we got 3 for $40) and picked up a few other small items.  Some people got amazing deals on things like kayaks, bike frames, and electronics.


By the time we got home, unpacked groceries, and ate lunch it was already late afternoon.  We managed to enjoy the rest of the beautiful afternoon outdoors with Darwin.  By 8pm, we knew it would be a struggle to make it to midnight.  We baked some oatmeal raisin cookies and made our own buttercream frosting as a special treat for the New Year and played some rock band to keep ourselves awake. 

Oatmeal Raising Cookies

 Colin's homemade buttercream frosting

 Delicious cookie sandwiches!

 Colin was the first man down.  By 10:30, he was failing on the guitar and we were losing fans.  We turned off the xbox and flipped through the channels (yes, we finally got a TV - but no cable), alternating between Ryan Seacrest/Dick Clark and the other New Year's show.  I don't know about you, but it pains me to watch Dick Clark since his stroke.  Colin fell asleep on the couch and decided to hit the hay not long before the ball dropped.  I stayed awake to see the countdown, Gaga's kiss with Bloomberg, and a few minutes of 2012 before putting Darwin in his little apartment (aka his crate) and heading to bed myself.


It was a quiet night after an eventful week.

One of the benefits of a quiet evening, is that you get to enjoy your first day in 2012 without being hungover or tired.  January 1st reached into the 60s in Raleigh/Cary and there was not a cloud in the sky.  We enjoyed a huge portion of the day walking and jogging through new areas of Cary, NC.  It was even better to have another day off after the first (extending my vacation to 10 days!).  I hope this year is filled with lots of great things for us and for all of you!!

How did you spend your New Years Eve and day?

A Vacation Week of Playing Hard and Working Hard!

I had lots of things I wanted to get done during my week off between Christmas and New Years.  With family visiting, I knew it would be difficult to find time to get projects completed.  Thankfully, my parents love to help!  Even with less days of working, we were able to get so much accomplished.  Though my dad has no training as an electrician, plumber, or general contractor - he helped (ie- did it himself) complete some serious projects.

Before we got down to business, we enjoyed the Christmas holiday, eating lots of yummy holiday food and rocking out to Rock Band on the Xbox.  We also burned off some of those calories by dancing on the kinect!

My parents were pretty good

 But my brother and I were on fire!

The first project we my dad tackled was the broken valve to the water dispenser on the refrigerator. Colin had worked on it for several hours with no luck, and my dad solved the problem with some thread tape and 5 minutes of his time!

Yea for having water and ice from the fridge again!

He quickly moved on to fix two broken towel racks in the guest bathroom.

Other quick projects included adding thread tape to a leaky shower in the master bath, fixing the "Darwin destroyed" fabric on the bottom of the couches, and showing Colin how to re-screen windows (which Colin says he knew how to do).  I missed that lesson, but hopefully we'll be able to get all the screens with holes fixed up before spring.

We are hoping the thread tape solves the problem of water leaking into the crawl space 

- it could be an expensive fix otherwise.

The new screen gives the window a much cleaner look!

Two projects I've wanted to work on for awhile were also completed. With a brick facade, Colin and I were at a loss as to how set up a motion activated flood light on the driveway.  We asked people at Lowes and Home Depot, but didn't receive much help from them.  When I told my dad what we were trying to do, he helped me get all the necessary tools and supplies (over the course of a few visits).  After a few attempts (and over several hours) of drilling through the brick, we he finally got the light up and working!  It is so nice to walk or drive into the driveway and have the light come on now.

My other project included getting things on the walls in the house.  Colin and I bought a few small mirrors at a yard sale this summer, and wanted to put them up in the hallway to open the space a bit.  Getting these on the wall really was a group effort with both my parents helping Colin and I.

I like how the mirrors came out, especially when the sun reflects through the window above the front door.  Hopefully, we can decide on some paint colors soon, because I am getting tired of the cream walls all over!

By the end of the week, the weather really warmed up and we all enjoyed walks with Darwin between working on house projects and playing games on the Xbox.  While my dad helped Colin fix the automatic garage door (a big project on Colin's to-do list), my mom and I took care of some landscaping.  It has been difficult to grow grass, but we managed to get rid of the leaves and debris for now.

I'm hoping to plant some flowers in there this spring!

I also pulled a bunch of weeds from under the mailbox and changed up the brick pattern.  It was quite a task without garden tools.  

As you can see, the mailbox still needs adjusting
and we'll have to plant flowers this spring!

  

For every project we completed, there are so many projects left!  I guess this is the wonderful world of home ownership!  I really want to paint some of the beige walls in the house, but I need some inspiration.  Because of our indecision, I haven't put much on the walls and I'm hesitant to buy more furniture.  

On the topic of furniture - we still have the formal living and dining rooms to furnish and the bedrooms still only have beds.

I am also ready for the yard to look nicely landscaped!  Right now, everything is so brown (I know - it's winter).  But, even in the summer, we didn't have much grass.  

One thing about home ownership is certainly true - a lot of money can be spent on home repairs and maintenance!!  My dad saved us so much money by showing us how to fix things ourselves.  We do need to invest in some pricey tools - but they will certainly pay for themselves in the long run.  We just need to find the right tools and take time and have some patience to do the work ourselves.  

We knew there would be pros and cons to buying a house that was fairly new without all the updates.  A house without a lot of updates gave us bargaining power, but now we need to invest in updates ourselves.  I'm so glad we didn't buy anything that required a lot of work to live in.  I would be so stressed about all the projects that really NEEDED to be done in a house like that.  I am impatient and want all the updates done now, but I know that it will happen in time and can live with bland walls.  For now, I will try to celebrate each small success - even it if is just hanging one new photo.

Where do you get your interior design ideas?

What tool(s) was/were your best investment(s)?