So Much To See and Do!

So as you may have read I will be moving to Alabama this summer. Why you ask? Because my boyfriend of 4 years is in the Army, and that's where he's headed.

When Peter found out he branched Aviation in November, I was ecstatic but still not sure if I would go with him or remain here in NY. Life is great here. I love my friends and am absolutely in love with my job, and just wasn't sure if I was ready to leave. After months of discussion, and many pros and cons lists, I decided I was ready to make the move. So when Peter found out his report date a few weeks ago I felt a bit more like this...

So the move is happening. We don't have an exact date yet, but it's happening and I am very excited about it. Before meeting Peter I had made 2 large moves on my own. The first from MN to Charleston, SC and the second from Charleston, SC to Charlotte, NC. After meeting Peter and graduating with my M.Ed I thought, " NYC?! Heck Yes!" So I packed up once again and drove a large truck from NC all the way to the Big Apple by my lonesome. I like the process of moving, but this time around am a bit concerned about the culture shock of leaving NYC and moving to rural AL ... more on that later.

 In the meantime my desire to explore New York City has gone into overdrive. I have so much left to see and not much time to do it. For me, step one for just about anything is to make a list. So I've revamped my NYC To-Do List from this summer. It's a hefty list but I am confident I can make it happen.

I will keep everyone updated on the moving situation as well as my upcoming adventures in the city. It's going to be a very exciting and busy few months.

NYC To-Do List

Astoria Beer Garden

Ride my bike down the Bronx River Path

Visit the Guggenheim

Explore the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on my bike

See the Montauk Lighthouse

Bike around (not literally) on Staten Island

Complete a 5-borough Bike ride

Explore Pelham Bay Park

Relax at Far Rockaway Beach

Explore Astoria
Explore Central Park above 86th St. 

Take the Staten Island Ferry

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Visit Washington DC

Bike to the North Fork of Long Island

Do more exploring in Fort Tryon Park

Visit Green Acre Park

Visit the Cloister Museum

Go to a race at the Belmont

Visit the Titanic Memorial

Visit the African Burial Grounds

Visit Brooklyn Brewery

Go to the Brooklyn Flea Market

Go to a taping of The Daily Show or the Colbert Report

Go to a Speakeasy Bar

Bike around Red Hook Piers

See more Broadway or Off-Broadway shows

Do more Walking Tours with Nan (Brain Droppings)

Visit Watkins Glen

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Try the Trapeze

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Drink at McSorleys 

Explore Roosevelt Island

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

The Lobster Award?

WARNING! TANGENT AHEAD:

In my preschool classroom we are constantly pretending to mishear the children (anything for a  giggle right?).

"Yes, we can read Goldilocks ate Three Pears. "
" NOOOOOO, MS. CAT!!! It is Goldilocks and the THREE BEARS!"
" Oh, I'm sorry. This is the story of Goldilocks and her dry hair."
" NOOOOOOO!!!"

And it goes on and on, so when a fellow blogger nominated me to participate in the Liebster Awards... I immediately thought of lobster, and at least 6 other words that (sort of) rhyme with Liebster.

THE ACTUAL POST:

After some grueling (not really) Googling, I figured out that the Liebster Award is a great way to connect with new bloggers. It also fits so perfectly into my new *gulp* inclusion of personal life details. So here it goes, 11 random facts about myself, responses to fellow blogger Mrs. Witt's 11questions for me, and my own questions for new "nominees".

11 Random Facts

1. My parents, and people who met me before 4th grade still call me Cathy.
2. I am extremely proud to be a Minnesotan.
3. I have one sister who lives in Ireland.
4. The only food that I do not like is olives... but I still still eat them if I have to. 
5. I have been reading the A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones) series for a year now. The books are so freaking long!
6. I have a newly cultivated interest in WW2 history specifically,  the Pacific/Western theatre. 
7. I am one of those people who is mediocre at a lot of things, but not particularly skilled at any of them. 
8. In 4th grade I was the official "tail measure-er" for our pet rat. I have loved rats (who are lab bred and don't run wild in my apartment or the subways) ever since. 
9. I love making Excel spreadsheets. I even use Excel for my lesson planning. 
10. I am a morning person but my boyfriend is a night owl. This is often a problem.
11. I have horrible grammar. In high school after taking the ACT, I decided to take a grammar class. I then retook the ACT and my score went up 2 points, just from the rise in scores from grammar and writing. 

A Bit of Witt's Questions for Me

1. What is your fondest childhood memory? In Minnesota, even when the weather was in the single digits, our parents made us play outside. My favorite game was, "Arctic Explorer" where we would go into the woods with all of our "supplies" in a sled. There were often bears, abominable snowmen, wolves, and the threat of starvation to keep us going. Luckily we usually packed sandwiches. Once we tried to get a dog to pull the sled for us... it didn't work. 
2. Who is your style icon, or which celebrity's style do you most often wish to match? I don't really have one. I feel like my style might be a bit nicer if I found someone to match though. I'll work on this...
3. Why did you start blogging? Mostly to document my adventures in NYC but also to provide a place where people could go to see different, off the beaten path, things to do in the city. 
4. What is the one thing you would do if you knew you couldn't fail? Win the lottery.
5. What is your favorite movie? It changes very, very frequently. Right now my favorites are the Hunger Game movies. 
6. Where was your first kiss? In a friend's house in 7th grade. We played Spin the Cordless Phone because the recycling had been picked up that morning and there were no bottles. 
7. What motivates you? Friends, Family, and the threat of being slapped. 
8. If you could pick the next president of the United States, who would you choose? Michelle Obama
9. Which current artists do you think will still be respected and noteworthy decades from now? Jennifer Lawrence, Banksy, & John Legend 
10. If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring and why? I have always struggled with this question because the planner in me has a list of emergency supplies I would bring, one of them being an inflatable raft.  I would definitely hope there was another person with me. I often crave conversation and interaction after being alone for only a few hours. 
11. If you were stranded on a dessert island, what would it be made of?  If I were stranded on a dessert island it would either be made of Cinnabon's or Auntie Anne's pretzels. Hmm... I haven't been to the mall in a while...

Questions for my Nominees

1. What is your fondest childhood memory?
2. What was the first movie you saw in a theater?
3. Who was your favorite teacher and why?
4. What is your favorite food?
5. What is your least favorite food?
6. Tell us about your favorite vacation spot. 
7. If someone were going to visit your hometown, what is one thing they have to see?
8. What was the last book you read?
9. Do you prefer mountains or beach? Why?
10. If you could move to any city in the US where would you go?
11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Nominees

Kaitlyn at Kaitlyn Lusk

Lindsay at Newly Missus

Emily at Lost on the Turnpike

Nic at Sippy Cup Sojourner

Amanda at Luke and Manda

Kate at Plastic To Pearls

Nanette at Brain Droppings

Ingrid at Steve and Inggy

Shayna at The Hughes'

Stacey at One Beautiful Thing

The Blog is O'Changin...

As you may have noticed, I have been AWOL from this blog since August. It was because...well... I didn't feel like I did anything exciting. When I first started this blog my hope was that it would not include my personal life but would be more a documentation of my NY adventures. Also, somewhere that people looking for cheap and/or free things to do in the city could go for reviews, of sort. Well, that was fun and dandy until... 

BUM...BUM...BUM 

I decided to move to Alabama. 

What?! Huh?! Why?! WHEN?! Ugh, ALABAMA?! How will you blog about adventures in NYC from Alabama Yes, I have heard these from my NYC friends many times now (except maybe the last one), but the answer is one that includes explaining my personal life... *gulp*

So I've chosen to make a change. This blog will continue to include my NYC adventures but will also include stories about or related to:

1. My life as a Preschool & Special Ed Teacher
2. Being an Army Girlfriend (and the impending move to Alabama)
3. Triumphs and Trials of being a Minnesotan (obviously a riveting topic...)
4. Anything else I decide to include from my semi chaotic life.

This blog just reached a new level of chaos, but I look forward to documenting my trials, tribulations, and continuing adventures. 

The good news is that I did complete a few items from my To-Do list in the past few months. I will put up pictures and details in later posts but for now, I leave you with this...

I work at a science based preschool in Brooklyn. We have lots of pets, including rats. Then, we bought the rat a leash... it was hilarious.  

Cheers to a new and improved excitement for blogging! 

Roosevelt Island

I finally got out and crossed some items off the list!! This weekend I rode my bike up through Brooklyn and Queens and over to Roosevelt Island. You can see my route here. I really enjoyed the ride since I haven't seen much of the waterfront north of Dumbo. I also had never been over the Queensboro bridge!  After some deliberation (but actually just me getting sort of lost) I decided to head from Queens all the way over to Manhattan. Then, I took the Tram over to the island. I have to admit, riding the tram was my favorite part. I was standing next to another man with a bike and he leaned over to me and said,   I've lived here for 10 years and done this numerous times... but this ride never gets old." It was so fun!

The island itself was a very interesting place. I was able to do a loop of the entire island but actually... there wasn't much to see. We all know I love a good lighthouse so getting a closer view of the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse was fun. I also got a nice up close view of the "Octagon" as well as the abandoned Small Pox Infirmary . As much as a love a good abandoned over grown building, the coolest thing I saw was the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial on the south end of the island. The cement paving and triangular lined trees were breathtaking with the Manhattan skyline as the back drop. I'm so happy I went but... not really sure I'd go again.

On the ride home I also got to see the tops of some more abandoned buildings inside the Brooklyn Navy Yards ( I smell an adventure). Since I've accomplished so much on my list... I decided it was time to add some more items (in italics). Cheers Everyone!

Summer To-Do List
Astoria Beer Garden
Drink at McSorleys
Visit Watkins Glen
Visit Hart's Island
Try to obtain a permit to visit North Brother Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze
Explore Roosevelt Island

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

A Country/City Girl

Last week, while waiting for the train near West Point to head back to the city... I closed my eyes for a moment.  It was so.... quiet. The only sounds were the Hudson river lapping behind me, crickets, a few birds, and a breeze whistling through the trees. I sat there for an entire 15 minutes just taking it all in.

On the train ride home, I started to think about how much I had enjoyed that moment and I realized that each move I've made, I've develop new and sometimes random appreciations.  Just a few examples:

My first big move was when I was 18 from my home in the St. Paul, Minnesota to Charleston, SC.   Growing up in Minnesota I really had no appreciation for snow. It came every year, why fuss about it?  Snow in Charleston, on the other hand was enough to stop the press (literally, everything shut down). Now whenever it snows, I am a child... seriously ask my co workers, I went outside and danced the last time it snowed.

The second big move was to Charlotte, NC. While in Charleston... I hadn't fully appreciated how easy it was to access GORGEOUS beaches and rich, rich history.  Now, whenever I get a wiff of that salt water smell I instantly feel relaxed (and crave beer). I also try to take advantage of being somewhat near  the ocean here in NYC as much as possible.

My most recent move was to NYC and obviously (while I LOVE this city) I have come to appreciate nature, quiet, and a dark sky to see the stars (seriously.. the sky never gets dark here). Growing up in the Twin Cities, which is a large metropolitan area... I was always craving something more urban. Now that I've had it I'm craving something more, well... rural. Of course there are a million more things I've loved about each city, and a million things that I miss about each of them as well. For the most part though, I've always been ready to move on.

I am so grateful that I have the chance to experience such different places and have come to have an appreciation for the little things. It's funny how life works itself out isn't it? Peter and I are hoping to be headed to Alabama next. If I hadn't had the chance to live in NYC I wouldn't have developed an appreciation for the peace and tranquility that being outside (or nowhere near) a city can bring you... I would have been miserable in AL. Now, the idea of having space, cheap rent, and being in the middle of nowhere is actually pretty exciting!

In the meantime, I'm going to continue trying to take advantage of everything that NYC has to offer!!! I  will continue to chip away at my list and also add new things until life (or the Army) takes me somewhere new!

I love this city....

But, I love this too....

Impulsive Saturdays

I"m on a roll with the 2-a-days! Explored Greenwood this morning before work and impulsively decided to go explore Governor's Island with a friend right after. They were both absolutely beautiful, and offered great views of the city. The best part though (besides the fact that both were FREE) was that there is so much history! Going to places like these gets you to start reading and exploring new parts of history. It can be so much more interesting when the history is sitting right in front of you. What   a fantastic day! 

Summer To-Do List

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Randall's Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Explore Roosevelt Island

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze
Explore Governor's Island

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

Governor's Island

Greenwood

Around Manhattan

Roommate: Where did you bike today?

Me: Around Manhattan. 

Roomie: Oh whereabouts?

Me:... No, literally around Manhattan

I did it! To be honest this was the item on my list that I was most excited about but also dreaded the most. The Hudson Greenway is well paved and put together and if you veer off into any of the parks you can easily follow the signs back. I head heard that the East River trail was horribly labeled, paved, and put together..... and the rumors were true.

You can see my route here. It was 30 hot and sweaty miles around "the island" but it was well worth it! The East River ride was not very enjoyable, a very narrow walkway is shared with pedestrians and let me tell you, I had a few close calls. I did get to bike closely around the United Nations and got to see all the east side bridges (I love bridges!!). I also saw the Roosevelt Island Tram for the first time and decided to add that to my list. It looks like so much fun and I recently found out that you can use your Metrocard! Yippee!

I think my favorite part of the ride was through Harlem and Washington Heights on St. Nicholas Ave. It was beautiful and quiet. Good ol' Historic Harlem filled with large beautiful houses, gorgeous parks and churches, and a well paved bike lane. Everyone was very bike friendly as well. I actually had someone "wave me" in front of them! That's the first time that's happened to me in NYC. I had never been all the way up to Washington Heights before (although I was considering living there when apt hunting) It was gorgeous as well! I stumbled upon quite a few public gardens and parks that were some of the most beautiful I've seen in the city (Swindler Cove). They also had most of their fire hydrant spray caps on so I was able to get some cool mists as I rode past. It was quite a relief from the heat!

Tunnel in Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights

Serious Rocks, Washington Heights

After I got onto the Hudson Greenway, I made 2 stops. The first was at The Jeffery's Hook Lighthouse, aka The Little Red Lighthouse. I actually didn't know it existed until a few weeks ago and was so excited to see it! It looks so cute and little underneath the GW Bridge. The next stop I made was to Grant's Tomb. There wasn't much to see but it was beautiful. They did have some old Civil War flags on display which I found fascinating. It was FREE and fun to look around, and a great place to cool off for a bit. After that, it was a straight shot down the Hudson Green way, down and around Battery Park, and under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Then I hopped back on the subway at stop where I started. I was totally the stinky person on the train but it was TOTALLY worth it.

The Little Red Lighthouse

Looking so tiny under the GW Bridge

"Grant's Tomb"

Art around the walls

Today was a fantastic adventure. I saw so much of New York and have even added a few items to the list for the future! I love this city!

Summer To-Do List

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Randall's Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Roosevelt Island

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

So happy to head back to Brooklyn