Katz’s Deli

Nine months ago I watched an episode (okay many episodes, but only one pertinent to this story) of Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel while visiting my sister after she had her baby. On this particular episode, Adam Richmond was visiting New York City and ate at Katz’s Deli. I wrote a note to myself to visit Katz’s while we were here. Thanks for the tip, Adam, it was amazing! The man that helped me suggested I order the pastrami sandwich since I had no idea what to get. I had never had pastrami before but went with his suggestion and I am so glad I did. It was so delicious. The meat was so soft, it almost melted in my mouth. I’ve never had anything like it.

They also gave me a plateful of deli pickles, which we all know I was pretty happy about.

Lincoln liked Katz’s so much, he decided to apply for a job. They hired him.

  

Daddy’s Little Helper

Lincoln thought Jonathan could use some help at work today, so he took some time out of his busy schedule to drop by Jonathan’s office and offer his services.

First, Lincoln helped by returning some important phone calls Jonathan had been neglecting.  

                                                         

Worn out from his time on the telephone, Lincoln needed to take a short break. He took the chance to admire the view from the fortieth floor.

Then he really got down to work on the computer. I think he was a big help and saved Jonathan a lot of time. Maybe I have two future lawyers on my hands.

Just Like Great-Grandpa

     

A Good Egg

Since we’ve been in New York I have been following a “less is more” philosophy in regard to what I carry with me. Since I’m carrying Lincoln, carrying anything else is a lot to ask. As a result, I have been avoiding taking my purse out with me and, instead, carrying this little black notebook. It has a small pocket in the back where I store a credit card, driver’s license, metrocard… you know, all the stuff I need everyday. My notebook is small and, as it turns out, easy to misplace.

After we had been running around with Lindsey and Norah for a couple of hours last Monday, I realized my notebook was gone. We retraced our (many) steps back through the Upper West Side and Central Park, but to no avail. It was just gone. Although I posted an ad on Craigslist, I had no hope of recovering my things… until I checked Facebook. When I logged into Facebook I had a message from a girl named Jess. She had found a black notebook in the park that day and wanted to know if it was mine so she could return it to me. I could not believe it. I immediately messaged her back thanking her profusely and explaining that it was indeed my notebook. We arranged to meet on Wednesday in Grand Central Station and she returned my notebook to me just as I had left it, nothing missing, crisis averted.

I feel like New York and New Yorkers really get a bum rap a lot of the time. Since we’ve been here so many people have been helpful, friendly and kind to us. Countless people have offered to help me carry Lincoln and his stroller up and down subway stairs, people stop on the street to ask if we might need directions, or point out the elevator when we’re looking for it. Of course there are weirdos out there, but for the most part, our human interaction in NYC has been very positive.  Thanks, Jess, for taking the time to return my notebook. It meant the world to me.

Reunited

Lincoln and I got a last-minute visit from Lindsey, Norah, and Christy this week. I was a little worried Lincoln and Norah wouldn’t remember each other, but as soon as they saw each other they picked up right where they left off.

On Sunday a couple in our ward were nice enough to offer Jonathan and I some extra tickets they had for a Circle Line Cruise. The catch being, the tickets had to be used by the 15th and we had to go on an eleven am cruise. The combination of these two criteria meant that Jonathan could not go, so it was extra lucky I had friends in town to take. Unfortunately Christy wasn’t able to join us, since she had to continue her apartment search, but Lindsey, the babies, and I enjoyed the cruise. Thanks EJ and Mark!

                                                

When we disembarked it was raining. Rain doesn’t really make for a great sightseeing day, especially with a baby strapped to your chest. We ducked into a McDonald’s (the closest restaurant) to get some lunch and wait out the storm.

 

Lincoln has been hard at work on his Michael Jackson impersonation.

 

After walking around a bit, we took the kids to FAO Schwartz to play on their famous big piano and with all the other toys. By this time of day, though, they were pretty pooped, so I don’t think they were all that impressed. And they weren’t quite heavy enough to engage the keys, so maybe we’ll have to try that again when they’re a little bigger.

We met up with Christy and wrapped up the day with a trip to Tiffany’s and a short walk to Grand Central Station. Thanks for the visit guys, it was so great to see you!

A Bronx Tale

We made the (long, long) trek out to the Bronx on Saturday to visit their famous zoo. We were there at a great time because we saw EVERYTHING! We never walked by an enclosure and wondered where the animal was. I think Jonathan and I had an even better time than Lincoln did.

                                                        

We got to see a lot of baby animals, which was a real treat. We saw baby lions, sea lions, and giraffes, just to name a few. The baby lions and their mothers were running around and playing, it was so cute!

                                                         

Jonathan was really into the bears. This bear was swimming in the little pond in front of him when we first arrived, but then three of his friends arrived and he climbed up the wall behind him to meet them.

Look how close that tiger is! If there wasn’t glass there we’d all have been toast! It was amazing!

                                              

One of the sea lions was extremely talkative and trying desperately to enter a cave that another sea lion was trying desperately to keep him out of. The tussle continued for quite sometime.

The Bronx Zoo is definitely the best zoo I’ve ever been to. It was totally worth the lengthy trek up to the Bronx and the long ride home.

American Museum of Natural History

Our friend, Yuri, got Lincoln and I tickets to the American Museum of Natural History the other day. We spent most of our time in the dinosaur exhibits, but really enjoyed the mammals, as well. Lincoln decided the Natural History Museum was the place to assert his independence and refused to hold my hand as we navigated the crowds. I had the last laugh when his tiny, little legs quickly tired and he had to ride in the Ergo Carrier, though.

   

Long Beach

Yesterday we took the train out to Long Beach for a day of sand and sun. Although Lincoln was not a big fan of sand in the past, he seemed to get over it a little bit on this outing. He liked walking down in the surf with Jonathan and playing under the umbrella with me. Jonathan, as usual, loved swimming in the ocean, but his cell phone and wallet didn’t enjoy it nearly as much.

   

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Since it’s going to be in the 90s all this week, Lincoln and I celebrated the last 75 degree day for a while with a  visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden last week. I was a little worried it wouldn’t be very pretty in July, but it was really beautiful. Lincoln loved looking at the huge pond full of koi, watching the birds, and getting incredibly dirty. There was a lot we didn’t get to see, so hopefully we’ll go back sometime.