Here is a compilation of our favorites from 2011:
Sharon's Novels (in no particular order; all incredibly great)
(1) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
(2) Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
(3) To the Lighthouse by Virginia Wolf
(4) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
(5) Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Best Nonfiction (Sharon and David):
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aaron Rolston
Our Favorite Movie Rentals
(1) Lillies of the Field
(2) 127 Hours
(3) Quest for Fire
(4) As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me
(5) Last Train Home
(6) The Fountain
(7) Inside Job
(8) Hillary and Jackie
(9) The Bank Job
(10) The Battle of Algiers
(11) Restrepo
(12) Cinderella Man
Best Spontaneous Subway Jam AND Best Concert of the Year:
Moon Hooch on the L platform at Union Square
Best Art Exhibits/Gallery Shows/Performance Art/Public Art
(1) Roof Piece on the High Line
(2) The Luminous Interval at Museo Guggenheim Bilbao
(3) Olek Crochet Room @ Christopher Henry Gallery
(4) Abstract Expressionist New York @ MOMA
(5) Kara E. Walker @ Sikkema Jenkins and Company
(6) Miru Kim @ DOOSAN (The Pig That Therefore I Am)
(7) The Mexican Suitcase and Elliott Erwitt: Personal Best @ International Center of Photography
(8) Jim Campbell @ Hosfelt Gallery
(9) Willem de Kooning @ MOMA
(10) Diana Shpungin @ Stephan Stoyanov
(11) Women in the Heights: Perspectives @ NoMAA
(12) Do Ho Suh @ Lehmann Maupin
(13) Carsten Holler: Experience @ New Museum
(14) NurtureArt Benefit (Monica's photograph from On Cloud Nine included)
(15) Tight Spot by David Byrne (under the High Line)
(16) Echo by Jaume Plensa in Madison Square Park
Best Opera: Carmen @ the Met
Best Broadway Show: Billy Elliott
Best Ballet: NYCBallet's "The Nutcracker"
Best TV Series: The Sopranos (currently watching the final season on DVD)
Best Sports Event: Yankee Game at the NEW Yankee Stadium (victory in extra innings)
Best Travel Destinations
(1) San Feliu
(2) Bilbao
(3) Martha's Vineyard
Best Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurants
(1) Peacefood Cafe
(2) Wild Ginger
(3) Tai Thai
(4) V Spot
(5) Counter (RIP)
Best Vegan Bakery: Body and Soul (@ the Union Square Greenmarket)
Best Ice Cream: ChikaLicious
Best Vegan Ice Cream: Lula's Sweet Apothecary
Best Shakespeare: King Lear and Romeo and Juliet Performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in an exact replica Globe Theater in the Park Avenue Armory
Best View of NYC: Car Free Park Avenue during Summer Streets Cycling Event in August
Top 5 Reasons to Love New York City
(1) Annual Fun Events: NYD Polar Bear Swim @ Coney Island, Coogan's Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks Run, Scotland 10K Run, Inflation Eve, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
(2) Washington Heights Community: Little Seed CSA, Harvest Festival, Easter Egg Scramble, Muffin Madness, Shearing of the Heather
(3) Art Galleries/Museums/Public Art
(4) Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants, Cafes, Ice Cream Parlors, Greenmarket Vendors, etc.
(5) Cycling - biking Alexi to school, bike commuting and fun rides along the Palisades, 9W, Central Park and Hudson River Greenway
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Martha's Vineyard
Our fall foliage trip this year took us to Martha's Vineyard. We were very excited to visit the location where President Obama vacations with his family.
In order to reach Martha's Vineyard, we had to take a ferry from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven. We had absolutely beautiful weather for this trip, and Alexi loved riding the ferry.
We stayed at the only campground on Martha's Vineyard, and it was our second time ever camping with Alexi. David poses with our new family tent, and we brought our folding bikes, Alexi's trailer and balance bike to do lots of bike riding on our trip.
One of our greatest discoveries on Martha's Vineyard was a place called Back Door Donuts. The line forms in the early evening at the 'back' of a bakery for some out-of-this-world donuts. David and Alexi enjoyed these donuts for breakfast our first morning in Martha's Vineyard.
We spent the entire weekend on our bikes. On Saturday we biked around the island to three lighthouses, and on Sunday we biked around the state forest loop. That's Alexi in the bike trailer.
We biked to both the West Chop and East Chop Lighthouses.
After a morning of bike riding, we headed to Flying Horses, on the National Register of Historic Places. It is America's Oldest Carousel, and since infancy Alexi has always loved riding carousels.
They look identical, though they are two different lighthouses. The first, with Alexi posed in front, is the East Chop Lighthouse, and the second is the Edgartown Lighthouse (with Alexi and Sharon taking in the view from the top).
The bluest Sound and sky - it was unseasonably warm Columbus Day Weekend. Alexi and Sharon posed in front of Gay Head Lighthouse and then gazed to the sea.
The beautiful white Gay Head Cliffs, a registered natural landmark. Alexi enters the foreground with the cliff and Gay Head Lighthouse in the background.
We had a very early ferry to catch back to the mainland, so we stopped off at the Black Dog when they opened for breakfast on our last day in Martha's Vineyard. What a fabulous fall foliage trip - we may return next year!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Bilbao 2011
Bilbao is a fabulous city in the Basque region of Spain. We visited toward the end of our summer Spain trip. David's paternal relatives are from the Basque region, so we were excited to visit.
The main attraction in Bilbao is the phenomenal Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Gehry. It is an absolutely beautiful building that is designed to look like a ship that has run aground in the estuary. Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa has transformed the city into a huge tourist destination. Outside the museum is "Puppy" designed by Jeff Koons, affectionately called 'El Poop'.
Showing 'El Poop' (39' tall) to scale: Alexi is standing by the bar in the center of 'El Poop'.
We spent half a day touring the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. After checking out the temporary exhibit "The Luminous Interval" we went on a guided tour (in Spanish) of the Museum. David's favorite work was "Cavemanman" by Thomas Hirschhorn, Sharon's favorite work was "The Matter of Time" by Richard Serra and Alexi's favorite, as always, was the audio guide.
Views from outside the Guggenheim: "Maman" (mother spider) by Louise Bourgeois and the titanium museum, itself a work of art.
We left the chilly weather and rain behind us in San Feliu: it was sunny and warm our entire time in Bilbao. Everything in Bilbao is artsy, including the cool subway entrances.
Alexi is ready for a day of touring, standing by one of his favorite things: an elevator. First stop: Cathedral of Santiago (the oldest church in Bilbao).
We visited and photographed the beautiful Cloister inside the Cathedral.
One of the most fun parts of the trip was climbing the 213 steps of the Calzadas de Mallona. Alexi and mami enjoyed counting each step up to the Begoña Basilica.
The beautiful view from the steps. Bilbao is such a child and stroller friendly city; while Alexi and mami climbed the steps, David was able to push the stroller along the path adjacent to the steps.
We walked along Zubizuri Bridge. Build by Santiago Calatrava, it used to be paved in glass, though frightened peds must have led to a giant rug being placed over the glass. Alexi enjoyed being a spider like Maman outside the Guggenheim Museum.
Outstanding vegetarian gem: Garibolo. The ONLY vegetarian restaurant that was open during our weekend visit to Bilbao had delicious and amazing vegetarian and vegan food on the menu.
Vegan meatballs for David and stuffed peppers in a delicious cream sauce for Sharon.
The best part of the meal at Garibolo was vegan dessert!
We rode the Artxanda Cable Car to see Bilbao, and the Guggenheim Museum, from above.
Traveling up half a mile in the cable car led to these beautiful views of the city surrounded by mountains.
Posing in front of the gorgeous aerial view of Bilbao on our last day.
Where's Alexi? While mami and papi were busy taking photographs, Alexi was hanging out at the playground. We got to see Bilbao in two days, and thoroughly enjoyed our self-guided walking tours, vegetarian meals, beautiful bridge walking and the stunning Guggenheim Bilbao.
Ciao Bilbao! You will live on in our memories and our photographs.
The main attraction in Bilbao is the phenomenal Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Gehry. It is an absolutely beautiful building that is designed to look like a ship that has run aground in the estuary. Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa has transformed the city into a huge tourist destination. Outside the museum is "Puppy" designed by Jeff Koons, affectionately called 'El Poop'.
Showing 'El Poop' (39' tall) to scale: Alexi is standing by the bar in the center of 'El Poop'.
We spent half a day touring the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. After checking out the temporary exhibit "The Luminous Interval" we went on a guided tour (in Spanish) of the Museum. David's favorite work was "Cavemanman" by Thomas Hirschhorn, Sharon's favorite work was "The Matter of Time" by Richard Serra and Alexi's favorite, as always, was the audio guide.
Views from outside the Guggenheim: "Maman" (mother spider) by Louise Bourgeois and the titanium museum, itself a work of art.
We left the chilly weather and rain behind us in San Feliu: it was sunny and warm our entire time in Bilbao. Everything in Bilbao is artsy, including the cool subway entrances.
Alexi is ready for a day of touring, standing by one of his favorite things: an elevator. First stop: Cathedral of Santiago (the oldest church in Bilbao).
We visited and photographed the beautiful Cloister inside the Cathedral.
One of the most fun parts of the trip was climbing the 213 steps of the Calzadas de Mallona. Alexi and mami enjoyed counting each step up to the Begoña Basilica.
The beautiful view from the steps. Bilbao is such a child and stroller friendly city; while Alexi and mami climbed the steps, David was able to push the stroller along the path adjacent to the steps.
We walked along Zubizuri Bridge. Build by Santiago Calatrava, it used to be paved in glass, though frightened peds must have led to a giant rug being placed over the glass. Alexi enjoyed being a spider like Maman outside the Guggenheim Museum.
Outstanding vegetarian gem: Garibolo. The ONLY vegetarian restaurant that was open during our weekend visit to Bilbao had delicious and amazing vegetarian and vegan food on the menu.
Vegan meatballs for David and stuffed peppers in a delicious cream sauce for Sharon.
The best part of the meal at Garibolo was vegan dessert!
We rode the Artxanda Cable Car to see Bilbao, and the Guggenheim Museum, from above.
Traveling up half a mile in the cable car led to these beautiful views of the city surrounded by mountains.
Posing in front of the gorgeous aerial view of Bilbao on our last day.
Where's Alexi? While mami and papi were busy taking photographs, Alexi was hanging out at the playground. We got to see Bilbao in two days, and thoroughly enjoyed our self-guided walking tours, vegetarian meals, beautiful bridge walking and the stunning Guggenheim Bilbao.
Ciao Bilbao! You will live on in our memories and our photographs.
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