Spain 2014

We once again this summer vacationed on the Costa Brava in Catalunya, Spain.

On our arrival day Alexi and Sharon headed straight to the beach and were greeted by unusually gigantic Mediterranean waves.

Sunday mornings we head to el mercado to do some vegetable and fruit shopping, and we spend the afternoons at the pool.

The weather was unseasonably cool and rainy this year.  No problem...we headed to Girona for lunch at our FAVORITE vegan restaurant, B*12.

 Absolutely phenomenal vegan food...probably best we've had inside or outside the United States.

















This FC Barcelona futbol hooded towel used to be worn by another toddler...who has also spent every summer at Cap Ducal!














Cyclist and future cyclist!

Alexi's favorite activities in Spain are the pool waterslide, swimming laps, playing futbol with his friends and riding his boogie board in the Mediterranean.

Seeing daily sunrises and sunsets are Sharon's favorite parts of Spain.

Mateo's favorite activities at Spanish beaches are building moats and sandcastles with Papi and going in the Mediterranean with Mami.












David's favorite parts of Spain (besides everything) are having time to relax and play piano and harpsichord and visiting with our good friends the Pallares family.












The bright side of lots of rain this summer was lots of beautiful rainbows!!!

Every year we spend a morning or afternoon walking La Ronda.

It is so beautiful to walk this path bordering the Medditerranean Sea.

Alexi still loves driving the cars at the Festa Mayor, especially with his German friend Anna.











And David and Alexi both LOVE riding the bumper cars!











Mateo and Alexi are different in many ways, though they both LOVE(D) playing with cups in the baby pool.

And they both now LOVE playing with balls in the pool!

The Rambla is a wonderful place we go as a family during market days and for our annual pizza dinner in town.

So hard to believe a year ago Mateo was not walking and Alexi used to be the size of Mateo!

We love traveling the world as a family of four.

I know two kids very excited to return to Spain again in 2015(!)

New Orleans, February 2014

We were so excited to arrive in New Orleans during February and experience some warmer weather.  While in New Orleans we rode the streetcars, visited the Aquarium and Audobon Zoo, attended two Mardi Gras Parades, saw a Penguin iMax Movie and heard live jazz at Preservation Hall.  David also got to attend the NBA All Star Game!

First stop upon our arrival in New Orleans...Cafe Du Monde.  Beignets and hot chocolate for lunch are the perfect introduction to New Orleans culinary culture.











No visit to New Orleans would be complete without a visit to Mother's Restaurant.  Though the vegetarian offerings are slim to none, they serve breakfast all day - so us vegetarians were all set!
















One of our favorite parts of New Orleans was Mardi Gras!  We attended the Little Rascals Parade for kids, and as you can see Alexi caught many, many beads by saying, "Throw me something Mister!!!!".











Both children had fun at Storyland - a children's park filled with delights from fairytales.  You can see Alexi (showing his NY pride) pictured with Humpty Dumpty and Little Bo Beep, and Mateo and David are in the brick house built by one of the three little pigs.

We had so much fun riding a surrey bike as a family with Mateo in the front pointing out the correct path around the lake.  We are a biking family in NYC and wherever we travel!

We spent a morning at Mardi Gras World, seeing all the amazing floats that travel down St. Charles Avenue during Mardi Gras.

The dragon pictured is one of the biggest Mardi Gras floats.  Creole culture has a huge influence on Mardi Gras and New Orleans in general.

The hotel where we stayed had an outdoor rooftop pool!  We went swimming every morning before breakfast.  A hotel with a pool is a definite must when you travel with children.

"I went on down to the Audubon Zoo.  And they all asked for you.  They all asked for you (for who?).  Well they even inquired about you." - Lyrics from The Audubon Zoo Song, Alexi and David's favorite to song during Community Sing at Alexi's school.

"I went on down to the deep blue sea.  And they all asked for you (for me?).  The shark asked.  The whale asked.  And the WHITE ALLIGATOR asked me too." Lyrics from The Audobon Zoo Song

Sharon loves art so much that she seeks it out wherever she goes, whether in NYC or while traveling.  She happened upon the Sculpture Garden that is part of the New Orleans Museum of Art while on a city tour, and was in her glory.

There was a mix of very modern and more traditional art in this Sculpture Garden, and it totally worked.  The amazing find was an original LOVE sculpture by the artist Robert Indiana!

Alexi in Wonderland (aka New Orleans).  One of the best parts of visiting New Orleans during Mardi Gras was getting to taste our very own King Cake(!)

We rode the steamboat "The Creole Queen" along the infamous Mississippi River.

The definition of a perfect afternoon in New Orleans...beignets at Cafe Du Monde and a stroll along Bourbon Street!

Our two wonderful children are already world travelers and seem to have inherited our love of travel!

We had such a fabulous time in New Orleans.  David loved visiting the birthplace of his musical hero Louis Armstrong, and Sharon definitely now has a greater appreciation and enjoyment of jazz.  Of course, we were very happy to return to our favorite city of them all: NYC.

Best of 2013

Best of 2013 List:

Sharon's Novels

(1) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
(2) The Birth House by Ami McKay
(3) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
(4) The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
(5) The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer


David's Books

(1) Native Son by Richard Wright
(2) Wild by Cheryl Strayed
(3) The Road Back by Michael Vitez
(2) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitgerald

Our Favorite Movie Rentals

(1) Just Another Love Story
(2) Let the Right One In
(3) This Is 40
(4) Sophie's Choice
(5) Infernal Affairs
(6) Rust and Bone
(7) What Have I Done to Deserve This?
(8) Bus 174
(9) Deliverance
(10) Holy Motors

Best Black and White Film Events @ United Palace Theatre in the Heights:

(1) Casablanca - We dressed up in a white jacket and evening gown and celebrated film returning to the Heights in this classic theater after 44 years

(2) It's a Wonderful Life - We sang Christmas carols "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and also "Buffalo Gals" before the movie

Favorite People/Places/Publications to follow on Twitter:
1. Lisa Bonchek Adams - @adamslisa
2. EarthPics - @Earth_Pics
3. Jesse Lasner - @Jesselasner
4. New York Magazine - @NYMag
5. KJ Dell'Antonia - @KJDellAntonia

Best Art Exhibits/Gallery Shows/Public Art

(1) WaterFire in Providence, Rhode Island
(2) 40 Part Motet @ The Cloisters
(3) Mike Kelley @ PS1 (one word: phenomenal)
(4) The Clock @ MOMA
(5) Caterpillar @ the High Line
(6) Behind the Screen Core Exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image

Best Broadway Show: Once

Best Family Event: Inflation Eve viewing of the Macy's Parade Balloons

Best TV Series: Boardwalk Empire (currently watching Season One on dvd)

Best Sporting Events: Yankees Game (MJ's first Yankees Game and they beat the Giants 6 - 0!)

Best Travel Destinations

(1) San Feliu, Spain
(2) Sintra, Portugal
(3) Perpignan, France
(4) Mystic, Connecticut
(5) Providence and Newport, Rhode Island

Best Vegan Restaurant: Blossom

Best Ice Cream: Oddfellows in Williamsburg (homemade waffle cones!) and Sugar and Plumm on the UWS

Best Vegan Ice Cream: Lula's Sweet Apothecary (RIP)

Best View of NYC: The 102nd Floor of the Empire State Building (staff let Alexi turn the crank to power the elevator up from the 86th to 102nd floor - Alexi's dream come true!)


Top 5 Reasons to Love New York City:

(1)Vegetarian/Vegan Food/Baked Goods - Whether dining out at restaurants, dining in on take-out, trying out the latest and greatest pizza (in Brooklyn at Julianna's!), tasting the best (and most unique) ice cream flavors in the city (Oddfellows), making homemade baby food for MJ from CSA fruits and veggies, or eating the latest and greatest cookies and cookie sandwiches, doissants, and freshly baked vegan cakes, NYC is the food capital of the world
(2) Washington Heights and Inwood Community: Picnics in Bennett and Fort Tryon Parks, Little Seed CSA,  Evening Playgroup, Harvest Festival, Easter Egg Hunt, Soccer and Fort Tryon Park Volunteering
(3) NYC Farmer's Markets - We were at the Union Square Farmer's Market monthly this year, and discovered two (new to us) Greenmarkets right in our 'hood: the Fort Washington and 175th Street Farmer's Markets
(4) New York Film Festivals - Tribeca Film Festival (Lenny Cooke), NY Film Festival @ Lincoln Center (About Time) and NY Documentary Film Festival (Breastmilk)
(5) School Choice - Progressive, Charter, Montessori, Private, Dual Language and Public - We love Alexi's school because it truly has a community feel and Sharon loves teaching at Bronx Prep