The Weekend!

Amanda is continuing to enjoy her classes at ABT very much! They are working very hard preparing for the performance which will be at the Frank Sinatra School for the Arts in Queens, instead of LaGuardia High School in Manhattan because LaGuardia High School is being renovated. Classes are going well and we are enjoying being in the city!

Amanda and I woke up on Saturday and decided to go to Big Daddy's Diner for breakfast one last time! We had a very nice meal and after that decided to go to the South Street Seaport.

Amanda found a store there that had some nice silver jewelry, so she decided to go back and do some more shopping! We had a good time and enjoyed being near the harbor and seeing all the boats.

After that we went to Century 21, a big discount department store, kind of like a four floor TJ Maxx. It is located right near where the World Trade Center was. They are working on constructing a memorial there. It was quite sobering to see the site and of course very, very sad.

After that we went to Pinkberry for yummy frozen yogurt and then back to the apartment to relax for the rest of the day. When you're dancing all week, you have to be careful not to exhaust yourself too much on the weekend!

On Sunday, we went to Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast. They have great soft boiled eggs and yummy bread and Amanda also really enjoyed their mint iced tea. We had a very pleasant day together and spent the rest of the day relaxing and thinking about the busy week ahead--Amanda's last week at ABT and our last week in New York City!

Thanks for checking the blog--

Beth and Amanda

Shopping on Fifth Avenue and Central Park!

Amanda went off to class early today as she has conditioning class today! She is busy learning a lot in all her classes and preparing for the show which will be at the end of next week! Amanda has made a lot of friends and is enjoying her time here.

I decided to take a little shopping trip while she was in class today! I took the subway to the 5th Avenue stop and when I exited the train I found my self near Central Park! It was so pretty and I took a couple of pictures.

Next I went into the huge Apple store which is located on 5th Avenue. It is all glass--very pretty and is open 24 hours a day. It was fun strolling down 5th Avenue and seeing all the nice shops located there. I went into the very large NBA store and did a little shopping there as well.

Soon I made my way back over to Rockefeller Center to take the subway back home to Muff and our apartment. The weather was pretty today--kind of warm but tomorrow we are supposed to have thunderstorms!

Amanda and I enjoyed a quiet dinner at home followed by our Gilmore Girls Marathon!

Bye for now,

Beth and Amanda

SUNDAY WITH ELLEN!

We woke up on Sunday morning ready to explore NYC for another day! We decided to go to Rockefeller Center today and do a little sightseeing around that area.

We hopped on the subway at 23rd St. and before long we were at Rockefeller Center. After walking for a little, we decided to go to the Magnolia Bakery and have one of their famous cupcakes! Apparently their cupcakes were featured in the first Sex and the City movie and they even have a cupcake with pink icing called the "Carrie cupcake."

We ate our cupcakes in front of the fountain at Rockefeller Center and then went to the underground concourse and looked at some of the shops located there. We got some coffee at the Starbucks located in the concourse, because as you can see, we were feeling pretty tired by this point!

From there we went to the NBC Experience Store which sells a lot of souvenirs from shows past and present that have appeared on NBC. Then we did some shopping in a huge Anthropologie store in Rockefeller Center and grabbed some lunch.

Amanda and Ellen thought it would be fun to do some shopping in a very large Forever 21 store that is located in Union Square so we took the subway to 14th Street. They seemed to have fun shopping there and found a few nice items!

Before long, it was time to go back to the apartment so that Ellen could get her suitcase and we could go to the Vamoose bus station so that Ellen could catch her bus back home.

We had a very busy, but very fun weekend with Ellen!

Hope you had a great weekend as well!

Beth and Amanda

STATEN ISLAND FERRY!

Here is a video of Amanda and Ellen trying to hold the Statue of Liberty in the palm of their hand taken while we were on the Staten Island Ferry!

A BUSY SATURDAY WITH AMANDA AND ELLEN!

We woke up on Saturday and decided that it might be fun to take Ellen to Big Daddy's Diner, just a very short walk from our apartment! We had a nice breakfast and all enjoyed their pancakes and yummy pancakes!

From there, we made our way to the subway and headed downtown towards Whitehall Terminal, so we could take the Staten Island Ferry and see the picturesque views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty that it offers. Although hot, it was a very pretty day and there was a pleasant breeze as we stood on the ferry! We all enjoyed the trip very much!

Amanda and Ellen thought it would be neat to try to take a couple of pictures in which they positioned their hands to make it look as though they are holding the Statue of Liberty in the palm of their hands. I took a video of the whole process, which I will post on the next blog--quite a lot of fun!

After that we decided to walk to the South Street Seaport to look at all the ships and explore the shops there! It was about a mile walk and we passed many landmarks on the way, including Wall Street. There were quite a few jewelry shops there which we visited and managed to find some great items!

It was getting to be mid-afternoon, so we knew we needed to go back to the apartment and take Muff for a walk! We thought after that, we might go to Rockefeller Center, but we were all rather tired so we decided to save that for Sunday.

Instead we relaxed for a little while and then took Ellen to Shake Shack! I think that she enjoyed the food and it was very pleasant eating in Madison Square Park!

We were happy to have such a fun day and are looking forward to tomorrow!

Take care--

Beth and Amanda

FRIDAY WITH ELLEN!

Amanda had a full day of classes at ABT today and continues to work very hard! Amanda's friend Ellen arrived on the Vamoose bus on Friday afternoon to come and spend the weekend with us. Amanda was very excited to have her come and was looking forward to a nice weekend!

After I meet Ellen at the bus, we walked to the apartment and Amanda was there waiting for us as her ballet classes had finished just prior to us coming home. We all decided that it would be fun to take Ellen to Pete's Tavern! So we took the short walk through Gramercy Park and soon arrived at Petes!

We had a nice dinner there and introduced Ellen to the nice bread guy from Bangladesh and a waiter that we had become friendly with last year! Of course Ellen and Amanda just had to order Shirley Temples, which I think they enjoyed! It was fun to be there and after our dinner we decided that we needed a little more excitement than just going back to the apartment!

So, Amanda, Ellen and I walked to the subway and rode it to Times Square! We went to a big souvenir shop there and bought a couple of items and then walked around Times Square! It was just starting to get dark, so it was neat to see all the bright lights in Times Square! It was very pretty! We saw the ABC studios were Good Morning America was broadcast and also passed by Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, and a lot of other memorable landmarks.

Then we decided to ride the subway back home and spend the rest of the evening relaxing at the apartment. We need to get some rest because we have a busy day planned for tomorrow!

Thanks for checking the blog!

Beth and Amanda

THE WEEKEND!

Amanda had a good day of classes on Friday and we prepared to have a fun weekend! On Friday night, we went to Pete's Tavern and tried some of their Italian dishes! Very yummy!

We saw our friend, the "bread" guy that we were friendly with last year and he came to our table and chatted a bit. We were talking about the recent New York heat and he told us that he was from Bangladesh and had been living in New York City for 11 years and working at Pete's for 7 years!

After that we went back to the apartment and had a nice evening relaxing and watching the Gilmore Girls. It was nice to be able to rest, especially since I seemed to have caught the ABT bug! One of Amanda's friends was out sick the entire week! Thankfully Amanda only missed one day last week and seems to be on the mend.

On Saturday, we slept in a little and decided to explore the Times Square area. We took the subway to 42nd Street and decided to go to John's Pizzeria for lunch--we were there last year, it is a very well known restaurant. We had a very enjoyable lunch and then made our way to a big souvenir shop in Times Square.

We bought a couple of items and then strolled down Broadway looking at some very inexpensive jewelry shops that are located there. Everything was so incredibly cheap and you weren't allowed to try anything on, even a ring, so we decided that these stores wouldn't be the best place to purchase anything.

After that we went back to the apartment to feed Muff and take him for a little walk. Then, Amanda and I made our first trip of the summer to Pinkberry! The frozen yogurt and fruit were very yummy and we had a nice time. It was very pleasant walking back to our apartment, since the heat has abated!

It was also nice to stroll by the beautiful Gramercy Park. The park gates are locked and only residents of the area whose apartment look out on the park are given a key. Nonetheless, it is beautiful to look through the gates at the lush greenery and a very well maintained park.

On Sunday, we got up and had a nice breakfast at Big Daddy's Diner, located on Park Street, very close to our apartment. I had regular pancakes and Amanda had pancakes with bananas and chocolate! Very yummy! Their coffee was so delicious also! Amanda said it was the best coffee she had ever had! We even asked the waitress what kind of coffee it was and we are going to try to find it when we return to Virginia.

After breakfast, we went to Union Square and did a little shopping. We went to the Nordstrom Rack and Forever 21 store, which are quite large. Then we made our way back to the apartment to relax a little and spend some time with Muff!

Hope you are having a fun summer!

Beth and Amanda

July 6 and July 7

Amanda has been continuing to enjoy her time at ABT! She managed to start to feel a little better on Tuesday, and although she missed her morning classes, she was feeling well enough in the afternoon to attend rehearsal. She was glad she did, as they learned some new phrases, so she was happy not to miss that.

On Wednesday, Amanda had a full and very long day of classes! In order to make up for missing Monday due to the Fourth of July holiday, they decided to extend classes to 6:30 pm. This meant that Amanda had five one and a half hour classes in a row, with no break in between, other than the hour she had for lunch. They are working really hard, with no break between barre and floor in any of the classes, but she is learning a lot.

I went to Macy's on Wednesday, to do a little shopping and experience their nice air conditioning, ha. It ended up being mostly window shopping, but it was fun to get out and see a little of the city.

Amanda and I had a relaxing evening last night, continuing our Gilmore Girls marathon!

Hope you are having a fun summer!

Beth and Amanda

Fourth of July Weekend

Bruce arrived safely and in good order on the Vamoose bus on Friday night after returning to Dulles Airport from Aspen, Colorado at 1 am Friday morning. Needless to say, he was quite tired, but happy to be here and looking forward to our weekend. Amanda hasn't been feeling well and in fact missed her ABT classes on Friday, so we did a lot of relaxing at the apartment.

We did manage to go to brunch at Pete's Tavern on Saturday, which was fun! While we were there we noticed a plaque on the outside that stated that Ludwig Bemelmans also wrote the book Madeleine while he was sitting in Pete's Tavern--while he was sitting at the bar! I never imagined that scenario when I read the book to my girls when they were young! Wow, first Gift of the Magi and then Madeleine...this place must have magical powers!

It is hard to imagine with all the noise at the bar from the patrons watching the World Cup, that anyone could concentrate enough to write a successful book--but if we ever wanted to write a book, Pete's might be a good place to start, haha.

After our brunch, we went home and rested as we had tickets for an ABT performance that evening. We saw the Brahms-Haydn Variations with Gillian Murphy, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Marcelo Gomes, Sascha Radetsky, and Jose Manuel Carreno.

So, there were some pretty amazing dancers on stage--when Gillian Murphy, Paloma Herrera, and Julie Kent are all dancing at the same time on the stage, truly you don't know who to look at! They were all amazing!

Bruce enjoyed seeing them dance in person and being inside the Met which is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking! Being an ex-trumpet player, he also really enjoyed the orchestra which he found to be excellent.

After the Brahms-Haydn Variations, they performed Company B which consisted to music from the Andrews' sisters. It was a fun piece and consisted of music such as Pennsylvania Polka, I Can Dream Can't I, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, etc. After that we saw Fancy Free which was about 3 sailors on leave in 1944--another fun piece and appropriately very patriotic for the Fourth of July weekend!

On the Fourth of July, we were invited to an apartment in Noho and had a wonderful time! There is even a dance studio inside the apartment!

We had a very nice dinner and finished off the evening by having dessert on the rooftop! It was so exciting to be on the top of the building and see some fireworks! The singer Ricky Martin's apartment was just next door--so we thought that was something! Our host told us that Naomi Watts lives across the street, so it was interesting to know who was living in the area!

Monday was a day for relaxing and doing a bit of grocery shopping. Bruce and I went to Cosi in Union Square and Amanda did a lot of resting so she can get better. Then it was time for Bruce to catch the Vamoose bus. We won't see him for a month--he will be busy with our house settlement, so won't come back until it's time to return to Virginia!

We hope you had a great Fourth!

Beth and Amanda

Muff and the City

Muff strolls down Park Avenue as he takes in the sights of the city! He encounters three little dogs during his walk and we make our way back to our apartment!

ABT Day Nine

Today was an early day for Amanda, because she had yoga at 9:00 am and then her four ballet classes after that. She has either Pilates or yoga twice a week at the same time. Today she had pas de deux class with the advanced men, so she enjoyed that.

The weather is staying cooler, so it is much more pleasant to walk around the city streets. Muffin is enjoying his walks here--there are so many dogs, it is surprising, especially little ones. He gets very excited when he sees one of the little dogs--it is not often that Muff feels like he is bigger than another dog, so it seems to thrill him to no end! Usually he will sneak by a larger dog, hoping the other dog won't notice him!

I have included a picture her of the outside of

the ABT studios at 890 Broadway. The Flatiron building is also very close--so thought I would post that also! I went to the Whole Foods in Union Square this morning--it is a very nice store and I go there almost everyday. Union Square is a nice place that is bustling with activity. There are a lot of trees and a Farmer's Market is held there several times a week. It is a fun place to be!

Thanks for checking the blog--

Beth and Amanda