50th Birthday Bash - Revisited

Greetings to one and all,

OK, so got to do this a little earlier than planned. We had a small crisis at the office and a major program that is used for tracking our contracts and such decided to take a nose dive. Yes, right at the holiday and so we are frozen in motion awaiting it to get repaired. So decided to use this time and get some of the details put together.

Last October I was pretty darn sick for a few days and it allowed me time to look at how much I had been pushing myself with work and all. Decided that I needed to downshift a bit and so the GALA weekend became the FUN weekend and was cut in size by more than half. Initially there was some inner frustrations, but the more I reviewed it the more I saw that I needed to do this for me. So first up was cutting the size of the party. Went from over a 100 to a coupe of dinners for 12. Also, out the door, the week at Disney World. I spent December 1-6 in New York City and had a great time as you saw in the blog reports. Why over numb myself and do Disney...it is there and will be enjoyed when I go in 2010. As for the weekend, it was one of three prime weekends in December this year and many people were happy they did not have to make a decision about whether to come or not.

The whole celebration kicked off Thursday evening when Michael arrived from the beach. He drove up after school and got in even with the nasty weather. We paused long enough for him to drop bags, but soon was off to Shanghai Gardens for dinner. Boy, I love that place. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and back at the apartment we got settled in and he gave me some lovely gifts. There was the 10th anniversary of the French Rugby Team's calendar. He also gave me some wonderful Duke's Mayonnaise and their cookbook and oh my did he give me the fireworks! After a good sleep, we were off early in the morning to enjoy breakfast at Glo's Restaurant up on Capital Hill. Michael had to have Eggs Florentine. I opted to have the Potato Pancakes with bacon and eggs on the side. Yummy breakfast, especially since Michael also got a cinnamon role to boot! At this point it was back to the casa as we were to split with me headed to the airport and Michael north for holiday shopping.

With the clock getting closer to noon, Connie's flight would soon be here. I have known Connie for like 20 years. We have not seen each other in 6 of those years and so it was a joy to have her fly out from Washington, DC. God love her that she went over 5 hours without a cigarette for me! Upon arrival we drove drown to Tacoma and enjoyed lunch at Duke's Chowder House with Mom and Janet as they drove up that day from Portland. It was a delight to sit there and look out on the beautiful Pudget Sound and see the boats, ships, birds and various sights to make the day all the more enjoyable. Afterwards, we headed up to Seattle and got them all checked into the hotel for the weekend and I got to depart and enjoy a nap! What a wonderful thing it is. Really made the evening nice.

About 5:30ish people began arriving at my place for a "wine tasting" but I have to share it was more like a wine drinking event. No worries, it was fun for one and all and Michael had done an amazing job in selecting wines for the evening. People brought wine as well. All too soon were were off and running for the Brooklyn Restaurant for dinner. You have heard me go on and on about this place. It is such a delight. Four of us got to enjoy 2 dozen oysters and that was sheer heaven. We also had the joy of consuming a generous gift from Uncle Markie - a double magnum of a Mt. Baker Vineyards Tempranillo. I got to enjoy my favorite small plate - Day Boat Scallop with Foie Gras that is just to die for. For Main Course, I split two dishes to try a little more...first up was the Cervena Venison and it was served wrapped in wild boar bacon with a roasted cauliflower puree, boulangere vegetables and marrow bone. A lovely cherry jus finsihed it off. Delightful to be sure! The other dish was Wild Alaskan Black Cod that is truffle dusted with a butternut squash and fennel gratinee. Golden chantrelle mushrooms in a smoked chardonney oil completed the dish and for a flourish, lobster bisque. Oh how I wanted to like, if not love, this dish. It did not happen. And that rarely happens there. But hey, no one is perfect. One thing I did get to enjoy was a serving of their Key Lime Cheesecake which is FABULOUS! Granted, I did not get to blow out my birthday candle since someone was over zealous and did so for me, but I had a couple of other opportunities over the weekend to do it. Afterwards, Michael and I caught a cab back to the apt. and sleep soon followed as the next day was to be a full one to be sure!

End of part I of the weekend...look for the rest to be posted soon.
Cheers, Chris

Holidazed!

Ho! Ho! Ho! What a week and only Tuesday. We have been doing Secret Santa at work and at the same time here at the abode I have been trying to get the building staff taken care of and receiving a lot of packages for me and Markie. I am going to take time - likely Christmas morning to pause and look back on the birthday weekend. It was a lot of fun and I have not had a good chunk of time to just let the brain vibes go and share the joy. So know that it will be on the way and that I am more than a glad that there are the 12 Days of Christmas to take us into January since several gifts I ordered are on back order. Looking forward to Helene for Christmas Eve dinner and then a fun game of Catan and Chinese to celebrate Christmas before heading to the beach for the weekend. Tonight I am finishing up co-workers gifts and writing a few more cards and I plan to get to bed early...need more zzz's. For now - Cheers!

NYC Holiday Visit - Part II

OK, boys and girls, when we last checked in Chris was headed to the airport for his flight home. But the story had not been completely told so let's look back to Thursday, December 3rd as the group is departing Radio City Music Hall. The show has happened and after enjoying the ginormous crystal chandler in the lobby of Radio City that is hung during the Christmas Show we are headed outside. Beautiful weather and the majority of the group decides to head to Serendipity3 for lunch and to taste a real treat - Frozen Hot Chocolate. Yes, you heard it here folks and it is a great way to mark the holiday season. http://www.serendipity3.com/ if you want more information. Oprah loves the stuff and a movie was based on the restaurant. If you ever make it to the Big Apple, this is a stop to take in.

I was not part of that group as I needed to head back to the hotel and get some work done. My lunch was stopping at Subway which was across the street from the hotel and use my ticket stub to get 50% off on my lunch. Hey, tell me how often you can enjoy lunch in NYC for $10? And so this delight kicked off an afternoon of email catch-up and going over January calendars with staff. Knowing it would be a late night I also snuck in a nap to make it through.

Tonight kicked off three night of theatre. Oh what fun it would be and first up was Billy Elliot based upon the movie. Elton John bought the rights and made it into a musical that won 10 Tony Awards this year. How do I describe the evening. It was so numbing and yet joyful. I related to the story on many levels. The base story is about a small town in England where the primary industry (coal) was going to fade away in the end and about a young boy who goes against the grain and follows his dream to amazing results! In similar ways I feel my life has taken a unique set of twists and turns and where I am today is just so far from what I expected. Yes, tears flowed and at times it was alarming and in the end there was not a moment of hesitation on giving the young man playing Billy a standing ovation - Tommy Batchelor. One the way out I collected a red boxing glove keyring that became an ornament for my tree and got one for Michael as well. Afterwards, it was off to Sardi's for dinner. In the heart of New York 's Theater District, Sardi's has been the toast of Broadway for 82 years. Located at 234 West 44th Street it is known for it's large collections of caricature prints of famous people. So I decided to enjoy a Chopin martini and began with the Duck and Foie Gras Terrine with a Petite Salad, Sherry Vinegar, Vidalia Onion Compote and Toasted Baguette Croutons. Can you say heaven! Yes indeed it was a delight and then I decided to bow to tradition and for main course it was Shrimp Sardi - Sautéed Shrimp in Garlic Sauce served with rice on the side and what proved interesting among the three that ordered it was that it got better as we ate more of it. I capped off the meal with a Tahitian Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee that was good, but not great. By the time we finished we were the last table and slowly made our way out into the darkness of night at 1am. Cabs soon swallowed us and dropped us at the hotel as soon a new day would be underway. Oh and it would be an early one for me as I was slated to have breakfast with a vendor.

Lack of sleep became a theme on this trip and yet why waste the time. I got up and headed north to Cafe Edison in the theater District...wasn't I just here? Arrived a bit early and was seated right near the window. Now this is where it goes from entertaining to just plain funny. Rebeca came in and I knew who she was before she got close to my table. There was just something and indeed I was right. We started talking just like we had known each other for years and we have talked for years, but had never met. So we order breakfast - she has half a cantaloupe and a bagel with cream cheese plus coffee. Me - I go with a cottage cheese omelet and bacon with toast and coffee. It is a place that just does basic breakfasts and is good and a lot of people in the community go there. As she said on the phone, you never know who you'll meet. As we are talking tables trade out and a while later a gentleman sits down next to me at the next table and is enjoying his breakfast. Rebeca talks to him a bit and then introduces us. It is Jude Law who up until last week was playing Hamlet on Broadway. Well folks, I don't know him that well. And one of my initial questions is - "Oh have you done movies?" And after rattling off a list there is finally one I kind of recognized - The Holiday and so at that point I am feeling kinda OY in my mind. This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened, but he was quite amused that I did not gush all over and in the end I think it was quite right. And so went my star-moment of the trip. It was back in a cab and down to meet the group and get them over to the CircleLine for the three hour cruise around Manhattan Island. It gives a great overview of the island. http://www.circleline42.com/site/browse.aspx?type=&group=1 The weather could not have cooperated more with the exception of it being cold on the water, but hey folks, we are talking December 3rd! And so after that it was back to the hotel and time allowed for some work and freshen up in that tonight we decided to do a pre-theatre dinner before seeing In the Heights. As its' website says:
In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan's Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. The music is just amazing!

So before seeing this great show at the Richard Rogers Theater, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at a restaurant called Firebird. Their website - http://www.firebirdrestaurant.com/ and be ready to be amazed. Most of the group opted for the three course pre fix menu. Yours truly decided for the first course to enjoy OLIVYE which was made of chicken, potato, carrots, egg, pickles, peas, served with a mix green salad. It was unusual and yet refreshing. Next up was main course and I, like the rest of the men at the table chose the MYASO STROGANOFF which blended fillet of beef, onion, mushroom in veal jus tossed with wonderfully like homemade pasta. The ladies all ordered UKRAINSKII BORSCH and oh how rich with smoked duck, beef brisket, pork & potato pirozhki and of course beets. But oh how to end the most memorable meal of the trip but with ROMANOV that is constructed with vanilla ice cream and strawberries complete with a Grand Mariner reduction. All three courses for only $49.99 and the location was a real treat - do take a moment to visit the website to get the details. It is well worth a visit. Sadly, we had to be on our way all too soon to make curtain at In the Heights. This show proved to be a treat for the senses. I was wondering, but by the end I had no worries.

When coming out of the show it was pouring and so most of the group did a beeline for the subway and I opted to get a cab back. The ankle was taking a beating and I just could not handle the stairs the way it felt. Made it back to the hotel and crashed hard! To think, tomorrow, Saturday, would be the final full day in the city.

After getting most of the group off and running the next day I decided to make it the Christmas window day and headed for Barney's. Always a bit edgy, this year they focused on Saturday Night Live's 35th Anniversary. Quite Funny. Then on to Sak's Fifth Avenue where the theme is the children's book, Twinkle Twinkle Little Flake, a story about a snowflake. Follow along the tale as an audio track tells the story. Like the Macy's windows, the Saks windows this year are interactive. Send a tweet with the hashtag #holidaywindows and it will show up on computer displays within the windows. I don't tweet so go figure. Next up was Bergdorf Goodman which has fantastically opulent holiday windows this year focusing on Alice in Wonderland and while they're not very traditional and don't have Santa in them, I was still intrigued by their fairy-tale likeness. While I did not get to Bloomingdale's windows they feature Dynamic Duos waiting on line to visit Santa. Barack and Michelle Obama as well as Batman and Robin and...Salt and Pepper. I wonder what Salt wants for Christmas? Guess I should have made it there. On to Lord & Taylor which has the most detailed windows of all. This year each window was themed to My favorite Christmas...Ornaments, Cards, Stories, Treats, Songs & Toys. And finally, Macy's who is the originator of this tradition and, rightly so, they are pushing their holiday windows to new heights this year. Their windows are actually interactive, something they did on a small scale the past two years. Viewers can actually write and send letters to Santa and watch them as they travel through a series of funky fantastical windows on their way to the North Pole. This is all tied into their major Christmas campaign of "Believe" which is in it's 2nd year. OK, so here's a little tidbit you can share with your friends: the original Macy's window displays were mechanized and powered by store employees on treadmills!

Back to the hotel and had enjoyed a light Chinese lunch of cold noodles with peanut sauce as dinner on our last night would be at the Times Square outpost of Junior's Restaurant, a Brooklyn institution. They opened this location in 2006 and had never been. Arrived there in the snow - yup, it had begun to snow and was quite wet and gloppy to be sure. It did not last long, but was all that was needed to make some people's visit complete. The food was quite good and I had a chicken liver sandwich with onion rings and a vanilla egg cream. What's that some of you are asking? Well, first there is no egg in an egg cream. In a tall glass mix together vanilla simple syrup, milk, and seltzer; stir well to combine. Serve immediately.

From Wikipedia - A New York Egg Cream.
An egg cream is a classic beverage consisting of chocolate or vanilla syrup, milk and seltzer - probably dating from the late 19th century, and is especially associated with Brooklyn, home of its alleged inventor, candy store owner Louis Auster. It contains neither eggs nor cream.
The egg cream is almost exclusively a fountain drink; although there have been several attempts to bottle it, none has been wholly successful, as its fresh taste and characteristic head requires mixing of the ingredients just before drinking. The drink can be compared to a traditional ice cream soda, though it contains no ice cream.

After a lovely meal, of course we had to cap it off with cheese cake! I went with the strawberry version while others were more traditional. All and all, a delightful time. Then it was time for our final show. Three of us had opted to go all out and get tickets for "Phantom of the Opera" and so we had 4th row center right under the chandler. Amazing seats, amazing costumes and the sets were opulent beyond belief. If only the acting had been as good. Granted the show is now over 20 years old, heck I remember seeing it the year it opened in 1988. But still that is no excuse and what is even more scary is that next year the sequel is coming out - yes, a sequel! It is called "Love Never Dies" and is set in Coney Island, no I am not kidding! Well, we had a lovely time and upon exiting the theater we made hast to the corner and snagged a car back to the hotel in no time. Packing and prep for the next day took the rest of the night as we began to wind up the visit.

The next day people left at different times and soon we were on our way. Damon had been the gentleman who picked us up on Tuesday and he dropped us off on Sunday. What a marvelous man and great driver. Loved that velvet voice of his. At the airport, how could I not have one last adventure. Got checked in and off to security where the lady (using that term in only the most vague of ways!) doing the visual screening decided that my two star ornaments from Macy's could possibly be a THREAT to national security! Yes, a star ornament that has the word "believe" etched into it and the year 2009 will take down a whole plane. Hello Mary!! I am sorry but I had to get the manager over there. This woman had held up bag after bag, it was a joke. People missed flights because of her. Well, I am happy to report I still own my ornaments and the national security is still as one! So went my trip to New York and hope you had fun reading.

I think it is time for a nap now. A posting on the 50th birthday celebration will soon follow...

Homeward Bound - OK Home, but part I

I started this on Sunday while waiting to leave. Got in late Sunday and
Monday is a blur...so now it is way too early Tuesday and so going to post this
first part...part II to arrive in the coming days...

What a week this has been. Began it by coming off a relaxing holiday weekend and plunged into a Monday that was just a tad on the insane side. Knew it would be as I was leaving the next morning for New York City with a group. Finally got home and got packed and slept pretty soundly. Did not get to finish trimming the tree but there is always this week to be sure. I got to have a brief staff meeting and tried to get things in order. You never know if it will all go right, but hope for the best.

Tuesday had me off to the airport and it was still having the lingering rush feel of the holiday weekend. I was glad my check-in went smoothly and boarded the plane. Due to the holiday it was a packed flight and within the 16 seats multiple seat changes occurred. I was laughing at one point as one lady was just in a tiff over not sitting with her husband. Finally two people behind me agreed to give up their seats and what proved amazing was that after we took off it was discovered that they had kids in back and they were trading off to get free drinks! Could not believe it and the husband was furious when the flight attendant cut them off. Well, I enjoyed watching "Big" and "Miracle on 34th Street" on the way out so I think I will be reading and napping on the way home.

Upon arrival, Lars & Anita joined me at baggage claim for what would be our first "adventure" of the trip. Greeted by our driver, Damon, he went out to get the car and bring it around. After 20 minutes or so the bags began to arrive...and we waited...and we waited...finally Lars bag came and then Anita's bag. Where is mine? It was now a good 45 minutes and most everyone was gone. OY! How can you lose a bag on a non-stop flight? Well, close, how about it being the last bag on the conveyor belt and stuck midway up?!?!? Was able to find a gentleman who helped me get it and we were finally on our way into Manhattan. Oh good, just in time for rush hour. But Damon was an amazing driver and knew the ropes of keeping moving forward. A seamless drive. A friend of Anita and Lars arranged the driver for us and it was such a treat. A handsome man with a velvet voice which was calming to be sure. Without a blink of an eye we were soon heading down 34th Street right past Macy's! But then he turn left, and going north when we should go south. Being the guest, I opted to keep my mouth closed. Another turn and soon he was stopping the car and announcing we were "here" at the Comfort Inn. Indeed it was, but the wrong one. Someone had told him the one on 35th but we were staying at the one on 25th. So off we go and soon arrive at the Chelsea Comfort inn.

We checked in without a problem...OK, so they did change my room since I was to have a king bed and they had me in a double twin. But we dropped our bags and freshened up a bit and headed off around the corner to 26th Street to try out Hill Country which is rated the top BBQ joint in the city. Yes, we had come to NYC to have our first meal be good old fashion BBQ. So you walk in and they seat you and give you a "ticket" and you use this to buy everything. A person comes by and gets your drink order and then you go up and order at one counter what meat item you want. In this case we all went with moist brisket. It was wonderful. I also got a sausage link, but it was mealy and not something to write home about. But the side dishes you get at the next counter - OH MAMA! Green Bean Casserole w/ Durkee Onions, Sweet Potato Bourbon Mash, White Shoepeg Corn Pudding, Confetti Cole Slaw, Longhorn Mac & Cheese, Cool as a Cucumber Salad were all exceptional...ok so the mash was forgettable, but boy were we full. We all shared the sides and there just was no room to try the PB&J Cupcakes. If you ever get to town you need to look them up at 30 West 26th Street and there is a full bar with live music downstairs to boot!

The next day had me getting email caught up and calls made. Then it was off to Grand Central Terminal! What a treat to go back there. Ventured into the Transit Museum and got the 7 day transit passes and even got a few souvenirs for people. Since it was lunchtime and I was right there, I decided to enjoy a lunch of clam chowder and fresh oysters at the Oyster Bar on the lower level of the terminal. After a nice bowl of thick New England style chowder I was presents a dozen oysters consisting of 4 Pemaquid out of Maine, 4 Stoney Brook out of Long Island, NY and finally 4 of my favorite - Kumamotos out of Humbolt County in California. mind you, they offer at least 30 kinds of oysters every day! Amazing to be sure. I enjoyed it with simple tap water because you need to know one thing, NYC tap water tastes pretty damn good! I will have it all the time while here and not pay for bottled, why waste the money? After lunch I went back up to the great room to take in the laser light show. During the holidays they run a series of 6 different shows, one on the top and bottom of the hour. Well, I saw one as I went in and another as I left. On the way out I took in the Christmas Market. Quite lovely. There was a long cue for taxi's and so I crossed the street and got one going the other way straight away. Oh to learn the tricks of living here. Could not believe that after living here for over 5 years and then add in the 8 trips since then it is so much more fun to visit the city than to live here.

The group began to arrive mid-day and by nightfall we had everyone buy three here. Off to Tavern of the Green to enjoy our welcome dinner. It was especially meaningful at the restaurant closes at the end of the year due to a decision on the part of the Parks Department to give the lease to another vendor this fall when it came up for renewal. So after 35 years in business December 31st will be their last day. The first to arrive was Lars, Anita, Bruce and Lynn and they went shopping buying multiple copies of the restaurant's cookbook. They were feeling quite smug and I was laughing to myself right then as they had no idea that on each seat was waiting a copy of the very cookbook as a token of the remembering the trip. Too funny, but in the end they had gotten a start on their shopping for others. We began the meal with an appetizer of mushroom stuffed ravioli's with a virgin olive oil drizzle and walnuts. Then there was a choice of Chilean Sea Bass or Fillet Mignon. Both were served with steamed green beans and carrots and roasted potatoes. Final course was a lovely lemon tart with a whole blueberry sauce on top. Coffee and tea were served, but most passed. So glad I do not have that problem with caffeine. I can drink right up to bedtime and still sleep.

Back to the hotel in the dripping rain, who knew that this was going to be an on and off week for weather! Thursday morning would prove to be a beautiful day to get things going. We stayed in a hotel that offered a nice breakfast - nothing fancy - but got you off to a good start with juice, fresh fruit, cereals as well as a variety of breads, muffins and bagels. They even offered hard boiled eggs. Coffee and tea are always available. Several people were up early and headed different directions so that they could all be at Radio City Music Hall in time for the 11am Christmas Spectacular show. Not a lot different in the two years other than they mixed up the opening sequence a bit and in the end the nativity is done much more simple, although still complete with animals, etc. They used to have a multi-tiered set with rock outcrops and all which is gone. It was stunning, but may have proven difficult. It is now flat.

Time to head to the airport...