mr. cliffe goes to washington

Ian and I went on our first married weekend getaway in honor of the Fourth of July. Since neither of us has any vacation days to spare, we decided to take advantage of the holiday weekend and buy bus tickets to visit the capital.

Our bus was decked out with outlets, Wi-Fi, movie screens, leather seats, and even cup holders. The four-hour ride was beautiful. It was so exciting to see rivers, cornfields, and forests. We fully intend to take another Bolt Bus (they do additional routes to Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, all of which would be fun to escape to, as well). Here's the Susquehanna River.

Once we arrived in DC, we made our way to our hotel. Donovan House is one of the most posh and comfortable hotels I've ever stayed in (see the foyer below). It's got very mod decor and an extremely courteous staff. If you ever get the chance to stay here, do it. Special thanks to Thompson Hotels for the fantastic rate (I suppose it's the least they can do for such a dedicated employee!).

As soon as we checked in, it was nearly constant sightseeing for three days. We visited numerous museums (mostly of the Smithsonian variety)... These are both from the Museum of American History: C-3PO and Julia Child's kitchen.

Saw lots of great architecture... (the Department of the Treasury)

And monuments... (The Washington, obviously)

And memorials... (my favorite: the Korean War Memorial)

And plant life... (a "real" magnolia, per our friend Kristen)

And Segways... (they did tours!)

And presidents... (We actually saw Barack drive by in a limo. I took a video of it, but I'm still working on freeze-framing.)

And fireworks... (The first shot is what the mall looked like pre-show. It was this crowded all the way to the Washington Monument.)

...And we ate. Well. Here we are at Brasserie Beck, which serves up delicious French-Belgian bistro fare. They know their beers and wine too. The staff were wonderfully nice, and we even got to stop in the kitchen and say hello.

We also got to have dinner with our the Vons, who recently moved to Washington so Jason could pursue his PhD in theology. We met them at Union. This is the view Kristen and I always have when the four of us are in transit.

And, best of all, we really enjoyed ourselves.

welcome, wee hog!

I'm terribly excited to announce that we have a new family member! While we were getting ready for our weekend getaway on Friday morning, Ian got a voicemail saying we are now an uncle and aunt three times over (and were thusly so excited that we forgot to pack half our stuff). I will post more info if and when I get the okay from the proud parents. In the meantime, since we're not there to meet in person, I'm taking the liberty of posting this nice close-up photo of us. Hello, Baby!

And if you're wondering, we had an absolutely fantastic time in the capital. It's getting late, so paring down our 481 photos to an acceptable number to post will have to wait until another day.

wanderings and ramblings

Last night, we got the unpleasant, unwelcome news that absolutely nobody else was available to cover the Saturday night bar shift, so Ian was roped into working. Lately his weekly schedule consists of four nights in a row, so I really only see him on weekends. Needless to say, this was a big disappointment for both of us, but we had a nice morning together, and when Ian left for work, I decided to get a manicure, pedicure, and massage.

On my way to the spa, I had a sudden craving for an iced latte, so I stopped at the cafe across the street. It is, in my mind, the essence of what a coffee shop should be. Guns N' Roses was blasting on the stereo and the two baristas were singing along at full volume. They looked the part: One had several tattoos, including an extremely lifelike tattoo of a pineapple spanning from her elbow to her collar bone, and the other looked like she just stepped out of the '50s beat scene. I loved the eclectic assortment of hanging glass light fixtures with exposed bulbs -- the kind with the oversized, old-school filaments -- and the penny tiles, which are sure to make an appearance in our home once we give up on this pseudo-itinerant lifestyle and buy a place. Most importantly, the latte was uber-tasty (undoubtedly because I forgot to ask for no fat, no sugar). And bonus: The place didn't smell like Starbucks. What is that smell? It's rank. And they all have it. Blech.

If I'm not careful, this could be habit-forming. And I have to walk by the place every single day. Good thing I walk by my gym every single day too.

sunday, rainy sunday

It's been a nice, relaxing Sunday here on Columbus Avenue. This afternoon, we walked down to the flea market to look for a few more pieces of furniture (including desk chairs for both of us -- I'm sitting on a side table right now!). We found a couple of gorgeous pieces, but they would have needed to be refinished. No deal. We also pored through loads of vintage lithographs of maps and artwork. (Yesterday at Housing Works -- a popular thrift store whose proceeds go to end AIDS and homelessness -- we found an amazing drawing of a scene from the Revolutionary War that would have gone perfectly in our colonial-themed bedroom. The frame was hideous, though, so we decided to keep looking. Now I'm obsessed!) When we left the flea market, it was raining. Again. We're making the best of it, and thankfully there hasn't been any flooding (which could be disastrous given the population density), but I can't think of one day when it hasn't rained since we moved into our new apartment! Our umbrellas have become our favorite accessories.

I know I said I'd post photos of the new space, but it's not quite done yet. This week, we'll hang our artwork and shelve the piles of books and DVDs which are littering the perimeter of our great room, and then we'll be all set. Talk soon!

PS You may be wondering why I'm able to post today when Time-Warner told us they'd postponed our installation until Wednesday. So are we. Perhaps it was the combined five hours Ian and I spent on the phone with them last week...

surfacing

I'm proud to report that we've successfully completed our move! (We've moved four times in four years, and are still pack rats...) Every last box has been unpacked, and Ian, bless him, got rid of our huge pile of cardboard this morning via Craigslist -- here it's abominable to throw away, or even recycle, your moving boxes. Someone else always needs them, no matter how crumpled or flimsy or written-on or dirty they are. So we're just waiting for our couch, which will be delivered (and lugged up four flights of stairs by some poor, unsuspecting deliveryfolk) tomorrow, and cable/Internet/phone, to be hooked up on Saturday (perhaps even more exciting than getting the couch).

This year we're saving on postage and paper by sending "We've Moved" e-notices. So if you want one, please email, call one of our cell phones, or send a message on Facebook. You could also comment on the blog and I'll receive it as an email -- I promise not to post it.

Thanks for bearing with me during the Great Move of 2009. I'm resolving to make posting a priority this summer. Stay tuned!

Update: I'm so angry, I'm near to tears. Time-Warner made a mistake when they set up our installation appointment and has to push it back to the middle of next week. Guess that means I'll be spending part of the weekend editing photos so I have a huge batch ready to post. Sorry.

a new home

We finally found an apartment. After looking at nearly 50 apartments in Inwood and Washington Heights (not just browsing on Craigslist -- physically being inside every single one), we got a tip from a broker about a space in a neighborhood a couple miles south of here that I actually wrote about in my last blog post: the Upper West Side.

-- By the way, I humbly apologize for my long hiatus from writing. I frequently thought about updating you on our lives here in Manhattan, but never at the appropriate time. The powers that be at The Knot would more than likely frown on such activities during business hours... --

So, we're happy to report that our new apartment is in a neighborhood that we know well -- it's near so many spots we frequent (Central Park, a wide variety of restaurants, the necessary shops, cute frivolous little shops, three train lines, that bar I told you about...). The apartment itself has a great kitchen, an open floor plan (so even though it's just one bedroom, the space is much more usable than in our current one), an updated bath, closets, sound floors, a green courtyard view, a great window for Sprout, and lots and lots of built-in lighting. Enviable.

I took some pics inside, but I decided not to post them to be fair to the girl who lives there now (who must have been robbed shortly before we arrived). I do have these two for you, though.

...Heading to our new apartment to sign the lease. If the world were 2-D, the stoplight would be resting on top of the building where we'll live.

This is our cross-street. That green space in the background? The Park. Come Thanksgiving, we'll be waking up and walking down the street in our PJ's to watch the parade instead of getting up at the crack of dawn, braving the crowds on the train, and still barely being able to see once we get to Central Park West.

We're so excited about our new space. I don't remember apartment hunting being so exhausting. But it's all over and we can resume living again. Summer in the City is a truly unique experience. Can't wait to tell you all about it.

out and about

Yesterday was beautiful -- 85 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. And like every other New Yorker, Ian and I could hardly wait to get outside. We started by walking through Riverside Park to a mystery destination on 89th Street. Ian found out that the West Side Community Garden was having its annual tulip show and wanted to surprise me by stopping there.


The story of the garden is pretty interesting. The space used to be an abandoned lot covered in rubble, but in the mid '70s, some folks in the neighborhood decided to clean it up. These days, a portion of the garden is an amphitheatre landscaped with bulbs and other perennials, but there's also a section of raised beds where people can cultivate gardens of their own. A number of cultural events are hosted there over the summer, including the Music in a Garden series. I'll certainly be there! Until I can have my own garden, this will be a wonderful substitute. Maybe I can even help out.

When we finished enjoying the garden, we stopped at one of our new favorite pubs, Soldier McGee's, for some Golden Tee and a cold drink. Like a lot of the other restaurants and bars in the city, Soldier McGee's can fold back its front windows making it completely open to the street -- perfect for a day like this.

To finish the day, we met our friends Candice and Bryan for dinner at The Spotted Pig in the West Village. What a cute place! Can't wait for more weekends like this one. Next weekend, though, is reserved for apartment hunting in Inwood and The Heights. Wish us luck!