Tut tut, looks like rain

A storm rolls in over Manhattan

Do's and don'ts of NYC

I came across this article the other day on MSNBC about things you should and shouldn't do in New York. Wish I had thought of it.

Here's how I'm doing on a few things the list:
(Done it/Haven't done it)

Tourist trap things you should definitely do (according to the article):
Metropolitan Museum of Art - pretty cool, lots of walking. Wear comfy shoes
Statue of Liberty - Went there but didn't get to go up. Plan to go back. Go when it's warm.
Ellis Island - not my cup of tea, but neat if you're into that.

Article says, don't: Eat at Tavern on the Green.

Article says, do: Eat at River Cafe or some other places I haven't been.

Don't: Take a pedicab.

Do: Take the subway.

Don't: Eat a hot dog from a cart.

Do: Eat at some other places I haven't been to.

Don't: Go to the top of the Empire State Building. (I still plan to do this anyway at some point.)

Do: Go to the Rainbow Room or Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Center. Top of the Rock is first on my list.

Don't: Get cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery.

Do: Get cupcakes and or a cannoli from other places I haven't been to. I also highly recommend Crumbs.

Don't: Take a Central Park carriage ride.

Do: Go early and walk. I have walked in Central Park. But not early. I don't do early.

Don't: Eat in Times Square. We knew it would be a zoo, but we did it anyway.

Do: Eat in Hell's Kitchen. (This sounds counterintuitive to me.)

Don't: Shop at Herald Square Macy's.

Do: Shop at Lord & Taylor.

Hmm...I've still got a ways to go, huh?

Photoshop play

The photos of our trip that I posted online I didn't Photoshop, although some of them would probably benefit from a little cropping and whatnot. But I chose a few and practiced some of the techniques I've learned at work, and others that I've taught myself. Just thought I'd share.

California Dreamin'

We're back! We had a wonderful trip to the West Coast, and I've posted a bunch of pictures. I'm just posting a link because I'm estimating it'd take me 239487 hours to upload them to Blogger. We spent three days in San Francisco, then rented a car and headed down the Pacific Coast Highway, which is absolutely amazing. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it. We also got upgraded at our hotel in Carmel, so we had a 1 bed/2 bath "town house" with a full ocean view. I really could've lived there quite happily. Unfortunately, I checked house prices on Craigslist in that area, and I'd say you'd better be prepared to spend at least a couple million to live there. (Did you know that Clint Eastwood was a former resident and MAYOR of Carmel?) We did a whale-watching tour in Monterey on Wednesday, and on Thursday we headed down the PCH in our convertible, and the views are absolutely fantastic. Anyway, enough talking. Time for photos! Enjoy.

Click here to see photos!

Away message

*Beep* Hi, Stephanie's answering machine again. She and her husband have gone off for a week in California to celebrate their five-year anniversary. She wanted me to let you know she may or may not post while they're exploring San Francisco, Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel. Please feel free to leave a message after the beep, and have a great week! *Beep*