Breakneck Ridge

Zach and I have been meaning to go hiking at Breakneck Ridge since the spring, but weekend after weekend, something always came up. Or the rain came down. Until Veterans Day, which was probably our last chance this year. It is pretty silly that it took us until mid November to hop on a train and go romp around the woods just an hour outside the city. 

Flags on Veteran's Day

The main draw at Breakneck is the mile long rock scramble at the beginning of the hike. The area was quarried in the early 1900s, so there are huge boulders strewn all over the place. Some parts of the trail had to be approached like actual bouldering problems. Okay, I see a blaze here and up there. Now how do I get there? Can't wait to take Clare when she comes next summer. 

Just past the halfway point between Breakneck and Cold Spring on the hike.

brean n' blue cheese for lunch. om nom. 

We didn't hike the whole Breakneck Ridge trail, instead we cut and pasted a route together with another trail that took us back toward Cold Spring, where the Metro North dropped us off. The second half of the hike was much more of a walk in the woods, but a gorgeous one at that. Toward the end of our hike, we met up with some two other NYC day trippers (teachers as well) and enjoyed the last of the late afternoon daylight with them. We talked loudly, walking single file, smashing sticks, rustling leaves, and keeping one eye on the elusive yellow blazes. We found out that our two new friends were on the Appalachain Trail a few days before we were and had hiked with our AT buddies, Llama Legs and NoCello. Small freakin' world, man. 

So glad we finally went and can't wait to go back. Big thanks to Zach for making our jaunt happen. And for taking great pics and letting me steal them :)

Harriet

This is Harriet. She is the squishiest, snuggliest ball of fur that ever waddled this earth. I love her and that is all this post is about. Cat love.   

Fall

Just the tip from the Williamsburg Bridge

So fall is almost over. That's depressing. My posts have throughout this delightful season have been sparse, as there was some sort of cold war going on between my computer and the wireless network in my apartment. After giving my computer a lobotomy (aka reformatting it), we are back in working order and getting along swimmingly.

That being said, life has been exactly the way life is. Sometimes looking down from the top, sometimes looking up from the bottom (certainly how it feels on the train at 6 am), but usually somewhere in between.

Here I present a few things that have made life fun recently:
1. This amazing sparkle pedicure.

2. This garbage can, which reminds me of my friend Diana, who finds and snaps pics of the happiest little messages scribbled around our city.

3. My silly ray of sunshine Coteacher. Morrison and I are like peas and carrots in Room 425, coteaching the bejesus out of those young minds. And having a blast at it. Last week we sung a conversation about lining up for lunch. They don't even know what hit them.

4. Adventures. Maureen was up this weekend. We explored Grand Central Station and found a miniature door that led to the roof, where we could look down on people inside the main hall. Baller.

5. An unsuspecting Friday night turned rip roaring good time with girls from SPSG at the NYC Alumnae Reunion at the Campbell Apartment. Nothing like having a manhattan and some crab cakes with your high school classmates AND algebra teacher (Mrs. Day not pictured ;)

Neighbors

My original first sentence for this post is as follows:
In New York, it is easy to go days, weeks even, without seeing anyone you like.

Though, I think that might be a little cliche.

So here is my second go at it:
I have ten million neighbors in my neighborhood. When when I bump into someone who I actually know, while just doing my neighborhood business, it makes my day.

We all have our neighborhood people. Mine include Mr. AM New York "how y'all doin this mornin!" who passes papers into the hoards of people transferring at the City Hall subway station...the school crossing gaurd who keeps the children safe while wearing headphones and texting (who may or may not lift her head to acknowledge anyone crossing) ... the crusty landlady who resents you taking yoga classes in her building and always yells  for crowding the hallway... your neighborhood bums, corner store man, inescapable clusters of high school kids.. I find it way to easy to pop in the ear buds, or just space out as I cross paths with people, but often without so much as batting a lash, or flashing a smile.

I started writing this post because I have started to run into more of my friends in the street and it makes my day when I do. Even if it is for a split second and neither party can stop and chat, just getting that wave or shout out from someone you know makes this big city seem like a neighborhood.

But as I write, it is also becoming obvious that I should just be friendlier to my neighbors. It's not like it is hard to smile.

VT

A few pics from our annual trek to VT over Columbus Day weekend. Some call it leaf peeping. I think Relaxing Weekend of Doing All That Is Fall is more appropriate. 

Leaves were peeped,

Trails hiked,

Rocks conquered,

Landslides discovered,

Snuggles had,

Swings swung,

Fires stoked,

Apples picked,

Horses ridden,

and merriment had by all :)

Avon Walk

Thanks you to everyone who donated to my Avon Walk! 

The walk took place this past weekend and was a phenomenal event. 

The opening ceremony was held on pier 84 at 44th street on Saturday morning. It was cold, windy, and offensively early for a weekend morning. But somewhere between the 12 year old speaker who raised $20,000 in memory of her mom, and finding out that the NYC Avon Walk raised 8.4 million dollars, the hour, the temperature and daunting task ahead of us became very trivial details. 8.4 million dollars. That's a shit load of money.

Joey, Melissa, Me & Martha @ the Opening Ceremony

I walked with my two of my best friends, Joey and Melissa. Melissa's mom, Martha, was our inspiration for participating in the walk. She came to NYC to cheer us on and support us throughout the big weekend. Over the 40 miles that we walked, we had tons of visitors, lots of laughs, a few blisters, a couple cranky meltdowns, but mostly great conversation.

Diana and Martha, our first visitors, met us in Chelsea with posters :)

James, our logistics man/life simplifier,
dared to carry the sail sign across the windy BK bridge

Avon sent out emails throughout the summer urging the participants to train. Every time I received one, I thought, Oh please, this is a walk. A WALK PEOPLE. But if you are fat and out of shape, I suppose you should train. Delete. I didn't train. Today, I am hobbling like a peg legged pirate. Or a three legged dog. Or someone who was too arrogant to listen to someone who was offering some advice. Walking 40 miles in two days was a huge physical undertaking that was lots of fun, but also quite challenging.

Day 2 Crossing the footbridge from Randall's Island to East Harlem 

Weekend Highs:

The PERFECT weather

Saturating the BK bridge with pink

Hearing "thank you" from festive strangers lining the streets from Harlem to Soho to Brooklyn to the UES

Laying on the floor of Melissa's apartment and eating Lasagna after Saturday's 26.2 miles

Dipping into Two Little Red Hens for a Brooklyn Blackout cupcake 

(and bit of 2008 era nostalgia) at 8:00 Sunday morning

The man with the "Titty Titty Bang Bang" poster

Only an event for women, put on by a make up company,
would have flowers on the port a potty doors.

 

The bra-mobile. This guy drove laps around the city,
honking and cheering.

Butts in DUMBO

Lows:

Bottle necks at the beginning of each morning

The last 2 miles on Saturday. They were the hardest two of the weekend 

Blisters and stiff hip flexors on Day 2

Navigating Soho during the high brunching hour

Walking behind a teenage girl with a t-shirt that said, "In It To End It For... the memory of my mom"

The vibe was incredibly positive. Survivors. Celebrating memories. Teams and togetherness. But damn. A couple times each day something would get me. I can't even imagine. I don't want to. I just hope they figure this thing out already.

Love at the Finish Line

Spaghetti Squash

While leaf peeping in Vermont this past weekend, I made a killer Spaghetti Squash dish that it's  predators raved about, as if they could not believe it was a vegetable. Inspired by Melissa's request for spaghetti Squash, the Epicurious app's walnut pesto recipe, and Ariel's parents' fridge, I concocted Rosemary Asiago Spaghetti Squash. It was super simple and delicious. 

Rosemary Asiago Spaghetti Squash

One spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

a handful of olive oil

1 clove garlic, grated/pressed

1-2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated 

salt and pepper to taste

a splash of olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Lube up the squash with your olive oil. Place face down on a baking sheet and bake for an hour. 

Take the squash out, let it cool for a few minutes. When you can handle it, scrape the flesh with a fork to make spaghetti looking squash. Dump it all in a bowl. 

Add everything else. Stir it up. Eat.