New York City Day 1

I'm back from my amazingly wonderful weekend in New York City!!!! Michael was so kind to let me go and he did a terrific job taking care of the kids.

I arrived Friday morning in New York and took the bus and subway to my friend's apartment. Christy was my host. We graduated highschool (homeschool) together and have actually managed to travel a bit overseas together as well (Greece, Turkey and Scotland). However, it's been a long time since we had more than a few hours to visit.

We were both soaking wet after the very short walk from the subway to apartment in the torrential rain that hit the city. Ordering lunch in was a good option. Christy's favorite is from a Dominican restaurant and it was delicious! Rice, beans, chicken, avocado, and plantains two different ways.

We decided to brave the rain and made our way through upper Manhattan trying to keep our two selves dry under one little black umbrella. Christy took me to the Cloisters -- a museum of religious art from Europe and grounds covered in beautiful gardens, including a "Heather Garden".

There were many varieties, including one human:

The building was beautiful and incorporated many things brought over from Europe in the structure itself.

It was funny being in New York City and looking at the very kinds of things we had seen together on our overseas travels.

The flowers in the middle of the square Cloister area were so lovely:

Stained glass, tapestries, statues, funerary statues, and paintings filled the building.

I actually made it into a handful of pictures on this trip!!!

More of the heather garden:

Friday evening we ordered pizza in and watched a movie set in Germany during WWII. I started working on a sweater which I'm sample knitting for Christina. It was a good way to start the weekend!