Sometimes I feel very young.....

Especially when Christmas time is coming and I'm in a city that makes me feel so gloriously small.



It was a gorgeous day today, and we watched the sun fall from a pier in DUMBO, dazzled by our adopted home.



Like they say, the best view of Manhattan is from Brooklyn.



Sometimes, I have to stop everything and embarass myself for a moment of Christmas cheer!



But I am getting ahead of myself. I had much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, most of all, my Grandfathers health-- he had been not feeling well at all, which meant a whirlwind trip to Ohio the weekend before Thanksgiving, more on that in a later post! My poor and wonderful mother went from Portland to New York to Ohio, back to New York and finally home to Portland again in the space of a long weekend. Phew!

Anyway, I was thankful for the health and happiness of my family, and for all the lovely friends who shared our meal this year-- all NINE of them!



Plates piled high!



Gravy Toast! Vegetarian mushroom meets good old turkey gravy! Yum yum!


Not all of us could wait for dinner...MIKE.



As for David, he cooked arguably the BEST turkey in all of America this Thursday, and everyone pitched in and left us with food for at least a week--yay!



And the aftermath, we bask in the tryptophan glow...



Here's to a sparkly and warm Christmas Season full of , eggnoggy parties and PRESENTS and the Johnny Mathis masterpiece, "Marshmallow World" on repeat and most of all cozy homes filled with family and friends. Cheers!

pregame!

1 14 lb Free Range Fresh Turkey

2 pans of stuffing, one sausage, one veg.

1 pumpkin pie, tucked away in the fridge.

2 big bags of frozen green beans, 2 cans Campbells cream of mushroom soup. A classic waiting to be recalled.

Home made cranberry sauce, already in its serving dish, tart and zest-packed.

6 lbs yukon golds, 5lbs sweet potatoes, straight from the Union Sq. Market (thanks Jay!)

10 people ready to come fill our apartment with happy holiday noises, hour after glorious hour.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

A day in the Life of Miranda's New York

A November day in pictures.

It doesn't matter how tired you are, getting up is pretty easy when the day looks like this outside your bedroom window.



Bye bye little apartment! I'll be back in 12 short hours!



Hello 7th AVE. You're my very own subway stop.



My train will come eventually, though the tunnel can look desolate.



At work, 30 minutes later (give or take). Lexington ave/63rd street. Fancy, for a subway stop. Which isn't saying much.



I call this "work".



But hostessing is the cushiest job ever invented, and it suites me. To call it work is a stretch.

Family meal, is what I see when I walk in, they're awesome. Alex, Arsi and Marcos. They call me honey and it's not creepy and make me special espresso drinks, occasionally spiked with Sambuca (whether I want it or not).



Alex and Tito.



Tito brings me coffee and tea and works harder than anyone I've ever met. Plus, he never fails to smile and ask me how I am when I come to work. Alex is from Albania, like most of the other servers, and is the one who secretly spikes my iced espresso. He's also just a really, really good guy.

I am done at 4pm, and I often like to walk over to Park Ave and work my way down 5th Ave. I always notice something new, today it was the Sherry-Netherland, which makes me think of Eloise.



Snow at Bulgari.



A candle and prayer at St. Patricks for someone I love very much.



New York gets ready for Christmas-- that scaffolding shields the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree...so soon!



Radio City Music Hall just couldn't wait. Typical.



David met me at the Union Square farmers market, and we visit Jay and his shaggy haired coworker at the notorious Pretzel stand!



Crunch crunch free pretzels.

Phew. A long lovely day. A city with so much beauty. Today I needed to look around and let the city carry me.

Treats and a very mellow night

This is what Halloween looked like for us this year. Plus TONS of little kids-- did I mention that Park Slope is the stroller mafia capitol of New York City? Well, based on my very scientific study conducted yesterday as I wandered the area, I confirm that there are at least 12 children per adult in this 'hood. (Myself included? You be the judge.)
It all started with this!

Plus some of this!

And this.






Then we just got silly. And it all ended with me eating more Rice Krispie than anyone ever has before! Spoooooooooky!

Some people chose to play with the Krispies, as opposed to eating them. That is just soooo immature.



David says "This Guy".


Worlds collide in my little kitchen! And on that note, Happy November!