This weekend, Open House New York opened the TWA Terminal at JFK to the public, and we were fifth in line to get in. We’d discovered it was open last year too late to go, and spent a year hoping it would be on the list again this year. It was definitely worth the wait.
Designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1962, the terminal was closed to operations in October 2001. It’s on the National Register of Historical Places and has been well preserved; I’m so glad we were able to explore its nooks and crannies, especially not knowing what may come of the space in the future (rumors that Trump will turn it into a hotel have been swirling for year, apparently).
Along with all the photos, Jason created a short video . . .
Hello from the most negligent bloggers in the land! We kept drafting posts, then not posting posts, then deleting posts, and ultimately ignoring the mere existence of posts. So here’s a little highlight reel of the last few months. We have trips to Chicago, Minnesota, and even India. We have weddings, and sightseeing, and family reunions. We have lots of friends, and lots of amazing skies. It’s been a great year and we’ve been, apparently, too busy to document it properly! Here’s to the close of 2013 and a 2014 with even more to show.
Big Apple BBQ
We came, we ate all the meat.
Chicago
Celebrating an old friend’s wedding in Jason’s favorite city.
Jekyll Island
Another wedding—this time family—on the beautiful Jekyll Island, Georgia, known for Driftwood Beach.
Bo Ssam
Shared an incredible bo ssam with ten friends and ate until we couldn’t see straight!
Beach Week 2013
Summer vacation tradition continues, but this time with a heavy heart for Jersey.
Fete Paradiso on Governor’s Island
An antique French carnival set up in New York Harbor? Ooh la la!
NYCC 2013
The boys headed to ComicCon again, this time with Cameron, too! (see more on Jason’s Flickr account).
India
Erin took the work trip of a lifetime.
Thanksgiving
Once again we hosted our family and friends for pie, stuffing, and turkey turkey turkey.
Minnesota Weekend Getaway
Braved 2° high temps to see Lauren and Peto! Escaped to Mall of America.
Bring on 2014
And as the sun sets on 2013, we are ready for a whole new year of adventure!
The Seaside Park boardwalk just can’t catch a break, can it? A year ago during Superstorm Sandy the Jet Star was lifted off Casino Pier and dumped into the ocean; the actual boards of the boardwalk were ripped off; and dozens of businesses were forced to shutter forever. As the site of our annual family beach week, Seaside holds an incredibly special place in our hearts, and we were so upset as we saw news reports of the storm’s aftermath. But in the ensuing months, they rebuilt the boardwalk, started raising houses, and we spent a week there this past July that was relatively normal.
But then two weeks ago a fire broke out at a Kohr’s near Funtown Pier and escalated until it became a 10-alarm fire (we didn’t know that existed) and consumed nearly the entire lower end of the boardwalk. The carousel, which we rode this summer. Maruca’s pizza, which had moved from its old location up a few doors to a larger space. So much gone. So many places that meant so much to us. It’s just heart-wrenching. This summer when we went to the boards, it was sad to see how quiet and empty they were. We bought dinner, played a game or two, got frozen custard… did our part to give back to the place we love so much. And now it’s gone. We can’t even describe how sad this makes us. In honor of the boardwalk, here are photos we took this past summer (including one of the Kohr’s where the fire started, we’re guessing.)
Over Labor Day weekend, with family in from out of town, we finally visited the 9/11 Memorial. We had heard that you had to get passes ahead of time, so that’s what we did, but it turns out that’s not actually necessary. But it’s a guarantee in and the line moves fast, so we recommend it. Go to the website and reserve your preferred timeslot—it will ask for the full names of everyone in your group and apparently there’s a chance they’ll check your ID, but that didn’t happen for us. The tickets are “free” but there’s a $2 service fee per ticket (we also gave a small donation as well). You must print the ticket out ahead of time, and you’ll breeze through the line (though the line is practically 3 blocks of process!). You do go through security quite similar to TSA airport security, and there are limitations on the size of baggage you can bring along. If you don’t have a ticket there’s a separate, more slowly moving line, so it’s worth it to book ahead.
Once you’re into the main park, it’s very open, dotted with trees (including one that survived the original attack, and has lived through quite a few storms since!). We all remarked on how much more open it felt than we expected. Both towers are represented by their footprints made into square waterfalls that stream below ground level. They’re lined by a slanted railing with the names of the victims, including not just the tower victims but also those of Flight 93 and the bombing that happened in the towers in 1993.
Signs remind you that this is a place of reverence, and people were all quietly making their way around. It’s relatively peaceful and really beautiful to visit. There’s lots of information, including how to get there, on the site; start there to plan your visit!
Delmonico‘s is the oldest fine dining restaurant (true “restaurant” in the French definition) in the United States. Erin first learned its storied history when she proofread the book Dining at Delmonico‘s a few years ago, and she had wanted to go ever since. She expected it to be overpriced and stuffy but she also really wanted to experience it and try the food. She wasn’t disappointed!
What is often omitted when the restaurant’s long history is described is that the current restaurant opened in the eighties in the location of the original, after a long stretch with no Delmonico’s in the city at all. It’s not directly descended from the original at all, despite its commitment to recreating the old feeling. Perhaps that doesn’t matter; maybe it does. We went on a recent Thursday with friends who were also eager to give it a try. And we paid ridiculous prices, yes, we had a nearly incomprehensible old waiter, of course, and we had food that was roundly satisfying but definitely not transformative in any way.
Erin got the Delmonico’s Steak (au poivre), our friends split the ribeye, and Jason got one of Delmonico’s inventions, Lobster Newburg. For sides we got the brussels sprouts, asparagus, king crab mac n cheese, and Delmonico’s potatoes (a cheesy gratin). We were all too full for dessert, which never happens!
Will we ever go back? No. Are we glad we went? Erin is.
So it may seem that the adventures of this Brooklyn couple got a whole lot less, shall we say, adventuresome. That’s not true! We have continued to do fun things, we’re just . . . bad about blogging them. One main reason that we’ve had a bit less time for blogging is that Jason got a job at Makerbot! But luckily that has perks of its own…
Not only does he have unfettered access to Replicators to print anything from a little sheep to the members of his gnome army, but we could take advantage of one of the things offered at the brick and mortar store: a 3-D bust of our heads! So a few weeks ago, we took a little trip to the Makerbot store in NoHo where we had our heads photographed—and later rendered into a 3-D file that we could print!
The store is full of cool printed objects, from three-dimensional rotating puzzles to a display of the Robohand, a hand that was printed for a man who lost his and for children born with Amniotic Band Syndrome. Everything is made out of plastic in the Replicator, two different types (PLA or ABS). If you ever find yourself in the NoHo area of New York be sure to stop in, say hi and get your head scanned too (it’s free and fun)! Pro-tip: wearing a hat doesn’t really render well and glasses can be hit or miss.
