CHOCOLATE!!

While in Time Square we went to the Hershey’s Store- it smelt SOO good in there. There was so much candy and chocolate memorabilia- it was a girls BEST FRIEND. Then we walked across the street to the M&M Store. This was cool also- there was SO much M&M stuff- anything you could imagine…they had it with M&M’s on it. There were also huge columns of different colored M&M’s you could get. We felt like we were little kids at Disney Land. It was so much fun and we really enjoyed it.

Time Square and the Hard Rock Cafe

Saturday (Sept 8) afternoon we went to a baptism for a new lady in our ward and then we went to 42nd Street, Bryant Park and Time Square. At Bryant Park they were holding their big "Fashion Week" thing and so their was a big white tent in the middle of the park with lots of people, photographers, and famous people. Then we walked over and down to 42nd Street to Time Square. We got to see all the HUGE signs and Broadway posters- it’s was so cool. We then went and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (Ben had never been to one) and it was very cool. It was really fun and we made friends with the manager and she said next time we go (which might not happen) that she would get up free dessert and things. So that was cool. We got to see lots of cool music things- lots of Beatles memorabilia (YAY). It was a really fun night and we got to see lots of fun things.

The Flushing Meadows Park & the Ninja Turtle Posterity

Saturday (September 8, 2007) morning we went and walked around the lake in the Flushing Meadows Park. It was a long, but beautiful, walk. When you are in the park- it does not feel like you are near/in a big city. We watched a girls rowing team practice- which was cool because we had never seen that in person before (they don’t really row in the west). As we walked around we looked over a bridge and saw TONS of turtles (we saw up to 12 at one time) and it was so cool. They were pretty big- probably 6 inches across (like a larger one found in CO) and there were so many. As we were watching them, suddenly out of no where, a huge (I mean HUGE) turtle popped to the surface to get some air. It was probably a foot across and 3 feet long. Ben and I decided that we think he was the posterity of the Ninja turtles-but he looked way to lazy to be acrobatic in any ninja ways. It was so cool to see it and really nice to walk through the park.

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar

Last night (September 6th- Happy Birthday Michael)we went to Manhattan (one of the subway tracks broke so it took us almost an hour and a half to get there- when it usually only takes us half an hour-ugg) to meet up and say goodbye with some of Ben's friends who are going back to school. We went to Union Square (where we went to the Virgin Record Store- huge and so cool) and then we went to the Max Brenner Chocolate Bar. It was AMAZING. It was a little expensive but very worth it. It was a fun atmosphere and the chocolate was to die for. I got a double fudge hot cake thing with cream, whipped topping (home made) and fresh strawberries and blue berries on it (Oh my goodness- it was a girls best friend). Both Ben and Dave got white chocolate ice cream (which I thought was weird at first but it ended up being really good) and Dave's friend, Dee, got Dark Chocolate Soup (it sounds weird but it was very good and there was marshmallows, fresh fruit and small cookie chunks you could dump into it- so amazing). Then as we were leaving they gave us a free sample of Caramelized Pralines covered in chocolate and then powdered with coco...oh my goodness- AMAZING. So it was a fun experience. You should all go on line and look at this chocolate bar- its amazing (look at the menu and you'll get a good idea, http://www.maxbrenner.com/home.aspx

Europe Down Austin Street

On Wednesday (September 5th), Ben and I went and walked down Austin Street in Queens- it is just like a really long and ‘hopping’ street mall. Down one of the side streets it is like you walked into Europe- there is a cobblestone courtyard with old fashioned looking buildings, this is near some pretty expensive homes that are old and have been there for centuries. This is also near the huge tennis court where the US Open (tennis) has been held in the past. It was so beautiful and so cool to see the old homes (many were renovated and were immaculate).

Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Skyline

Yesterday (Sept 4, 2007), Ben and I got to go into Manhattan. We went and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge- where you can see the entire New York skyline, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and tons of great things. It made me feel like I was really in New York!! The bridge is amazing and has great historical significance- which maybe is just interesting to me- but it’s cool. On the Brooklyn side of the bridge is “The World’s Best Pizza”- or at least all New Yorkers say it is the best New York style pizza available. It was PACKED and very good. It was a great experience and made me feel like I was really in New York.

Fresh Meadows

Our apartment is in Fresh Meadows- it is in Queens and is in a very eclectic area- I am definitely the minority because I only speak English- but it is so cool. Here are some pictures of the neighbor hood- it is pretty rural. Outside my living room window is this park- where we often smell the best foreign smelling food getting cooked- yum. This picture of a building is through my bedroom window- this building looks just like mine- there is a whole block with these buildings. I really love it here- I feel safe when I walk around but I still feel like I am having a new and exciting experience.

OUR NEW YORK APARTMENT

So I tried writing what everything was between each photo and it got all wacky (and the pictures rearranged themselves)- so I will try this and you all just have to be smart to know which room is which.
This is the living room-the apartment is furnished (the woman who owns it is going to Puerto Rico for the winter to be with her family- so she left a bunch of stuff- which is such a blessing for us.
This is a wall we made with some storage/closets- it makes the apartment feel like a one bedroom. She left her TV- but we havent even plugged it in yet...oh well.
The closets have full sized mirrors and then they open up for storage- so in this picture some are closed and some are open. It is such convenient storage and we use them as the closets in our bedroom.
These next two are our kitchen. I have cleaned it from top to bottom and am still doing some work on it- but it is cute and will work well for our needs.
...and our bathroom. Cute, small and blue.