The Catskills

We're back! Joe and I have been traveling almost non-stop for the last month and a half. Our travels began in Texas, where we saw friends and family, I met my beautiful cousin, Elise, and we attended the wedding of our friends, Chris and Laura. Then we went to Greece! After a few days back in NYC, we were off again on a road trip to Boston, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. Last week, we spent three nights in the Catskills. We've had a great time, but it's good to be home!

I'll write about our most recent trip first and then work backwards.

Last Saturday afternoon, Joe and I picked up a rental car in the city and set off for the Catskills. It was an hour long drive to Woodbury Commons, an outlet mall upstate (every town outside of the city is referred to as "upstate"). After a few hours of shopping, we drove north for another hour and arrived in the small town of Catskill, NY. I chose an inn for us, The Kaaterskill, based on a recommendation from a blog I like to read - Hither and Thither.







The Kaaterskill is amazing! It's a perfect retreat from the city. The inn is located on a beautiful farm. They have horses, goats, sheep, and lots of adorable bunnies and chickens that entertained us. The rooms each have a jacuzzi, fireplace and kitchenette. We stayed in the "Church" suite.



On Sunday, we hiked up to Kaaterskill Falls, which was a lot more difficult to reach than we anticipated, but totally worth it!







On Monday, we drove around exploring the neighboring towns of Saugerties and Woodstock. For our last dinner, we decided to use the grill at the inn and have a nice meal on the picnic table outside.



Many hours at the inn were spent reading books and soaking in the jacuzzi. It was the perfect relaxing vacation we needed after our other (more stressful) trips. I can't wait to go back to the Catskills in the fall. It will be even more beautiful, and I'm dying to make smores in the fireplace!

The Weekend

I picked up the keys to our new apartment today! Joe and I went over there this afternoon to take some fragile items. It's smaller than I remembered. We'll definitely be heading to Ikea soon to get a wardrobe. The closet space is seriously lacking. It's cute though, and has more square footage and rooms than we have now, and we'll be closer to so many more shops and restaurants. I'm particularly excited about the Tasti D Lite around the corner. I discovered their samoa cookie flavor today and it rocked my world.

We have a really busy weekend planned. We have to finish packing. Joe is a TA and has to grade 60 final exams. Saturday night, I'm going out with girlfriends for dinner and dancing. On Sunday, we're hosting a picnic brunch in Central Park. The movers come early Monday morning.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Here's Joe in our favorite picnic spot. It's where we'll be brunching on Sunday.

Summer Travel

I'm planning a few upcoming trips that Joe and I are really excited about! He doesn't start working until July, so we plan to travel as much as possible until then.

On May 24th, we're going to Texas. We'll fly into DFW to see family for a couple of days, and then drive to Round Rock to meet my new cousin, Elise Sophia Wood. From there, we're going to College Station for the wedding of our friends, Chris and Laura. Then, we're spending a few days in Austin, where some of our friends from Columbia will be joining us.

The first week in June, we're traveling to Greece! We'll be in Santorini for four nights, and then spend three nights in Athens. In Santorini, we're staying in Oia at Oia's Sunset. Our friends will be in Santorini at the same time, which I'm so excited about! I still need to book our hotel in Athens.



The third week in June, we're going to Boston, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. We rented a car. It takes about four hours to drive from NYC to Boston. I love that New York is so close to so many great places! We'll be spending one night in Boston and then driving to Cape Cod. We'll be spending three nights in Provincetown, at The Inn at Cook Street. We'll take the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard and spend a day there.



Our fourth and final trip in June is to the Catskills in upstate New York. We're renting a car and driving to Catskill, New York, which is about two hours from NYC. We're staying at The Kaaterskill. I read about The Kaaterskill on this blog. We're staying in The Church suite. It looks amazing! We plan to do some hiking at Kaaterskill Falls, and explore the nearby towns of Woodstock and Saugerties.

Oh Geez

We've had yet another trying day in our quest to find an apartment. We were all set to sign the lease this afternoon. Joe went to the bank to get two certified checks and we went to the broker's office. When we got there, she informed us that the listing had mistakenly said that pets were allowed. We told her that was a deal breaker for us, since we are determined to finally get the dog we've wanted for years. She called the landlord again, and they said it was definitely not possible for us to have a dog in that apartment. Joe left to take the certified checks back to the bank, and I went with the broker to see more apartments. After seeing two truly terrible, depressing apartments, the owner of the apartment we want called the broker back, and said they were considering taking us with a dog. I went home and negotiations ensued. Later, I get the call that they'll take us with a $1,500 pet deposit. So, back to the bank I went to get another 2 certified checks. Joe and I are meeting the broker tonight at 7:30 to sign the papers. I'm so glad that it all worked out in the end. The two horrible apartments I saw this afternoon cemented the feeling that we're getting a good apartment. When we went to the Columbia housing office to turn in our notice to vacate, we got the good news that we only have to pay for our current apartment up to the day we turn in the keys. That means we only have overlapping rent for four days. I just booked a mover for Monday, May 3rd. I can't wait to move and get settled into our new home!

Moving On

It's Joe's last week of classes. I can't believe that business school is almost over! It's been such an amazing experience, and we've both learned so much. I'm sad for it to end. Since we're staying in New York, I'm mostly sad about the fact that I won't have as much time with Joe. I'm also sad to see many of our friends move away. It's they who have made the CBS experience so special. I'll miss the happy hours and social events, too.

Fortunately, there is an upside to school ending. Joe's going back to work. That means (more) money and (good) health benefits! We'll be able to expand our family soon, and we're both very excited about that! I'm glad that we got a two bedroom apartment, and have room to grow! Also, Joe doesn't start work until mid-July. That gives us time to travel.

Today, we're signing the lease for the new apartment. We had to start the lease on May 1st, and we'll be moving in on May 3rd or 4th. I've already started purging as much stuff as possible. I'm also making daily trips to the basement to get moving boxes.

I need some suggestions for my new bathroom. It's my least favorite part of the new apartment. There's no storage, and I dislike the colors. If it was your bathroom, what color would you do for the shower curtain, rugs and towels?

Day Trip to Woodbury Common

On Sunday, I went to the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets with three girlfriends. We rented a car and drove to the mall, about an hour from NYC. The outlet mall is huge and has pretty much any outlet store you would want. We had the best luck at the J Crew, Banana Republic, Crate & Barrel and William Sonoma outlets. On the way back to NYC, we stopped at Target and Home Goods. That made two trips to Target in less than a month! Exciting for us New Yorkers! It was my first trip to the outlet mall, but I'm definitely going back! I just need to get an NYC driver's license first. My California license expired in September. So did Joe's. We plan to take some East Coast road trips this summer, so getting driver's licenses are on our to do list.

Adventures in NYC Apartment Hunting

Yesterday, I went to see six or seven more apartments on the Upper West Side. Out of those, there's only one that I liked. It was a solid second favorite to my top pick at 68th and Columbus. I went to see the apartment on Columbus again today after work, took measurements, and decided we'd proceed forward with an application on that apartment. I bought bombolinis from the bakery around the corner to celebrate. When I got home, I received an email from the broker saying that someone else had put in an application today and is signing the lease tomorrow. I was totally heartbroken.

So... we're going this afternoon to put in an application on the other apartment I liked at 94th and Broadway. There are definitely some advantages to this apartment. It's on the second floor and there's an elevator. It's definitely more quiet and peaceful there. The kitchen is separate from the living area. The living area is larger, and our furniture will fit well. All rooms have lovely french doors that really open the place up. We may even have room to entertain! It's right around the corner from an entrance to the 96th street subway station and that's an express train. It's also less expensive than the other place.

Here are some photos









Now I'm going to eat a pistachio bombolini. I think I deserve it! This process has been hellish!