I sat down Thanksgiving night and sneezed seven times straight. A cold. I worked all day Friday, but by five o'clock I had the chills and all the bones in my face ached. Sinus infection. I went straight to bed, and Saturday I stayed home while the Mister, Big, Middle, and Little went to get our Christmas tree. We always go to the same little tree farm in Cedar Mountain, North Carolina. I was bitterly disappointed that I didn't get to go, but they chose a beautiful tree, a Frasier fir, and it's on our deck, waiting.
My parents are visiting us for Thanksgiving. They arrived Tuesday, which was less than 48 hours after our Florida friends returned to see the Clemson v. Virginia game. This time there were seven teenagers total, three adults, and one Little. It did not rain, but it was cold. I served chili for a late supper, and in the morning we had sausage, egg, and cheese bites, which were a huge hit.
Mr. T&C and I had our first real date in November 1993, when we saw Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. After Mr. T&C made sure that we had great seats, he politely excused himself, and returned in a few minutes with a tub of popcorn and soft drinks. He then pulled a packet of peanut M&Ms out of his shirt pocket and poured them into the popcorn. I had been brought up under the instruction that going to the movies was treat enough; refreshments were overpriced distractions. As you might imagine, a spontaneous offering of popcorn sprinkled with candy was--well, let's just say, things looked promising.
Don't worry, we still got popcorn. Just no M&Ms.
Mr. T&C and I work pretty well together, but there is the occasional difference of opinion. You know, the kind where I'm right and he's wrong?! Kidding. Really. Well, a few weeks ago we got a bit crossways with each other, and one of our well-meaning employees (married just over a year, herself) recommended that we go on a date. Now, honestly, some days I would rather stomp around a bit and turn the thermostat up without telling and eat the last cookie, but there have been times in our union when we intentionally set aside time to be alone and uninterrupted, and it did work out rather nicely, so, we decided we would have a regular Friday date. Just one hitch. We have a twelve noon curfew! So, my date takes Middle and Little to school, and then he picks me up, and we go out. Some of our dates are more business meeting than anything else--a cup of coffee, a look over each other's calendar, an idea for a clever ad, and it's time to go to work. 
We did treat ourselves to an early lunch at The Green Room, which is a new restaurant on Main Street. We both had a cup of the cauliflower soup, which was quite tasty. We split an Orchard Sandwich--thinly sliced apples, gorgonzola, toasted walnuts, baby greens, and balsamic vinaigrette on toasted ciabatta bread. It was really good. The service was attentive and friendly, and the restaurant is attractive. After lunch, we did a little window-shopping, and then it was back to our own little corner of Main Street.
Now, I just need to find a black trench coat to complete my rainy day ensemble. After all, I already have my NYC Salvation Army umbrella!
Started off Friday with another tasty breakfast in the Carnegie Lounge of Hotel Wales. From some hotel literature and my well-worn copy of Access: New York--a great travel guide, by the way--we determined that the Carnegie Lounge used to be called the Pied Piper Room and featured charming murals depicting scenes from "The Pied Piper" and other children's stories. One of the front desk staff told the Mister that all the murals were removed about a year ago; it seems a shame. Still the people-watching is quite good from this vantage point--lots of dog-walkers and UE moms pushing strollers and getting little ones off to school. We left the hotel and headed out into the next day of our adventure, once again walking over to 5th Avenue. The weather forecast was dismal--cold and rainy, but it wasn't raining yet, so we crossed into Central Park to see what we could see. Despite the chill, it was wonderful. We saw the Alice in Wonderland sculpture; the Hans Christian Andersen Ugly Duckling sculpture; and the sculpture of the famous Iditarod winner Balto. We walked and walked, seeing the conservatory boat pond (Stuart Little), the Dairy Barn, Navy Plaza, and Wollman Rink. It was a delightful walk, and, before we knew it, we had walked almost 40 blocks! 
We stepped out into Grand Army Plaza, did a quick look-see in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel (Eloise could have been there!), and then into FAO Schwarz, where Little had a ball. She zoomed through the Barbies and all the pink stuff, meandered through the vast Lego store, admired the array of art and craft supplies, and finally lost herself in the Schleich toys. After quite a bit of deliberation, she settled on a lionness, a kangaroo, and an Indian for her collection. We settled up and then headed out into the cold. We stopped for a photo with the singing toy soldier at the entrance.Little just loved this place and did not want to leave. Until food came into her mind. When I planned this trip, food was not the focal point, primarily because restaurants are so expensive in NYC. I figured we would find some delis and diners and save the four-star restaurants for another time, and, for the most part, that plan worked well. We found a place called Red Stone Pizzeria on 5th Avenue across from Saks, and we all had a slice of our choice. (Actually the boys had a couple!) 
Next stop, the Museum of Modern Art. Mr T&C and the boys were doubtful about "modern art," but MoMA's collection is really art of the 20th century, so we saw Van Gogh's Starry Night as well as works by Cezanne, Hopper, Warhol, and Mondrian, Little's favorite artist. We took in two floors of paintings and then we headed to the Architecture and Design floor, which features some of the coolest design in everything from toasters to clothing to furniture to cars. 
We walked a couple of blocks to the west and took a few photos by the amazing lion sculptures at the New York Public Library. Then, with some encouragement from me, we climbed the well-worn marble steps to see some of the most beautiful architecture ever--gorgeous floors, paneling, moldings, murals, and furniture--and all of it used everyday. The Rose Reading room was magnificent, and I was soooo curious as to what all those people were studying and reading about.
The day was still cloudy and cold, but we decided to take another shot at seeing the Empire State Building, so we walked down to 34th Street and hopped on the elevator and zoomed to the 86th floor observatory. I have to interrupt myself here to say, if you are going to NYC and plan to see the Empire State Building and/or any of the major museums, get a City Pass. You can buy them online at http://www.citypass.com/ or from Costco. Admissions are close to half what single ticket prices are, and we didn't stand in any lines. Occasionally, the City Pass entitles you to an extra perk, which was the case at the ESB, where we received the audio tour with our City Pass. The tour was really interesting and informative--even the children liked it. The view was amazing. It was freezing, but, even so we didn't want to leave. To see the city lights come on--first the bridges, then the Chrysler Building and 30 Rock--was really magical.
The lights of Times Square were beckoning, though, so we headed up to Broadway for the New Amsterdam Theater. Mr. T&C had visited the theater just as the Walt Disney Co. began its multi-million dollar renovation--he was amazed at the detail of the restoration. It is a beautiful building. The show, although darker than the movie, was still terrific. Little was beside herself. To see Mary Poppins fly from the stage and over the audience was so exciting. 
