Girls Trip to NYC

Last week I was able to sneak away with two girl friends for a quick trip to NYC! My first one ever. They had both been there many times and were the perfect guides to show me around. We had a list of a million things to do, and only a couple of days to do them in!

We landed early in the afternoon and had a car service pick us up from LaGuardia and drop us off at our lovely B&B in Brooklyn. We freshened up and hit the town!

We took the subway and walked (26 miles in two days!) to get around.

I was all about the street food! We started off with a pretzel to eat while walked around Manhattan.

 Central Park was amazing! So beautiful.

Buildings so tall, they disappear into the clouds.

Recognize this one?? The restaurant used in Seinfeld!

Unfortunately it started raining that evening around 5pm, so we spent a couple hours getting a bit wet....We ended up at an amazing BBQ place with live music and delicious smoked meat! We ate like ravenous hyenas.

After that we headed back to the room and relaxed for the night. Day 2 had perfect weather for sightseeing, and we started strong! I passed a street vendor selling homemade tamales on the way to the subway, so of course I had to get one!

We started by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. It was an amazing view! Too many people though, ha!

After that, we headed south to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. We wanted to ride the ferry, but the lines were long and we couldn't waste the time.

After that it was time for more street food! As we were sitting and eating, this cute little guy joined us!

Next to see the Wall Street bull...

...and the One World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial.

After that we headed up to the Empire State Building!!

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The views were amazing! Next was a quick run through the Natural History Museum before they closed. Then we went back to our room to refresh and recharge, then headed back out into the Big Apple to shut it down on our last night!

We started the evening by riding the Roosevelt Island Tram and got an amazing view of the nighttime cityscape.

We had to Grand Central Station! It was beyond impressive inside. Have you heard of the Whispering Gallery in it? Well we tried it out, and it works!

Next was food in Little Italy...

...then we found the Firehouse used in the original Ghostbusters movie!

Drinks along the way...

And we had to end the night with seeing Times Square again but at night! It was amazing and crazy.

We all had a great time and made many memories. I was a trooper and went straight from the airport Saturday evening to work!

Opening Weekend at the Olcott Carousel Park

Yesterday was the perfect day to spend by the water! We carried on the annual Pierce tradition of an afternoon at the Carousel Park. The weather was amazing, and the boys had a great time. We started with lunch on the boardwalk, then Brad and Nick went to the car show (his first year he's too tall for the kiddie rides!) while I took Jacob to the rides (only 25¢ each!!!).

We all met up at the park and rode the vintage carousel together, then played a few games of skeeball! On his first game Bradley beat the high score! He got his name on the board.

It was a fun family day, and we can't wait to do it again!

Hiking the Niagara Gorge at Devil's Hole State Park

A friend and I decided today would be a good day to be adventurous and go hiking! I've been wanting to check out the scenery here, so we headed to Devil's Hole State Park to hike the Niagara Gorge.

There were steep stairs to climb down to get to the trail. The trail is a dirt path that runs on the edge of a precipice above the water. In some places the rocks have fallen and you have to climb over/around them to get back on the trail.

On one end, the trail stops at the Whirpool where you can put your feet in the ICE cold water and stare at Canada!

On the other end is Devil's Hole which is a cave. There have been many cave-ins as you can see by the boulders blocking the entrance. I imagine it was a much deeper cave at some point. We did climb in to check it out, and cool off! The day was very warm, but the cave was cool and breezy.

Easy Microwave Potato Salad

Perfect for a summer time cookout! This is quick and easy to prepare WITHOUT using your stove! Make it a couple of hours ahead so it can cool in the fridge.

5 medium thin skin potatoes (red, white, golden)
3 eggs
3 tbs sweet relish OR 10-15 dill pickle slices, diced
3-4tbs Mayo
1tbs seasoned salt
1tbs fresh or dried chives and green onions
Dash pepper

Rinse potatoes and poke holes in them. Arrange in circle and microwave 5min, flip over and check for tenderness. Microwave 3-4min more. Meanwhile spray microwave safe bowl with cooking spray and stir eggs in it. Microwave 2-3 min while potatoes are cooling. In serving bowl begin mixing remaining ingredients except mayo. Roughly dice potatoes and cooked eggs and add to bowl. Add mayo last and adjust amount for desired creaminess. You can add more s/p to taste. Cover and refrigerate!

Belated Easter 2019 Post

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with their families this year! Ours was a bit split up due to my work and our vacation.

The boys got to have some fun at our library and see the Easter bunny (Jacob was too scared).

They got their baskets on Easter morning at home, but we saved the egg hunt and big dinner for after our New Hampshire trip!

They both helped me color eggs, and Nick helped me with the food. We had glazed ham, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, and corn. Plus a delicious carrot cake for dessert!

It was rainy and muddy, so we improvised and hid the eggs inside. They loved it!