It seems like people in the South like to talk about food as much as Minnesotans like to talk about the weather. Today Mark tried to sign Malia up for tennis lessons and the receptionist got so caught up in explaining the area restaurants when she found out we were new in town that she completely forgot about the tennis lessons and Mark had to bring her back to task several times. Tonight, we went to a small group dinner with a local church and the entire conversation revolved around “burger week” in Macon, how people should cook their grits (a question I brought up) and what constitutes a good sweet tea. That’s just fine by me. Let’s talk about food.
Easy Mealsfrom this week
Chicken Cacciatore
I do love this crockpot meal with simple and easy to find ingredients. It was served to us by Jenna Grigsby in Indiana and I had to get the recipe. I was pleased when it tasted just as good when I made it.
Sushi Bowls
This meal took some time, but was definitely worth it. Malia did all the research and pushed for this one, and I’m glad she persisted. Everyone topped their rice with the ingredients they liked. We had salmon, shrimp, and crab (but you could just choose one meat or go vegetarian). Veggies were cucumber, avocado, carrots, and dried sea weed. The sauce we used was called YumYum and we found it at Kroger’s. The recipe calls for a mixture of mayo and Siriacha sauce, but we couldn’t find Siriacha, so we opted for a premade sauce and it was perfect.
Eating Out
My favorite restaurant we have eaten at was probably Tony’s, an Italian restaurant in Chattanooga, but since I didn’t get any photos, I’ll share my 2nd favorite – First Watch. I was surprised to find out it was a chain because the food was so fresh and the service seemed more like something you would get in a small, locally owned business. I ordered the breakfast skillet, Mark got the quinoa bowl, Malia had avocado toast with eggs and Ivy got waffles.
Coffee
Last but not least, let’s talk about the most important meal of the day – Coffee! I do love a good cup of coffee and was happy when my friend Jen Levin thought ahead on this and gifted me an Aeropress coffeemaker for the trip.
Such an easy way to make a single cup of coffee on the go. I’m learning new things everyday.
If you’d like to keep up with my blog posts but don’t want to be on social media, I just send out one single email reminder each month with all the new posts. That’s it.
Magical can be defined as : “beautiful or delightful in such a way as to seem removed from everyday life”
That was how my week in New York City felt. I was a tourist taking it all in for the first time while trying my best not to give myself away as a tourist. Judging by the fact that I was yelled at to ”move a little faster!” my first time in the subway station, I wasn’t fooling anyone. ”You’re not from here, are you?” a business man asked me as the crowd crossed the street on a red light while I patiently waited for the ’walk’ sign.” “No, I most definitely am not, but SHE is,” I said pointing to my daughter who seemed to match the pace of the crowd effortlessly.
My senior, Tabby, and I spent 7 days in a friends’ furnished apartment visiting colleges including The New School, Pace University, NY Institute of Technology, and Marymount Manhattan. Thank you, Bill, for being such a generous and gracious host.
The reason for the trip was to tour colleges, but we were able to do a lot of sightseeing as well. We woke up each day and walked outside in anticipation, not knowing where the day would take us. If we got tired, we came back to the apartment and took a nap. If we got hungry, we went out and found something to eat. As a mom of four who rarely takes this type of vacation for seven whole days, I felt a freedom I haven’t felt in a long time. It was also my first time spending an extended time with my child who is no longer a child but an adult.
As I reflect on the week, here are some of the things I appreciated about this magical city.
The Subway – Most New Yorkers don’t own cars. They take the subway and buses. For $34, we purchased an unlimited weekly pass. We used google maps on our phones to navigate. The sound of the subway grew on me.
Walking – I loved the amount of walking we had to do. Most days we walked between 8-10 miles. I was having a lot of back pain going into the trip and it got better with each day. I attribute some of this to all the walking I did.
Food – There is such a variety of food for every budget. Everything from homemade pasta to pizza to gyros to seafood to crepes. Deciding what to eat each day was one of my favorite parts of exploring the city.
Diversity – Over 800 languages are spoken in NYC. I especially noticed this as we were walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and truly feeling the whole world on that bridge. Anytime I am surrounded by more than just English speakers, I feel a rush of happiness.
Art and Culture – New York is home to so many incredible museums, opera, symphony, dance, and of course – Broadway. We didn’t see any shows, but we did visit two museums – The MOMA and Cloisters. We also enjoyed some live blues in a bar while eating chicken wings.
E.B. White in Here is New York describes the city like this:
There are roughly three New Yorks.
There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. …Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. ”
After the initial panic of being in a strange city with more noise and a faster pace than I’m used to, I started to settle in and see these different groups of people. The people who call NYC home.
I observed the school children walking home carrying backpacks and chatting with their friends. I saw young parents loaded up with water bottles and snacks, talking to other parents as their preschoolers played in Central Park. I watched a group doing a workout in an apartment parking lot and a little league baseball game that didn’t look that different than games I have attended elsewhere. I watched the business people grabbing their coffee in the mornings, the janitors cleaning the floors in the apartment we were staying, and the chess players in Washington square. NYC is not just a tourist destination or a place where people come to make money. People come and go and those who stay do so for a reason.
Tabby is considering moving to New York. She is still undecided. It’s a city of opportunity, diversity, art, and beauty. It is also expensive and she is weighing whether it is worth the financial cost. Whatever she decides longterm, I will be grateful for the time we spent together on this very lovely spring break trip and look forward to the next time I get to go again.
My husband, Mark, was invited to do a video shoot in Scottsdale, Arizona area for a wellness company called Inspire Life. I came along for the sunshine and good company. We stayed at a Casita found on airbnb. It was on a gravel road lined with horse ranches. The first thing I noticed upon arriving in this state was the cactus. So many cacti!
There were also Lots of Hiking Trails. They were everywhere. We are not in the greatest shape, but we took in some of the trails marked “easy” and they did not disappoint. We quickly learned the importance of water and sunscreen.
We enjoyed wonderful food over the 4 days. My favorite meal was at a place called The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix. They serve a farm to table breakfast that was absolutely amazing.
The last day of our trip came to a crashing end as I took a bad tumble off a BIRD scooter. It was at the end of a 30 minute ride and after countless compliments from Mark on how well I was doing, I accelerated, lost focus, and went flying off the scooter and onto the pavement. I felt my head hit first and knew it was bad when I saw blood flowing onto my hands and legs. I started screaming and quickly drew a crowd. The onlookers who were trained in first aid jumped into action and another bystander called 911. I heard her telling the first responders “she must be in her 20’s” and I responded ”I’m 42!” At that point, Mark said he knew “I was going to be ok.”
I was so sore and weak from the fall, that I requested a wheel chair at the airport. We got back home to MN at midnight, and I’ve never in my life been more thankful for my own bed.
