Dinner Date, Rain, Jaeger Schnitzel, and a Magic Sweater

I thought this post would be short and sweet since it details a short and sweet date with my husband - 1.5 hours alone together to be exact. But my wordsmith skills aren't in tip top shape at the moment and I can't decide on a unified theme.  There are 3 themes here - it's driving the former lit major in me crazy - but I'm just gonna go with it.

Theme 1: Trapped in 1999

My husband is my high school sweetheart. When we're together, we can be our 17 year old selves again. We can be silly in the middle of the sidewalk in a rainstorm as I force him to take photos of me for this post. We can eat at a German restaurant and talk about our time studying abroad in Europe like it was yesterday.

Alone with my handsome hubby for first time in ages.

But it can also be a crutch to avoid embracing new styles as times change since we're not trying to attract a mate and basically have carte blanche to not give a crap. My husband has had the same haircut our entire relationship, though thankfully he ditched the frosted tips once we rang in the new millenium. I still dress like a kid sometimes - mismatched clothes, flagrant disregard to fashion rules I judge others based on, not caring about chipped nail polish, etc. Would this be the case if we didn't have each other? Probably not.

If it was really 1999, we *might've* stolen this stein.

That brings us to...

Theme 2: My "date night" outfit

This was an impromptu date thanks to a late afternoon visit from Savvy's Grandpa and Nonna, where we trudged through the heavy rain to a senior-citizen-esque 5:30pm dinner at Heidelberg (2nd Ave between 85th & 86th).

I went super casual: Leggings, soft top and the best sweater ever with mismatched accessories out of convenience, thus removing all smartness from the outfit. That's okay.

Sweater - Piperlime \\ Shirt - Banana Republic \\ Leggings - Express \\  Boots - Target \\ Bag - Francesca's Collections

These boots are a conscious act of fashion rebellion. I will not conform to the Manhattanite Hunter Boot rainy day uniform.  Well, maybe I will when this pair starts to leak...

This sweater is the best because it covers just enough butt to camouflage the leggings-as-pants faux pas. I don't own enough tunics, so I often wear short shirts with leggings and this magic sweater makes it okay.

Theme 3: German Staycation-y Goodness

The gray, damp, dreary weather gave me a hankering for gravy and meat. German comfort food at nearby Heidelberg restaurant was just what we needed.  I identify with my German heritage more than my Italian and English ancestry probably because my Grandfather fed me a healthy diet of braised meat and savory sauces my whole life. This restaurant reminds me of every German grandparent's living room - dark, comfy-casual, and filled with knickknacks, a broken clock and old holiday decor. (Or maybe that's just MY grandparents...)

I always feel like there's a sadness surrounding everything German because of the country's mistakes (gross understatement) throughout history. And my time in Munich, while a transformative experience as it was my first time traveling alone, was also a bit lonely, exacerbated by dark, dreary December weather and a general sense of melancholy while discovering first hand the sordid history of the land of my roots.  The rainy evening plus rustic ambience of the restaurant brought me right back in time. But man is the food good. Puts meat on your bones and makes you need a nap, good.

Jaeger Schnitzel at Heidelberg - creamy, wonderful, omg MEAT

Sauerbraten at Heidelberg - fork tender and tangy

Heidelberg is one last remnants of Yorkville's "Germantown" history. The food is excellent. The lunch specials are a bargain. If you haven't been, go for the sausages or the generously sauced entrees. And the beer, which takes 7 minutes to pour just like in Germany.

A Patriotic Staycation: Grant's Tomb, Riverside Park, and Seinfeld's Diner

Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?


Nobody. Just two caskets (Ulysses S Grant and his wife) in the center of a large, domed monument in Manhattan's Riverside Park at 122nd St. Now that that's out of the way, let's revisit our ultra patriotic American staycation:

My friend Melinda is a National Park buff and loves to fill up her park passport book with stamps. The Ulysses S Grant Memorial was on her list so she suggested Savvy and I join her.

I prepped Savvy the day before, telling her that we were going to take the bus to see statues. Savannah has a funny fascination with "datchoos" since I'm always pointing them out to her so this journey was very exciting to her.

In fact, the actual journey itself was exciting thanks to our toddler entertainment act: From the way she carried her purse with fist raised high in the air, squealed "HIII" to the bus driver, to how she intertwines her fingers and folds her hands in her lap on the subway (the "choo choo"); The juggling of all our gear (Savvy in and out of the Ergo, Starbucks coffees and breakfast, purses, Savvy's bag of snacks) was also a bit comical in its challenge -- but I was lucky to have a competent travel partner in Melinda :)

Luckily the 1 Train didn't stop short during this photo opp ;)

After taking the M86 to Broadway, we took the 1 train up to 125th Street and walked west to Riverside Drive. From there it was just a 2 block walk to the monument.

Melinda and Savvy

The back side of the monument houses a series of mosaic benches, "The Rolling Bench", that reminded us of Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona:

The front of the mausoleum is a beautiful sight, especially adorned with flags as it was the day of our visit. We had no idea what to expect before our arrival - the size of the monument was shockingly large.

The tomb is open every other hour during the day. During alternate hours, the nearby visitor's center opens. We arrived a little after 9am and had nearly an hour to spare before being able to enter, so we went to a nearby park and playground, ate breakfast, ogled a statue, and pushed Savvy on the swings next to an UWS bilingual cutie. After talking with us, the father remarked "A trip to the Upper West Side side is a vacation for East Siders just like a trip to the East Side is for us." Simple, yet astute observation.

When we made it into the tomb, we were the only people there at first. It was predominantly a wide open space, so Savvy had free reign to explore. It wasn't a museum with valuable items off limits to grubby toddler hands. All of the artifacts were either behind glass or out of her reach. I tried to convince Savvy to touch this guy's nose but to no avail, haha:

We climbed the stairs, counted statues, touched the cold marble walls and marveled at the giant caskets. We had way too much fun in a place that houses human remains...We prrrrrobably didn't do much to honor the dead, but Melinda got her National Park Stamp and one for Savvy, so our mission was accomplished.

Beautiful domed ceiling - Grant's Tomb

Savannah admiring her name.

This trip was Savvy's first true patriotic experience. Melinda sang "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and I recited the "Pledge of Allegiance" for full effect.

Young Savvy. Old flag.

After walking in circles counting statues (see video below) we decided to leave. We hit up a nearby playground where Savvy played in the sand, taught Savvy about columns, and chased a stray black cat.

"Mom, I'm touching the column like you said, but can we stop staring at the sun please???"

Shade. That's better!

By 11:45 we were ready for lunch. I suggested Tom's Restaurant on Broadway and 112th Street to round out our morning history experience. The facade of Tom's is famous from being shown in just about every episode of Seinfeld. It's just an average diner, but I felt more of a patriotic reverence here than at Grant's Tomb. Definitely a place that every Seinfeld fan needs to visit once.

Interested in visiting Grant's Tomb? Every year on Ulysses S. Grant's birthday, April 27th, there is a special ceremony on the monument's plaza. That's this weekend! Learn more here: http://www.nps.gov/gegr/planyourvisit/event-details.htm?eventID=264403-232573

Simple Messy Hairdo, Toddler Style

Lately, Savannah's favorite thing to do at home is play in the bathroom sink. She likes to serve me "hot coffee" in plastic Easter egg halves, fill up and dump out my used Starbucks cups, brush her teeth, wash her doll's feet and hands, lick water off her fingers, etc. I often use this time where she's perched on her foot stool to brush [oatmeal out of] her hair.

Today, the Paper Mama's most simple hairstyle ever tutorial came to mind and I thought it would be fun to put the look on Savvy. Next stop, Toddlers and Tiaras (JUST KIDDING).

So to the soundtrack of Savvy's laughter and squeals when ice cold water splashed on her (which she called "too hot"), I grabbed 3 bobby pins and put 3 twisty bun doodads in Savvy's hair. It took all of 30 seconds.

Business in the front

Party in the back! - 3 simple twists secured with one bobby pin each

I'd do this again. Only fell a little bit at the playground, but I love messy hair so was perfect for the warm afternoon.

Spinning water wheel is mesmerizing

Doesn't need to stand on her tippy toes anymore :-O

Yay, the first time I left her unattended at the sink to grab camera and she didn't fall and crack her head open on the toilet or shower. WIN.

Have you ever come across the world of hair tutorials across the blogosphere? When I first joined Pinterest, they were some of my favorite pins to search for. Which are your favs? I love Keiko Lynn's.

Free Books: From Dolly Parton & Your Local Synagogue. Yes, Really!

Savvy receives two books in the mail per month at no cost to us thanks to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and The PJ Library, Jewish Bedtime Stories & Songs.

I'm fairly certain she believes these books are gifts from our doormen, since they don't fit in our mailbox and are handed to her directly from the package room. She handed me one of the books today, saying "Nyon", her pronunciation of John the doorman.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library aims to ensure children, ages 0-5, have a library of books to call their own to enhance their imagination. I want to shout this from the rooftops, because I hope hope hope that disadvantaged families that can't afford to buy new books for their children learn about this!

Every NYC kid can get 12 free books a year!!!  

[The Imagination Library is available in the US and Canada. They've sent 40,000,000 books so far! See if your city or town is sponsored to receive free books by clicking on on "Register My Child" from the homepage.]

After signing up for the PJ Library several months ago since Savvy is half Jewish, we finally received the first book! After John the doorman gave her the package and we examined it in the elevator, I exclaimed, "Savvy! It's your first Jewish book!" "Jew book jew book jew book." Oy. Her mimicking skills are hilarious.

This month's book was Good Night Israel, part of the Good Night Our World series.

I read up to the Dead Sea page before she got bored and left the room. We'll see if she takes an interest in it another time.

If you're Jewish and would like your child to receive books and music, click on the PJ Library Community page to see if your community has been sponsored.  If you know of a similar organization that shares books about Christianity or any other topics for that matter, please let me know in the comments!

Please spread the word about these great organizations and consider making a donation.

Overheard in NYC: Spring Break Edition

Last week, the public school kids were on spring break. Loved overhearing this conversation at our local Starbucks one morning:

Kid starts getting antsy. Mother explains that they're leaving soon and will grab a taxi.

"Mom, why are we going to the top of the Empire State Building?"

"I don't know. It'll be fun. It's something to do."

What she really should have said is:  "So you don't sound like a douche bag when you tell your college roommate you've never been there despite growing up in NYC."

image via wikipedia