We took our honeymoon from Aug. 9th-16th, exactly all the time Josh had for his summer vacation.  And like a wise friend once said, “if you don’t have much time, you’ve got to make it count.” We did. After much discussion we decided on a cruise. It was my first cruise and his fifth.  I had initially protested strongly, I liked cultural / historical vacations, I didn’t like my vacations manufactured, and I’m not big on sun tanning or languishing by the pool. But while there are lemons, Josh still gave cruises a glowing review, “there’s something for everyone” he promised. And as usual, he was right.

During our seven days aboard Carnival’s Valor, we visited Grand Cayman, Roatan (Honduras), Belize City (Belize) and Cozumel (Mexico). Our excursions spanned city tours and Mayan Ruins (for my fix), snorkeling and beaching (Josh). On the ship we engaged in karaoke, dancing, games and towel-animal making demonstrations. But the real gem was the food. We had restaurant style seating with better than most restaurants quality food, and even better service.

The most disappointing part of the cruise was my beloved yoga.  I felt their class did everyone a disservice, but perhaps as Josh points out I’ve become a yoga snob. Snob or not, I may not have had much success at getting us to do down dogs, but we did manage to stave off the weight gain, by using the stairs ALL the time.  Even as we climbed 9 flights for our midnight snack of pizza and/or burgers with a nice chuncky chocolate chip cookie.

Overall, I had the vacation of a lifetime with the person who truly is my best friend (and everything else) forever.

Some smiles below, the entire album can be found on Flickr.

1 Comment | In: celebrations, together | tags: bromberg, caribbean, carnival cruise, honeymoon, roatan, western caribbean. | #

By now, everyone knows that I’ve been converted to the WholeFoods bandwagon. I’ve secretly been wanting to shop at WholeFoods since they first opened in Union Sq. but avoided it. It was a too far to transport  groceries between Union Sq. and Battery Park, and then I just accepted the widely held belief that it was expensive.

How could it NOT be expensive? Unlike most Manhattan supermarkets, it looked clean. They also sell organic and gourmet products, most of which are often pricier. So pervasive is this belief that while in Miami, a cab driver berated us for wasting our money on WholeFoods, “it’s the same food as the local supermarkets, they just take more money from you!”, he sneeringly yelled.

Not so. At least, not always so. Since we’ve been tightening our belts, we cut Seamless Web and made do with Gristedes. The popular Manhattan supermarket that boasts uneven floors, and where condiments like ketchup accrue dust. We cut coupons, and bought only their sale products. And we tolerated 30+ mins checking out, because invariably what the sale sign said and what the register believed, hardly ever agreed.

My Tita Mila suggested I try WholeFoods again, “It’s not so bad“, she advised, “just stick to their generic brand.” UGH! Generic! My stomach groaned, like the barely edible White Rose? Finally, I convinced Josh that with our elevated cholesterol and my heart condition, we should try WholeFoods, “we’ll only buy what’s on sale.” I promised.  It didn’t take long, before we realized that between 365 (generic) brand, and in-store sales, we were actually saving, as in spending less money, AND getting better food.  And with the better food came a smaller waist! Josh can get into his old suit, and I can clean the cobwebs from my swimsuit, just in time for our honeymoon!

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Manhattan’s Lower East Side continues to surprise me. It’s infinitely more interesting than the East Village, and less worn out than Meat Packing. Josh in another life use to inhabit this neighborhood. He still tells me stories of how his bathroom was in the kitchen, right next to the stove. The one-pipe plumbing at least allowed him to multi-task cooking and cleaning.

Nowadays, we just come here to see old friends, and share brunch at the Stanton Social. By share, we mean tapas like, dishes come out ready to split (between 3-4), which lots of variety, and lots of yummy goodness. We had carmel pancakes, chicken and waffles, french onion soup dumplings, breakfast bruchetta and more!

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There’s almost nothing I look forward to more than going on vacation. It’s fun planning, imagining, talking about the big weekend, and the last minute frantic packing! Even better is when you do it with your BFFs, making every moment that much more memorable. Between July 17th – July 19th we went on a “Girlfriend Getaway”, to sunny sexy south beach, miami! We had mixed expectations. Ruth and Ariane had never been to South Beach before and were looking forward to a “nice” beach and a fun atmosphere. Sam and I had been to Miami before, and felt like we sort of knew what to expect, a nice beach (but nothing like what we’d grown up with at home), and a fun if somewhat cheesy atmosphere.

We were all wrong, in the best way possible. The beach was jaw dropping. I finally understood how it made it on the Travel Channel’s top 100 beaches. Clear blue, warm, soft sand, we had to walk out what seemed like a few hundred yards before we got in water deep enough to wade / tip-toe in. And we loved it. That’s saying a lot from 4 very beach spoiled girls. Then of course there was the fun. Even in peak season there’s 2 for 1 specials on the drinks, right on Ocean Drive! We spent most of our time at the Gansevoort Rooftop bar, where live DJs spun, and beautiful girls casually walked around in de rigeur bikinis.

This was the best girlfriend getaway yet. I highly recommend it. We’re already making plans to go back next year.

No Comments | In: friends | tags: beach, getawahys, girlfriends, miami, south beach, southbeach, summer vacation, vacation. | #

In some of Josh’s oldes photos, you’ll find him showing off a pair (or two) of baby teeth, often with another happy face, Harry. Add 25 years Josh has finally lost all of his baby teeth, and Harry along with his wife Taylor operate and own one of the coolest, cosiest stores this side of California, the Brooklyn Kitchen.  Not only can you find everything your kitchen needs, you’ll get friendly advice, (from people who actually know how to cook) discover things you never thought you’d need, and squeal in nostalgic delight over items you were sure you’d never see again. To top it off they even offer classes, just the thing for people (like me) who mysteriously develop two left feet when placed in front of any kitchen appliance, save microwaves.

Good food, shopping, and Brooklyn it really doesn’t get much better, how could we resist stopping by?

No Comments | In: friends | tags: brooklyn, brooklyn kitchen, childhood friends, cooking classes, friends, kitchen ware. | #