Winter Escapades in NYC: Giveaway! by Robin Gorman Newman

Last December, when we stayed in the city during winter school break, we had mounds of snow, ice and slush to contend with. This time, fortunately, the streets were clear, and we stayed for two nights with our good friend Alli.

We bunked at our favorite hotel, the comfy, artsy Roger Smith Hotel (details below) on 47th and Lexington, and enjoyed despite a painful knee injury I recently sustained. We had originally planned a three night stay, but cut it short due to my discomfort  (Motrin, Arnica and a knee brace helped somewhat).  I toughed it out since I didn't want to disappoint Seth, otherwise I would have cancelled.  The Roger Smith stay included a delicious, generous full American breakfast at Lily's in the hotel, and Seth adored their steak and eggs, especially after sampling it and eating off of Alli's plate.

Day 1 included: A cab ride to TJ Maxx on 57th and 8th, my favorite TJ in the Big Apple.  Just can't resist! Seth waited anxiously for our visit to TOYS R US in Times Square, where Alli bought him a Playmobil Ambulance for Hanukkah.  Following that and dinner, we went on THE RIDE (details below.)  Always a total fun experience, we highly recommend it as a cool way to experience the city when you need to rest your feet....and in my case, perfect, given my injured knee.

Day 2 - SCOTT'S PIZZA TOURS, BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP

If you love pizza but always wanted to know more about its background, check out the pizza tours offered by Scott Wiener, a highly enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide and pizza guru. We signed up for the Greenwich Village Pizza Walk.  We sampled three very different kinds of pizza, and learned about the history and evolution of pizza...including insight into everything from making mozzarella to gluten to oven temperature to crust texture to toppings, etc.  Luckily there was plenty of sitting time at restaurants and local parks where we listened to Scott tell us about his love of pizza, etc.

We started out, on a cold day, in the Village and wound up in Soho.  After, we cabbed it uptown to squeeze in a visit to the always fun and jam-packed Build-A-Bear Workshop on 46trh Street and Fifth Avenue.Visit to Build-A-Bear Workshop details below......

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the leading and only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. Founded in 1997, the company currently operates more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop® stores worldwide, including company owned stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. In 2007, the interactive experience was enhanced - all the way to CyBEAR® space - with the launch of buildabearville.com®, the company’s virtual world.

We had a great time. Seth made a Yellow Lab named Goldy, and fell immediately in love. There is something for everyone here. And, the cutest, cleverest accessories and clothing for the wide array of stuffed animals you can make and see come to life.

Check them out at http://www.facebook.com/buildabear to stay abreast of the most current promotions and receive exclusive offers.

NOTE: BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP IS GIVING AWAY A $10 GIFT CARD. TO ENTER, POST A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG, AND THE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM AND NOTIFIED BY EMAIL.  BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND INDICATE THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP.

ROGER SMITH HOTEL
Unique for combining a sincere hospitality experience in the presence of thought-provoking art, the Roger Smith Hotel of NYC is a boutique hotel with accommodations that evoke the warmth, mood, and comfort of a guest room in a special friend's home. Artwork, potted plants, and book collections are distinct touches uncommonly seen in a New York City but found in the Roger Smith Hotel. Each of their spacious 130 rooms and suites are individually decorated in classical New England designs.The Roger Smith Hotel Accommodations and Lodging in NY.

The Roger Smith Hotel offers a wide variety of hotel room accommodations and lodging, perfect for any NY traveler. Whether you are a single person traveling on business, a couple enjoying a romantic getaway, or a vacationing family visiting New York City, you will feel comfortable and welcome.

Not only is the Roger Smith Hotel located in the center of New York City's most dynamic hotel district, but it is also only minutes from classic landmarks such as Grand Central Station, The United Nations Headquarters, and the Chrysler building, all within a five block radius. Another few blocks away but still within walking distance, you'll find the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park, and  famous museums.  Follow the hotel at http://www.Facebook.com/rogersmithhotel and http://www.twitter.com/rshotel.

THE RIDE
THE RIDE, is loads of interactive fun and a unique experience....chockful of jokes, singing, doing the wave, sightseeing and more.

THE RIDE’s specially-designed custom vehicles are the tallest allowed by federal law on city streets. The bus is fitted with stadium-style seating that orients riders sideways to look through massive windows, and two on-board hosts banter comedically as they travel through the streets of midtown Manhattan, commenting on New York’s history and its iconic sites and structures, and giving insider secrets about the city – all while incorporating actors and performers along the route who interact with the vehicle and its passengers. External speakers and exterior lighting allow the on-board hosts to make everyone on the street part of the experience. Surprises show up all along the route, featuring sites from the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Terminal to Times Square and Columbus Circle.

A full schedule for THE RIDE is available at experiencetheride.com. Tickets are on sale now, available three ways: online at experiencetheride.com; by phone at (866) 299-9682; and in person at THE RIDE Box office located at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, 1535 Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets. Join them on Facebook to get the latest news. http://www.facebook.com/ExperienceTheRide.

NYC is truly one of the greatest cities in the world, and it's so easy to take it for granted if you live here, but there's much to enjoy if you take the time to explore and scope it out!




Note: Thanks to THE RIDE, and  BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP for providing promotional visits.

Movie Night Transforms into Pizza Night by Maureen Eich VanWalleghan

On a Friday night once a month or so we like to stay in and eat pizza at TV trays and watch a movie. Our favorite pizza comes from Papa Murphy’s, a take and bake place. My husband is in charge of the cooking and my daughter gets to pick the movie.

Watching the movie used to be a cuddly family affair. We didn’t own a TV, so we would watch movies on my husband’s seven year old computer, all of us huddled together on the foldout futon couch with the twin bunk bed above us. The movie was a little picture, but it was fun with my daughter snuggled between us, asking questions about what was happening in the movie. It was the next phase from when she was a tiny baby and we used to take her to the movies with us—she could sleep through anything.

After investing in a laptop computer for work, I ended up with a credit from Best Buy regarding some issues I had with my purchase. So, my husband and I finally decided to invest in a real TV. This is the first TV I have ever owned, same for him. We got a great deal on a 42” plasma flat screen TV. Wow, what a picture. We are definitely living large now.

After the purchase, the TV sat in the box for awhile. For Christmas, I explained to my husband that if he wanted to bring the gigantic “cut-it-yourself” tree into the house, he finally had to deal with the office: move out his old desk and the spare foldout futon bunk bed and move in the big oak desk he inherited, which had been taking up space in the dining room for months. Once he did that, I figured out a way to move my newish office unit out of the living room and into the office as well. Now there was a place for the TV.

After all the furniture moving and a trip to IKEA was done, I started to feel sad about how our movie night was going to change. On Christmas day, my husband decided to set up the new TV. Since it was just us three (my folks went to my sister’s) we stayed in jammies all day and ate our Christmas dinner at TV trays and watched the new movies that Santa had brought us. Then I really felt the impact of the change: big beautiful TV picture, but no more cuddling together because now we could all lounge separately in the recliner, on the couch or sprawled out on the floor.

Now beyond the whole furniture chango presto, the other event that was affecting the movie/pizza night is my husband’s food allergy to processed meats, i.e. everything that goes on the “cowboy” pizza at Papa Murphy’s. I had addressed my move to go wheat-free by picking up sushi for myself on pizza night. But finally, my husband’s feet flair ups from processed meats had him saying no to pizza every time I suggested it. Okay, no pizza, no cramped quarters for cuddling and a big new TV: a confluence of events.

Sunset magazine saves the day. On the front cover of the most recent issue was a picture of a homemade pizza. From a previous issue, there was a recipe for broccoli pesto that was part of a one-hour pizza dinner. I got inspired to make the broccoli pesto this week as part of a project to make myself feel better after getting the disappointing news that my short film was rejected for a film festival I had submitted it to back in October. I like to cook and I made some great broccoli pesto and felt so much better. With the pesto in the fridge and two different recipes for pizza sitting on the kitchen counter, I decided to get gluten-free pizza dough and uncured pepperoni from the health food store. A quick trip to Walmart for a pizza pan and we were in the pizza making business.

Now our movie night has become “make homemade pizza” night and then enjoy the fruits of our labors while watching a movie. Our first experiment was a success. Hubbie is an expert baker from years growing up with his grammie and he is even a former pizza maker. He was in charge of the dough—I don’t bake. He made a few mistakes because he was out of practice he explained. My daughter helped at every stage, especially in eating the ingredients as they went on the pizza. I made the sauce and of course I had my fancy pesto.

Our family effort yielded some very good pizza and plans for more embellishment in the ingredients department and a family excited to be hanging out again. My daughter snuggled at different moments with each of us while watching the movie. The movie was beautiful on the new gigantic TV. And now we have a new tradition that has us focusing our family fun in the kitchen making a pizza mess. It seems like the next phase of family life with our bigger kid and more grown-up furniture.

Yeah for pizza. A big “thumbs up” from my husband that the healthy pepperoni tasted just like the bad chemical stuff. And for me, I have to say—in the right baker’s hands—the gluten-free crust was an excellent delivery system for the goodies on top. Just the way it should be.