Greetings from New York

I know, you're thinking - doesn't she have better things to do in NYC than blog?

Answer: well, of course. But it's 7:40 am, you see, and I've been up for an hour and a half. Because when you're sleeping on the sofa bed of a smallish apartment that already houses a family of four, there's no sleeping past the time the first person gets up and starts making coffee. Which was around 6. And there's really very little we can do until the kids are off to camp and the adults are off to work - only then can we get the shower and stuff.

I'm not really grumbling. Well, I might be, a little, when I need a nap around 3pm. But really, I'm just so happy to be here in New York ... and grateful for the free bed ... that it's all good.

I love New York. When I'm away from itmy memory of how much I love it fades a bit ... then I get back and it takes mere seconds to be reminded.

Not that I object to the path my life took, heading west rather than east. Most importantly, meeting my husband in LA and all. :)

But I love it here. People walk. Restaurants are still going strong after 10pm. People out walking their dogs. I like the hustle and bustle.

Of course, staying with my brother in law and family affords us an opportunity to live in NY in a way that we could never actually afford to live in NY ourselves, if you get the idea. So I realize that the way Dick and I would have to live here would be drastically different and considerably less fun.

I can still be a little wistful.

Anyway ... we actually arrived in Philadelphia Tuesday evening. A five hour flight becomes an entire day lost to travel. A relatively sane 11:15 am flight means being at the airport at 9:15, which means being at the car park at 8:45, which means getting up really early. Then a three hour time difference puts us here at 7:30pm, and by the time his folks pick us up and we get home ... Day shot.

But I gotta tell you - those No-Jetlag pills really do work. I only ever took them when we went to London, but it occurred to me it might be great for even just a three hour difference. And sure enough, we were in bed before midnight (no matter that it was 9pm our time!) and up at 8:00. In the right time zone and everything. Crazy.

Anyway, we visited with his folks that evening, and over a leisurely breakfast in the morning. It was so freaking hot though ... I know I grew up with humidity and everything but ... ugh. No central air, just window units in each room. So you'd open the door to the hallway and this wall of wet heat would greet you. After a shower I kept feeling like I couldn't get dry.

Once we finally got it together, we headed off to Trenton to grab the train to NY. I like trains. Not something I get to do often.

Hopped on an express subway by accident once we got here which put us out about 10 blocks early - but rather than wait for the local, decided to just walk. Because we're in NY. And people walk. And it's nice.

Luckly, we arrived just an hour or so before the heavens opened up and a thunderstorm hit. Thunder and lightning. I miss thunder. But good thing we got inside when we did - because it actually flooded out the subway station we had just been at ... so we would have been royally screwed.

We got ourselves reacquainted with the kids (6 and 3), and enjoyed a little family chaos. Then off to Astoria for a Greek dinner (adults only).

And this morning, as I said, up way too early. Any minute now, the apartment will clear, and Dick and I will begin our day. Or maybe I'll nap again. All I know is, right now, the kids have both just melted down COMPLETELY. Isn't it early for that? :) Days like this I'm glad we only have Waldo to take care of. :)