Living Life by a Theme 2011 Recap - A Year of “Doing what makes me Happy”

Every year I live my life by a theme.  The theme is kind of like a resolution for the year but with a new rule to live by.  The theme for this year, 2011, was “Do what makes you happy.”  As I look back at my theme this year I feel like I failed, but then the more I think about it the more I realize I made great strides and I grew as a person, even if some of that growth was sometimes painful, so maybe it wasn’t a complete failure after all. 

When I made my theme doing what makes me happy this year I thought it would be easy and I thought by the end of the year I would be a really happy optimistic gal, well that just isn’t me.  It is against my nature to do what makes me happy all the time because what makes me happy might make other people miserable or upset them.  Also there are other factors that lead to me being miserable or less happy that I have no control over, like tragedy striking my community over and over and the economy.  It was a rough year for Reno and I cried tears, felt the pain and sadness with my community. 

Even with all the tragedy in my community and the tough economic times I was still able to focus on my theme of doing what makes me happy.  A few months into my theme I realized this was going to be a hard year to do what makes me happy, and I seriously questioned if I was up for the challenge.  I thought going out with my friends all the time, buying stuff and taking trips would make me happy, and maybe it would have, but the economy didn’t want to cooperate this year so I have had to put that stuff on hold.  So I decided to do the best I could and focus on the things I could change or control and tried not to worry about the things I can’t control, which is totally against my nature.  By nature I worry and expect the worst, so this year I tried not to let it get the best of me. 

A Little Help from My Friends…

Me & Bridget at her birthday party.

My friend Bridget once gave me some advice about cutting the dead weight from my life, those were her exact words “cut the dead weight” and she wasn’t talking about dieting.  You may have seen another analogy in a chain email that describes how your life is a theater show on stage and only certain people are worthy of sitting in the front row of your life.  Bridget was advising me to be more aware of who was in the front row.  I am really bad at this, it is a weakness and I am at fault. I give out too many front row seats, I comp them, I give them lots of free drinks and I tend to double book people in the front row that shouldn’t be there, or don’t want to be there.   

Here is an example, I had an a-ha moment about my error in the seating chart when a friend told me I wasn’t a bridesmaid in her wedding because we weren’t good friends and most of the other friends in our circle of friends were in the wedding. I thought she was one of my best friends; I had given her a front row seat for the last decade of my life, whether she wanted to be there or not, so it was shocking to me that in her eyes we weren’t good friends.  Looking back I see that this is just one of several examples of front row seats I gave to friends that didn’t want to sit in the front row but I gave them a seat anyway.  The good news is we have been able to stay friends through this misunderstanding of the seating chart to the theater of my life, and I realize now we aren’t best friends and we don’t have to be best friends, but we can still be friends.

So this year as part of my theme of doing what makes me happy I took Bridget’s advice to heart about cutting the dead weight and I stopped focusing on the people that don’t belong in the front row of my life. This year I focused more on my friends that deserved a seat in the front row, and I hope in return that they give me a seat in the front rows of their lives. 

Me & Jana at Jana's Birthday Party

Me & Adrion at the Jason Aldean concert

Over this last year my friendships and bonds grew stronger and I realized that my very closest friends had two things in common, they all felt (and told me in one way or another) that I let too many people in the front row that didn’t deserve to be there, and more importantly they all told me they loved me.  I couldn’t have made it through this year without the love of my family but also the love from my friends, especially Jana, Bridget, Cassandra, Val, Adrion, Jessica and of course my dog Yogi Berra.  These friends made me happy, they made me laugh, and they were always there when I needed them. 

It was a year of growth and there was a lot of happiness with the sadness.  I am going to call it a tie, I didn’t completely succeed at doing what makes me happy, but I also didn’t fail.

Here are the Top 10 things I did, or other people did for me, that made me happy this year. 

1.   My family loves me and supports me.  They are always there for me, they spoil me, and I love to talk and visit with them.  I especially enjoyed spending time with my grandparents this year and my Grandpa Wayne making us Cowboy breakfast after the family reunion campout.

Grandpa Wayne serving Cowboy Breakfast

2.   My friends.  I am blessed to have so many great people in the front row of my life. 

Me & Jessica



Me & Cassandra

  

Me & Val

3.   My community.  We had a rough year; there was a fire, air race crash, motorcycle gang shootout, several other shootings, and lots of foreclosures and bad economic news.  We were on the top of every bad list and on the bottom of every good list, but you know what, we stood up and we kept moving and we worked together as best we could.  We have a lot of work to do but I think if our community can continue to come together we will make it through.  We will find better days in 2012.

4.   Volunteering – Rotary, Leadership Reno Sparks, and Reno Rodeo gave me plenty of opportunities to volunteer.  I enjoy helping and making a difference so volunteering made me happy.

5.   Yogi – he makes me laugh and he makes me cry.  What can I say? I love my dog!

6.   Nevada Outback Trip – I went on an adventure with Bridget and Andy over Memorial Day.  We lived through our journey down the loneliest highway and we made memories and have great stories to tell. 

7.   Boating/Camping – Bullards bar is my favorite lake to go boating and I was lucky enough to make it there a few times this year with my family and friends.

8.   Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith – Every time I hear this song I smile and it makes me laugh.

9.   Matinee Tuesday – Every Tuesday the movie theater shows matinee movies all day and night.  I am cheap and I like a good deal so sometimes I go see movies on Tuesdays and this makes me happy.

1o. My blog – I love having somewhere to write about my past travels and my life theme.  I couldn’t take a vacation this year so blogging about places I went last year gave me a little escape and a taste of vacation.  (Special shout out to Val and Dan, thanks for setting me up with a blog and encouraging me.)

Good riddance 2011 – Welcome 2012! 

Ramses Hilton Oh How I Love Thee…

Let me count the ways…

1. Diamond Club! = Gorgeous rooms! - Thanks to Jason being in the Hilton Diamond Club we were upgraded.  This meant a gorgeous room,  great customer service from the hotel staff, fresh flowers, bottled water, free alcoholic drinks at night (these are very hard to come by in Muslim Egypt), and dessert left in our room each day while we were out seeing the sights.   

Diamond Club! = Daily Desserts

2. Views-Views-Views!  - The views from our balcony were amazing.  These are the same views seen by millions of people around the world during news broadcasts of the riots that swept Cairo in early 2011.  From our rooms we had gorgeous views of the River Nile and a great perch to watch Cairo traffic, which is really something to see and hear.  I liked to listen to the rhythm of Cairo, there was a buzz and energy about the city that was almost like a song.  The cab drivers honk all the time to communicate their next move and they usually honk in a generic or friendly manner unlike in America where honking is usually a sign of aggression.  The constant honking and the 17-20 million people (depending on the time of day) made Cairo a very loud and busy place. I had never seen anything like it.  I really enjoyed the views from our hotel.  Supposedly you can see the Pyramids really well from the Ramses Hilton.  We couldn’t see them most of the days we were there because of pollution and smoke from a wildfire in Israel.  On one of the days we could see a shadow outline of the pyramids, I imagine on a clear day the view from the hotel would be really impressive.    

3. Location! Location! Location! - The Ramses Hilton is located on the banks of the River Nile in Cairo.  Everything we wanted to do was within walking distance or within a short distance by taxi.

4. Security – Every time we entered the hotel we had to go through security including a metal detector.  It was really easy to go through security and the security officers were very professional and easy to deal with.  It was nice to know we were in a safe place and that measures were taken to keep us safe on vacation. 

5.  Food – The hotel had a buffet every morning that we were able to attend before heading out for our daily adventures.  There was a mix of Western and Middle Eastern food so you could always find something you liked to eat in the morning.

I highly recommend staying at the Ramses Hilton.  Someday I would like to go back to Egypt, when it is safe again, and when I do I will try to stay at the Ramses Hilton. 

Thanksgiving in Cairo – 2010

After shopping at the Khan el-Khalili market we found a restaurant for dinner, for us Americans it was Thanksgiving.   This was the second time in my life that I was away from my family on Thanksgiving, and it never feels quite right, but I have been lucky because both times I was with good friends when I wasn’t with my family. 



Jason & his Pigeon Dinner



The restaurant we ate at was really nice.  It had beautiful carpets on the walls as decorations.  I remember being so excited for my first big Egyptian meal.  I ordered the Falafel, another first since I had never tried Falafel.  Falafel is a ball made up of ground chickpeas and/or fava beans then it is deep-fried.  I wrapped the falafel in pita bread to make a sandwich.  It was good but it took some getting used to for me since I had never had it before. 

The thing I remember the most about dinner is Rob and Jason ordering Rabbit and Pigeon.  I am so boring and risk adverse when it comes to eating new foods so I enjoy when my friends order things that I consider more exotic, even when I am not brave enough to try their meals.  I also thought it was funny that Jason ordered pigeon on Turkey Day. 

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner in Cairo. 



(L-R) Bridget, Andy, Shayna, Rob, Jeff, Libby and Me



   



Falafel



Khan el-Khalili Market - 2010

The Amazing Race - It is on!

Our first trip to the world famous Khan el-Khalili market in Cairo was quite the adventure.  First we ordered a few taxis.  Whenever we had to take taxis we had to take a few of them because there were 10 of us on this trip.  Every time I jumped in a taxi I felt like I was on “The Amazing Race” TV show.  It was like a competitive button was pushed and the race was on.  So we jumped in our taxi and raced to the Khan.

During the taxi ride we drove by some military vehicles and heavily armed men on the side of the road.  We asked our cab driver if it was safe.  He said to stay away from it but it was safe and that they had had a few issues with protesters because elections were in a few days, but he said we should be okay in the market.

So the cab driver dropped us off near the market.  As soon as we stepped out of the taxi a guy on the side of the street started talking to us, I’m pretty sure the cab driver tipped him off that we were coming or they had some kind of arrangement.  The cab driver seemed to have a place in mind to drop us off and what a coincidence this guy was there waiting to greet us.  He was dressed in a red sweater that said FUBU (yes the American brand FUBU), and he had on desert tan military boots.  He was an Arab gentleman probably early to mid-thirties and he spoke English very well.  He said he had been to Michigan in the United States because he had relatives there.  Dearborn Michigan has a large Muslim population so I figured that was the area he was speaking about.  (Tip – If you haven’t seen “All-American Muslim” on TLC you should watch it, it is a great show that takes place in Dearborn, MI).   

Our new friend, FUBU guy, kept telling us he loved America, which cracked me up.  I would have been concerned that a stranger was talking to us so much but I read about this sales technique in my tour guide book so I wasn’t worried.  The tourist books discussed how people will try to greet you on the street as you arrive at the market and try to take you to their shop first.  So when he told us about his papyrus shop, and how we had to go there I wasn’t nervous, although I should have been because it is kind of strange that someone greets you when you get out of the cab and wants you to follow him through alleys in a foreign land. 

Andy & Bridget at the Papyrus Shop

FUBU guy got us all together really quick and said “follow me to my shop”.  So we followed.  I wasn’t worried until he took us into this dark grimy building.  He said his shop was on the third floor.  It felt like we were climbing those stairs forever, it didn’t feel like we were in the world famous market we read about and it felt like this guy may have just made a big score by kidnapping 10 Americans.  I was getting really nervous that I may have made a bad decision.  As we approached the second floor I was getting extremely nervous that he wasn’t taking us to a shop, then on the next flight of stairs there was the sign for his papyrus shop, I exhaled a sigh of relief. 


The papyrus shop was really cool.  They had many beautiful pieces including pictures of zodiac signs, ancient Egyptians, and gods & goddesses.  The FUBU guy welcomed us to the shop and gave us a quick tour, then let us look around while his sidekick brought us tea.  I would never take a drink from a stranger in America, but in the Egypt tour guide books it said this was the custom and that they will give us a cup of tea to drink while we bargain and negotiate, so I wasn’t surprised when he offered us tea.
 

I drank my cup of hot tea and I picked out a piece of artwork.  I picked a small picture of Isis the goddess of magic.  The FUBU guy started out really high on his asking price, so I countered with something similar to $1 American which was ridiculously low.  We were negotiating in Egyptian pounds.  The exchange rate was something like 5.84 Egyptian Pounds to 1 American Dollar.  So as soon as we agreed to a price FUBU guy said okay you’ve got a deal “70 American Dollars”.  I smiled and said “I was born at night, but not last night, we are negotiating in Egyptian Pounds”.  He smiled then pinched my cheek and said “you are so cute…and smart.”  Then he made the deal.  I was bummed at first because I didn’t think I negotiated enough but then I looked at the exchanged rate again and I did better than I thought I did.  I ended up buying my art for about $12. My goal was to buy it for around $15, so I felt pretty good about my negotiating.

Isis from the Papyrus Shop - Framed when I got home by Aaron Brothers

After we all bought something at the Papyrus shop we left to explore more of the market.  We were on the side of the market with a more local flavor.  We saw meat, spices, fruits, veggies, and lots of flies. 

While walking through the market this local guy started talking to us and trying to guide us.  We thought at first he was like the FUBU guy, but he didn’t seem to have a shop he was trying to entice us to see.  He kept guiding us and talking to us as we walked through the market.  After a while we came upon a Mosque.  All the sudden he went into hard sell mode and tried to get us to go into the mosque.  At first we said no, then we said yes, then they tried to charge us and we said no again.  Then they kept tryinig to negotiate with us.  The mosques in Islamic Cairo district are historical sites.  They are beautiful and fascinating but we decided something didn’t feel right and we decided to pass on this experience.  After all that our volunteer tour guide disappeared, he probably went back to the taxi line to find the next tourists. 

We kept walking through the market and we got a little lost.  We ended up walking by the armored vehicles and the heavily armed men mentioned at the beginning of this blog.  I was worried but my friends assured me we were okay and they wouldn’t shoot us.  So we used the circling in technique and after a long walk ended up back at the spot where the taxi dropped us off.  We took the pedestrian overpass over Al-Azhar road and then we were back in a more touristy part of the market.

As we walked through the tourist side of the market the merchants would come out of their shops and try to charm us by giving us their best sales pitches as we would walk by.  At this point I was exhausted and suffering from sensory overload, plus I have never been a fan of the hard sell, so I walked by and pretended I didn’t speak English or hear their sales pitches.  One merchant cracked me up though as I walked by, and I will never forget his pitch.  As we walked by and I ignored him he said, “Hey you speak English?  You Russian?  You Italian?  You Chinese?”  After he asked if we were Chinese I laughed because it was funny.  I was busted!  He smiled at me and said “oh you speak English”.  He knew he busted me, so it was a funny moment.  He didn’t have anything I wanted in his shop, but he left me with a humorous memory of shopping at the Khan el-Khalili.



This is one of my favorite pictures that Bridget took.
The kids were holding the flag and excited about the election.
It would be Mubarak's last election as President of Egypt. 
The revolution started about 6 weeks later.



 All of the pictures in this blog were taken by my friends.  Enjoy!



Just made a sale!



View from the Papyrus Shop window.

Security! My First Few Minutes in the Middle East – 2010

We left New York to start our adventure to Cairo.  We flew Royal Jordanian which is a very nice airline, like their slogan says it is the way you want to fly.  After an over night flight our first stop was Amman, Jordan where we boarded another airplane for a short flight to Cairo.

When we arrived in Jordan we had to go through security before we were able to board our next flight.  I was a bit rummy and tired from the long flight and it was a little intimidating to be in a foreign land where the people’s culture and language is so different. 

When we got to security I was the first person in our party to go through.  I thought I would just copy the guy in front of me so I would know what to do when it was my turn.  Big Mistake! 

Before I went on this trip I studied the culture a bit so I wouldn’t offend the locals.  I know, I am a big dumb American, no matter what I do I will offend the locals, but dammit I wanted to try to be as good of an American ambassador as I could be.  Before I left on this trip I was aware that in Muslim countries women are treated differently and it is taboo to show too much skin.  Knowing this I made sure to wear pants, a t-shirt and a jacket with sleeves while I traveled.  This is a great travel outfit because it doesn’t usually cause problems at security and I usually breeze right through. 

This is me on a previous trip in my "travel outfit". 

So it was my turn in the security line.  The security at this airport is fascinating to me because they do all the things I read about before my trip.  They watch body language and they are very observant of what is going on.  The security agents are all dressed like the Secret Service and they are mostly older, they are not TSA rent a cop types like we are blessed with in the U.S., these guys are the real deal and total professionals.  I saw the passenger in front of me put his stuff in the bin and send it through the X-ray machine, so I followed his lead and put my stuff the exact same way through the machine.  Then I noticed he took off his coat and put it through the machine.  So I started to unzip my coat, all the sudden the security guy starts yelling at me in Arabic. It sounded like La! La! La! La!  I had no idea what he is saying so I just stared at him.  Then I thought maybe he was telling me to take my coat off, so I started to unzip my jacket again.  He starts yelling louder at me so I stop.  He keeps yelling at me and I tell him I can’t understand and I ask if he speaks English.  He is still talking to me and giving me the go around sign, or the brush off, with his hand.  I still don’t understand, apparently I don’t speak Arabic or sign language so this guy is getting really irritated with me.  Finally I get that he is telling me to go back to the hallway behind us.

This model reminded me of the security guard except I think
she was wearing a light pink hijab.  The hijab refers to the
traditional head scarf and modest style worn by Muslim women.

So I enter the hallway to this designated security area.  This girl jumps out from behind the wall and gives me the security pat down.  She scared me half to death because I didn’t expect her.  She just jumped out and started frisking me.  This security guard was in her mid 20s or early 30s and dressed in a suit similar to what our Secret Service wear, the only different was she was also wearing a hijab (head scarf worn by Muslim women).  She was very professional but I don’t think she spoke English, or she didn’t want to speak English to me.  I was laughing so hard after she jumped out and scared me, I even asked her if she worked there while she was patting me down.  She finished my security check without saying a word to me and then pushed me through the next door which got me back out to the normal security.  After the experience I was laughing because it was just so funny to me, I had been in the country for five seconds and I had already pissed off the security agents. 

I was relieved to make it through my first encounter with security in the Middle East.  After my friends watched me go through security they had no problems, and they only laughed at me a little. 

I realized after it was all over that the guy was freaking out and yelling at me because he thought I was taking my clothes off when I was unzipping my jacket.  Men don’t interact with women at the security checkpoints there so women have a special room to walk through where no one can see them but the female security officers.  When you understand what you are supposed to do the security check is done in a more professional and respectful method in Jordan compared to the U.S.  Had we not had a language barrier and I had not been so out of it and tired from traveling I probably would have realized this before the guard had to yell at me for a few minutes.  All I heard was La La La La La La La La La Lal!!!  La la la la la lal!  I am going to pretend he was yelling “Welcome to Jordan, we love you western lady!”  Although I have the feeling it might have been the exact opposite of what he was really saying.

New York State of Mind

Last year during my “Year of Travel” my friends and I spent three nights in New York City on our way to Egypt and then one night there on our way back home to Reno.  Due to the limited time we had we decided we wanted to see as much as we could in the short amount of time we had.  It felt like I was a contestant on the Amazing Race TV show.  We raced everywhere and we saw as much as we could.  My friends walk incredibly fast so we were able to see the highlights of New York City in just a few days, and I may have burned a few calories racing around the city that never sleeps. 

These are a few of my favorite moments and observations from NYC.

Embassy Suite Hotel, New York City – This is one of the hotels we stayed at.  It was a lovely hotel.  We heard while we stayed there that they were going to remodel and open under another name.  I believe they will reopen in 2012 as Conrad New York.  I highly recommend this hotel because it had nice accommodations and the location was fantastic!  We were in the center of the Financial District and especially close to World Trade Center.

Central Park – We went to see Central Park one morning.  The boys went for a run and the girls just walked around and took pictures.  We were there towards the end of November.  The weather was perfect, around 60 degrees.  The leaves were still changing which made the park rather enchanting.  After exploring Central Park we tried to find the coffee house on Friends.  After a lot of walking and a quick google search on our iPhones we found out that Central Perk Café was a fictional café that was located in Greenwich Village on the show Friends.  We were so disappointed because we are big fans of that show and we were so excited to have coffee at Central Perk Café like our favorite characters on Friends.

Ron, Jason & Andy

Me & Shayna

Broadway – Amazing!  I had no idea what Broadway was about.  I thought it was a big theater that showed Broadway plays and musicals.  I had no idea that it consisted of several theaters with simultaneous shows.  Ron and Jason went to see Rain (the Beatles Tribute) while the rest of us went to see Wicked.  Wicked is a musical told from the witches of Oz perspective.  It was fantastic!  I can’t wait to see it again someday.

Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty – We took a morning tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  It was humbling to see the landmark that stood as the gateway to America for so many people.  First we walked around the Statue of Liberty and walked up the stairs to the Observation Level.  The views were breathtaking.  After walking around and taking pictures we boarded the ferry for Ellis Island.  We were able to see the Main Building which is the Immigrations Museum and a little of the hospital.  I found it fascinating and humbling to hear stories of people immigrating to America.  It reminded me that the human spirit is strong and that we are a nation of immigrants.  They told us on the tour that over 100 million Americans can claim ancestors who came through Ellis Island. 

Rob, Shayna, Me & Bridget

Bridget & Me

Times Square & Comedy Show – Sunday night we went to Times Square and saw the All Star Comedy Show at the Times Square Arts Center.  There were 3 or 4 comedians.  They were all very funny, but my favorite told the jokes about how guys needed time to wake up and get going in the morning.  He advised us to always give our dads, brothers, husbands, boyfriends and friends time to wake up in the morning or at least 15 minutes to get used to being awake.  I took note and tried to let my vacation roommate be the one to say hi first every morning.  Sometimes it took half a day. J

Chris, Shayna, Bridget and Me in Times Square

Brooklyn Bridge – We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge in the middle of the night.  Bucket List – Check!

Empire State Building – We went into the Empire State Building but we didn’t go to the Observation Deck.  It cost $20 to go to the Observation Deck and I just think that is a rip-off for an elevator ride, so we passed.  We did go have drinks at a nice bar that had a lovely patio that overlooked the Empire State Building so that was a nice consolation prize. 

Hotel Carter – This is one of the worst hotels in the world, it is famous for being a bad hotel.  We found Hotel Carter, I believe near Times Square.  We had heard about this hotel and how bad it was from other people that had been to NYC and by travel websites.  So we decided to see what all the hubbub was about.  We entered the hotel and asked if we could see a room.  The clerk sent us up with a couple that wanted to see a room because they were interested in staying there.  We went up a few floors and then got off the elevator.  The hallways were dark and dingy.  We entered the hotel room and it was horrible!  There were holes in the walls, broken tiles and lots of rust in the bathrooms, and a weird stale smell.  As we left we went back to the elevator.  The doors wouldn’t shut and the elevator was stuck.  The clerk came into the elevator and proceeded to jump up and down, he told us this was how to get the elevator unstuck.  We high-tailed it at this point to the stairs, no need to experience an elevator accident on my first trip to New York.  We were pretty happy to have survived our encounter with Hotel Carter and it was everything we dreamed it would be and more.

We lived!  I took this picture once we reached the first floor.

Me, Bridget, Shayna & Chris

Wall Street, NYSE, Charging Bull – I was so excited to see Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange because I had always wondered where my money was going.  I thought the Financial District was really nice and of course while I was there I had day dreams of what it must be like to be a trader on the market and to live in such a high stake competitive world.  My favorite thing to do on Wall Street was to people watch.  I liked seeing all the traders because they were dressed exactly like the guys in the movies.  I swear I saw Gordon Gekko walking down the street.  I can see how people have gotten wrapped up in the “Greed is Good” mentality there because it was like its own island where everyone in the streets look wealthy, it isn’t like any other street in the world that I have seen.  The only thing I was sad about while visiting Wall Street was that I really wanted my picture with the Charging Bull.  The only way to get that picture would be to take it with me and a million other tourists so I passed.  Maybe next time I am in NYC I will get up before the sun and go take my picture before the tourists arrive.

Greenwich Village – We had so much fun taking pictures in the park and it was really neat to see the village that acts as a muse for so many musicians and artists.  It was rather quant and I can see why celebrities really like this area and want to own property here.  It is a nice little community.

Soho – Shopping!  We went shopping in Soho and walked by NYU School of Business.  The shopping was really fun.  I don’t think I bought a thing but it was really fun checking out the stores and all the Christmas displays that they were designing.

St. Paul’s Chapel & WTC Ground Zero – Our hotel was very close to Ground Zero and the memorial was still under construction.  We couldn’t see much but every time we walked by I felt it was hallowed ground and that I have a lot of respect for New Yorkers and what they had been through.  9/11 was a day that brought us all to our knees as Americans.  It has left a scar on my heart because it took away my innocence and left me a little less naïve about the world.  While we were in NYC we explored Ground Zero and we went to St. Paul’s Chapel.  Seeing the Chapel brought tears to my eyes but it also made me proud to be an American.  St. Paul’s Chapel has a long history. It was built in 1766 and was the location of George Washington’s first church service as President of the United States.  It has stood up to many tragedies including New York’s Great Fire of 1776 and September 11, 2001.  The church escaped both events with no damage.   After 9/11 St. Paul’s became a place of refuge.  Over 14,000 volunteers were given food, medical attention, space to rest and support in the church as they worked on the recovery effort after the Twin Towers fell.  Seeing St. Paul’s Chapel and Ground Zero is something I will never forget.  I hope to go back in a few years now that the memorial has opened.    

China Town – Best Dumplings Ever!  We tried both steamed and fried dumplings from this place that basically was the size of my closet.  It was a little takeout restaurant with no seating, just counter space.  I wish I knew the name because I would like to go there again someday.  All I remember is the restaurant was across from a school or playground of some sort and it had the best dumplings and pot stickers that I had ever had!  They were cheap and delicious! 

Little Italy – We went to a great dinner in Little Italy, again I have no idea what the restaurant was called but it was really good food.  A few of us ordered dinner “Family Style” so we were able to try a lot of different menu items.  I knew the food was going to be good when a few minutes after we arrive a few NYFD fire fighters stopped by with a fire truck to pick up dinner.  Those guys always know the best places to eat.  After eating way more than I should we realized we had a lot of food left.  So we got a to-go box and figured we would find a homeless person and give them the rest of our dinner.  You won’t believe this but I swear, we couldn’t find a homeless person that night.  We walked for hours and we never saw any homeless people.  In fact everywhere we went the streets were clean and there were no signs of homeless people anywhere.  I felt bad because I had to throw away the food.

Rockefeller Center – When we got back from Egypt and Jordan we had one night to stay in NYC.  So we stayed near Rockefeller Center.  We walked over to the center to see 30 Rock and the Christmas tree and ice skating ring.  I am not sure if it was because we were tired and cranky or if it was because we just saw Pyramids in Egypt but Rockefeller Center’s Christmas Tree was a little underwhelming and the ice skating ring looked tiny.  I couldn’t believe this is what I had been watching on the Today Show all these years.  The center was still beautiful and we enjoyed ourselves, but it just didn’t seem as big of a deal as it was on TV.

I had a great time and I really enjoyed New York.  The people were nice and the city was clean when we were there.  I hope to go back again someday!