Concerts and NYC

The day after Ella returned from camp, the 4 of us drove down to Hartford, CT for a music festival that the kids really wanted to go to.  It was a hot day, and we didn't see much of the kids, but I have to  say it was a fabulous event that was really well organised.  Kit and Ella had a blast and discovered lots of new music and bands.  Matt and I found a nice undercover area to sit and watch the rotating bands do their 20 minute sets, and I enjoyed the day.

 This is what Ella looked like at the end of the day after being caught up in a few of the more serious moshing.

 Matt had to work in NYC on Monday, so while he went off to his fancy hotel, we stayed with our friends in CT again and Ella and I (Kit didn't want to come) had a couple of hard core days in NYC.  It takes about an hour to catch the train into Grand Central station.

 On Monday we spent the morning at MOMA:

 And then serendipitously caught up with Rebecca who was the first friend I made in Singapore this time round, who moved back to the states 18 months ago and just happened to be in NYC at the same time.  We had a lovely lunch in SOHO and then spent some time in Purl SOHO together.

 On Tuesday we headed back in to do the high line with Logan, one of the daughters of our friends in CT.

We came out of the subway at Union Square and it started to rain!  So it was a bit of a miserable walk through Greenwich village.

 But because of the rain, we discovered Chelsea Piers which was fun.

 The high line, even in the rain is amazing.

 After 2 days of schlepping around lower Manhattan, Ella has decided that she wants to move there and live in a building with a fire escape.

 There's so much construction going on around the high line...

 including this fabulous community art project with which we had to have a go.  Lego city!

The girls were looking pretty exhausted by the end of the day.

 The only negative thing I'd say about the high line is that it dumps you out (at the top end) in a really difficult place.  The girls were exhausted, but we still had to walk another 6 or so blocks until we could find a place to get a cab (we tried and tried).  I got them back to Grand Central and put them onto a train back to CT and then went and sat in a Starbucks 42nd and 3rd Ave (or there about) to wait for Matt to finish work.  I sat and had a coffee and did some stitching whilst listening to fabulous conversations around me.

I met Matt at Grand Central after he'd finished work and we caught the subway over to Brooklyn.

 We went out and had a fabulous dinner with our friend, Shorty, and then took his pup out for a stroll along the promenade. (his wife was at a fund raiser).

 We stayed overnight at their place which is a fabulous old apartment that they did up last year (it took a long time to do up, but it's the first time I've seen the reno), and woke up to this fabulous view of NYC from their window seat.

 Then it was an early start back to CT with Shorty who actually works in CT.  We picked up the kids and drove back up to VT.

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