A Personal Post About My Trip To New York - If You're Looking for Book News & Reviews, Don't Read This

I think the last time I posted a blog that had nothing to do with books was my daughter, Lauren's,  wedding, 15 months ago.  Well, I'm doing it again.  We are visiting that same daughter (and her husband) in New York for 3 days.  And we are doing such fun stuff that I want to share it with all of you - EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BOOKS! So here are a few of the sights and sounds (actually, no sounds) of our trip.  And, of course, I've got some pictures to share.  Although I don't include every single stop, they are in order.

WEDNESDAY, July 1

We got a personal tour of the Food Network offices/kitchens from a friend of Lauren and Joe.  And we got to meet Anne Burrell, who is one of FN's top chefs

We saw a matinee performance of Kinky Boots.  Very entertaining and lots of fun.

This is the building that Lauren works in in Times Square

This is a pub on Staten Island (where Joe works - the island, not the pub).  That's Lauren and Joe with Joe's mom in front.

This is the restaurant that we ate at in Staten Island.  Besides having very good food, it's significant because every week they bring a different nonna over from a region in Italy to cook her own food.  How cool is that?

THURSDAY, July 2

Clinton Street Bakery for breakfast.  1.15 hour wait.  Unbelievable food.  Best breakfast anywhere (even better than Log Cabin in North Lake Tahoe!)

Although we didn't eat there, we did go inside.  130 years old and featured in the documentary, The Deli Man (a movie definitely worth seeing).

This is the High Line in Manhattan.  It's an old elevated railroad that they converted into a 4.1 mile walking trail.  With eateries, trinket sellers, and a million places to sit and rest, it sits above Manhattan.

A view of the Empire State Building from the High Line.

FRIDAY, JULY 3

We took the Liberty Island/Ellis Island tour.  Really worthwhile.  Here is Lady Liberty, up close and personal.  It's pretty awe-inspiring.

This is the main building on Ellis Island.  We took the audio tour and learned all about the history.   Pretty amazing.

Joni found the manifest for her maternal grandfather, who came over from Eastern Europe in 1901!

Lunch at Mile End Deli in Lauren and Joe's neighborhood.  We don't have this kind of deli in the Bay Area.  The food is so good.

A late afternoon stop-off in another neighborhood eatery/drinkery.  So many cool places like this in Brooklyn.  And we needed a rest stop before we engaged in one of our favorite activities...

Yep, the movies.  We saw Jurassic World.  And it was better than I expected.

We will be leaving Lauren and Joe this morning (Saturday) and spending 2 days with Diane and Steve in White Plains.  They are long-time friends (nearly 40 years).  Diane's father was best man at my parents' wedding.  Neat, huh.

That's it.  Back to books in my next post.