One Year Ago

Its been a year now since I flew down to NYC for a week of volunteering and sightseeing in the Big Apple.

I was going to go again this year, but you know...life happens, and so now I'm working on other things at home and watching some photos of this year's trip go up on Facebook.
I won't lie to you, it kind of really sucks, and I'm feeling pretty bummed out.

I'm not whining exactly...consider it more of an explanation for the following deluge of photos, and indulge me for a moment as I reminisce over last year's good times.
I never did finish blogging all my photos of the trip anyway.

Feeling pretty stoked on life at the Rockefeller Center

Group shot!

"You're Fired!"

The Times!

Visiting the Seinfeld restaurant

I got a strawberry milkshake...it was delicious :)

Grand Central Station

Taking the Subway

Wall Streeeeeet!!!


The Team @ Brooklyn Bridge!

Visiting the World Trade Center Memorial

Crowding onto the ferry to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty

Having fun with the mascots in Times Square! 

Don't let the smile fool you, I'm actually terrified of mascots.
I mean LOOK at him. He's ATTACKING me.

Night skating in Central Park: magical!

Trying not to get run over

Riding a snail in Columbus Circle

"Everyone look like a celebrity!": This was one of those obligatory greenscreen tourist photos where you have to pay for it in Guest Services afterward.
We just took a photo of the photo instead. hee hee...

Bell ringing at the Christmas Kettle, and handing out suckers to the kids!
 (NYC has THE CUTEST children in the world. Scientific fact.)


Waiting in line to see "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway!

The show is about to start! The Chandelier is under there! THE CHANDELIER!

Katharina enjoying an authentic NYC chili dog after a busy morning of sight-seeing!

New York Cheesecake has NO CRUST, therefore it is GLUTEN FREE!!!

Well dear reader, thank you for putting up with me as I mope tonight. It was actually really fun to look at all these photos again. Such good memories :)

Summer Vacation RBF Style

Dear friends... what can I say about this blog's neglect other than that it has been for a worthy cause? I have been enjoying life offline over the past couple of months, and even did some traveling which I can't wait to tell you about! 

My hopes to keep up on blogging while cooking for the treeplanters was at best optimistic, and at worst delusional. Its true that as an experienced camp cook I did have more free time this year compared to last year, but I ended up spending most of that free time napping and hanging out with my lovely treeplanters...this guy in particular. 

You may recognize Steve from the NYC 2013 trip in December, and you'll be seeing a lot more of him in posts to come, because as it turns out we kind of, you know, sorta like each other and now we are dating...crazy times! The point is, while technically there was free time to blog, blogging just wasn't a priority. If you follow me on Instagram you will have caught some snippets of treeplanting life, or you can try looking up the hashtag #timscamp2014.

After the planting season Steve and I made a short trip to Vancouver Island and then flew from Comox BC to Calgary Alberta to begin an epic roadtrip across Canada with friends Katharina and Malerie (also a part of the NYC team)! We took about 20 days to trek from West Coast to East Coast and back again...a whirlwind trip to say the least! In that time we were able to visit Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal, Newfoundland, Halifax, PEI, Quebec City, and Ottawa. I will be documenting the trip in more detail in posts to come, so stay tuned!

The Statue of Liberty!

On our last full day in New York we did a lot of sightseeing! Our last stop was catching the FREE Staten Island ferry to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty herself...

The ferry terminal

The sun was going down as we set off, which made for some really pretty views of the city with all the lights coming on. It also made for some really crappy photos because there was not enough light for my camera to adjust :)

Pulling away from the terminal

The ferry was packed with tourists, and I had to be quite assertive when it came to finding a viewing spot by the railing, and standing my ground!

Regis and Lady Liberty

Luckily I was able to snap a few photos, though between the low light, and the rumbling ferry it was difficult to get a sharp image. This is just going to have to do!

Yet another check on the bucket list!

I had to laugh when we arrived on the other side, and the horde of tourists (including the belling-ringing team and I!) immediately looped around to board the ferry heading straight back where we came from! All that trouble just for a look and a snapshot of this statue...granted, a very important and iconic statue :)

Highline Park: The Urban Jungle

Last week I left you at the discovery of the entrance to Highline Park, a unique elevated public walkway following an old railway track through the Midtown-West/Chelsea area of Manhattan. 

While the greenery was less than green at that time of year, it was still a really interesting site!

The walkway.

Quiet streets in the morning.

There was a lot of interesting graffiti and street art. 

Weird art pieces throughout the park. 

I loved the traditional red brick apartment buildings...so classic!

Some art definitely seemed meant for park-goers. 

A lot of cars!

This is an example of how the park cuts through regular city life.

Selfie! Weird hair...it was windy. 

Never-ending NYC construction!

Interesting billboards everywhere.

More art and cool buildings.

Another huge sign. 

The Big City! So different from home :) 

Cute restaurant on a street corner...there were a lot of Italian places. 

The old railway station.

A small outdoor seating area with a lovely view.

What I assume to be an anatomically correct faun. 

Its a park unlike any other...the real appeal is not the flora and fauna, but all the brick and mortar sightseeing! It really gave new meaning to the the term "Urban Jungle". If you're ever in NYC, you should check it out! And if you go during a time of year that is more conducive to green growing things, take some photos for me. I'm curious how different it would look! 

Morning Stroll in Manhattan

I loved hanging out and exploring NYC with my sweet bell-ringing team, but I did take one morning while the rest were sleeping in for a solo adventure!

This is one of those photos where I wondered after, "Why did I take this?"

I left at about 8 AM, with a pretty good idea of where I would find my destination. Walking around NYC in the morning was interestingly ordinary. Like I've mentioned before, there really isn't much happening before 10 AM. I saw only a handful of pedestrians, and a few commuters, but it was shockingly quiet for a big city. 

Then I remembered it was because there were so many birds hanging out.

I felt perfectly safe, and remained that way in both body and mind for the entire excursion, so...I'm going to say that Midtown West-Chelsea it is a reasonably safe part of town for a lone girl in the morning hours. 

Stinky Street

This street deserves an honorable mention for being particularly stinky. While Times Square is kept pretty tidy (presumably for the tourists), I got a snapshot of what the less touristed side of town can look like. There were piles of garbage on the sidewalk, and it literally was one of the worst smelling places I've ever been. This includes my brother's man cave and the treeplanter's outhouses. 

I didn't get lost, per se, but I did have some trouble finding the entrance to the park with my somewhat ambiguous directions. I ducked into the convenience store on this corner, made a small purchase, and asked the guy at the counter how to get there. He was happy to oblige, and I was very close, it was just obscured by some construction going on nearby. 19 street blocks (+ a few loops around 32nd street) and 50 minutes later, I reached it at last! The Highline! 

Highline Park!

I first learned of Highline Park in my pre-trip research, and when my friend Barb (hey Barb!) left a comment on my Facebook while I was away telling me to check it out, I knew it would be worthwhile. Basically, "The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side" (www.thehighline.org) which I knew would mean sweet views of the urban jungle that is NYC. As far as the park itself...well, it is the dead of winter. Emphasis on dead. I'm sure it is stunning when the foliage is lush and green! 

It turned out to be an interesting walk, but I will save the photos for my next post, or this will get reeeeallly long. Check back next Monday!