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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Paramore - New Jersey Trip

Paramore-holmdelHello from our quick trip to NJ for the weekend to see Paramore/Fall Out Boy one more time on their Monumentour. :) 

Did some things around the house Saturday morning before leaving for New Jersey. Checked in at the hotel in New Brunswick (The Heldrich - pretty neat place and a good deal through Hotwire fairly last minute) and then had lunch at the St. George Street Ale House which was a pretty neat place. Watched the Brazil - Chile World Cup game while having lunch. :)

After lunch we drove to Holmdel where the venue was. Had a few more drinks at the Houlihan's there before heading to the venue itself. It was an amphitheater, not too different from the one in Hartford where we saw them the first time. There seemed to be sooo many people though and the energy was just amazing. It was great seeing them in Hartford (their first stop on the tour) but this was definitely even better. This time around we got there early to see New Politics who opened for them. They actually were pretty good. Paramore was of course amazing. And we ended up not staying for Fall Out Boy this time around, to make it easier leaving. Had a couple more glasses of wine at the hotel bar when we got back instead. 

Today we are checking out here and then driving to the Edison Museum in NJ. We have seen his winter home in Florida but haven't been to the one here in NJ so that should be good. Going to have a late lunch afterwards. Then back home and back to work & reality tomorrow. Busy week coming up with the 4th of July this week. 

Received a letter/owe a reply to: Jessica/DE, Katie/Germany, Celia/MA, Laura/Spain, Kimber/BC, Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 09:54 AM in Performances, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Sunday Hiking along the Hudson

IMG_20140622_193939Happy Sunday :)

Worked yesterday and had a late lunch/early dinner at Flipside in Fairfield afterwards. Today we decided to take advantage of the nice, sunny, non-humid weather and checked out a couple more trails in the Scenic Hudson network. The first place was the Esopus Meadows Preserve and the second Four Mile Point. Had fun being outside and checking out the various trails, some throughout woodland (saw two deers, chipmunks, etc) and some near the water or swampy/marshy areas. 

After we were done with the trails we were only about half an hour away from Albany so we decided to have lunch at the brewpub in Albany. Had a nice, relaxed lunch there before heading back to CT (about a 2 hr ride) 

Went to Rizzuto's once we got back and watched the US-Portugal World Cup game. Quite the game I have to say. Well next up is US-Germany on Thursday. 

Next week and the week after are probably going to be busy weeks at work leading up to the 4th of July holiday. Always a lot to do and prepare before that. It's the same mess every year but doesn't make it any more fun to deal with. Oh well. 

Received a letter/owe a reply to: Katie/Germany, Celia/MA, Laura/Spain, Kimber/BC, Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 08:14 PM in Food and Drink, Outdoors | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, June 20, 2014

Paramore/Fall Out Boy

ExportQuick update. :) Made it back from Philly on Wednesday with just a slight Amtrak delay, nothing too bad. Then work on Thursday (lots of catching up to do, as it always happens when I am not in the office for a day or two) but we were able to leave a bit early to drive up to Hartford. Had dinner at the City Steam Brewery and then made our way over to the venue to see Paramore and Fall Out Boy at their first Monumentour show at the XFinity Theater. The venue is massive so there were tons and tons of people. In addition to the regular seats and standing room mosh pit they also have a ton of lawn seats where you can bring a blanket and just hang out.

Traffic to the venue was awful. We ended up parking about 15 minutes away and just walked. Last time when we were at that venue to see the Black Keys we made the mistake of parking in the actual venue parking lot which was an absolute nightmare to get out of. So we decided against that this time around.

The show was great and people are definitely getting their money's worth with a 4 hour show, one full set for each band. Paramore was amazing and it was great to see them again live. I loved all their songs and Hayley's energy is just off the charts. And Fall Out Boy was very good too. All of them had so much energy.

We ended up getting home around 12.30am but it was definitely worth the late night. Lots of great music and energy all around. In the row in front of us we had two girls who were massive Paramore fans and it was pretty fun to see them get all crazy and excited. :)   

Now it's Friday and back to a regular work day. This week has definitely been eventful with Philly on Tuesday & Wednesday and then the concert yesterday. Today's just a regular day. Working tomorrow as well. Looking forward to a day off on Sunday. :)

Received a letter/owe a reply to: Katie/Germany, Celia/MA, Laura/Spain, Kimber/BC, Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 10:07 AM in Performances | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Philly Update

IMG_20140618_100315

Hello from Philly. :)  Getting ready to leave again in a few hours but it's definitely been a fun stay. 

Left Stamford, CT on Amtrak yesterday at 8.30am and got into Philly a bit after 11am. I had never been to the Philadelphia train station before but it's a nice station, similiar to the other older ones on the East Coast like Boston, DC or NY (Grand Central). The station is also conveniently located, just a short walk from the center of the city. Although even a short 25 minute walk can feel like forever when it's super humid, muggy and hot outside. :)

Made it to my hotel (the Loews, got a great rate on Hotwire - really nice hotel) and was able to check in. Enjoyed the AC in my room for a bit, settling in. After that I walked across the street to the Hard Rock Cafe to meet up with my German friend Tina. It's been way too long since I have last seen her. She now lives in the US and it's been 4 years since her and her husband came over but this is the first time we actually managed to meet. We will need to do it again, sooner. :)

After lunch at the Hard Rock I went back to the hotel. Relaxed for a bit, had a glass of wine in the lobby bar at the hotel and then eventually ventured back out into the heat to walk to the library. Only a 15 minute walk so not so bad. I got there a little after 5 and there were already at least 50-100 people in line. Sat down and camped out in line for the auditorium. Met some nice people in line and eventually it was time to go inside. It was great to see Diana Gabaldon in person again. We actually saw her really quick while camped out in line as well. She walked through and said a quick hello to her fans which was nice. 

She spoke for an hour and as always it was a lot of fun to see her. There was also a Q&A session and some new tidbits of info along with the showing of the Starz trailer for the TV show coming out in August. After her talk she was going to be signing books and my plan was to get my copy of the book signed as well. But after getting out of the auditorium and seeing the line of people (I don't know how many people would I have to guess at least 300, if not more - the line sneaked through the whole library and outside into the parking lot) I decided against it. As nice as it would have been to have her personalize my book and say a quick hello I really didn't want to stand in line for hours on end. I already have a picture with her and a signed copy of the last book when I went to Phoenix 4 years ago.

So instead of standing in this endless line I made my way back and had another quick drink at the Hard Rock across the street from the hotel. This morning I slept in for a bit and then was craving breakfast so I went downstairs and had a yummy breakfast sandwich and Earl Grey tea at the restaurant downstairs. Now back in the room for a bit. Need to check out in a little while so will get ready soon.

Probably going to head over to the Hard Rock for one more drink to kill some time before heading to the train station and catching my train back. 

Received a letter/owe a reply to: Katie/Germany, Celia/MA, Laura/Spain, Kimber/BC, Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 10:58 AM in Books, Food and Drink, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, June 16, 2014

Let's go Mets

MetsHad a fun weekend even though we had to work Saturday. But on Sunday we went down to NYC to see a Mets game. Baseball games if the weather cooperates are always fun. And the weather was definitely nice. No humidity at all. We ended up sitting in the shade which actually made it a bit cool but better than crazy heat or humidity. 

The Mets also won against the Padres which was good. :) After the game we went back into midtown and had dinner at Chevy's in Times Square. I normally hate chains and don't care for the touristy atmosphere of Times Square but somehow Chevy's works. Very yummy Mexican food and a fun place in the midst of all the craziness that is Times Square. :)

When we were done with that we decided to have a couple more drinks at a wine bar one block from Grand Central (Madison & Vine) Another great find with a laid back atmosphere. Was drinking Gruener Veltliner which made me happy. :)

Took the train back when we were done and didn't get into bed till about 1am so Monday hasn't been that fun but oh well. :)

Tomorrow, Tuesday, I am heading to Philly for a night. Going for the book event for Diana Gabaldon's new book "Written in my own heart's blood". Looking forward to it. Taking Amtrak down and staying at a neat hotel in the center. 

Received a letter/owe a reply to: Katie/Germany, Celia/MA, Laura/Spain, Kimber/BC, Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 08:36 AM in Food and Drink, NYC, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, June 08, 2014

Hello from the North Fork

Hanna-LongIslandHello from the North Fork of Long Island. :) We are having a lot of fun on our small mini 1-night vacation here on Long Island. Left in the morning and ended up out here around noon. Went wine tasting at Macari in Mattiuck and then had lunch at Azure in Southold. Neat place right by the water. We had lunch overlooking a small marina. Yummy shrimp cocktail to start, then Shrimp PoBoy & Mozzarella & Tomato & Pesto Panini for our main entrees. Yummy. 

Afterwards we did more wine tasting. Went to Kontokosta Winery in Greenport which was right by the water. Only a year old but very neat location. You were able to take your wine out to the bluffs which was fun. Then aferwards we drove back to Southold and checked out Croteaux Vineyards. An all rose vineyard, apparenly the only one in the US. They had a bunch of Southern France style Roses and tasting was held in a neat backyard. Very hippie type enviroment but very neat. 

Our last vineyard for the day was Duck Walk, also in Southold. We did a tasting there and then got a couple of glasses of wine and cheese and crackers to take outside on the patio. Had fun sitting outside. After that we drove back to Riverhead to check in at Hotel Indigo. So far I am really enjoying the hotel. It's a fun boutique hotel. The same chain we used when staying in Surfer's Paradise in Australia. :)

Not sure what we are doing tomorrow yet. They are forecasting showers but we might do more wine tastng before leaving the region. Yay for fun mini vacations. :) 

Received a letter/owe a reply to: Katie/Germany, Celia/MA, Laura/Spain, Kimber/BC, Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 06:16 PM in Travel, Wine | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, June 01, 2014

Happy June

2014-06-01 11.26.41_resized_1And already another week gone by and now it's already June. This year is definitely going by fast. We are now six months into the year so about halfway. 2014 has definitely brought a lot of change, plenty of sad moments but with it also good things. I already went to Austria twice this year and will be back again in July, just a bit over a month from now. That's the most I have ever visited in a year since moving here to the US. 

Last weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, we had a nice three days. Went for a 5 mile hike/walk, visited the Yale Peabody Museum and the Bronx Botanical Gardens. Then back to work on Tuesday and I managed to make it through another work week. 

This weekend we were lucky to again have Saturday and Sunday off. Not complaining, best take it while we can. You never know when the next craziness at work is going to strike. I am betting on sooner than later. 

Had a nice weekend. Yesterday we went on a short hike through Tarrywhile Park in Danbury in the morning. Afterwards had a yummy breakfast at Elmer's and then went to the movies to see "Maleficent". Angelina Jolie was really made for that part. 

Today we drove to the Hudson Valley to check out some trails. Found a nice park with some pretty views. Click on the link for more info here. After hiking we had a nice lunch in Rhinebeck and then decided to come to New Paltz. Hanging out here with the hipsters now before heading back to CT. 

Received a letter/owe a reply to: Kimber/BC, Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 04:07 PM in Food and Drink, Outdoors | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack