Stolen night in NYC

I was in Rahway, NJ earlier this week to attend a meeting at the Merck Institute for Science Education, an organization that does summer professional development for K-12 science teachers. On Monday during our meeting, a few people in the group grew a wild hair and suggested that, instead of hanging out at the Hampton Inn on Tuesday night, we steal away into New York - 45 minutes by train - for dinner and a night at the Philharmonic.

Naturally, I said yes.

We took NJ Transit into Penn Station, and caught the 1 subway up to Lincoln Center.


First, we dined at Picholine, a french-country restaurant that had three-course menu.

Tuna Napoleon with wasabi ice cream.
Beef Daube with horseradish foam and tempura celery leaves.

Caramel Apple Brioche.

After an unbelievable dinner, we rushed across Broadway to catch Handel's Messiah performed at the Lincoln Center. The Times' review of the concert is here.


After the concert, four of us stayed in the city and walked along Central Park South to Fifth Avenue to take in the Christmas decorations. The windows at Bergdorf Goodman were by far the best:




We walked down Fifth until we got to Rockefeller Center to take in the tree, the ice skaters, and the Top of the Rock.

Choppin' Wood

I'll let the pictures tell the story, but here's the background.

Last year Erin and I went to 6th and Clarkson and bought our Christmas tree. In a word, that tree "sucked"! Within a week of bringing our $70 purchase home (and this was the cheapest tree on the lot) the damn thing was dead. Needles spilled everywhere and it actually started to rot while in the house.

This year, we've opted to skip out on all that crap and cut our own tree. Way more fun and only cost me a little sleep and $10. Plus, I got to go careening through the forest with a saw looking for "the one".

Ok, so he (the tree) is a little Charlie Brown-ish...scraggly and completely imperfect. But, he's still alive, he's from our own labor, and we helped to thin a forest that is in desperate need of real fire control.

Thanks to Erin, who is behind the lens on all of these shots.