The Wilton Wilkins taste The Big Apple

Hello Again!

This week has been a great one!  Rich's job is going great - on Friday he was given his first REAL project.  I'd tell you what it is, but he's been sworn to secrecy apart from the walls of his own home ;)  I can tell you that it's something he'll be working on and will be released as a product to the public in the somewhat near future.  Haha!  I know it's not much info - but it's kind of cool to know that this project will be 'on the shelves' sometime soonish!

On Tuesday night - we took advantage of 5 Dollar Tuesday at the local movie theater called Bowtie Cinemas, and saw ZOOTOPIA!  If you haven't seen it yet - go!  It was a real crowd-pleaser!!  Not only was it a good story line, but the animation and creativity blew me away!  Especially the animation!  It makes me want to visit Zootopia - I wish it were real.  Maybe Disneyland will make a 'Zootopia'.  I laughed out loud at several parts of the movie!  It also has a really good message :)  So go see it!  We really enjoyed ourselves.  After the show when we got home I immediately downloaded the song "Try Everything" by Gazelle (Shakira) - it's a good one.  I made it my ringtone so I can be reminded of how good the movie was every time my phone rings :)

The background on my phone is of these two - it was just such a good show. I loved it!

On Wednesday morning, a few sisters from the RS presidency came to visit me at the apartment.  Cindy Rolapp, who is our RSP, and her secretary named Nattie.  They told me about the Ward Bulletin and enjoyed meeting Bilbo.  Everyone loves him - it's a really great way to meet people.  Whenever I go out to walk him I get smiles left and right.  Anyway, they were very sweet.  I got along with both of them really well.  Sis. Rolapp is older, I'd say in her late 40s early 50s - she's in excellent shape though.  She was even in running clothes when she dropped by.  And Nattie is super cute.  She's about my age and had her kids with her - Eason who is about 3 years old and her Bennet, who is like 3 months old but super chubby haha.  It was really great to visit with them.  They stayed for about an hour.

We had some very warm weather mid - week.  It was humid and hot!  The sun wasn't even out that much but the humidity made it feel like it was summer!  Bilbo and I were out for a walk and he liberally went in the water!  Last Sunday we started to "introduce" Bilbo to the streams and he was very hesitant about getting in the water.  Not anymore!  Now whenever we go out he seems to seek out the water!  

On Thursday, Rich and I were able to enjoy a "Paint Nite" put on by Nielsen.  I was able to go to his office, see where he works and meet his coworkers who are all VERY nice!  He's lucky to work with some pretty nice and kind people!  We were provided a canvas, paint and brushes to complete our paintings.  There was a painter who was showing us how to paint the picture.  I thought it was a lot of fun and now I want to paint more!  Mom or Mom Wilkins you may be getting one of these for Mother's Day/Christmas!  

It was just in the conference room where Rich has had a few trainings/meetings.  After we all finished our paintings (everyone painted the same thing, with a few variations as you can see) we had pizza (and beer/wine and for the Mormons - Diet Coke) and talked.  Everyone is sooooo intrigued with Brooke's (Rich's coworker who graduated from BYU and is also LDS) love life, so we talked about that a lot.  Everyone thinks it's interesting and pretty hilarious that she meets all of her dates at "church" and they call them "church guys".  It's kind of funny how people who aren't LDS perceive Single's Wards haha.  But hey - Rich and I wouldn't be married if it wasn't for our single's ward!

Here's a close up of mine.  The bird on the right I think looks like a pigeon haha!

After that we went out to Norwalk to visit the Smith family who would be watching Bilbo on Saturday.  The Darien ward has this awesome online bulletin where you can post things on and I posted something about someone to watch the dog.  Holly Smith saw my post and seemed more than happy to take Bilbo for a day.  We brought Bilbo along so that they could meet him and he could meet them.  We visited for a while - they're a super cute family!  They have 4 kids and they've lived in CT for a number of years.  They also rent their house - which I'm learning is pretty much the norm for a lot of folks out here.  You basically have to be insanely wealthy to buy a house out here because the homes run about a million bucks (no joke).  Suuper nice family though - it was a blessing that we met them.

Warren, one of my bosses texted me the below picture with the caption "Girl you fancy!" to which I responded "From LA to Tokyo" in reference to Iggy Azalea's song Fancy (<-- link to the music video...which IS explicit, so watch it at your own risk).  

It's a business card!  I had no idea I'd be getting one but it makes sense that I am because I've been working hard booking interviews this past work week.  Warren keeps saying Leona will "take care of YOU" because I've been doing such a good job at scheduling appointments, and just helping out in general.  I think he means I'll be getting a raise -  hopefully sooner than later.  Tomorrow is my first payday!  :)  We'll see how much part time $ makes.

On Friday, we took Bilbo out to Cranbury Park where we ran into several other dogs and their owners.  Bilbo got to play with about 10 other dogs - a few of them were Siberian Huskies and their puppies!  The puppies were a little younger than Bilbo (Bilbo is considered an adolescent dog now, while these pups were still kids), but he enjoyed playing chase with them.  After playing with the dogs for a little while, we went exploring off one of the trails that are throughout the park.  We followed one trail that lead us to an elementary school called Cranbury Elementary!  It was a really old one that reminded me a bit of Manila :(  Bilbo was chasing a smaller dog around the school and on our way back into the park, we came across a "stream" that was really just a puddle of muddy water.  Bilbo proceeded to LAY DOWN in it to cool off!  Oh boy....we need to start keeping a towel in the car.

Okay!  Here we go!  Saturday morning around 10 am, we dropped Bilbo off in Norwalk at the Smith's house  (below is what their house looks like - it has a small yard, but they live in a very dog friendly area.  Also, their house is VERY cute compared to other homes in Norwalk).

Look the google earth image has their house with pumpkins on the steps....CUTE!!!!

After dropping him off, we headed to the Darien train station where parking is free on the weekend.  Darien is only about 10 minutes away from the Smith's house, so it wasn't a long drive at all for us.  Shortly after arriving, we got on the train!  It took us a while to find somewhere to sit - I was worried for a minute that we'd have to stand the whole way into the city, but we found a place to sit in the back of the train.

Yeah....sorry about the crazy eyes.  We have a hard time taking "selfies" with both of us in them.  I'll NEVER own a selfie-stick, so this is what we end up with haha.  

We had the "privelidge" of sitting behind this fellow and his other Asian friends.  Because if you're ever going to go visit somewhere that is filled with world renowned attractions - it wouldn't be complete without at least a few hundred chatty and oddly dressed Asians.  This friend was dressed so uniquely we had to sneak a pic!  

When we got to Grand Central - which is BEAUTIFUL, btw, we hurried off to Times Square.  Being in the city was pretty surreal.  The buildings were HUGE, there were hotdog stands everywhere - just like in the movies and there were tons of taxis and people! 

Times Square was a lot of fun!  It definitely had the typical NYC feel!  Here are some pictures and a short video - so you have proof that we were THERE! :)

Do you see the advertisement for Lion King?  That's the one we want to see!

Do we look like tourists?  I think we do!  Last night, we watched "I Am Legend" because it takes place in NYC, and Will Smith does a little bit of deer hunting at the beginning in Times Square.  We kept wondering - HOW did they film this?  They can't just clear out Manhattan - 1.6 million people live there!!

After Times Square we started getting hungry and we didn't know what to do because the hunger was making us delirious!  Jk!  But we were getting hungry.  We ended up taking the subway (which ended up having a few delays due to construction, we had to switch subways a few times) to the Tribeca area where we had THE BEST Indian food!!  It was the best food we've had since being back east (in my opinion)!!  Maybe it's because we were so hungry, but it tasted incredible!

After our blissful lunch, we headed to the 9/11 memorial - which was beautiful!  It would have felt a little bit like hallowed ground had there not been so many people!  The memorial is made up of the leftover foundations from the original twin towers.  They turn them into these cool inverted fountains that are just MASSIVE!  I cannot imagine how huge the twin towers were!!  9/11/01 still seems like it's fresh in my mind.  While we were there, I tried to imagine what people must have been feeling, thinking.  At the time, I couldn't comprehend the size of the buildings...I still can't, even after having getting a look at the memorial.  When we first arrived, we thought that there was just one fountain, but there are two!  And they are big!  Look closely at the pictures, you might get a sense of how massive they are.

This last picture is of the new world trade - it's called One World Trade center.  It's beautiful and the architecture of it is quite unique.  It is the 2nd tallest building in NYC and maybe the world!  You can't see the top of it in this picture, but if you google it, or click the link, then you can see the entire building.  It's built right near the memorial.

After we saw the memorial, we went down to Battery Park to try to get a glimpse of Lady Liberty.  On our way, we found the Charging Bull which is apparently the most photographed statue in the world!  There was a huge crowd of people around it so we didn't bother trying to get a picture with us in it, but I did capture this one!

Eventually we made to to Battery Park - but not with out an endless amount of harassing from weirdo tour guides asking if we're GOING to the Statue of Liberty.  We told about 20 people "no thank you!' and Rich just started saying "NO!" firmly.  It was pretty obnoxious, but once we got to the park, we ran into a little friend.

This little guy was pretty friendly.  Someone had left some peanuts on a bench so I tried to get him to take it from my hand, but he wasn't willing.  So I tossed him some peanuts which he happy inspected and then buried in the ground.  His tail was so bushy!

Yes...that's here.  The one, the only, Statue of Liberty.  Lady Liberty who tells the world, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"  

In this picture she looks itty bitty and SUPER far away!  But in person, she seemed A LOT closer.  Like several hundred feet closer.  She was certainly not that tiny in person.  So sorry that you as views don't get our view.  This picture does NOT do justice!!  She was stunning!

After seeing her, we ambled along the park and took a few other pictures.  We were right on the beach and behind me was an average view of Manhattan.  There was a bronze eagle monument honoring those who had died in the wars.  

That eagle looks a lot better than the one in Yale, right?  It actually looks like an eagle, instead of a chubby pigeon.

After Battery Park, we headed to Wall Street!  That was a fun part of New York - I honestly thought it'd be a little boring.  The Stock Exchange building was very intricate and there was a statue of George Washington there that I didn't know existed.  It was kind of a fun place to walk through because there were no cars allowed there so we could just walk along the cobblestone freely.  You'll see a few pictures that I took of the Stock Exchange building and one of George Washington (again...we didn't bother getting close to it because there were about 100 people already congregated around him).  The last picture is one I did NOT take, but it gives you kind of idea of where things are in relation to one another.

Do you love the nude artwork and the cherubs above the sign?  We thought it was rather interesting.  How long would that have taken to sculpt??

Wall street was fun!  It was very American and Patriotic - except for the nudity about the NYSE sign - that was more European.  After this we headed over to try to find the Brooklyn Bridge!  I was looking forward to this!  It was a long walk and we made the mistake of thinking the weather would be warmer than it was....we were freezing for most of the day. :/   Once we found the Brooklyn Bridge, Rich was able to find a nice guy selling hoodies for 15$ so he was able to get warm.  Before we left I convinced him to wear short sleeves so he was holding that over my head all day.  I had a cardigan and was only slightly warmer than he was...but still warmer.  Anyway, here's a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge!  -- which also makes a cameo in I Am Legend (as well as Grand Central Terminal), except in the movie...the BB is broken!

Like I said...something happens when we try to take selfies.  I guess it's a sign that we're not vain, right?  I was trying to look not like a crazy-eyed weirdo and Rich is making a face.  We just...we can't do it.  Unlike the two of us, the bridge is gorgeous and as strong and beautiful as ever!

Alrighty we're getting there...at this point in the day, we were getting pretty exhausted!  We sat down on a bench after taking this photo and tried to take a nap, but we were too cold and uncomfortable (someone had to pee...and it wasn't me...) so we kept on going.  

We headed back towards the main part of the city when we realized we'd stumbled into none other than...Chinatown.  It was like being IN CHINA!  We noticed all the signs on the buildings were in Chinese and there were Chinese people everywhere.  We were the only white people in sight!  These pictures aren't the best, but we took a few so that maybe Katie and Caleb can read some of that Chinese writing!  We were wishing they were with us as we strolled along, sticking out like sore thumbs!

 We caught the subway back to Midtown and tried to find the Empire State Building.  Let me tell you about the Empire State Building....it's underwhelming.  At least in my opinion.  We got of the subway, and started looking for it only to realize we were basically right in front of it!!  We had a moment of..."is that it?  That's it!  Wait...really?  THAT'S the Empire State Building?"  Maybe it's because we were so tired...or maybe the hype is just way to up for us and we were expecting something more grandiose...but we saw it.  I didn't get a picture of it because there was no way I could capture it.  I should have though so I could show how normal it looks.  It's kind of attached to a number of other buildings...or atleast very close to them.  Or so it appeared.  There's a lot of stores that are on the bottom floor of it... I don't know, it just didn't blow me away like Lady Liberty or the 9/11 memorial did.  I did get a picture of the sign.

It's a class sign though right?  We tried going inside but we were quickly "kicked out".  The doorman asked if we were "going up" and when I responded..."we're actually not" he gave us a look as if we had sorely disappointed him.  In a way it was kind of funny.  We promptly exited after he glared at us.  

We went inside Macy's (the largest store in the world) and sat down outside of a fitting room, trying to decide if we were ready to go home or not.  We definitely were.  We thought we'd try to stay into the night so we could get some dinner in the city and maybe see some buildings and Times Square all lit up, but the exhaustion outweighed the excitement.  So we  headed back to Grand Central and got on the train.

It was a long ride home, mostly because we were SO tired!  After getting to Darien, we got in the car and headed to Norwalk to pick up Bilbo.  When we got to the Smith's one of their girls was outside running around with him and I thought - hopefully he had as fun of a day that we had.  Holly sent me this picture shortly after we'd got on the train to head home.

I think he definitely had a good day.  The Smith's refused our money when we offered to pay them for taking him for the day, and explained that everything went great.  They said he was a great boy and offered to watch him again in the future.  All the kids were sad to see him go, but as you can see, they had a wonderful day with him.  I think Bilbo even got to visit the ocean for the first time in his life - he smelled a little oceanic after we got him home!

We had a kind of late lunch so we didn't get hungry for dinner until around 8 o'clock.  Since we had planning to eat in the city, we decided to just go out to eat locally.  We went to this CUTE little restaurant in Wilton called Little Pub.  It's got this Lord of the Rings-y feel to it!  I feel like a hobbit getting a PINT of beer or something when I'm there!  It was my first time getting something to eat there, but Rich had been with his co-workers (it's located really close to Nielsen).  They actually have Va-lee parking (not sure if I spelled that right) so in a way we felt fancy, but mostly annoyed that we had to tip the guy for parking the car.  The food is fantastic there!  We'll definitely be going there again in the future!  It was actually very busy when we went and so we basically had to yell to be able to hear each other there were so many guests.  I took some pictures because the ambiance was so quaint.  :)

That first picture is just one from Google, I did not take it.  But the others I did.  It's a little dark inside...but it keeps the feel just right.  You really feel like you're in midevil times.

Well that basically sums up our week.  It's Sunday now...and because of the exhaustion of our NYC adventure and the loss of an hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings - it was ROUGH getting up for church this morning! But... we're actually very happy that Daylight Savings has finally happened because now we'll actually have a bit more daylight after Rich gets off work.  It'll be nice to start running after work.  

Until next time folks!  Love you! :D