Christmas in New York

Christmas time in New York is wonderful.  Tim planned a fabulous day filled with holiday cheer.  We avoided the tree at Rockefeller Center and the shop windows along Fifth Avenue, which we had both seen before, and opted for a more low-key day.  We did some Christmas shopping, went ice skating, and had drinks with family/friends to end the day. 

First, we ventured over to Greenwich Village to do a little Christmas shopping/look at the interesting shops.  We stumbled upon a tiny gem of a store called, Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks.  The store is a cubby-hole filled from floor to ceiling with used cookbooks.  I found an old cookbook from the 1970s that my mom used  - More with Less.  I'm looking forward to making the granola of my childhood, a delicious lentil dish, and trying out a few others.  

Our next stop was to McNulty's to pick up some tea as a gift.  Though it may not have been the largest selection of tea and coffee, the quality was unbeatable.  I loved the aesthetics of the store.  In many ways, it made me feel like I was stepping back into time.  The wooden shelves holding tea tins and loose leaf tea were a far cry from the supermarket's tea aisle.  Accompanying the tea were glass jars filled with coffee beans and old-fashioned scales.  A gorgeous tin ceiling topped it all off. 

Our last stop was The Meadow.  This was definitely most unusual store of the day.  They specialize in gourmet salts, chocolate, bitters (for cocktails), and flowers.  Yes, don't all those items make complete sense to sell together (read with sarcasm).  I didn't even know so many types of salts existed (an entire wall of them).  The chocolates looked delicious, even though I didn't buy any.  However, the main reason we stopped by was to purchase some bitters.  Apparently, they have the larges selection of bitters in the city/east coast.  Overall, this seems like the perfect shop to buy a gift for someone who has everything and/or someone you barely know.    

While waiting for the subway to make our way over to Bryant Park for ice skating, we were surprised by a vintage subway train stopping at the platform.  It appeared without warning, didn't open any doors to allow people to go in, and then continued on its way.  The Polar Express must be its distant relative, because it carried with it a certain magic that everyone on the platform wished they could enter into and enjoy.  

After doing some research, I discovered that it is known as the Vintage Subway.   It makes appearances during the holiday season for "nostaligic shoppers".   While this one was completely empty, adding to its magical aura, you can get on the subway at designated stops for the standard metro fare.

Just as it was getting dark, we got into line for ice skating.  Bryant Park as free admission to their rink.  We just had to pay for our skates.  The setting was idyllic.  There is a Christmas market set up right by the skating rink, the library borders another side of the park, and the skyline views are stunning.  The rink was soooo crowded, but we really had a wonderful time.

Our night ended at the bar Elsa.  Their cocktail list is impressive and the mix of ingredients is strange yet delicious.
 It is a perfect way to end the night - enjoying a perfectly crafted drink with family and friends.

Bucknell Bell Choir

This is my new favorite Christmas concert EVER!!!  I can't believe I've lived in Selinsgrove, 30 minutes from Bucknell University, for the past 6 1/2 years and was unaware of this free Christmas concert.

The concert was held in the chapel on Bucknell grounds and it was decorated beautifully.  The stage was overflowing with poinsettias, real garlands hung from the balcony along with wreaths, and a Christmas tree clothed in dense lights graced the stage.

The service consisted of about 7 lessons - scripture readings.  Following the scripture reading the choir would sing a song or two and the handbell choir would perform a song or two and the audience would sing a Christmas carol.  At the end, they performed a number together which was fantastic.  I have never seen such an impressive handbell choir.  They each used about 5 bells and would bang them on the table, hit them with a drum stick, or ring them in the air.  The fast and intricate bell-work (not sure if that is actually a phrase) was stunning.


The service was candlelit, which only added to the Christmas magic.

This is a really poor home video of a Bucknell handbell choir performance that I was able to find on YouTube, but it will at least give an idea of the sound. Of course it doesn't translate as well in video as seeing it live, but it truly was amazing.

Jim Thorpe

Tim and I spent a beautiful October weekend in the Poconos with Aunt E and Uncle S.  On Saturday, we decided to head down to Jim Thorpe, walk around the town, and take a tour of the Asa Packer mansion.  We were surprised by sudden crowds as we entered the town.  Apparently, we came during their "fall foliage" celebration.  There was live music playing throughout the town, the shops were filled with people, and the trees were in full color.  Being nestled along the river and surrounded by the mountains serves to make Jim Thorpe a beautiful town to fully appreciate the beauty of autumn.  In fact, Yahoo ranked Jim Thorpe as one of the top towns to visit during the fall.  The town's celebration added to the "awe" factor and the enjoyment of spending  a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Jim Thorpe.


The Packer Mansion is unique among the standard historical hours tours.  It is not a restoration, but instead is a true peek into the lives of the wealthy Packer family.  Asa Packer gained his wealth in the railroad and built his mansion of 11,000 square feet for $14,000 in 1861.  Their youngest daughter then willed the house and all of its contents to the city of Mauch Chunk, now Jim Thorpe, in 1912.  Since the city did not know what to do with it, the house sat untouched for 44 years.  The house was finally opened to the public as a museum in 1956.

I was constantly struck by the level of detail and workmanship that went into all aspects of the house.  The woodworking inside the house is unbelievably intricate.  The wall treatments used sand and gravel to create textured "wall-paper" designs that were then painted over.  The ceiling of the porches was sloped like the bottom of a boat.
There was a small out-building behind the house that kept ice blocks to use as "air conditioning" during the summer.  A large block of ice would be place in the basement and then the windows in the 3rd floor would be opened.  All the hot air would rise, and exit the 3rd floor windows, pulling with it a nice, cool draft from the ice.  On a hot day, this system could lower the temperature of the house 10-15 degrees.