Coaching kids is always great… especially when they are THIS cute! This summer with the Makos was so fun. Thanks to all the kids for making us laugh everyday!
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Washington DC on Bikes
I have been to DC over a hundred times in my life, but this particular trip was different from all the others. Perhaps it was because I had Margit asking things like: “What’s the name of your village?”. And while we were standing in the National Archives (loud enough for everyone to hear) she asks: “Constitution? What’s that?”. Or maybe it was because we borrowed the hotel bikes and helmets to bike around the city… and rang my bell at pedestrians when we passed them. Or maybe it’s because I couldn’t walk peacefully without being punched in the shoulder by Øyvind or Margit whenever they saw a yellow car… (which must be a lot less common in Norway)! Or maybe it was the help of Anna-Maria, our Magic 8 Ball. Or maybe it’s the combination of all of that, plus the 3G love that made it such a great trip.
On our first day in DC we hit all the monuments and memorials… even the unknown ones like the George Mason Memorial. Because we were on bikes, we covered a lot of ground and had enough time to have a yummy lunch at District Taco. After lunch we went into the Archives (which is where Margit embarrassed me by asking what The Constitution is in front of hundreds of tourists there to see The Constitution).
After circling The Capitol Building, we found a nice ant-infested area of the park to lay down and share some laughs.
The next day we went to the Zoo to see our monkey friends. Margit and I managed to lose Øyvind by the bears. He eventually found us, and we biked over to Dupont Circle to grab some lunch before hitting the museums.
After reaching our maximum brain-power for the day, we left the museums and made our way back to the hotel for another koselig evening together. I made fun of them for eating burgers with forks and knives, we destroyed a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and we started to watch a movie before falling sound asleep.
Another great trip with great people!
New York City with My Norwegians
Just over a year ago I parted ways with my Norwegian friends with nothing but tears and (very)tentative plans for their visit to the USA. To my surprise, (and delight,) their trip became a reality. Although they couldn’t all make it, (we missed you Maria,) Margit and Øyvind made the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean for two weeks of fun. And all this fun began in New York City…
We stayed in a nice hotel, with a loud rooftop bar and a mediocre breakfast spread. Øyvind tried Frootloops for the first time… “Woah, those are funny colors,” he said as he poured his cereal into the bowl.
We began the adventures with the Downtown Hop On – Hop Off Bus Tour. We had cameras, sunscreen, city maps… the whole tourist shebang.
You know you’re with a NYC newbie when they order an Everything Bagel with Blueberry Cream Cheese. We laughed at Øyvind a lot about this Bagel catastrophe… but they laughed a lot at me for being so short, so we are even.
I had never been to the top of Rockefeller Center, and it blew away my expectations. The view of the city was amazing, and unlike The Empire State Building, there were no lines.
On my last trip to New York I visited The Highline, which was a highlight of my trip despite the dead and dry vegetation. This time was even better, because the vegetation was green and luscious instead of dead and dry.
We visited the Statue of Liberty… well, we squinted at it from Battery Park.
It turns out both my parents and my sister were in the city on this same weekend. All of us in NYC for different occasions… typical Upadhyaya family situation. I got to spend some quality time with them– primarily over yummy meals.
We celebrated Kayla’s 23rd birthday with a brunch at The Smith Restaurant with her friend Caroline. Caroline wasn’t even one of Kayla’s weird friends… she was great company! Toward the beginning of the brunch I pulled a ‘kayla’ and spilled my drink and dropped my fork! I’m blaming it on the slanted floor… or the crooked table… or a momentary freaky-friday moment.
Stray questions/ comments/ concerns/ tid-bits/ add-ons/ fyi’s:
1. After taking a bite of his bagel, Øyvind exclaimed: “it’s definitely… edible.”
2. The Smith Restaurant was cool because it had a photo booth in the (unisex) bathroom. But the portion sizes of our dishes were way too big… next time I suggest sharing an entree.
3. Yes, I am featuring two new hats in some of these photos… more to come about tHAT later!
4. Our bus tour guide, Jamal, found it very comical that Margit and Øyvind had never heard of Norwegian Cruise Lines… We did some research and it turns out it’s a company based out of Florida… it’s not Norwegian at all!
5. Of course we went back to LF, and of course we restocked on Broad City Bralettes, and of course we spent to much money. #YasKween
Hope you’re not tired of our selfies, because there are a lot more coming soon!
New York City Adventures
This past week I traveled from Denver to New York City.
I spent my first few days with a group of fellow Libby Hall- Arts Residential Academic Program students. Since the trip was art based, we went to the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. After exploring the Guggenheim, the LRAP girls took a stroll through Central Park– and the sun actually decided to join us.
On Sunday morning we went to a drag brunch at Lips- The Ultimate Drag Dining Experience. It was very entertaining thanks to the host of the show, Ginger Snapts, and our very own Frodo and Harry Potter (…you know who you are). We also took an awesome street art tour from Grafftours. Despite the cold temperatures, the tour was very interesting. I now have a new appreciation for street art after hearing everything our guide, Gabe, had to say.
After saying farewell to the Boulder crew, I spent my time in Brooklyn with Kayla. When we weren’t eating tacos or pizza, we were eating bagels. We also spent some quality time with Kali the Kitten! On our last full day we ventured over to SOHO on a mission to find Ilana’s Broad City Bralettes. We were successful– meaning we spent way too much money– but it was way worth it. #YasKween
Until next time, NYC.
Alexandra Upadhyaya 