Our New Happy Valley

We've been on a quest. Finding an Indian restaurant in New York City is about as easy as finding a Yankee fan--they are everywhere. Over the past couple of months, we have hit several of them, building up our palates before each visit, only to be sincerely disappointed (and in one case, utterly disgusted (Tip: if a waiter makes any sort of bodily noise as you walk through the door, immediately turn around--most likely they will serve up minute rice with a California Medley Blend of vegetables--really--never, ever, ever eat at Bengal Cafe--they pull you in with their cheaper prices, but trust us: it is not worth it)). It seemed that each visit was worse than the one before.

Tonight, our taste buds were more giddy than a bunch of BYU students at a ward slip-and-slide.

We found the real happy valley: Indus Valley. Two weeks ago, an SUV slammed through their outdoor seating area, but they used their curry power to rebuild the corner and continue business. And business is booming, attracting some of the local notables--like us!

When you come to visit us, and if you like good Indian food, I promise we will go here. Absolutely incredible...we strongly recommend:

• Kashmiri Roganjosh: "Tender pieces of Lamb cubes simmered in an exotic sauce of Green and Black Cardamoms, Kashmiri Chillies, Cloves, Cinnamon leaves, Mace, Coriander, Ginger, Garlic, Onion, Yogurt and Fennel."
• Malai Kofta: "Dumplings made with an array of vegetables and Cottage Cheese and cooked with a delicate gravy made with fresh Tomato puree, Onions, garlic, Red Chili Powder, Coriander, Ginger, Turmeric, Cloves and Cinnamon."
• Vegetable Biryani: "Biryani is an Exotic preparation of marinated meat or vegetables mixed with the Basmati Rice ans slow cooked in a closed thick bottomed utensil. This method of cooking is popularly known as “Dum” cooking by which all the flavors, nutrients and aromas are retained. Lavish use of spices, herbs & saffron makes this a very delicious Rice preparation."
• Mango Lassi: "Delicious King of the fruit-Alphonso or Kesar Mango Pulp churned with homemade Yogurt."
• Nan/Garlic Nan
  

South Street Seaport

Not last weekend, but the weekend before Jonathan and I finally went to visit a part of the city we had really been wanting to see: South Street Seaport (try saying that one 10 times fast...it's a tongue twister). The Seaport is one of New York's many historic areas featuring some of the oldest architecture on the island - mostly restored early 19th century commercial buildings that are now home to renovated original mercantile buildings, renovated sailing ships, the former Fulton Fish Market, and nice shops and restaurants (Pizzeria Uno - a Bond family favorite from when lived in California) . We both found the Seaport reminiscent of Pier 39 in San Francisco - old buildings, smell of fish, dock overlooking the water, old buildings - with a New York twist.

South Street Seaport.

Pizzeria Uno - yum...it's really too bad NYC lists the calorie content for their restaurants. Now I know exactly how many calories I consumed in just one slice of pizza.

You know you're in New York when you see a water taxi that looks like this.

Aren't we adorable?

View of the Brooklyn Bridge.

What a handsome man.
Jonathan's favorite (he made me type that).
Jonathan snapped this right as we were leaving. I love the lines, angles colors and photographer. People often forget to look above eye level when capturing images through a lens. Not here.
Some of the typical buildings on Fulton Street, close to the Pier.
More bars in more places. AT&T should pay us for this one.

Halloween

I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween. In fact, I really don't care for the holiday. I think my trick-or-treating experiences as a little girl are what ruined it for me. Scary things happened like guys jumping from their roof and running around the house spraying silly string at Marie and I, haunted houses, etc. I don't like scary movies or scary costumes even still to this day - they just scare me. Every year I dressed up I had to be something pretty like a bride, a princess, a witch (a pretty one), or a cheerleader. The closest I got to scary was Cruella DeVille, but even then I was semi-pretty.

Although I don't love Halloween, there are some traditions I like to keep up. One of my favorites is decorating sugar cookies. It has become even more fun with Jonathan - he has quite the imagination and never decorates the same cookie twice. Another tradition that we are doing tomorrow night for Family Home Evening is dinner in a pumpkin. It probably sounds a little strange, but it's another one of those things that just makes it feel like Halloween (in a happy, good sort of way).

My typical pumpkin decoration.

Barack Obama and John McCain.

Our lovely assortment of cookies. Can you tell which ones are Jonathan's?

Jack & Marie's Visit!

Every week Delta sends me an email listing cheap last-minute flights. Normally I don't even glance at these emails - I automatically hit delete and go on reading more important messages. When Jon and I were married he linked our email accounts together on his computer. He usually just glances at my inbox, but for some random reason he decided to open last week's message from Delta and discovered a $99 flight from Salt Lake City to NYC. We immediately passed the message on to our families and were able to persuade Jack (my uncle who is one year younger than me...he's more like a brother) and Marie (my little sister) to come for a quick 3 day visit!!

Here's a brief rundown of their visit: Saturday we wandered through Central Park, stopped by the Pumpkin Festival, hit all of the "touristy" spots, and ate at Patsy's (one of our favorite Italian Restaurants). On Sunday we went to church, strolled across the Brooklyn Bridge, and made crepes. Unfortunately Jonathan and I had to go to work on Monday, but Marie and Jack made the trek to Canal Street, Wall Street, and everywhere in between. I was honestly quite impressed with how well they navigated the city on their own! Monday evening we saw Phantom of the Opera (mine and Marie's favorite!) and ate Junior's Cheescake.

We had so much fun with Jack and Marie!! They were such a breath of fresh air and a blast to have as visitors! Lesson learned - check Delta's emails!!

Marie & Jack in Central Park. Jack is showing off his model shot, and Marie is giving us the peace sign.

Three amigos in Times Square.

Pumpkin Festival in Central Park!

Such a cute group. Three of my favorite people!

The Rockefeller Center. Jack loves to be funny, and we love being his laughing audience.

Jonathan's model shot. Love it.

Jonathan and I in Central Park.

The Brooklyn Bridge.

Brainwashed kids in NYC. I guess we're in Obama land.

Standing on the pier.

Beautiful city view from the bridge.