Adventures in JFK Airport

Right now I am composing this post from the JetBlue terminal in the JFK airport; fitting, since this is where I spent a lot of time a few days ago.

I had quite an adventure, as always, on Wednesday en route to Colorado. You see, my mom and I always have adventures when we travel; inevitably, we end up where we shouldn't be. This trip was no exception.

The day started normally enough; we woke up at 3:30 to be on the airport shuttle to Burlington International Airport at 4:30, and boarded our plane at 6 am. We were flying JetBlue as always, so I fell asleep briefly with the XM radio playing in the backround. There were some crazy weather patterns over JFK, so we were informed that no one was permitted to land until the fog cleared out. So we circled JFK for about an hour; luckily the pilot said that those with connecting flights would not miss their flights, all they had to do was speak with a Jet Blue representative to find their new gate assignments. As soon as we landed we did just that, and hustled to the customer service counter to find out where the flight to Denver was located.

Well, it didn't exactly turn out the way we imagined; after standing in line at Customer Service for 30 minutes, we found out that we had missed our Denver flight at 8:30 am; and there were no other flights until 8:30 pm!! So we were literally stranded at JFK for 10 plus hours, waiting for the flight!

Luckily, my mom and I are adventurers, and decided that instead of waiting around the airport forever for the flight, we should go have lunch in NYC and come back. As some of my friends know, I am very fond of Angelica's Kitchen, a vegetarian restaurant on the Lower East side, as well as Babycakes, a gluten free bakery in Soho. Off we went!

The trip to the city was moderately complicated; first, we got on an Airtrain, which went to the A train connection at Broadway Junction. Then it was the J train, which took us to the Lower East side. From there it was pretty easy to find Babycakes, our first stop.

My close friends know about my addiction to Babycakes, but for those who don't know, let me elaborate. Babycakes is a vegan, gluten free bakery on Broome Street, in a tiny storefront that is barely noticeable. Their baked goods, however, are difficult to ignore. The first thing one notices when stepping into the store is the vast case of goodies, containing everything from muffins to cupcakes, even "Skinny Buns", Babycakes' take on Cinnamon rolls. Most things are not only gluten free and vegan, but also sweetened with agave nectar, a nice break from sugar (which I avoid anyway). I am not the only one that loves this bakery; celebrities such as Oprah and Martha Stewart (the owner was actually on the show making her famous cupcakes) praise the treats, and actors Betty White, Chevy Chase, and others have signed pictures on the walls from their visits to Babycakes. I am in great company! After a chocolate cupcake and some goodies for the plane, we were off to Angelica's.

Angelica's Kitchen is probably my favorite vegetarian restaurant. The food is simple and delicious, and almost everything is made on site. Best of all, much of of the food is organic or local. We had quick lunch there, then started to head back to the airport.

The weather in NYC is usually predictable (especially compared to Lake Placid), but that day it was cloudy and threatening rain all day. Finally it started to rain; not just rain, but thunder and lightning too! So we walked to the bus stop in the rain, and got totally soaked. Luckily my carry-on luggage (including my computer and camera in my backpack) didn't get wet!

I never quite realized how important and helpful hand dryers in the restrooms can be, until I came back to JFK really wet with a few hours before my flight. I spent some of my time buying a new pair of socks, a new shirt, and drying my sneakers with the air dryers. The rest of the time was spent on my computer and eating sushi before the flight.

The day wasn't over yet; we got on our flight to find that the weather was too bad for take-off! It was lightning again, and the crew didn't want to risk using the equipment to load the baggage, so we waited for another hour and a half. At least we were on the flight this time!

We arrived in Colorado at around 12 midnight, went to a nearby hotel, and crashed. The end.

I am actually grateful for these travel adventures; what else would I blog about? As a great writer once said, "Nothing in life is bad; it is all material". Besides, I had fun in NYC, and it was certainly a memorable trip!

Watch for photos from NYC and Colorado, coming soon!

LP SKATER

Adventures in New York (and New Jersey)

Hi everybody,

Well, I am back. Actually, I was in Lake Placid at approximately 11 pm Saturday night, but I was so tired that I unpacked the car and went straight to sleep. The past few days have been crazy, so now it is post time!

This Tuesday my mom and I decided to make the trip to New Jersey to visit my grandparents. It was a very last minute decision (decided to go on Tuesday, left on Wednesday) but since I am not going to be off from school until May, we decided it was now or never. So we packed up the car and headed to the Garden State.

After the predictable stops (in Saratoga to have lunch at the Four Seasons, and a sushi dinner at the Palisades Mall) we finally made it to my grandparent's house. It was so nice to see them! I haven't been there since October, so it was nice to catch up.

On Friday, we went into New York City. I awoke at 5:30 so I could go to Rockefeller Center early before the crowds came to figure skate. Only for figure skating would I wake up at 5:30 ;) Maybe speedskating! :) Here is a picture of the skyline at sunrise from the train station in NJ:




So we made it to Rockefeller Center by 8 to find out....the session wasn't until 8:30! We waited until then enjoying the sunny day and watching the skaters. I absolutely love skating on Rockefeller Center; nothing is better than skating in a t-shirt and having the onlookers cheer for me! Maybe they thought I was famous--that was a nice feeling ;)I was also thrilled to see my friend and fellow blogger Susan skating! It was nice to see her again, and discuss Worlds--up until that point I wasn't even aware of the Worlds placements! Thanks Susan! Be sure to visit her awesome website www.Lifeskate.com!



We love to see the Today show proceedings across the street, so that is where we went next. It is interesting to watch the broadcasting, as well as the production aspect of the show. We ended up getting carried away in the group of fans down the street--it turned out that they wanted a small crowd to stand outside the studio door and wait to see Kathie Lee and Hoda come out the side door for the last chatty hour of Today. I managed to snap a picture of them:



Side note--we also found a really cool shop that is most likely only found in the city--a Japanese confection store. We got 2 small items for my grandparents--despite the fact that they were made of "healthier" ingredients like green tea and white bean paste (which was surprisingly good) they were REALLY sweet! Luckily I walked it off on the 20+ blocks we walked to get to the Lower East Side later ;)

Before the trek to the Lower East Side, we visited the American Girl Store. Even though it was a Friday morning at around 10:30, it was still really busy. Let me explain--my mom and I were given a used American Girl doll to use as a model for our doll dresses that we are selling in the shop. Unfortunately the doll had been through several children and was very bedraggled. So we took her to the city with us and decided to give her some TLC at the Doll Salon (yes, it does really exist). Her hair was combed and braided, and the dirt was washed off her face. She looks fabulous! The best part? Standing at the counter surrounded by 8 year olds and having them compliment me on "my" doll ;) Luckily my mom captured these moments perfectly:



When we visit the city, we travel everywhere--this time, we went from Rockefeller Center many blocks to the Lower East Side. There we had lunch at Angelica's Kitchen (the best restaurant ever, in my opinion) and then even further, to Soho. I LOVE this gluten free, vegan bakery called Babycakes, which has fantastic baked goods that aren't too sweet. They are so good that celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Oprah, Pamela Anderson, Betty White, and others visit when they are in town. Love it!

Last it was back to Time's Square, where my mom took multiple photos of me ;)




The whole day was exhausting; without any major problems and after standing in line for the NJ Transit ticket booth for 15 minutes, we made it onto the train. When I got to Seacaucus, I snapped a picture of the city, this time at night.



We got back to Clifton with no problems, and were actually at home before 10 pm--a nice treat for my grandparents (they are used to us arriving much later from our adventures). So this was my day in the city--the next day, after spending a bit of time with grandma and grandpa again, we drove back to Lake Placid, glad to escape the bustle and stress of southern New York. Although it is fun to get away, I realize how truly lucky I am to live in Lake Placid--it is clean, quiet, safe, and there is always something to do. We might not have any malls or tall buildings, (unless you count the ski jumps), it is not needed. It is wonderful here just the way it is.

In an unrelated note, if you are a figure skater or skating fan, be sure to visit my figure skating and speed skating blog Lake Placid Skater for news about what is going on in the Winter Sports Capital of the World!

Happy Tuesday,

LP SKATER