Monday, February 15, 2010

Home again, home again

I have always felt that one of the best things about getting away is the coming home.

I love coming home.

The trip I took this past weekend to NYC and beyond had been in the plans for the past two months. It was to have been a sort of blogging get-together with eight friends I’d made online and had already met. Four of them were to arrive by train and were coming from VA. But after the horrible weather, and the train closure, they couldn’t make it.

And I was beginning to think that I wouldn’t either. By Friday morning our driveway still hadn’t been plowed, and cabin fever was beginning to set in. So I made a call and rented a car for the weekend, having them meet me at the bottom of the driveway.

My husband devised a way to pull my bags without getting them wet and the whole ordeal wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.

And the trip was wonderful.

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First I went to Daryl's, then we met my son for a late dinner at Calle Ocho on Columbus Ave. in the Upper West Side. This was our dessert, a Cubanito which is a chocolate hazel nut mousse with a peanut butter crust over Cuban coffee ice cream. It was a beautiful finish to an extraordinary meal.

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My new favorite salad. Ever. Ensalada, which is golden and red beets with garlic oil, topped with Spanish goat cheese and arugula. This salad made me so happy which its extraordinary combination of tastes. Very satisfying.

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The following morning we headed out into the city. It was cold and beautiful and different. We had a couple of things we wanted to pick up to take with us on our next journey which was an hour north into CT to see two other friends, Lauren and Annie.

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More to come tomorrow.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, my friends.

31 comments:

beth said...

I'm so happy you got to go on your trip and I know the stories and memories and photos will all be amazing....

and coming back home....oh, I couldn't agree with you more on that one !

Julie Harward said...

Thats the part I love too..coming home! The food look so, so good and it sounds like you've had a great time..I'm so glad. I look forward to hearing.."the rest of the story" LOL Come say hi when you can :D

Kathy said...

The weekend to remember!

Low Tide High Style said...

That dessert and salad look delicious! Welcome home!

Kat :)

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

Oh, I am SO jealous!!! Never been to East Coast - never been to NYC - It's on my bucket list! That salad looks to die for!

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

Yay!! Another field trip. It's the next best thing to being there. Except we can't taste the food, but it sure looks good.

Glad you were able to get away. Let's set a date for the re-do.

Shelly said...

I love keeping up with you. Sometimes we need all the inspiration that we can get and you really top the list for me and your photography is absolutely beatiful. I am looking to return to my family home in the Blue Ridge and your life and attitude are exactly why I am returning!

JacksDad said...

It's so hard to get good pictures of food - especially when you're in a restaurant!!

MaggieGem said...

Looks like another wonderful weekend for you! That dessert looks wonderful! But still... there is no place like HOME :-)

Shelley Jaffe said...

...Jiggity Jig.

Welcome home. And thank you so much for sharing this with us - that ice cream looks so damn good, I kept edging nearer and nearer to the screen as I read your description!

Scriptor Senex said...

I want a Cubanito! (and it's not even breakfast time yet...)

My name is Riet said...

Yes coming home is the best. I love the look of that ensalada, it sounds delicious.

Debra (a/k/a Doris, Mimi) said...

While clicking your ruby slippers repeat after me, "There's no place like home; there's no place like home".

Glad you're back safe and sound!

Som mine dager er said...

Yammi, your pictures made me wanna run to the fridge and find something sweet to eat. I'm so happy for your trip, but like you, I love coming home.

Get well soon!

Marit

Hilary said...

I want to go!!!!
Cabin fever....oh, yeah.
Glad you had a wonderful time,and we can live vicariously through you.....

Mental P Mama said...

So glad you are all settled in! We loved having you here! As always....

Deb said...

Oh yum! I love that salad. Looks so tantalizing!

Gail said...

Experiences I will never know except through your eyes and your words...thank you.

tj said...

...Get back here and get on with the rest of the story! *giggle* And btw, where's the rest of the salad, seriously? lol...;o)

...So glad you got out and had a good time! Can't wait for more photos and details... :o)

...Have a great Monday and blessings too...

Evening Light Writer said...

I think the best trips that I've ever taken were taken under the most impossible circumstances. I am so glad you had a marvelous time and that obviously you had wonderful food. I think everyone needs a break from this winter we've been having.

Laura ~Peach~ said...

so glad you guys had a safe fun trip and I SO very well know the feeling... we have a planned (been planned for some time) blogger trip in two weekends... told my darling hubby he can come ... i think he is actually debating it... planning on taking the baby too... and I am SO BEYOND READY to go.!~

Michelle said...

Glad that you got to get away!

big hair envy said...

Glad to hear you made it home safely. How I wish I had been there to eat that beet salad with you.....next time?

Driftwood and Pumpkin said...

So beautiful. Totally jealous that you got away. I so need to get out of here right now...it is not a good day.

Nancy Grossi ~ Churned In Cali ~ The Wife of a Dairyman said...

Thank you for sharing your photos. So glad you made it in and out safely.

Daryl said...

Oh I am still craving more of both of those tasty treats and West 72nd Street has never looked so good

altar ego said...

It's really naughty of you to post these pictures to those of us who don't have such ready access to The City (I realize that "ready access" is relative...). Then again, one of the joys of blog-hopping is living vicariously through the lives of others. The food pictures were tempting, but the nostalgia came from the shots of the buildings.

Genny said...

I so agree with you! It's wonderful to get away for a few days to visit and see new things, but coming home is always the best part. It makes me feel complete when I know that home is just around the corner. Your photos are wonderful.

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

i am so glad you had a great week end! yum on that salad.
<><

RoseMary King said...

Dear Kate,
The photos are beautiful and the description of the salad made my mouth water. NYC is one of my favorite places in the whole world. Glad to see and hear you had a lovely time. Thanks for sharing. Hugs and Kisses

The JR said...

The dessert looks to die for. The salad looks beautiful but I don't know if I like beets.

Sounds like a fantastic trip.