Final Day in NYC

 On Sunday morning, we woke up and got bagels & coffee near Bryant Park. The weather was gorgeous so it wasn't horrible to just be outside. We all walked Nalani to Grand Central Station so she could get a train north for a wedding and the rest of us could get Black & White cookies to take home. 

While Beth went to visit cousins on the upper west side, Gabrielle and I got lunch at a Havana Central across from our hotel. After our lunches, Beth and I saw the matinee of Parade. (Gabrielle had seen the show already). We were very relieved to see that there were no understudies for the main cast. Ben Platt has an amazing voice and he was great to see live. The show was very sad and I thought a little hard to follow at times. 

After the show, Gabrielle met us with tissues and we hung out at the hotel before it was time to disperse. Beth flew home to Chicago while Gabrielle and I took the Acela back to Massachusetts. 

It was a great weekend but I am very tired today. :) 

Day 2 in NYC

 Yesterday morning, we ventured out to get bagels across from Bryant Park and then got coffee across the street from there. After breakfast, Gabrielle, Beth & I went to the public library. There’s an exhibit there of treasures which apparently they rotate different things in from their collection. They had things like Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence and also a Haggadah from a displaced persons camp after the Holocaust. They had redone the library shop since I had been there last and we spent a lot of time in there.

We did some shopping before seeing Alex Edelman’s one man show for a matinee. It was very funny and we had great seats. 

After the show we met Nalani at the hotel and regrouped. We went to the lower east side and wandered around before dinner at Trappizino. It was so hot out. 

After dinner, we went to the union square area to see Titianque. Titanique is an off Broadway show that retells the story of the movie Titanic with Celine Dion narrating and the characters singing Celine Dion stories. It was hilarious and ridiculous. A lot of it was improved and you could tell the cast was having a lot of fun. 

After the show, we got gelato and took a Lyft back to the hotel. It was a long but very fun day.  

Girls Trip to Manhattan

 This weekend, I’m on a girls trip to NY with a few friends. On Friday, Gabrielle and I left via Acela to meet Beth (Weisbach not Monaco) who had flown in from Chicago on Thursday. The train was nice and after all the recent family trips driving through Connecticut it was nice to glance over at the highway traffic from the comfort of our business class seats.

After arriving in NY we failed to find either Zaro’s in Penn Station. We gave up pretty quickly because the station was SO hot and gross and we were carrying our bags. After checking in at the Muse hotel, we ventured out to get pretzels for a snack. Our room is pretty spacious and very comfortable. 

For dinner, we went to a Turkish restaurant nearby called AnTalia. We ended up ordering a lot of appetizers instead of main courses. Beth and I got lemonade spritzes which were great. All the food was very good. 

Our show for Friday night was Shucked. We had heard good things but didn’t know a lot about the show other than it seemed to be about corn and Alex Newell won a Tony for their performance. While in line to enter, they offered us corn in the cob. We were relieved to find out there were no understudies last night, then went to the bar to get drinks in souvenir cups. 

Our seats were great and we loved the show. It’s about a small town that’s economy is entirely dependent on their corn crops. It was hilarious and we were laughing the entire show. The show was very original but had some traditional musical structure. There was an Harold Hill like character, and the story had two couples it followed. Alex was of course amazing and you could tell the cast was having fun. We were quoting some of the more ridiculous lines for the rest of the night. I think my favorite is: “I’m not arguing, I’m right and you’re just saying things.” 

After the show we stopped at Juniors for cheesecake slices and black & white cookies before heading to bed.

Today we have 2 shows planned and Nalani will be joining us. 

Beth in Azores Day 10

 This was our last day in the Azores. After another delicious European breakfast at the hotel, I took a quick walk around the botanical gardens.  It was so interesting to see how different it looks with the morning light. 

After we checked out we drove to a lookout point at the top of the volcano above Furnas Lake. From there, we could see the area where we had hiked from  a different  perspective. 

Next, we stopped at a lookout point for Lagoa da Fogo or the Fire Lake. It is a spectacular view and often obstructed by low clouds. But, we were very lucky. It is called Fire Lake because there was once an active volcano eruption at this place. 

Our last sightseeing stop was the town of Ribeira Grande.  It is the second largest town on Sao Miguel but significantly smaller than Ponta Delgada. I actually preferred this town as it has interesting historic architecture,  is situated along a beach called Santa Barbara, and also has a lovely small garden in the center of town.

From there, we drove to Ponta Delgada where we had an amazing seafood lunch at a restaurant that is connected to the local culinary school.  The students took excellent care of us.  The food is based on traditional Azorean cuisine but with a contemporary influence.  Very fun.

And then it was on to the airport.  I was very sorry to say goodbye to the Azores.  It is a natural wonderland with friendly people who treasure their land. 

Beth in Azores Day 9

 Today was our final hike. We started in the village of Faial da Terra on the Eastern end of San Miguel Island. Following a forest trail, we hiked past streams and waterfalls. The trail was narrow with quick changes of elevation and sharp switchbacks. The scenery was so impressive but not too many photo ops since we really had to keep an eye on our feet and the trail. 

We passed through the old village of Sanguinho. It was abandoned in the 1970s when its residents moved to America.  But, in recent years a woman from Germany has been restoring the homes and offering them as tourist rentals.  An amazing project.  

In the afternoon I returned to the botanical gardens and then took a stroll around the town of Furnas since this was our last day here.

We had our farewell dinner which was delicious and beautifully presented.  A food experience!

Tomorrow we will do some sightseeing before lunch in Ponta Delgada then on to the airport.  

Beth in Azores Day 8

 Today we walked from our hotel to Lake Furnas, a volcanic lake about 600 feet above sea level.  We walked around the perimeter of the lake with a stop at the research center.  We saw a presentation about the work being done to rehabilitate the lake and watershed area. 

 Next,  we continued on to an area of fumaroles where the steam from volcanic activity is used to cook a meal called cozido. Meats and vegetables are placed in a pot which is buried in the ground for about 6 hours. Then, it is retrieved and brought to a local restaurant.  Our hotel restaurant does this so after the pot was retrieved we walked back to the hotel for a cozido lunch. 

In the afternoon, we had a guided tour of the Terra Nostra botanical gardens.  It's hard to describe how impressive the gardens are. Some of the trees and plants are enormous!

The grounds include a thermal pool. Late in the day the gardens and pool are only available to hotel guests. A bunch of us went to the thermal pool before dinner.  The water contains iron oxide so it is cloudy and doesn't look appealing.  But, the warmth of the water is very relaxing and the minerals are supposed to be great for your skin. Quite an experience!

Tomorrow is our last and most challenging hike. 

Beth in Azores Day 7

 We started with a visit to the Ananases Pineapple Plantation.  It has been a family run business for six generations.  We learned about their organic techniques for growing pineapple in greenhouses. So interesting.  In the gift shop we tasted pineapple liquor. A little sweet but definitely had some heat going down. 

Next we did a 5 mile coastal walk along the northern coast.  We passed through several small villages and walked along beautiful seaside areas. Our route took us along a dirt road that was originally cleared as agricultural access between the villages and the pastures.  Like others we have hiked, these access roads have become popular for hikers as they are very scenic.

After lunch, we visited a tea factory.  Also a family business,  it was begun in the 1800s and continues with many of the same techniques and processes. The fields of tea leaves were amazing to see. Inside, we observed workers at various stages of preparing and packaging the tea.

At the end of the day we arrived at our last hotel, the Terra Nostra Garden hotel in Furnas. It is located on the grounds of a botanical garden that is rated #2 in all of Europe. There is also a thermal pool heated by volcanic activity in the area. 

The hotel is extremely beautiful.  Looking forward to touring the gardens tomorrow. 

Beth in Azores Day 6

 We started with a ride to the northwest end of Sao Miguel to Sete Cidades or Seven Cities. This area contains another caldera, this one much, much larger than the one we saw on Terceira. Within the caldera are two large lakes (Green Lake and Blue Lake) and seven pasture areas between the volcanic peaks. We hiked around part of the rim of the caldera where we could view the most spectacular scenery we have seen so far this week.

On our way back to Ponta Delgada, we stopped in the village of Capelas where there is a very unusual museum filled with collections of Azorean memorabilia and handicrafts. There were also many rooms depicting representations of Azorean life of past centuries. 

Back in Ponta Delgada, a small group of us went to see a restored synagogue which is now  a museum. Thanks to the "before" photos we were really able to appreciate how much had been done to restore the sanctuary.  

In the evening,  several of us went to an authentic Portuguese restaurant nearby where I had a delicious dish of bacalhau (cod), shrimp and Portuguese sausage cooked in a clay pot. 

Beth in Azores Day 5

 Today was a hiking day. We drove about 20 minutes to the Quatro Fabricas da Luz or Four Factories of Light trail. It is situated in a deep forest that was the site of a hydroelectric plant in the early days of renewable energy.

The plants are so thick and lush. We saw giant ginger lily leaves, giant ferns, eucalyptus and much more. Also, waterfalls and streams. And, many hydrangeas which grow so wildly here they are considered weeds!

The hike was challenging, with many narrow trails and lots of changes of elevation. It was a lot of fun and we felt like we were in Jurassic Park.

After the hike, we stopped in Vila Franca do Campo, a small town adjacent to a black sand beach.

In the afternoon,  we had a walking tour of Ponta Delgada.  The architecture here is very different from Angra. Not colonial but a mix of modern and Spanish Gothic.