London feelings in a New York life

So sad to have spent such a long time far away from the blog :( Life has been just hectic!!! There is hardly time for anything at the moment. The house is a mess, my laundry is so behind, I am exhausted and on top of that we have started preparing to go to London this Friday for 10 days. My brother-in-law is getting married and it will be good to see everyone and catch up. Can't wait to see my sister either!!!!!!

Disclosure

I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about landing in the Old World. I miss it so much!!!!! It will be interesting to go back and see how we feel. Miss having little trips planned all the time...It is the first time since we got married that we do not have tickets bought to go somewhere. Everywhere from London is so close and cheap!!!!!! Besides, in Europe we get so many holidays to do as we wish. Now, we have to split ourselves between England and Brazil to see the families as we do not get many holidays!!! Therefore, there is hardly any days left to think about new adventures in new places :(:(:(:(

I am enjoying life in New York though. Let's see what happens....It is still early days and so many things can change. Everything will be alright!!!!! :):):):):)

The Tenement Museum at the Lower East Side

Visiting the Tenement Museum at the Lower East Side has been one of my favorite programs in New York so far.
The Lower East Side is one of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Manhattan. It is where you can find Jewish communities, working class Dominicans and Chinese, moneyed artsy types, hipster refugees from Soho and East Village. It is know as the melting pot of the island and by the end of the 19th century, it was the most densely populated spot in the world.
There are so many great restaurants, bars, emerging designers - apparently Lady Gaga started her career in a club on Rivington Street. Also, it does remind me so much of East London...
Anyways, the LES was were the first tenement was constructed in 1833, when the immigrants started arriving in bunches from Prussia and it became know as Kleindeutschland (Little Germany). They were followed by Irish, Jews from Eastern European, Italian immigrants and many other nationalities after the American dream.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum tells some of these stories. It was built in 1863 at 97 Orchard Street and restored by the museum founders in the 90s. It had been closed since 1935.
You can choose between tours such as: Hard Times, Sweatshop Workers, Irish Outsiders and Exploring 97 Orchid Street.
We decided to go for Hard Times and I can't wait to go back for the others!!!!!! In our tour there were 8 people and during one hour an amazing guide took us back in time, telling the story of how 2 families survived economic depressions at 97 Orchard Street between 1863 and 1935. We had the opportunity to visit the restored homes of the German-Jewish Gumpertz family, whose patriarch disappeared during the Panic of 1873, and the Italian-Catholic Baldizzi family, who lived through the Great Depression.
It is possible to watch a great introductory video in the museum before or after the tour. One of the lines of the video stuck to my mind. It said something like how an immigrant is an adventurer for learning to live in a completely different way from the one he is used to...So true!!!!!
If you are in New York, do not miss it!!!! More information can be found here.
Hope you enjoy!!!!

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The Tenement Museum: 108 Orchard Street (daily 10am -6pm)

School Buses in the US

I find the school buses in the States so cute!!!!!! They are all over the place in New York as well. My sister nearly drove me mad when she was here because she wanted to hop on one of them :) Maybe it would be a good idea to have a tour in these buses lol I wonder if they do exist?

This shadow of yellow was introduced in 1939 and is know in the US and Canada as National School Bus Glossy Yellow.

At the same time is so Hollywood!!! How many movies have you see with these yellow school buses in it?? Is is so American Pie, isn't it?

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It is a dog's world :)

Why 95% of New Yorkers have dogs in spite of living in shoe boxes?? Can anyone answer that question please?? Is it fair to these lovely creatures??
It is very unusual in my building to get the lift, or elevators as they say here, without sharing the space with a dog. Bear in mind I leave in a building with 420 apartments and God knows how many people and dogs.
The dog "nurseries" are all over the place as well. And boy, they are not cheap! Some of them even offer plans or memberships where you can skype and see your baby :)
Where else in the world can you find organic dog food??? Or where else do you have parks with playgrounds for dogs???
Welcome to New York :)
When I think of London/England, I think of a cat's world lol

Shop in East Village

Tompkins Square Park

Playground for dogs :)

Visiting Art Galleries in Chelsea

A great free program to do in New York is wandering around the cutting-edge art galleries in Chelsea.The borough is home to over 300 art galleries and art studios, mainly the area bounded by 10th and 11th Avenues and 18th St. and 28th St.

Following the rising rental prices in SoHo with the arrival of fashion stores, the art community started moving to Chelsea in the 80s and hasn't looked back since then. Besides, the area is thriving with the High Line, Chelsea Market and the Meatpacking District.

It is one of my favorite areas in New York and I feel very lucky to live so close to it :)

I will have to prepare a post about the art galleries in the Lower East Side as well. It is another great area to explore if you love art and scouting new talents to invest on.  Very exciting!!!!!!