Floodwatch 2014

Well, it's never a dull moment in our apartment. We're officially on alert for possible overnight evacuation...the Schuylkill River outside our window is flooding with the heavy rains we've had over the last 24 hours.

Taken a few hours ago when the sun was out. Yes, the tree is underwater. Also note how close the train is to the river at the top of the pic - that's not supposed to look like that...

Looks like the fire marshals have it under control outside right now, but we can't park in the basement garage (it's open to the elements for just this reason). What we're really hoping is that the river stops rising so we don't have to leave the building...vacation can't come soon enough!

April Fun

We've had a wonderful April so far! It's been a beautiful spring, and we love the long season out here. It's also been super fun because we've had visitors!

For the Easter weekend, Mike's sister Megan and her husband Matt came out to visit. We had a fabulous time together! We hit the big sights in Philly like Independence Hall and Valley Forge, but we also had a great time trying out a new local cheese steak institution, going to our first hookah bar, and spending Easter Sunday in Baltimore!

Since I've discussed many sights we saw on this blog already, I'm going to let the pictures tell the story. :)

In front of a priceless Tiffany mural in Philly - we had no clue this was there!

Paddy's Pub

Afghan food and a hookah at Ariana's

The Liberty Bell gets lit up at night!

Beautiful spring flowering trees

"Locked up" at Eastern State Penitentiary

Baltimore boat tours of the USS Torsk submarine

Not only did we have one weekend of visitors, we had TWO! My friend Brittany and her husband Eric were in New York for a wedding last weekend, and we were able to take a day trip to the city to spend the afternoon together! It was so special to hang out - and for them to spend one of their vacation days with us! We got to walk the High Line and wander some amazing neighborhoods starting in the Meatpacking district and ending in the Village. Between Eric's subway knowledge and our walking expertise we only needed to bring out the maps a couple times. And, I had a partner in crime checking out some amazing shops - thanks Britt for some amazing girl time shopping! I can't wait to see how the pics turn out. :)

Next up: meeting Mom, Dad, and Brie in Cape Cod on Friday. And I know Mom and Mike will agree with me...my fingers are crossed for some MA lobster! 

Patriotic

Apparently the guys working at the construction site are feeling extra patriotic...an American flag was hung on the new wall going up yesterday. Now if only we can convince them that 7 am on Saturday is sleeping time, not working time...

Painting Project Complete!

I was working on a timeline to get these tables done before Megan and Matt visit...success! Plus, yesterday I visited the farm and picked up fresh daffodils. They're everywhere right now! So fabulously springy!!

Ice Cream!

It's 70 and sunny today, so we walked to Scoops for ice cream!

NYC weekend

We're taking advantage of our vicinity to NYC, and spent the weekend there last weekend. What fun now that we know our way around! We walked all over - despite it being a rainy weekend - and were able to explore a few new neighborhoods.

New neighborhood #1: Brooklyn!

And we finally got to see the Flatiron building

On our first night, we ended up being convinced to go to a free comedy show...and we ended up being basically the only audience members! It was a bit hit and miss with the comedians, but quite the experience and fun for a free show!

Coney Island Boardwalk

We also did a tour of Brooklyn and stopped at two amazing pizzerias (Grimaldi's and Spumoni Gardens) as well as Coney Island.

The view from Brooklyn!

One of the things we were most looking forward to was seeing the show All The Way...starring Bryan Cranston! We couldn't wait to see "Walt" on Broadway - he played LBJ, and it really was amazing to watch.

After a night at the theater, we weren't feeling a full dinner out, so we had gyros for dinner from a food truck near our hotel...it was SO good, we went back the following day! It's one of our favorite ways to enjoy a unique and cheap meal in New York.

Flower displays at Macy's

However, on our last day, we decided we did want a nice meal and ended up at a fabulous Spanish restaurant for lunch - paella and all!

Craft Project

Finally putting all those pinterest posts to good use...one table refinishing started, 2 to go!

April Fool's...and a Beer

Happy April Fools Day! Although I have no great stories about pranks, we were looking forward to today. Conshohocken Brewing Company had their grand opening tonight! About 2 months ago we found out that a local craft brewery was opening in town...about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. We've been counting down to the grand opening and apparently we weren't alone. We waited in line 45 minutes for our beer, but it was very good - and it was a beautiful day here so we could enjoy it on their back patio overlooking the bike trail.

For those of you looking closely, there's a 'Feine Espresso Stout created with the help of my favorite local coffee shop!

More to come on our fun (slightly rain soaked) last weekend in NYC later in the week. Cheers!