Home and NEVER leaving!

At least, that's what we keep telling people.

Our trip was wonderful.  We have been to so many incredible places (S. France, Perth, Manly, S. Africa, Thailand, and NYC just to name a few of our favorites), met and reunited with some really great people, and learned a lot about ourselves and each other.

Now, we're home and are working on laying some roots.  We just put down a deposit and first month's rent on a great studio on the north shore (thanks to the coconut wireless - especially Jamie and Mara) and we are in the process of finding cars.

Still no wedding plans... we have different fish to fry ;)  Our answer is still, "Not today".  And, eloping is still not off the table.

And, finally, THANK YOU so much to everyone - friends and family who we met along the way.  You all made each place and adventure so special (and sometimes possible) and we hope to see you again soon!

Aloha!
As Sue Collini on Californication would say:
ktwalkab-OUT

p.s. Congratulations Amanda and Greg!
p.s.s. Thanks Richard for letting us "house sit".

Seattle, Swimming, Saigon and Sunset

Last night we stumbled upon a restaurant that will definitely be reminisced about once our walkabout is over: the Saigon Boat Cafe.

It is a small Vietnamese restaurant on Alki Beach in West Seattle run by a nice Vietnamese couple, one of which is a famous singer in Vietnam and Thailand.  Upon our arrival, we were labeled their favorite guests (as we are certain all patrons are) and in less than five minutes, our table was covered in steaming hot pho, curry, and Vietnamese egg rolls - all of which were insanely good!

We were in West Seattle because we had gone to Colman pool in Lincoln Park to enjoy the last weekend at the 85 degree outdoor 50 meter pool before it closes for the year.

And, before heading to Alki Beach, we took in the sunset:

Seattle is a great place... at least during this time of year :)

KT do PNW

Summer in Seattle is a very pleasant change from NYC summer.  We have only been in the Pacific Northwest for three days, but already we have seen the BEST EVER meteor shower, enjoyed glorious warm days and crisp nights, and have made ourselves sick off blackberries a few blocks from our house:

Baby Ruth

Our neighborhood pool (McCarren Park) was closed today for the second time in only one month of being open due to POO.  Here's the full story:
http://gothamist.com/2012/08/05/mccarren_park_pool_horror_diarrhea.php
I discontinued my trips to pool after the first incident.  Todd, however, ignored my protests and continued his swim sessions.  In fact, he was in the pool the night before the "incident".  Sadly, he's talking about going tomorrow morning.  Yuck.

No sacrifice too great

Not far from our house there is a 30+ year old bakery, Peter Pan, with what some people call, "the best donuts in Brooklyn".

Of course, we had to sample the raved about treats... so we put aside our dairy-light diet for an hour and hit the pastry shop.  Kristina went for a red-velvet old fashioned, and Todd was forced to settle for an apple-crumple (sadly, they don't make apple fritters).

While the donuts were very good, Todd is still a bit salty about not having an apple fritter.  And, we've heard rumors about a donut shop in Piedmont that might put Peter Pan's to shame.  We feel obligated to investigate...

Two of the good ones

"Where to eat" is one of the biggest predicaments of living in NYC.  There are so many types of foods and restaurants, that many times, we end up just eating at home to avoid making a decision.

Last week, however, we ventured out to two new (to us) restaurants with Gayle and Jim Sells.  The first was a Brooklyn hideaway called Rye.  Although the tables were very close together, the food, service and overall experience was perfect.  The four of us shared the fried brussel sprouts (one of the highlights), crab cakes, ribs, tomato salad, risotto, meatloaf, asparagus, a 42oz steak (which they brought out and showed us before they cooked it), and a few bottles of red wine.  Everything was so good - we left with our bellies hanging over our pants and smiles on our faces!

The next night we ventured into the heart of Midtown to join the Sells and Jim's friend/business associate, Bob Liss at Becco.  There are many reasons to eat at Becco, but the most important one is the pasta special: a plate of salad or antipasto to start followed by a bottom-less plate of three different kinds of pasta (which change daily)!  Mmmmm......

Thanks Gayle and Jim for two fantastic dinners and evenings!  We won't eat as much until we see you again in the Bay Area! 

Cardboard Fetish

Bob loves (or hates) cardboard.  If ever there is an empty cereal or wine box being broken down or recycled, he sits very patiently while saliva drips down his face waiting for a chance to demolish it:

Todd's borrowing my oven mitts

Todd just walked out the door and is heading to his first shoe-modeling job!!!  And, it's not just for any shoe company... it's for JIMMY CHOO!

Anyone who knows him well, knows that he has a massive scar (actually two fairly massive scars) on his heel from his "humpty-dumpty" accident in 2010 and that shoe modeling seems like the last thing anyone would want to hire him for.  Thankfully, the Jimmy Choo line consists of mostly loafers and sneakers, so his heel will be safely tucked out of sight :)

The perfect fit

Thanks to Zaven at Victoria Jewelry on West 47th Street, the ring is now a perfect fit!!!  The whole thing only took 10 minutes, but our hearts were in our throats the entire time as he proceeded to take a hacksaw to it, fire it with a blowtorch, run it through the myriad grinders, sanders and polishers, and dip it in chemical baths.  As he promised, the ring came out shinier than it went in and with no trace of the apparent thrashing it had taken!

A great day to be engaged!

Ta Da!!!!!

Just to be clear- We: a) ARE engaged!  b) did not elope and  c) did not "get a dog" - we're just dog sitting.

And this is how it happened...
After a full day of shoe showroom for Kristina and a quick gym session in mid-town, we walked fourteen blocks to the Magestic Theatre where we had tickets to see A Streetcar Named Desire.

While we don't feel that this is the perfect time (or place) to give our Broadway review, we feel it's worth a quick description.  The actor playing Stanley, Blair Underwood, was fantastic, and the actress playing Blanche, Nicole Ari Parker, was quite good.  However, the actress playing Stella, Daphne Rubin-Vega, was very distracting.  We couldn't decided which was worse... her inability to overcome her Latina accent while trying to play a "southern belle" or the inability of her plastic surgeons to overcome her other shortcomings.  Whatever the case, Todd found it excruciating every moment that she was on stage, which unfortunately, is a large portion of the play.  As far as Kristina was concerned, Stanley's performance more than made up for it!

After a couple of photo-ops, we hustled to Ruby Woo's, where we were (as it turns out!) denied our dinner reservation because the restaurant is run by a bunch of luddites.  We made the trek instead to our favorite spot in the E. Village, Ippudo, where we enjoyed bowls of ramen, spicy tofu, and sake.

When we got home, we took Bob for a quick walk and then I cuddled with him on his bed to make up for leaving him at home.  Next thing I knew, Todd was next to us, down on one knee with a square black box in his hand asking me to marry him (with Bob as our witness).  Due to the fragility of Todd's knees, the moment didn't last long and since I was quite shocked by the whole thing, he politely asked me to put the ring on so he could get up.  We popped some champagne, made the appropriate calls/texts/emails, and unintentionally watched the sun rise.  For the record, the engagement date will go down as Saturday the 14th of August, 2012 (not Friday the 13th!)

Now that we've had a few days to bask in it, we plan to continue basking- for a while.  And, until further notice, our only answer to the "when" question is... "not today".

Freedom on the 4th

Happy 4th everyone!  Love, Todd, Kristina and Bob.

Bob and Todd were showing off...

Meet Bob

Instead of enduring another moment of crazy, we moved out of our LES apartment and into a Brooklyn studio where we are now responsible for a 4-legged, 60 lb mass of muscle, jaws and energy, known as Bob.

His favorite game is tug-o-war, which Todd never lets him win.  And, in fact, he is certain that every noise or action is an invitation to play tug-o-war.  While engaged in the game, he sounds VERY ferocious.  His meals consist of nearly a pound of raw beef mixed with another pound of brown rice topped with flax seed oil.  Although he is very burly, his feet are quite sensitive, and with the heat wave, he can be seen treading swiftly and gingerly (like a ballerina) between shady spots.  And, since Todd is such a push-over, Bob's new favorite sleeping spot, is across most of our bed.  We love Bob.

Another roomie to add to the list

THE MANIC-HOARDER:

Each day we would tip-toe out of our room unsure of her emotional state.  Many mornings we were woken up by Alanis Morissette or Sarah McLachlan droning from the living room stereo and cigarette smoke filled air.  Other days, the sun would shine in our apartment and it seemed as though she'd won the lottery.  Whether a good day or a bad, the sink was always full of dishes, the counter tops covered in grime and the rest of the apartment in similar disarray.  The moment that she left the apartment for a vacation, we (the two of us and the other roommate) proceeded to sweep, scrub and organize the house.  We quickly realized that every nook and cranny of the apartment was filled with "stuff".  And by stuff, we mean paint cans, a motorcycle helmet (pretty sure she didn't own a motorcycle), old broken computer parts, outdated food... the list goes on.  Shortly after the cleaning mania, we celebrated :)

Costco Chronicles

Our love for Costco possessed us to ride our bicycles 12km (7.5 miles) over the Brooklyn Bridge and into the Greenwood area of Brooklyn, load up our backpacks and basket with all of our favorite items, and ride 12km (7.5 miles) back to our apartment.  While we don't know that we will be making the journey again, it was quite an adventure/workout and our fridge is fully stocked!

The truth comes out

We regretfully admit that throughout our blogging we have left out some pretty funny stories regarding some of our flatmates in an attempt to prevent any hurt feelings.  (Many times, in order to introduce ourselves to potential roommates, we would send the link to our blog and we are never sure if they continue to read our blog.)  Looking back, we are truly sorry because some of the people who we lived with provided us with stories and experiences that we still talk about today.  So we thought now enough time has passed that we can share these stories (semi-anonymously).  We apologize if any of you are reading this and recognize yourself, but it's all true.

THE POT-HIDER:  
We lived with someone who denied that she owned a cooking pot.  However, each morning we would enter the kitchen to find her cooking in a pot.  Then, when she was finished making her food, it would disappear again and she would maintain that there was no pot.

THE POT-GROWER:
For a few months, we lived in a guy's apartment while he lived at his friend's apartment (in the same complex).  The apartment was fairly cheap and the reason was that he had 6-foot tall pot plans growing on the lanai and in the closet.  Occasionally, while we were gone, he would stop by and water all the plants and then be gone again before we came home. And then, one day, all of the plants disappeared.

THE GREY-TOOTHED CONFESSOR
When we arrived at our 3-day sublet (somewhere in Europe), our new roommate showed us to our room and then spent the next 20 minutes explaining that the room was previously occupied by her and her husband before he cheated on her and left her for the other woman and that she is staying in the other room because she doesn't feel right staying in their old room and that he still calls occasionally wanting to get back with her and then the next day he changes his mind but that she thinks they will get back together at some point but she really deserves better.... and all the while we were barely listening because we were so transfixed on her teeth that were so grey, Todd described them as sucking all the light out of the room.

THE ALCOHOLIC AND THE RASHIONER:
At one point we stayed with a couple who made us laugh hysterically at times and sent us starving to the supermarket at others.  We were in a work in exchange for room and board situation.  So, we would spend six hours a day in the boiling sun working (painting, digging ditches, etc.) and would be fed a small bowl of peanut butter with four or five crackers for lunch.  For dinner, we were fed very small portions of something which was referred to as meat, but was clearly just animal fat, and salad.  The only thing that made the two weeks tolerable was the entertainment brought about by the husband who was drunk as often as his wife would allow it.  Here is one story that we tell frequently:
He came home from his Tuesday job (which consisted of 10 minutes of working and 2.75 hours of drinking with the client) and passed out in a lawn chair.  Later, when she accused him of sleeping off the booze, his defense was "I wasn't sleeping... I must have fallen.  I'm sure of it!"
Another day, they were again arguing about the amount of drunk that he was:
MAN- "I'm totally sober."
WOMAN- "You're totally drunk."
MAN- "I'm mostly sober."
WOMAN- "You're mostly drunk.  Go fill these water jugs from the well."
MAN- "But... I don't know if I can make it."

We feel much better now with all of that out in the open.  We also realize that we are mean, judgmental people... but we have accepted that.

Birthday dinner... a bit belated

Since both of us were scheduled to work on the 11th, we celebrated Todd's 45th birthday a few days late at a small authentic Italian restaurant in the lower east side:

The good, the bad and the painful

Living in the city has it's GOOD parts: any/all kinds of food readily available and almost always very tasty, hole in the wall used book shops, cafe culture, street food, many bike friendly streets, great subway system, clean drinking water, no such thing as jaywalking, fewer in-house creepy crawlies than Hawaii, no Amazon delivery charges for outside the continental US, Trader Joes

it's BAD parts: high number of smokers (more offensive to Kristina than Todd), air dirty enough to cause daily black eye (and other) boogers, street beggars, used items costing more than new ones because they are "vintage", unkempt streets with huge potholes-bad for bikes

and it's VERY PAINFUL parts: constant honking wars, morons trying to show off how many decibels their stereos can reach, young-entitled-morose-existential-hipster students, high number of people/bars/restaurants who do not recycle, women with large handbags who take your arm/leg/hip out as you walk past them, many (but not all) door locks open clockwise and lock counter-clock-wise

These are ongoing lists...  But, all in all, we are enjoying our stint in the city.

NYC - take 2

We have been very busy.  Apartment hunting in this city SUCKS!!!  But, one week later and we are out of the UNFURNISHED hole that we were renting and almost into our new apartment share in the Lower East Side.  By almost, we mean that we are staying with Lars, Bell, Oscar and Fox for two nights!  We have such great friends!  And most importantly, Todd and Fox have been reunited (make sure your volume is on and up for the video below):

Thanks Taylors!!

We have been holed up in our partially furnished studio apartment since last night due to a steady downpour.  So, while we don’t have much to update regarding our NYC adventures, our batteries are fully recharged and we thought it would be a good time to thank Brandee, Rush and Nalu for sharing their home with us.  It was an absolute pleasure to stay with you guys and we can’t thank you enough!  We miss you guys!!!

Furnished?

Thanks to some Benadryl and a very hard-faught open seat in our row of three on the plane, we are fairly rested and very excited that we are back in NYC!!!  Sadly, our apartment that we booked for a week is not quite what it was made out to be (does no plates, cutlery, or pans sound furnished to you?)... shocking.  So we are enjoying the free wifi and delicious goodies of a cafe in Chelsea while we search Craigslist for sublets.