Cruise Ships

Cruise Ships
Originally uploaded by grbecca.

They are massive. No other comment right now on the floating resorts.

Mary Beth, One Love, and Oprah the Donkey

Mary Beth, One Love, and Oprah the Donkey
Originally uploaded by grbecca.

MB had the privilege of making friends with One Love and his Donkey, Oprah, who he'd raised since she was a baby. Oprah was fashionably attired with green sunglasses, red lipstick and red-painted hooves. Stylish!

At Tillet Gardens

At Tillet Gardens
Originally uploaded by grbecca.

MB and I took the $2 safari bus to Tillet Gardens, where we browsed around the artists' shops, noticed the beautiful greenery and found countless lizards on walls. We also stopped for a snack and a photo opportunity. On our way back to Charlotte Amalie, we stocked up on groceries at the Pueblo Supermarket.

Iguana

Iguana
Originally uploaded by grbecca.

This guy was waiting for us as we came down the front stairs of the Galleon House. He (or she, I guess. I'm not familiar with iguana anatomy) had a very intense stare. As we finally left him, we saw another, greener, shyer, less courageous iguana scamper into the bush. You might not think iguanas scamper, but they do.

Another view

Another view
Originally uploaded by grbecca.

From the terrace of Galleon House, facing...um...west, I think. We were served breakfast on this terrace, as we chatted with other guests and watched lizards doing push-ups. They do! It's a territorial display! We were invaders, I guess they thought. Mary Beth wasn't lucky enough to see this happen until we were in St. John, though.

View from Galleon House

View from Galleon House
Originally uploaded by grbecca.

Our bed and breakfast, the Galleon House, had a lovely view of Charlotte Amalie and the harbor. Pretty!

Chacos

Chacos
Originally uploaded by grbecca.

As soon as I landed in San Juan, I changed into my Chacos-- and I did not wear shoes again for the whole week. I love my Chacos. I love wearing sandals. I won't be able to wear them for a few months now. Sad.

off I go...

Ok, in just a few more hours, I'll be on a plane to Puerto Rico, en route to the Virgin Islands. So here I go to pack. Yay!

The Runners Up...

So, although John's pizza was undoubtedly the best of the four we tested, the runners-up deserve mention as well. The beach-boardwalk-neighborhood atmosphere of Totonnos, the basil-scent drifting up from the pizza at Grimaldi's (as well as a sighting of a Famous Person) and the delightful, wine-influenced electric-candle-lit ambience of Lombardi's

Totonno's


Grimaldi's


Lombardi's

The Quest

Yesterday, Rachel (birthday girl), Rachel, Jeanne, May, Todd, Christie, Abby, and I set off to find the best pizza in New York. I have to say, my pizza experiences thus far in the greater NYC area have mostly included gigantic floppy slices that you need to fold in half to eat. These places, however, were true New York Style...and only served pies, not slices. Pictures to come of the four contenders--John's (West Village), Totonno's (Coney Island), Grimaldi's (DUMBO (under the Brooklyn Bridge) and Lombardi's (Little Italy). Each pizza was rated on its crust, sauce, and cheese...and each pizzeria on its service and ambience.

Here are Jeanne and Rachel thoughtfully critiquing Grimaldi's pizza.



The results?

The best pizza in New York City, in our opinion, was John's. Not only was the sauce sweet and fresh, the crust was just sturdy enough to hold up the pizza (because, alas, many pizza toppings slide off if the crust isn't sturdy enough) and tasted wonderful. Grafitti in the booths only added to the overall character of the restaurant, and musical selections ranging from Santana to Top 40 blessed our ears.



We failed to take a picture of the full pizza. Here's the last piece.

The Best Way to Spend 20 Minutes...

The best way to spend twenty minutes of your day is to listen to Bono's address at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.

Over a year...

So, it's been more than a year since I broke my leg...and things are looking pretty good. I've been really thankful that the weather here in NJ has been in the 50's for the past few weeks...there has been absolutely no temptation to engage in snowy, icy, broken-leg-reminiscent activities. In fact, the weather was so nice today that a group of teachers went out after school to partake in some Ben & Jerry's. (Yes, yes, I know...that pesky New Year's resolution--but I actually have decided that one dessert a week is fine. Last week was cherry cheescake. This week was a "Minter Wonderland" cone at B&J's).

Apart from some knee issues, I'm not feeling the effects of the broken leg at all anymore. I've even been building up my running stamina again, although if I run for too long, my knee and my leg start to ache. Luckily, I hate running, so that's not a problem. In September, I couldn't run to catch a bus yet...and now I can run all the way around the block without any pain. That might not seem like a lot...but I'm definitely noticing an exponential improvement.