NEW YORK CITY CHRISTMAS SCENES

 

 

Merry Christmas and Happy 8th night of Hanukkah, friends! 

I'm sending holiday greetings from warm and sunny Florida.......

NOT!!!

It's 45 degrees and rainy.......

just 20 degrees warmer than back home in NJ! 

 

VIEW FROM MY WINDOW: A DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE THE WORLD

 

 

In the last few months,  I've been "traveling"

all around the world.

 I've seen Africa and Aruba........

Moscow and Mississippi.......

Canada and Chicago.......

Brazil and Budapest.......

Qatar and Queens.

 

I've even seen Ukraine.

 

Although I haven't acquired any frequent flyer miles,

my virtual travel has given me something of far greater value......

 

MONDAY MURALS: "ODE TO MOTHER" IN ICELAND

 

 

 

When looking through the photos I took in Reykjavik, Iceland, 

 I noticed I have lots of pictures of murals.

I didn't realize at the time.......

WALK WITH ME: SOUTH FLORIDA'S RED REEF PARK

 

 

 

 

Now that spring is officially here,

I hope that Jack Frost is no longer nipping at your nose,

and you are done with picking frost out of your eyebrows.

But, early spring is finicky.

Just when you think it's safe to put away your snow boots, 

there will be a knock at your door.......

and it won't be the Amazon guy.

SAVANNAH'S HISTORIC RIVERFRONT: FIVE THINGS TO DO

 

 

 

Some of the photos in this post were taken by my son,

a.k.a. Junior Goo Shoes.

 

MONDAY MURALS: FLABBERGAST AT 9/11 MEMORIAL PLAZA

 

 Flabbergast, a 100-foot mural painted

 on corrugated metal by artist Todd Gray,

is a permanent fixture near the 9/11  Memorial Plaza 

at the World Trade Center site.

 

RECENTLY IN NEW YORK CITY: LUCKY NUMBER 3

 

 

 

20 HOLIDAY GIFTS (NOT JUST) FOR TRAVELERS

 

Sometimes, it's hard for me to remember

that I'm a travel blogger.

I'm guessing half of you don't even realize that.......

and why would you?

 After all, it was only about a year and a half 

before the Corona-coaster rocked our lives,

that I switched the focus of this blog from lifestyle to travel.

Then, I took a six-month hiatus from blogging,

and my travel-branding really never got off the ground.

 

So, if you haven't been following me that long,

you'll have to trust me.......

When it comes to traveling,

I know a thing or two.

 

I've put together a list of 20 holiday gift ideas for the travelers 

(and even some for the armchair travelers) on your list.

 

I had two strict criteria for my selections:

 

ARMCHAIR TRAVEL ADVENTURES

 

 

 

Is anyone out there itching to start traveling again, 

like I am?

I want to go somewhere so badly,

I can taste it,

and it tastes like.......

 

HALLOWEEN IN NEW YORK CITY: TOWNHOUSE STYLE

 

 

I've got a confession.

I do feel a bit guilty.......

but, I've made a decision, 

and I won't budge an inch.

FEELING "FALLISH" IN NEW YORK CITY

 

 

 

YESTERDAY IN NEW YORK CITY: REFLECTIONS

 

Bowery Savings Bank Building with reflection of Grand Central Station.

 

TEN WATERFRONT HOMES AROUND THE WORLD: WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE?

 

 

THE BELVEDERE AND TURTLE POND: MORE FROM CENTRAL PARK

 

 

 

SHAKESPEARE GARDEN: CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK

 

"Of all the flowers, methinks a rose is best."

William Shakespeare, 

The Two Noble Kinsmen

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 

TRAVEL COLLAGE: VIEWS FROM ABOVE - - AROUND THE WORLD

 

 

 

WINTERING IN FLORIDA: 10 THINGS I MISS

 

 

 

After spending four months in Florida this winter,

I was looking forward to coming home to New Jersey.

It's not that I wanted to leave Florida.......

not at all!

If I could have figured out a way 

to be in both places at the same time,

that would have been ideal.

Short of becoming the subject of a clone experiment, however, 

I was ready to head  back up north.

 

Truth is,

 I missed my family, my friends, my house, my car......

and, ooohhh, my Nespresso machine! 

(I did NOT say mostly my Nespresso machine,

but, yes, I admit to yearning for a cinnamon

brown sugar nonfat latte more than once 😍)

 

Four months is a long time to be away from home......

long enough to forget how to use the TV remote,

and how to microwave Skinny Girl popcorn to perfection.  

I even had to think about how to get to my local Home Goods!

I know!!!    Crazy, right? 

 

I feel so fortunate that we were able to 

escape the northeast's winter weather, 

which was particularly harsh this year.

  As we tell our friends, however,

when you go away for that long, it's not really a vacation.......

you're just living life somewhere else. 

There's food shopping, and laundry to do........

There are bills to be paid, and an apartment to clean.

 There's even an occasional doctor's appointment. 

 

Granted, having the beach and pool nearby 

 does somewhat place the ratio of vacation to living real life 

at about 50/50.

 

60/40.

 

Okay, 70/30.

Who's complaining?

I'm not complaining. 

And, being in a warm weather climate

was balm for our pandemic-weary souls.

 

Yet, it is SO good to be home. 

Like I always say, if you aren't happy to be home, 

something is really  wrong.  

 

As much as I loved my time in Florida,

the answer is an emphatic NO.......

I would not want to live there year round. 

There's a greater chance I'll be drafted as the next quarterback for the NY Giants than that ever happening. 

 

 That said, I do miss these 10 things 

that were part of my daily life in Florida........

I'm Back!!! July 4th Flags and Mail Chimp

 

 

 

 

Savannah, Georgia

 

 

 Hi - remember me? 

 

 No?

It's me..........Ms. Toody!!!!

 

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes???????

Doesn't ring a bell? 

 

It serves me right for disappearing for the last six months. 

 Sorry about that.

Truly, I am.

 

Shelter Island, NY

 

I had no intention of completely falling off the blogging grid for so long.

I just............

I couldn't.............

I was........... 

 

Welp, truth is.......

 

NEW RULES: VIEWING THE ROCKEFELLER CHRISTMAS TREE IN 2020

 

Note: Photos in this post are from my archives. 

If you've been wondering if you can visit
the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree this year,

while the pandemic continues to rear its ugly Covid- head,

the answer is YES.

 

But.......you'll have to know the *New Rules* before you go.

 

There will be no selfies in front of the tree 

with you and 25 of your Besties.......

 

And, no dilly-dallying trying to get the perfect Instagram-worthy picture.

That said, it will still be fun to go, if you can.

In fact, it might be a very good idea to see the tree this year, 

as city streets are likely to be less crowded than usual.

PIERMONT PIER: THE FALL EDITION

 

 

 

 

 

As you may or may not have noticed, my presence in Blogland, and by extension,  social media, has been near non-existent these past few months. 

I fear I've fallen so far off the blogging radar screen, 

that  I should change my brand name to.......

 

Ms. Toody Who? Shoes. 

 

I keep thinking about ending my blogging career,
but I'm not ready to give it up just yet. 
I guess I should just accept the fact 

that I'm probably going to post once or twice a month, at most.

 

 Every time I consider hanging up my "out of business" sign, someone says,  

"I read your travel post about blah-blah-blah, and you really inspired me to go,"

or

"Your itinerary was so helpful."

 or

"I'll never get to go there, so thanks for taking me along virtually."

 

 And that, folks, is what makes me keep on keepin' on,  albeit sporadically. 

Not to mention, it's kind of hard to sustain the brand of being a travel blogger,

when a world-wide pandemic comes along.

I know we're all in the same Covid boat which is docked at home right now, 

but I do wonder when we'll be able to travel again.

 

Like everyone else, my travel radius has shrunk to a close-to-home range.

 

Over the summer, I discovered the Piermont Pier, 

in Piermont, NY, literally fifteen minutes away. 

Remember I showed you that, here?
I went back in late October to see the views in all their autumnal glory.

I don't know what I was thinking, as I picked a pretty foggy day,

and could barely see the fall colors across the Hudson River.

 

Back in the old days, I would have had this post up in a timely manner.

Here it is, almost six weeks later.

I place the blame 100% on Joanna and Clea from The Home Edit.

Thanks to my infatuation with their show on Netflix

(and their two books that I ordered, and read at warp speed),

I've been so busy rearranging my drawers and cabinets,

there's no time left for blogging.

I'm so deep into home organization  mode, 

that dinners have been late to the table,

laundry has sat for hours in the washer,

and FaceTime calls to friends have been pushed aside,

so that I can rainbow-order every single thing in my house

(rainbows are their signature, FYI).

 

If it wasn't for the fact that I need to buy some storage bins

for my next big project.......the office.......

I probably wouldn't have posted this fall edition of the Piermont Pier until spring.

Timely, it's not.

Pretty, it is.......if I do say so myself.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

🦃 🦃 🦃

Next year, may we all celebrate with extended family and friends.

Stay safe!

😷 😷 😷