Week ending 25th Jan

Now that the blogger novelty has worn off , we will aim to provide a weekly online diary entry.
Saturday, we started the day off running with NY Flyers. They meet at the same spot (near the boat house in Central Park) at 9 am saturday mornings. Did a 10 km loop though the park. Only about 8 runners showed up in the cold [3C, -1 C in the wind] and the pace was very slow. Did learn that to get automatic entry to NY Marathon, need to join NY Raod Runners Club, finish 9 NYRRC qualify races, voulnteer at 1 NYRRC and then pay the standrd entry fee. So we'll join NYRRC this week, and November 2009 beckons.
We set out after lunch to do various things and didn't return until bedtime. First off, we went to the Bowery to the new Think coffee bar, for Monica's coffee story. WHO'S GO IS IT?
As this shows, these coffee bars are aimed at uni students who buy one coffee and sit there all day playing scrabble, but there are attention spans are so short they have to check their phones and Blackberries between goes!
The day got progressively colder as it went on, an d it was very cold by the afternoon. From Think, we walked in real sub zero temps to the subway at Washington Sq., then headed up to Chelsea to w.25th st, way over between 10th & 11th Ave into the teeth of an arctic blast, to see an art gallery with some mediocre aboriginal art. Next stop was the Australian Hotel on w.38th st at 5th Ave and it was too far and too cold to walk back to the subway so we caught a cab. The pub wouldn't be on most tourist itineraries but it is good to know there is one place in NYC you can get a Tooheys New and watch replays of the cricket or footy.

After the pub, we went to Gramercy Tavern to eat, but it was a 90 minute wait for a table, so they recommended the Irving Mill restaurnant nearby, but ufortunately Monica got crook from the chicken roulade so we had a very quiet Sunday.

It was too cold to run Sunday morning, but we did walk over to Central Park in the afternoon and on the way stopped at the old NY 7th Regiment Armory which takes up the whole block between Park & Lexington at 67th & 68th. it was built in the 1880's during the so-called Guilded Age and was the "military, social & cultural home of the regiment". it fell into disrepair but is now being renovated.
Tomorow morning CBS Morning Show is doing an Austrlaia day special. it will be shown on Channel 10, presumably on tuesday. There was an invite emailed to NY Aussies to go to the studios, near the Apple Store on 5th Ave but i have a outpatient clinic and Monica will still be too sick. By the way, we bought $40 raffle tickets for 2 return business class tickets to Syd, drawn at the Gala Ball on firday night. based on monica's luck i thought we were a chance, but haven;t heard from them so probably missed out.
Lat thing on Australia Day, they have been having a "A Taste of Australia" promotion at Food Emporium, our local supermarket chain. it is wierd seeing the advertisments for Australian products, but no Vegemite or Weetbix, but wierd stuff like licorice and water enhanced with flower essence!