A day spoiled by weather

The forecast for Saturday, Dec. 5, was not promising... cloudy, cold and rain likely.  We could attest for the first two as we left the hotel to get breakfast at Starbuck's, a block away.  When we finished, we headed for 5th Avenue to see more Xmas decorations and do some shopping.  Lindsay was supposed to join us for lunch but she couldn't make it due to a bad headache.  The cold and the fierce wind were more than the hood on my coat could compensate, so our first store to stop in was Saks.  I decided I needed a warm hat.  Karin had come prepared with one of her own, but I don't like hats except when I'm forced to concede the need.  I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a knit hat with ear warmers that reminds me of European children, but it did the job.  Aside from that, we were in awe of the store's indoor decorations (seen below) -- large silver trees filled with white lights that arched over the counters toward the ceiling.  It was simple, elegant and beautiful.

Outdoors, decorations on the street were giant-sized, such as the toy soldier below or the Rockefeller Center train.

Later in the morning the rain started. We thought we could escape the rain by going to the Museum of Modern Art.  As we walked the few blocks, the rain escalated.  When we arrived at the theater, the waiting line for tickets was a block long.  We decided we didn't want to wait in the rain.  Instead, we headed into the museum's design shop.  I decided to buy an umbrella.  Karin found an unusual toy called a Munny for her two boys.  When we left the store we looked for someplace to have lunch and settled on Lou's Cafe on the corner.  So glad we did because we had another celebrity sighting:  actress Judith Light was two booths away. 

The rain didn't let up so Karin and I headed for the hotel where we watched the last Harry Potter movie and then the Florida-Alabama game. 

Our last dinner in NYC was at the Azalea, an Italian restaurant not far from the hotel that we had been eyeing since our first night in the city.  It looked elegant, and we were not disappointed.  Although small, the space was well apportioned and even included a half-moon bar.  Since we weren't rushing off to the theater, we spent a leisurely evening enjoying the food and atmosphere, part of which was watching the snow fall outside.

The next day, when we were due to return to Florida, the sky was mostly blue and sunny and the air crispy cold -- it would have been a perfect day for more sightseeing.  But we had to get to the airport for our 1:30 p.m. flight.  We chose another car service to get us there and, on a Sunday, made the trip in only a half hour, unlike our drive into the city on Thursday. 

And what a change in weather in Jacksonville!   But it was good to be (almost) home, and now I can focus again on the coming holidays: baking, shopping and partying!

I don't expect another journey until May, so check back then.