An Accidental Visit to the 9/11 Memorial in NYC

I always feel hesitant to share deep thoughts about politics as it usually turns into an ugly circle of cynicism, doom and depression. While I am informed enough to know the basics of what's happening, whenever I delve further I am inevitably frustrated with the state of the world. Can't we just talk about bizarre Americana and drinking on the Berlin UBahn?

I could Never Run the Berlin Marathon

Today was supposed to be the running of the New York Marathon. The last of the 5 big races making up the World Marathon Majors series,  it is also one of the largest in the world with usually over 40,000 finishers. But then a little storm called Hurricane Sandy (aka Frankenstorm) rolled in as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km) and early calculations of a minimum of $20 to $25 billion dollars in damage. Not a good time for a run.

Luckily, this was not the case a few weeks ago when we went to cheer on our Irish friend in the Berlin Marathon. Dave & Ger had made their home in Neukölln for several years before repatriating back to Ireland. After a year away, they were back for the weekend to re-connect with the city and friends like us. It was bitter-sweet to see them back in the city we all love. It's not quite a vacation going back to a place you once called home, and in such a fast paced city that is constantly changing, they were at once familiar and estranged. This is just part of the pain of expat life, your friends may periodically leave (but if they're like us - maybe they'll come back).

How does Youtube work?

Deep thoughts I have while eating pizza on the Ubahn

We have a YouTube channel that we mostly just abuse. We toss "dad videos" up (just like dad's where he would film events for far too long with random narrative and then proudly show the unedited version) whenever we have time. So the quality is....not so hot.

Somehow, one video has rated a favorite among all the others.

8 Things We Didn't Know About NYC

Escape to New York

What is there to say about New York that hasn't been said before? We LOVED our 4 night detour in the city on our way home to Seattle. They say a picture says a thousand words, so in my typical unable to edit fashion....

We've had a lot of success renting rooms/apartments from AirBnB & did so again in New York. The room we stayed in was in a 3-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. The two guys were great, and the room was just as advertised - private, access to rooftop deck with view of Manhattan, wifi, etc.

USA, USA, USA - An Expat Return home

We're back!

Back in the land of big coffees, big American breakfasts, big cars, vast lands, Mexican food, livestock, childhood friends, homesteads, driving, BBQs, Oscars, TV, and FREEDOM. We are back in American & couldn't be happier.

747!

We're Going Home!

We have been teasing our friends & family with plans for a Seattle visit for months now. Now the rumors can die as we have something even better:

Plane tickets!

We are flying to NYC for the first time and will fit in as much hot dog/pizza/bagel/deli eating, Broadway shows, comedy, art and pictures as possible. I've got a happy little NYC Pinterest board together gathering all the info of things I want to see & do (please feel free to give us tips, we're flying blind). No joke, we're excited.