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Day Tripping to Cold Spring

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View of the Hudson River from the train

This past weekend, once again finding ourselves in the city on a long weekend with nowhere to go, we decided to venture out of the city on a day trip. We’ve seen those posters in the subway that urge you to “get out of town” and see the all the natural beauty that New York has to offer. Lacking a car, we had to find a place that’s convenient and accessible by train. After a quick search, we came upon Cold Spring, a small historical village nestled in the Lower Hudson Valley right on the bank of the Hudson River. Continue reading →

Connecticut: Adventure Rooms

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I first heard from my sister in Canada about a new game called the Adventure Rooms.  After doing some research, I found out that there was also an Adventure Rooms in the States and one of them just so happened to be in Hartford.  Awesome! So this past weekend while we were in Connecticut visiting family and friends, we decided to give it a try.
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Deal Alert: 2-for-1 Broadway tickets

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It’s that time again when the summer is winding down and Broadway week is kicking off.  For the first two weeks of September you can get 2-for-1 tickets to a lot of shows including Lion King, Mamma Mia, Chicago and many other new and old favorites.  If you are around the city, it’s the perfect time to catch that show that you’ve been thinking of going to, but never had the chance.  The show that I’ve been dying to see is Phantom of the Opera, a classic.  If you are not from the city, Fall is also the perfect season to visit.
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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

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I’ve been seeing my Facebook feed get filled up with countless videos of people getting doused by icy water in the name of charity.  It’s pretty hard not to be aware of this challenge that went viral over the summer and shows no sign of slowing down. This social movement has helped ALS raise awareness and milllions of dollars. So when I was nominated to take part in the challenge, I was happy to accept.

As much fun as I’ll have dumping a bucket of cold water on my head, I will also be donating money. In addition, to showing my support for ALS, I wanted to use this opportunity to also raise money for Breast Cancer research, another cause that’s near and dear to my heart.  Both diseases affect countless people worldwide.  So for every ‘like‘ or ‘share‘ that I get in the next 48 hours, I will be donating $1 to the ALS Association as well as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Here goes nothing. 

 

 

Nostalgia

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I was digging through a box of memories when I found these “books”.  Long before I started blogging, I was writing about my travel stories in these picture books I made.  Each was made of photos that I’d taken or postcards that I bought along the way and held together by binder rings.  

What started as a great idea was forgotten over time and hidden away.  I am glad I found them not only so I can walk down memory lane and re-live those trips, but because they provide me a new source of inspiration to keep on writing and taking more pictures.  After the adventure is over, all we’ll have left is our photos, stories, and memories.

My New York: Summer Streets

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Everyone came out for Summer Streets

I need to take a break from writing about Peru, so it’s time for another New York post. There are many positives and negatives about living in the city.  On one hand, the summer can be unbearable with the oppressive heat. On the other hand, there are plenty of free summer activities to choose from, ranging from free  movies by the waterfront to free concerts in the park.  When we are around on the weekend, we try to make the most of it. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Fireworks

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July 4th in New York

I thought this is an appropriate photo for this week.  This picture was taken from our apartment window on July 4th a few years ago.  We just moved to New York and it was the first year the Macy’s annual firework show was moved from the East River to the Hudson River.  It was serendipitous that we got to witness this momentous show from our apartment.  We set up the tripod, opened our window wide, and leaned back with some beer and Bonchon wings to enjoy the show.  Happy Canada Day and July Fourth to all our North American friends.  

Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. This picture was scheduled for this week because we are currently hiking up the Inca Trail!  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.

On the Road

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It’s been pretty quiet on lifeafter9to5 because we’ve been on the road.  Last week we went to San Francisco and Yosemite National Park and just got back yesterday.  I thought I was going to have time to write a post or two about our adventures on the West Coast, but things got a little crazy.  So between work and little sleep, I have not had time to do anything.

Last night, after our red-eye from SF we were so tired, we both passed out at 8 pm EST and slept for 12 hours.  Now we are scrambling to get all our stuff together and pack for Peru, because we are flying to Lima tonight. You read that right, we are home for a day and flying off again. Timing is tight, but hopefully hiking in Yosemite gave us some ideas of what we need for our trek on the Inca Trail. We will be in Peru for a week and be back on July 4th weekend.

In the mean time, you can follow us on Facebook or Instagram (@lifeafter9to5) to see pictures of our trips.  Cheers!

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Me climbing up a steep hill in San Francisco

Photo of the Week: Storm Front

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IMG_8912Manhattan, New York

This familiar photo from our cover page was taken from the living room of our old apartment.  I was working from home that day.  The storm front was rolling in from New Jersey, the wind was picking up, so what do I do?  Grab my camera of course. I pulled open the window (no screens!), leaned out and started snapping away.  I like this picture because it looks so surreal over the Manhattan skyline. Very ominous.

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.

Photo of the Week: Graffitied Audrey

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IMG_9883Manhattan, New York

This photo was taken in New York City of Tristan Eaton’s colorful Audrey Hepburn.  This artwork is part of the L.I.S.A project where street artists paint murals around Little Italy.  This caught my eye one day when we were walking to Chinatown on our weekly grocery run.  I’ve always been a fan of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so seeing this tribute to her on the side of a building is a pleasant surprise. 

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.