Thursday, April 30, 2015

Honeymoon in Antigua!

Our original plan for honeymooning was a trip to Cabo after our wedding in June. However, residency had different plans and we had to rethink the schedule.  We had 2 weeks between our wedding and the first day of residency to graduate from dental school, find an apartment in NYC, pack up our entire SF apartment, and move across the country! With heavy hearts we canceled the Cabo trip and settled for a two-night midweek stay on Lake Tahoe to keep our sanity.  We promised each other then that as soon as we could, we'd book that trip for white sand, blue water, and tropical cocktails.  And as luck would have it, Gregg was given a week off in early Spring and we set about finding the perfect resort.  After a grueling first 3 months of winter and Gregg working over 80 hours a week at the hospital, we eagerly booked the week at Galley Bay in Antigua, the perfect spot to enjoy our belated Honeymoon.

SO excited, even at 6 am!  Sunshine here we come!

Obviously Meg had to hit up the Fun Zone, she must've thought we were in Newport

One of the perks of flying on Easter Sunday is the flight attendants set up an Easter egg hunt for the passengers
Very impressed with the first class amenities.  Quiche, fresh fruit, and a warm biscuit! 



Gregg getting his round of golf in: "I crushed that drive"


A quick hop and a skip and we were in Antigua! Just a 4 hour direct flight from NYC.

Sugarmill here at the resort but they were all over the island, too, leftover from colonial days

First step on the deck, our closed-toe city shoes came off in a hurry
Our suite (top)
We had a nice warm welcoming from the resort staff

Meg could hardly wait to get her suit on and get in the sunshine.
Gregg needed a minute to lay down on the bed.

Our "walk" to the beach
We didn't realize it until after we came home, but Galley Bay was one of the resorts where they filmed the Finale of Desiree's Bachelorette season.  Neato!
Even after staring at it all week, we still can't get over how beautiful the water is
Instantly our favorite member of the staff: the lady who brings homemade popsicles to you out on the beach! #hotdoglegs #guavapassionfruit

We did have a few heavy showers a couple of the days, but they were gone the next minute and it was always a balmy 80+ degrees

Life is tough when you are honeymooning ;)

Meg completely content on the balcony


Gregg making friends with a fellow photographer during the sunset... :P




Where we enjoyed many dinners throughout the week, Gaugin Restaurant.  Each palapa is its own private table.


Good morning, Antigua


Our lizard friend. He and his buddies loved to hang under the stairs to our suite.

Before our dinner at Sea Grape, the main restaurant for the resort

Poppin' bottle(s)

Nearly everyday a cruise ship or two would come in to St. Johns, the capital city, in the morning and depart in the evening


Enjoying a Cuban stogie with a view
The birds were quick to spot an unattended beverage or snack
Before our dinner at Ismay's, the resort's premier restaurant with a great inspiration
Another beautiful sunset...
...and beautiful lady
Gregg dragged Meg off the beach for some lunchtime munchies at the Barefoot Grill
View from the Grill
Our go-to spot for drinks, the TeePee Bar

This was our breakfast view every morning at the Sea Grape

Soaking up more sunshine.  And a Banana Slide :)
GROWWWW, GROWWWW


We had a perfect week, exactly what we had hoped for when we started planning our Honeymoon over a year ago.  And although we were so sad to leave, we were glad that Spring had finally started to show itself back home.  One final look at the gorgeous water after takeoff. Until next time, Antigua! We LOVE you <3


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Transit Museum

Gregg got back on a Sunday morning after a night of call and was in need of a big delicious breakfast so we went to brunch at Hunters, one of our favorite spots, in our neighborhood.  It was a beautiful sunny, blue-sky day but the stubborn temperature hovered near freezing.  Regardless of the cold, we wanted to enjoy the sun so we started walking around. Soon we ended up in front of the Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn, something we had been meaning to do but hadn't gotten around to so we decided to drop in.  The entrance looks like an actual subway station in the middle of downtown because for a decade between the 30-40s it actually was a station, then was converted in the 70s to the museum.  The station itself was kept in original working order and has been used for films, such as Taking Pelham 123.  More info about the old Court St. Station.

Entrance to the Museum

Show me the money!

Some transit-inspired photography highlights the disparity of the seasons


The tracks were filled with subway cars of different eras that you could walk through complete with contemporary banner ads
Wicker seats in this one


Gregg blowing up dynamite


View the workers would see when they were building the Subway

Gregg walking through the clunky old turnstile

The evolution of turnstiles

Captain Gregg




We ended our day with some lunch at Hill Country BBQ before we headed home to thaw out.  Lucky for us, Sunday's from 12-4 are Fam Jam where there is live music and a horde of sugar-infused kids dancing around :P