A Walk through the Tudors

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Walking around New York provided great scenery and discovery moments on it’s own. We were walking around with a friend and he wanted to show us his job site. He is an engineer in Manhattan and has worked on many building projects. Near his job site was a pretty and very quite neighborhood called “Tudor City”.

It is a very quite neighborhood with plenty of small parks around to enjoy. We saw people sitting in them reading and have conversations with family and friends. 

Some of the views weren’t “too bad” either. Just look at this view…. wow….

We saw this before seeing the United Nations Headquarters building. Very interesting….
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks, Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.”

~Isaiah 

It was a nice walk and the United Nations building was very beautiful. I really enjoyed walking through this neighborhood and told my husband that if we could afford it we would definitely have a place there. 

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

My Lunch at Laduree in New York ~ 2017

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Going to New York is always a big adventure. I know for us we have to make sure that we plan our trip right in order to get the most out of each day. I was so excited to find out that a second location for Laduree had opened in New York. I went to the Madison Avenue location back in 2014, see here if you missed it and it was wonderful.

But then I learned that this location was much bigger and offered lunch. So on our first day in the big apple we parked our car and took a nice little walk to Laduree in Soho.

We walked through Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. 
It was crowded but a beautiful day. 

Seeing the pretty green building….. sighing….

Look at all the delectable treats!

The pretty little french tables and chairs!

Walking into the dinning room




You could also dine outside if you please.

But I wanted to be inside with all the decor….

Gorgeous menus

Homemade style lemonade for me

I could not stop looking around!

I ordered the veggie burgers with fries. Now these were not veggie meat patties.
No, these were mini sandwiches with roasted veggies on the inside and they
were delish!




My stepson ordered the chicken ceasar salad. 
The dinnerware was so becoming and I had to ask if you could purchase any of it.
They said no, none of the dinnerware was for sale. 
Sad face….



They offered different kinds of french bread.



I felt like a kid. A happy kid!
Once lunch was over and we were leaving I took more photos of the other rooms.

The leopard carpet was so fetching and the blue velvet furniture was very glamorous. 

We went out front to the bakery and decided to pick up some macaroons. 
So many different flavors to choose from. They had cherry blossom, rose, raspberry,
chocolate, lemon, mint, etc. 

Pretty bags and totes to purchase.
We ended up with 24 and we tried to contain ourselves and not eat them all at
once. But they tasted just like the flavors that they were named. 

It was such a wonderful experience. I wish we would get a location here but I just can’t see that in Indiana unfortunately. Oh well, all the more reason to travel, right?
Oh, and my husband did talk one of the guys into giving me a large Laduree bag. 
I love it! Isn’t it great?
We had a wonderful lunch and it was a great visit! I hope to see it again soon. 



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


Dreams at the National Gallery of Art

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Once we finished at the Library of Congress we took a 30 minute walk to the National Gallery of Art.

And I have to say….. it was gorgeous!

The high ceilings….

Oh my….




The large fountain was radiant….

It felt like we were walking in a modern castle.
The floors were just as exquisite as the paintings.

Nicolas Lancret
French (1690-1743)

Portrait of a Young Woman in White
oil on canvas 1798
Circle of Jacques-Louis David
Claude Monet

My favorite
Vincent Van Gogh
“Roses”





“La Mousme”
1888
Vincent Van Gogh




Walking around and seeing all the indoor fountains also made you feel 
like you were in a secret garden.





Another favorite of mine….

Marie Victoire Lemoine
1785
“Portrait of a Youth in an Embroidered Vest”

This young man’s identity has yet to be determined, but his elegant attire- an exquisite satin coat and elaborately embroidered vest- attest his connection to a noble family…..  (info from the museum)





Joseph Ducreux
“Le Discret”

1791

“Everyone was eager to come to my evening parties, which were sometimes so crowded that marshals of France sat on the floor for want of chairs.”
Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Memoirs, 1835





Francois Boucher
“Fountain of Venus”
1756

Love all the paint color selections, truly enchanting…..

“Shaw Memorial”
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
1900, patinated plaster




“Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth”
1890
Martin Johnson Heade

“The White Girl (Symphony in White, No. 1)”
1862
James McNeil Whistler 


“Niagara”
1857
Frederic Edwin Church

I looks like the water is moving. Simply alluring….
Just room after room of beautiful things

Oh gosh, I think I love this paint color!

“The Voyage of Life: Youth”
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
1971.16.2









Me looking around….


After looking at as much of the art gallery that we could we decided to head out and have dinner. We ended up at Carmines restaurant. I loved all the vintage furniture and chandeliers. 

All of the dishes were family size so if gave you a reason to pass plates around. It was delicious and we certainly enjoyed the atmosphere. My family and I really enjoyed our time here in Washington, D.C. and hope to return very soon.
The next places that we want to visit but didn’t get a chance to was the National Archives, the Jefferson Monument, and honestly we will probably just do a repeat of some things we just did. I would love to sit down at the Library of Congress and spend an extra hour at the National Gallery of Art. 

I also hope that we can go during the cherry blossom season. Now wouldn’t that be lovely?
(all photos via Mrs. Shockley)







The Beauty of Thomas Jefferson’s Books

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Another aspect of the Library of Congress that I enjoyed was Thomas Jefferson’s Library. 






“I cannot live without books”.
Thomas Jefferson, June 10, 1815
A little history about the collection:
Throughout his life, books were vital to Thomas Jefferson’s education and well-being. When his family home Shadwell burned in 1770 Jefferson most lamented the loss of his books. In the midst of the American Revolution and while United States minister to France in the 1780s, Jefferson acquired thousands of books for his library at Monticello. Jefferson’s library went through several stages, but it was always critically important to him. Books provided the little traveled Jefferson with a broader knowledge of the contemporary and ancient worlds than most contemporaries of broader personal experience. By 1814 when the British burned the nation’s Capitol and the Library of Congress, Jefferson had acquired the largest personal collection of books in the United States. Jefferson offered to sell his library to Congress as a replacement for the collection destroyed by the British during the War of 1812. Congress purchased Jefferson’s library for $23,950 in 1815. A second fire on Christmas Eve of 1851, destroyed nearly two thirds of the 6,487 volumes Congress had purchased from Jefferson.
Through a generous grant from Jerry and Gene Jones, the Library of Congress is attempting to reassemble Jefferson’s library as it was sold to Congress. Although the broad scope of Jefferson’s library was a cause for criticism of the purchase, Jefferson extolled the virtue of its broad sweep and established the principle of acquisition for the Library of Congress: “there is in fact no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.” Proclaiming that “I cannot live without books,” Jefferson began a second collection of several thousand books, which was sold at auction in 1829 to help satisfy his creditors.

“Universal History”

What caught my eye in this collection was this book called, “Horrors of Slavery”.
Another interesting tidbit about this collection were the ribbons. Green ribbons, meant books that were apart of Jefferson’s original library.  The gold ribbons meant books that were recently purchased to reconstitute Jefferson’s library. No ribbon meant books that were identical to books owned by Jefferson and the box books were books that were missing from the library. The Library of Congress is continuing the search worldwide for these missing books and will be adding them to this display as they are acquired. 

His section on medicine and surgery
His section on Shakespeare

His section on music and poetry

His section on geography, Africa, Asia….
It just kept going….

A section on Botany….

His section on architecture.
It was quite remarkable seeing this collection of books from one human being. I admire it greatly. It just makes you wonder about the world we live in today. I love collections like this. It makes you reach back for the beauty of the past. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


The Beauty of the Capitol and Library of Congress

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While in D.C. I had training that I needed to attend for two days but once those two days were over I was free to explore. We stayed an extra day so that I could see a few more things. The next place that we visited was the U.S. Capitol and Library of Congress.

Me outside the Capitol
When walking up to the Capitol we found this magnificent magnolia tree! It was glorious!!

Look at how huge the blooms are!



I could not resist a photo.
Truly beautiful….



Walking around and looking at all the historical statutes. 
This is MLK’s statute a recent addition to the Capitol.


This looks much bigger in person.
I just kept looking up…

That painting is the size of a basketball court!

Vintage chandeliers all over…





All the ceilings reminded me of Chanel earrings. I am being serious!
I wonder if this is some of the inspiration….

I couldn’t get all the details of the rooms. The tour went by very quickly.




Our tour guide is standing by Rosa Park’s statute which is also a recent addition. 


After the Capitol tour we had some lunch in the downstairs cafeteria which was very nice and headed to the underground tunnel and over to the Library of Congress.





Can we say exquisite? 



I could not get enough of this. It was stunning….

I could work here….

The ceilings…

The floors….

Goodness….






“It is the mind that makes the man and our vigor is in our immortal soul”.

“Reading maketh a full man conference a ready man and writing an exact man”. 






I really did have a hard time leaving here. 




I wanted to go downstairs get a membership and start reading.


Of course, people are everywhere….



So after this beautiful tour we headed to the gift shop and looked around. I picked up some pretty cherry blossom postcards and then I found these. Beautiful blue and white tea canisters. I purchased them both and sent one to a friend. Truly beautiful. 
I have to say that the Library of Congress was one of my favorites during our visit. It was truly remarkable. 
(photos Mrs. Shockley)

Traveling to New York ~ 2017

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I am headed out this week for a family vacation to New York! The last time we went to New York was in 2014, see my blog post here about it. We really enjoy it and there is so much to see and do.




















Photo by Liubov Ilchuk on Unsplash

On the list this year is to visit the Freedom Tower Observation Deck. Although, I am afraid of heights I will not let that stop me from seeing all the beauty of New York. 




The next place I would like to visit is the new Laudree store in Soho. I visited the one on Madison Avenue, see here if you missed it. This location is bigger and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I am hoping to pop in for some dessert.



Photo by Juliana Malta on Unsplash


And of course, pick up some delicious macarons. I loved the lily of the valley flavor. I don’t know if they still have it but I am looking for to trying all the new flavors! 




I hope that we can take a walk through Central Park this year. The last time we were here we were in such a hurry to see all of the tourists’ stuff that we had to rush through. I am hoping to take our time this year. 

We have seen Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, my husband, and step-sons have been to a Yankees game. It was actually right before Derek Jeter retired. We have been to Times Square, Giants Stadium, Columbia University, and Harlem. We have seen a lot in New York. This will be our third trip! I am excited about this visit and look forward to spending time with family and friends. I will finish up my Washington, D.C. blog posts when I return. Have a great week!  

My Visit to The National Mall in Washington

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On our first day in D.C. my husband wanted to see the National Mall. After we visited the museum we walked over to the monuments. The good thing about the National Mall is that everything is close or it seems that way.

The Washington Monument 
On foot everything seems to be miles apart!! No kidding! You will definitely get your steps in when you visit. 
This monument is so huge! It took my breath away walking up to it. 
The World War II Monument
After staring at the Washington Monument and the World War II monument we decided to walk down and see the Lincoln Memorial.
I am sorry but I immediately thought of Forrest and Jenny when we walked by this. 
It was huge and crowded!!
But definitely worth seeing….
Looking out….
Wow….
And standing where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his legendary speech….
After walking all of this on foot we decided to head out and have dinner. 
Only to return tomorrow and take the night bike tour….
We visited all the same spots on the bike tour but we did not get to see this on foot which was wonderful. The MLK monument….
His quotes surrounded his monument.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. ~ MLK (1963)
The sun began to set and we came back around to the World War II monument.
Beautiful isn’t it?
We rode our bikes back to the Lincoln Memorial.
Very pretty at night….
The Capitol at night….
We finished our bike tour early and my husband asked if we could stop by the White House.
We did a quick “ride by” and I just could not stop staring. I didn’t care who was in office at that moment, I just wanted to enjoy the beauty of this building. 
Visiting the National Mall was the best experience that I have ever had. I loved being able to bring my family on this business trip with me so that they could see the sights! It was so worth it! We hardly spent any money on seeing everything. It was beautiful and I hope that we can do it again soon.
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)