My sister left yesterday and I accompanied her into NYC on the train. We parted there: she to make her connection to the train that would take her home to North Carolina; while I went on to meet fellow blogger Lettuce, who was visiting from across the pond—London. This was my second trip into the city this week as my sister and I came in to shop on Monday. Now that I am proficient at taking the train I wonder why I haven’t done it by myself before? (Kim, if you are reading I see a day in the city headed our way this summer!)

I’m sure you’ve seen Lettuce’s comments on this blog. I love her photography and her writing style. While she lives in a gorgeous brick mid-late Victorian terrace house in London, I live in a center hall Colonial house on 4 acres in rural, small-town New Jersey. She takes scads of photos of buildings and other other city related subjects, while I focus on nature and countryside. A perfect yin and yang. Plus, we share the mutual grief of us both losing our mothers last year. Tough stuff, that. She had many wonderful words of wisdom to share with me after the death of my mom.

It’s a bit strange meeting a fellow blogger. Strange in a good way, that is. You already “know” them from sharing your separate lives through blogging, so it’s not like meeting a stranger, yet you’ve never met them face-to-face before.  I am not a very out-going sort of person. I probably talk more and share more information about myself through my blog than I do on a daily basis with people I know. I am actually kind of shy. So it was a pretty big leap for me, but I did not want to miss meeting her. Who knew if the opportunity would ever present itself again?

We had arranged to meet at the Penn Station entrance at Madison Square Garden. She actually found me first even though I was looking all around. We decided to walk up to Central Park and chat along the way since she had not been there yet and might not get the opportunity to before she left. I was amazed at what she had seen and done over the two days that she’d been in the city. A food and cultural tour of Greenwich Village, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and viewing the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens,  the Empire State Building (that very morning before she met me.) After our brief visit she was meeting her friend at MOMA and taking the Circle line boat tour of the harbor in the evening. Today she met up with more fellow bloggers and more sights. All of these things I have yet to do!

The weather this week has been absolutely glorious with sunny, warm days. Not a cloud marred the skyline. Just beautiful. A perfect day for walking.

Central Park was lovely. The trees are just coming into leaf with that new “spring green” color. People were out enjoying the above-normal-temperature day. We grabbed a hot dog from a Sabrett vendor and then sat down on some rock outcroppings for a bit.

Funny, I had always thought by her blog name (Lettuce-Eating) that she was vegetarian. Not so at all! If I had read her blog entries from the beginning I would have known where the title came from (sorry, Letty!). Not because she was a vegetarian at all, but because when she started the blog she was having difficulties sleeping and therefore ate LETTUCE for the sleep promoting qualities found in tryptophan. Note: (I have always called her Letty which, of course, is not her real name. I won’t reveal her real name here, but suffice it to say I had a hard time calling her by her “real” name. How silly!)

All too soon it was time for me to head back to catch my off-peak train. We parted with a kiss and a hug. I am so glad we had the chance to meet. Now reading her blog will have so much more meaning having met her in person. I hope she has a wonderful time with the rest of her trip, meeting up with old friends and other fellow bloggers. I can’t wait to read her blog on her return and see all the fab photos she took of everything she saw. I love seeing things through other people’s eyes. It’s fascinating; as is this land of blogdom. How very wonderful.

Pshh… shy? yea right =]  I should try eating some lettuce before I go to bed. Hmm… I woulda had a bunch of questions to ask her about London… I have friends who live there myself—except I know them from Xbox. (they freak out when there’s an inch of snow!) If you’re gunna go to the city in the summer, plan lots of indoor activities. (personal experience!)
There’s so much to do in the city!!
...and plenty of Subways =0 yummy

Yes, I’m reading and yes, we should plan a date.  Make the day chock-full of great things to do.  Funny, we live here and don’t do them, people visit and do them all.  Let’s catch up!

That is so cool!  What a great experience.  I might get to meet fellow bloggers at the Wool Market in Estes in June, and will admit to being a bit apprehensive.  It’s easier to write for me than to meet and talk to people. Thanks for sharing.  And the pictures of Central Park take me back to a couple summers ago when I got to be there with my three daughters and sister.  Good times.

Have a great weekend!

For some reason I never picked up that you were shy.  I’m that same way, MUCH more vocal online.  In real life I tend to just sit back and observe.

How fun that we both got to meet special blog buddies. (although I think you get extra points as Letty came across the pond and not from around the corner)