On Thursday night John and I went to the top of the Empire State Building. It was quite an ordeal to reach the observation deck. First, we went through security, then we waited in line to get tickets, then we waited in line to go up an elevator, and then we waited in line to go up a second elevator. It felt like a cattle drive. But the view was definitely worth it.

We reached the observation deck as the sun was starting to set. Looking north, you can just barely make out Central Park (it's the greenish flat area in the middle of the picture below).

The sunset was just stunnning.

Looking south, you can see the Financial District and the tip of Manhattan. New Jersey is just to the right.

Looking southeast, you can see Brooklyn. We were able to see John's apartment from here, which was very entertaining.

This one's for you, Mom!

Then, we waited in line to get down.

$4 Entertainment in NYC

Now that we're living in the same city, John and I are learning lots of new things about each other. For instance, we've learned that I have an inexplicable fascination with New York City fruit stands. Whenever we pass by a stand, I'm sucked in.



I love the bright colors and am always amazed that fruit prices vary block by block. Coming from a suburban community on the west coast, there's something novel about being able to buy fruit whenever and where ever I want.

Another thing we've learned is that I love a good bargain. John, on the other hand, values efficiency.

My love of fruit stands and bargains created an interesting situation earlier this week. John and I were walking down the street and encountered a fruit stand. The blueberries and strawberries beckoned me. I was magnetically attracted and helpless! Before I knew what was happening, I did the unthinkable...

I bargained for fruit.

John watched in horror as I negotiated a two-for deal on blueberries and strawberries.

The fruits of my labor:

John enjoyed some tasty fruit, and I was immensely entertained by my bargaining success.

What happens when you order pineapple fried rice?

You get fried rice... in a pineapple.

Sunday and Scones

Oh, how I love Sundays! John and I had a wonderful day, despite the rainy weather. In the morning, we worshiped at Christ Church NYC. It was such a joy to meet John's friends and pastors.

After church we ate lunch at a very unique (and very hip) ethnic restaurant across the street from my apartment. The restaurant, called "Rice" boasted at least nine different types of rice and various cuisines including Thai, Indian and Vietnamese. However, the best and strangest feature of our dining experience was the scones...

Upon our arrival at the restaurant, the waiter served complimentary, piping hot cranberry-orange scones accompanied by cranberry-orange butter.

You might be surprised at the combination of scones and Asian food. We were skeptical at first...



But the scones were soooo tasty!

We overdosed on scones and barely had room for lunch. We're definitely coming back to this place.

After lunch we ran a few errands and then went to evening service at St. Paul's church, a new church plant. The evening ended with a torrential downpour.

Engagement Pictures

My mom took some photos of John and me in my parents' yard. Here are a few.











After the photo shoot, we took a jetski ride to celebrate!

Engagement!

This post is a bit belated, but things have been pretty busy lately. On June 12, while on a hike at Mount Rainier, John proposed to me. It was a great surprise and a wonderful memory. On the way to the mountain, we stopped for a quick photo.


Even in mid-June, the entire trail was covered in snow.

After we had hiked for fifteen minutes or so, John made his first attempt at getting down on one knee. It failed miserably.

Just kidding. John just fell in a hole. It was nice of him to let me take this picture.





After some more photos along the way, we arrived at a small peak to take a rest. We were looking at the scenery, and when I turned around, John was down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I was wonderfully suprised! And I said "Yes."

Here's our first photo as an engaged couple.

Don't we look happy? Then we had to hike down.

The scenery was amazing. We watched a cloud descend upon us.

Eventually, the cloud completely enveloped us.

Thankfully, we made it safely back to the trail head.

NYC Economics

Since arriving in NYC two days ago, I've been paralyzed by sticker shock. I knew things would be expensive here, but I never imagined a box of cereal would cost $6.75. But, some things are cheaper in New York. For instance, manicures and eyebrow waxing. There is a vast supply of small beauty shops in NYC. A manicure here will cost you only $7. Back home I would pay $12.

Kinda fun!

I noticed an interesting diseconomy of scale at the grocery store today. I needed dish soap. A small bottle of dish soap was $2.99. Being a bargain hunter, I automatically gravitated towards the largest bottle I could find. To my surprise, the larger bottle of dish soap was actually more expensive per ounce! I'm not sure what's driving the diseconomy- perhaps low demand for large bottles of dish soap. Maybe the costs of disposing of a large bottle of dish soap run up the price...what do you think?