February 21, 2008
In the Mayor’s Bedroom, Great Fitting Jeans, Donate your old cell
phones, gift cards, and opting out of all those catalogs
The Three Tomatoes were indeed in the
mayor’s bedroom on Valentines Day, and in the bathroom too. And we might add, so were 34 other tomatoes who joined us for a
tea and tour of Gracie Mansion, some of whom came as far away as Falls Church, Virginia and Montauk, Long Island. If you
didn’t get to join us, we’ll tell you what else you missed. And we also want to let you know about the best
fitting pair of jeans we bought online, donating your old cell phones, exchanging gift cards, and saving a few trees by opting out of catalogs you
don’t want. And check our sidebar for our next book selection for The Three Tomatoes Book Club. But first, Gracie
Mansion.
The Mayor’s Bedroom and more…
Of course, our current Mayor doesn’t actually sleep there, but we did get to
see the bedroom where other Mayors have slept and the master bathroom, along with almost every other room of the beautifully restored Gracie Mansion. And what
better way to spend a couple of hours on Valentines Day afternoon than sipping tea, eating just-baked scones, chatting with other tomatoes and
getting a tour of the beautiful rooms of Gracie Mansion. (Check out our photos of The Three Tomatoes and the bunch at Gracie.)
As we mentioned in a previous newsletter, after a major restoration in 2002, Mayor
Bloomberg opened the house to the public for the first time ever. Although interestingly, Mayor Giuliani who did live there, once
argued before a New York State Supreme Court judge to rule the downstairs rooms “public” so that he could bring his then
girlfriend Judith Nathan into the public rooms, while his estranged wife and children lived in the “private upstairs”
rooms. The Judge ruled at the time, that all the rooms were private. But now the public can tour on Wednesdays
and groups can arrange teas. And while our current Mayor doesn’t live there, Gracie Mansion is frequently used for City
functions, fundraisers, and visiting dignitaries some whom do stay overnight.
Tea was served in a beautiful downstairs meeting room that is painted a cheerful and
sernene shade of baby blue, with fabulous white moldings, fire place, and floor to ceiling windows. The elegant tea included a
lovely blend called Gracie Tea, delicate little finger sandwiches and the best scones we’ve ever eaten (not the usual hockey pucks) that were
freshly baked in the kitchen, which is the only room we didn’t get to tour. We then split into two groups for our room by
room tour.
The first thing that strikes you are the fabulously rich colors of each
room. For example, the dining room is painted royal blue which really makes the exquisite white moldings stand out. Many of
the furnishings are original to the home, or to the time period, and of course the location on the East River is just beautiful.
And the Mayor’s bathroom is spectacular! Our photos sadly do not include the Mayor’s bed or bath because we
were politely told we weren’t supposed to be taking any pictures. But here are the contraband photos we did take before we were aware of the
“rules”. For information on tour times and reservations, contact Gracie Mansion.
Fabulous fitting jeans
Finding the perfect fit jeans can often be more frustrating than trying to hail a
cab in the rain. So when we heard about the online web site, TrueJeans, that
promises to help you find the perfect pair, we were skeptical; but we had a $50 gift certificate so we figured why not. Although, be warned,
these are all designer jeans and most are well over $100 a pair. Here’s how it works. You enter in all those gross
details like your weight and height. And outside of our doctor’s office, TrueJeans is now the only place that has this info, so let’s hope they’re never hacked). And
then they ask for specific measurements (like waists, hips, thighs) and tell you exactly how to take those measurements. Then
based on the type of jean style you like (we prefer the ones that actually come up to our waists), and the type of fit you like, up pops a few
choices of designer jeans, styles, and suggested size based on your profile and that particular designer. We chose a pair of jeans
by Christopher Blue, and less than a week later they arrived. We adore them! They fit beautifully, have a
little bit of stretch in the booty so they’re comfy, the length is perfect, and they’re a wonderful soft denim. We
could live in them.
How to donate Old Cell Phones and Gift Cards You Haven’t
Used
Right now we have about three cell phones, an old Blackerry, and assorted
power cords (because they never fit any other device, of course) stored in the bottom of a drawer because we’ve felt too guilty to throw
them out. So we felt a burden had been lifted when we found out about 911Cell Bank, a non-profit group that was formed in 2004 to provide an ongoing and readily
available source of 911 emergency cell phones for the elderly, victims of domestic abuse, and others in need. So go to their web site now and find out how easy it is to send in your old
phones. And they even have drop off locations around the country too. In fact there are two locations in
Manhattan. What a great idea.
Now about those gift cards, which have become ubiquitous since they are now
sold almost everywhere, including your local grocery store. So if you received one of those “last minute”
gifts cards this past holiday season to some store or restaurant whose threshold you’d never dream of crossing (unless you were
incognito), you can go to Swap a Gift
and exchange your card for one you like. You can also sell your card, anywhere from 60 to 70% of its value, or just go there
to buy cards below their value. And, if you’re fundraising for a group, you can collect all those unused cards and
send them into Swap a Gift for a donation to your group.
We love it.
Save some trees today
Not to mention your mail man’s back. If
you’re on every catalog list in the universe, now you can go to CatalogChoice, register, and then find the catalogs you don’t ever want to see again, and they take
care of the rest. Catalog Choice is a non-profit sponsored project of the Ecology Center. It is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources
Defense Council. So simplify your life and save a few resources too.
Well that’s it for this week. Here’s to New York
City’s treasures, jeans that make your butt look good, and getting rid of clutter for a good cause or two.
‘til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
Copyright©2008. The Three Tomatoes. All rights
reserved.
