Travel - Brooklyn & Manhattan

In May, I hopped on a plane to visit my oldest daughter in New York. We enjoyed a beautiful mom/daughter weekend; visiting museums, parks and a very special tea in an iconic hotel!

together again!

Hannah met me at LaGuardia, after a short, two-hour direct flight from Chattanooga. Bless her, she took two trains and a bus to retrieve me.

dinner time!

After dropping my suitcase at Hannah’s apartment, we walked to this fun, casual pizza place for a scrumptious dinner.

two beauties,

one pic

Hannah really knows where to go for yummy food! Bacon and basil had me from the start for my order. Hannah went for a pie with a full garden on top. Both were delicious and we did take some home with us.

go here

I would definitely go back to Wheated! We walked right in on a Friday night and lucked out with a tiny table for two. It was packed so we felt lucky.

Day One

Hannah made a delicious breakfast for us in her apartment the morning of our first full day together. We put on our “dressy” outfits, slipped on our walking shoes, added our heels to a tote bag for later and made our way to the subway.

the detail!

While walking to our destination, this ornate building stopped me in my tracks. The detailed carvings on this unidentified structure was breathtaking.

The Plaza Hotel

I do love a mosaic

We stepped onto this gorgeous floor of the Plaza Hotel for an afternoon tea! Hannah treated me to a Mother’s Day gift at this iconic landmark.

reflection

Before going into the Palm Court for tea, we snapped this pic in one of the many ornate mirrors in a hallway.

Palm Court

The elaborate room was filled with palms and cherry blossoms for the springtime season.

I loved the color of this menu. Our waitress was so friendly and welcoming.

lovely view

This was our view from our pretty velvet banquet. If you look closely, you can see us in the mirrored door.

pretty in pink

The domed, stained glass ceiling was lit up in pink for spring and mother’s day!

tea for two

We enjoyed the beautiful and delicious Central Park Tea. I had the Plaza Signature Blend hot tea.

We enjoyed warm scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam, finger sandwiches and petite treats paired perfectly with hot tea.

After our delectable tea, we changed back into our comfy shoes for our walk to Central Park.

These gorgeous flowers were fresh orchids and cherry blossom branches.

The interior architecture was exquisite. I loved this clock you see as you leave the Palm Court.

What a special, memorable, scrumptious experience…having tea with my daughter in such an iconic place. I will treasure our time there, always.

The hotel opened its doors in 1907 at a cost of $12.5 million in today’s dollars. It has been the backdrop of movies, such as “Home Alone 2” and “Plaza Suite”. It’s known as the home of children’s book character, “Eloise”. U.S. Presidents, Beatles, Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra have stayed at the Plaza. The Plaza is designated as a New York City landmark and a National Historic landmark.

Plaza forecast

It was, indeed, fair weather that day. Sunny skies and temps in the 70’s…perfect.

Central Park

from Plaza to Park flowers

We walked to Central Park after our tea. These lovely lilac tulips caught my eye.

Sir Walter Scott

This bronze sculpture is located in the Literary Walk section of Central Park. It was placed here in honor of Scott’s 100th anniversary of his birth in 1872. Prominent Scottish-Americans and residents funded the monument as a cultural tribute. Scott is seen here with a book, pen and his dog, Maida.

Robert Burns

Sitting across the way from his fellow Scottsman, poet Robert Burns looks up to the sky, holding a quill. This bronze statue, placed in 1880, was also funded by Scottish-Americans to pay tribute to this iconic Scottish poet. Did you know he wrote “Auld Lang Syne”? Without him, what would we sing on New Year’s Eve?!

Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony & Lady Stanton

This bronze monument shows women’s rights pioneers and was unveiled in 2020 to mark the 19th Amendment’s centennial. It is the very first statue in Central Park to show real women, as activists at work…Truth speaking, Anthony organizing and Stanton writing. It is also located along the Literary Walk, celebrating their roles in the suffrage and abolitionist movements. This impressive monument was sculpted by a woman, Meredith Bergmann.

Bethesda Arcade

I fell in love with this spot. This stunning place is the lower-level passage connecting the promenade to the lakeside terrace and fountain. The ceiling has almost 16,000 Minton (made in Stoke-On-Trent, England) encaustic tiles and is the only place in the world where the Victorian tiles are on a ceiling rather than a floor. My favorite part are the stone walls with fresco paintings and relief carvings, especially this green one. Because of its good acoustics, many singers and musicians perform here.

sweetest surprise

As Hannah and I were walking out of the arcade, she said she had another surprise for me for Mother’s Day. Her friend, Hannah, was set up across from the fountain, writing original poems for people. She typed up the most precious poem for us! I’ll keep it just between my sweet daughter and I but let’s just say, we both got a little teary-eyed reading her special poem, especially for us.

Bethesda Fountain

Although I’d been here before, it was on a cold, Christmas Day a few years ago. I was surprised to see a dry fountain and pool. I found out later that this beautiful fountain will undergo a year-long, $37 million-dollar renovation beginning in August. Old pumps will be replaced, water leaks fixed and the angel statue restored. Here’s what I didn’t know about this amazing, iconic sculpture….

It commemorates the 1842 opening of the Croton Aqueduct. It brought clean, fresh drinking water to the city after deadly cholera outbreaks. It was designed by Emma Stebbins, the first woman to receive a public art commission for a major work in NYC. It was unveiled in 1873 and features the Angel of the Waters statue. The angel is inspired by the Bible story in the book of John about the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. According to the story, an angel blessed the water and gave it healing powers. Stebbins compared that healing to the pure water brought to NY by the aqueduct. Stebbins’ younger brother died from cholera in NY before the clean, healthy water arrived. The lily in the angel’s hand represents the purity of water and the four cherubs signify health, purity, temperance and peace (with peace celebrating the end of the Civil War). The landmark and gathering place symbolizes recovery, health and the LGBTQ history tied to Stebbins’ life and legacy.

Central Park Lake

We walked along the pathways next to the lake, watching people row boats on the water. We thought about renting our own boat, but we were rather dressed up after our fancy tea and it was pretty hot in the sunshine. Another time for sure.

Central Park Boathouse

Ever since seeing “When Harry Met Sally” and the scene where Meg Ryan and her friends are eating lunch outside at the Boathouse, I’ve always wanted to go to this place. We were going to have a rest and grab a drink outside, but it was extremely crowded that afternoon and would have been a long wait for a table. It was so good to see the iconic place in person, though.

anchors away

I loved the wrought iron gates with these anchors at the top outside the restaurant. They made me think of David.

bluebells

I loved seeing these late spring bluebells in the park!

peek

I’ve always wanted to walk across this beautiful bridge in Central Park. The graceful Bow Bridge, arches across the lake. I snapped this shot through this flower-shaped opening looking out to the water.

This cast-iron beauty was built between 1859 and 1862. It is the park’s oldest cast-iron bridge and the 2nd oldest in the U.S. The shape of the bridge looks like an archer’s bow. The pedestrian bridge features Gothic, Neo-Classical and Renaissance details. It’s been featured in movies, such as “When Harry Met Sally” and “Enchanted”.

After we walked across the bridge, we strolled along the shady pathways along the lake. It truly is a peaceful oasis in the middle of the city.

forever

We walked through this bittersweet area of the park.

…”imagine all the people livin’ life in peace…”

Hannah says people place flowers regularly on this meaningful mosiac memorial to John Lennon.

The Dakota

This Upper West Side apartment building was the residence of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from 1973 to 1980. Lennon was tragically assassinated outside its entrance. I was in 7th grade when I heard about his death. It was a very sad day and everyone was talking about it at school. I wasn’t a Beatles fan yet but would be later down the road and forevermore. Later I realized the significance of his life and horrible end to his earthly life. He was only40-years-old. I have to say, when Hannah pointed the building out to me, a quiet wave of sadness came over me. It’s different when you see an actual place where someone so brilliant lived and died. The gunman was a jealous, obsessed fan, seeking notoriety for himself. He remains in prison.

The building was built for Singer sewing machine tycoon, Edward Cabot Clark and was completed in 1884. The exclusive residence is a National Historic Landmark and has been the home of Leonard Bernstein, Lauren Bacall and Judy Garland.

needle point heaven

We made our way from Central Park up to Chelsea to run an errand for a friend of mine. She is hooked on needlepoint and this place is the ultimate paradise. Penny Linn is a gorgeous shop, just to explore. The staff were very helpful as we searched for the pieces my friend wanted to purchase.

subway mosaic obsession

I LOVE some of the mosaic signs in the subway stations and this one caught my eye because of the colors. After a full, fun day in Manhattan, we were ready to return to Brooklyn for a bite to eat.

please notice the colors

So, I didn’t even realize this until writing this article but how in the world do these colors match up, so far apart geographically, yet on the same day?! Subway mosaics and an outdoor umbrella. Wow. Anywho, Hannah took us to this cozy Brooklyn restaurant for dinner.

beautiful Hannah

She ordered the refreshing aperol spritz and I had a glass of rose’. It sure felt good to be off our feet and enjoy a cold drink.

delicious

The focaccia and pasta were perfect! I had the beet tortellini with spring peas and I ate every bite. Their menu changes, seasonally. Give me homemade, hot bread, a real candle fresh flowers and scrumptious food, along with delightful company and I’m a happy woman.

proof of happiness

This Clinton Hill Italian gem was lovely. The service, atmosphere and food were wonderful!

hi, Seb!

After dinner, we made our way back to Hannah’s apartment, where we chilled with my grand cats. This is Sebastian.

hello, Tybs!

This is Tybalt. We relaxed the rest of the evening and hit the hay to get a good night’s sleep before day two.

Day Two

Tompkins Square Bagels

Day Two began in Manhattan for a delicious breakfast. My very first NY bagel!

There was quite a queue but they were very efficient with order-taking so the line went fairly quickly. So many kinds of bagels and cream cheeses!

I went for the hearty bacon, egg and cheese, cinnamon raisin bagel and my favorite bottled tea, moroccan mint green tea. The bagel was generous and scrumptious!

Hannah chose a scooped bagel with vegan cream cheese. We both had an iconic black and white cookie for dessert. It was very crowded but we snagged a perfect spot for two in their outdoor seating area.

more of this

Loved the good vibes here.

After breakfast, we headed out toward the Frick Collection. I have a thing for stone carvings on buildings and spotted this gorgeous one on the way to the museum.

The Frick Collection

It was a museum day and we loved visiting this Gilded Age former mansion. This 5th Avenue home was built in 1914 for industrialist, Henry Clay Frick. It became a museum for the public in 1935, after the deaths of Frick and his wife.

Decades later, after an extensive renovation, the museum re-opened in 2025. For the first time ever, the second floor private residence was opened to visitors.

The museum’s lovely garden was still in bloom with tulips and pansies.

Garden Court

The indoor courtyard was such a peaceful, cool area to sit and rest our feet under the glass ceiling, beside the fountain and ferns.

The courtyard was the only area where photography was allowed. Once we entered the inner gallery and second-floor, photos were prohibited.

The stone and wood carvings were stunning everywhere you looked.

Can’t remember who this was but he was one of hundreds throughout the museum.

Gainsborough Portraiture

This special art exhibit was on view when were toured the museum. It was interesting to see how an artist presented different eras of fashion and how the people of that time wore it.

The Frick’s core collection features European paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts from the 14th through the 19th century. It includes works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Bellini and Fragonard.

The Frick Collection also serves as a research library for art historians and venue for concerts and events.

We enjoyed walking through this Upper East Side, historical museum, taking in a glimpse of an architectural era gone by and seeing glorious masterpieces.

the promised land

One of the best parts of a trip, is when you unexpectedly stumble upon one of your favorite places in the world. This was one of those times.

Laduree

This was unplanned, as we walked from the Frick to our next destination. Stopped me in my tracks and of course, had to go in and choose some heavenly macarons. This is special to me because when the four of us went to Paris 11 years ago, we tried this slice of heaven for the first time. It was a tiny location on a side street. We also visited their flagship store on the Champs-Elysees. We liked the tiny, quaint shop better. At this Manhattan store, I chose the rose, my favorite, and a pistachio.

Ralph Lauren

Around the corner from Laduree, stood the Ralph Lauren women’s store. We popped in for a quick browse. We were going to grab a coffee at their Ralph’s shop, but the line outside was very long so we walked on.

This “new” build was commissioned by Ralph Lauren in 2010. This 22,000- square- foot limestone building was designed to compliment the men’s store across the street. It is gorgeous inside and out.

The original men’s Polo flagship is such a gorgeous, majestic building. The mansion was built for heiress Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo from 1894-1898. She never actually lived in the French Renaissance Revival mansion! Unbelievable. It was vacant for decades. In 1920, it housed various tenants and shops and was designated an historical landmark in 1976. Ten years later, Ralph Lauren bought it and had it renovated, restoring the limestone, slate roof and woodwork. Two years later, it opened as the men’s flagship store. It is stunningly beautiful.

Grand Central Station

This stop was another unexpected treat! I love this building. We walked by it and Hannah could tell I wanted to walk through it. I love looking up at those stunning chandeliers.

The color of the ceiling is just dreamy and I love the constellations in the “sky”.

The terminal opened to the public in 1913. 150,000 people were present at the opening celebration. By 1930, it was the busiest train station in America. It has seen historic landmark designations, lawsuits, crumbling deterioration, renovations and restorations and finally, expansion of the train lines. Thanks, to people who cared about the preservation of this beauty, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis, it remains one of most famous, loved landmarks of the city.

New York Public Library

This was on my list of places to see on this trip and man, was it a stunningly beautiful surprise! This building is absolutely gorgeous!

The two stone lions are named Patience and Fortitude. They were named by Mayor LaGuardia during the Great Depression.

I had no idea of the scale of this landmark. It is truly impressive!

The library as we know it today, was actually the consolidation of the Astor Library, Lenox Library and Tilden Trust. It was founded in 1895, dedicated by President Taft in 1911 and welcomed over 50,000 people on the first day.

This main library has tens of millions of items including a Gutenberg Bible and an original copy of the Bill of Rights.

My jaw remained dropped as we entered the library. The chandeliers, light fixtures and carvings were breathtaking.

I did not expect to see painted murals on the ceilings!

Not pictured here, but when we walked outside the library, there was a giant children’s chess match competition going on right outside! I’ve never seen so many chess boards in one place in my life. I loved it!

Bryant Park

After leaving the library, we were ready for a sit-down and a coffee. We perched in lovely Bryant Park on a perfect May afternoon.

Blue Bottle coffee hit the spot!

A little friend joined us for a moment.

Bryant Park is so pretty, with a colorful carousel and plenty of seating around a green space with some shade trees.

How beautiful is this lamp post?! This is one thing I truly love about NYC…the old, historical, absolutely glorious architecture. The fact that artisans created such gorgeous works of art for some of the most common items is amazing to me.

The Morgan Library

Our next destination was the Morgan Library. This is one of the ceilings as you enter the museum. It was built for wealthy financier J. P. Morgan. The building was constructed between 1902-1906 to house Morgan’s growing rare book collection.

Morgan

After his death, the library was opened to the public in 1924.

Belle da Costa Greene

She is the reason I wanted to visit this library and museum. I read “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray long before I had the privilege of touring this historic library.

Greene successfully managed and developed the personal library of Morgan. She ran the library for 43 years! She built one of the most important rare book collections and manuscripts in America but also transformed the private institution into a public one. There is so much more to her story, so I won’t give away a fascinating part of her life. I urge you to read the book and then visit this remarkable library.

The Vault

This small room houses thousands of rare items, including one of the world’s few surviving Gutenberg Bibles.

The West Room

This dark, moody, masculine room is Morgan’s original private study. This fireplace is massive! The room holds many historic art objects.

The red damask walls, heavy draperies and paintings of Morgan lend to the atmosphere of wealth and power in this room.

look up

The heavy, carved ceiling was stunning.

Madonna and Child with Cherubim

This 15th century marble relief was carved by Antonio Rossellino in the 1460’s. Morgan purchased this masterpiece in 1913 before he died that year.

This rotunda ceiling is a masterpiece of paintings, mosaics, and stucco reliefs.

“Glory and honor to God alone” - Latin phrase

The rotunda is full of light and stunning artistry in marble, mosaics and paintings.

The rotunda is modeled after Raphael’s work in the Vatican and Villa Madama. The ceiling and dome paintings reflect religion, art, science and philosophy.

This is a close-up of one of the walls in the rotunda. These individual mosaics are tiny!

and then…

Walking into the East Room library is jaw-dropping. The grand fireplace sits below a 16th-century tapestry, once owned by King Henry the VIII. The “Triumph of Avarice” work is from a series on the seven deadly sins and depicts King Midas. On the day we visited, this particular tapestry was a replica of the original. The original was removed in August of 2025 for extensive conservation at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The original tapestry is made of wool, silk and metallic threads. It is set to return to the library in late 2026 or early 2027.

The marble mantel’s carvings are in the renaissance style.

I’ve never seen so many books in one space before in my life. The three-story walnut bookcases hold between 10,000-11,000 rare books and volumes. Morgan’s original collection features early Bibles, first editions of Copernicus and Galileo and classic American and French literature. As large as this collection is, more of his original books are held in vaults elsewhere in the library.

Her “library”

This room is what I wanted to see most of all. This amazing woman’s office is much smaller but just as beautiful as Morgan’s library.

Greene managed and developed the personal library of Morgan. After he died in 1913, she remained the librarian for his son, Jack. In 1924, she was named the first director of the Morgan Library. She was born in 1879 and passed away in 1950.

This bust of Greene is in her personal north office of the museum. She was truly a trailblazer for women. I won’t give away her extraordinary specialness. Please read The Personal Librarian to discover the fullness of who she was. She traveled the world, seeking and obtaining rare books and artifacts for the library. Greene was an independent, intelligent, well-educated, bold, brave woman who, along with the rare books she obtained, was beautifully rare herself in an age dominated by men.

Jane “Jesse” Norton Grew Morgan

I loved this beautiful oil painting of J.P. Morgan Jr.’s wife, Jane. John Singer Sargent created this gorgeous likeness in 1906 in London, where the Morgans lived for a period of time. She sat for him 13 times before it was completed. It is one of the last oil paintings Sargent painted before moving to portrait charcoal drawings. “Jesse” helped manage the family’s art and library collections. She was born in 1868 and died in 1925 at the age of 56. She was a wealthy socialite, art collector and horticulturalist. She married Morgan in 1890. She entertained royalty in New York and London.

Anne Tracy Morgan

This wonderful bust of J.P. Morgan’s youngest daughter was sculpted by Malvina Hoffman in 1937. Anne was a champion of women’s rights and the suffrage movement in NYC. She used her family’s wealth to organize huge humanitarian relief efforts in France during WW1 and WW11. She led 350 women volunteers near the front lines to rebuild farms, villages and provide medical care in 1917. She returned to France during WW11 to help refugees. Anne became the first American woman to be named Commander of the French Legion of Honor. She helped found the first women’s social club in NYC, the Colony Club. She was born in 1873 and died in 1952 at the age of 78. She never married but lived closely with her companion and friends in NYC.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

We were fortunate to experience the amazing Mozart exhibit in the Morgan Library. Apparently, it was an unprecedented collaboration between the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg and the Morgan. For the first time, objects such as famous portraits, letters, personal items of Mozart and his family and music manuscripts and first editions of symphonies, piano concertos and operas crossed the Atlantic to reside in the museum from March through May. This Lorenzoni oil painting is of Mozart dressed in courtly clothing in Salzburg, 1763. He was seven-years-old.

clavichord

This was Mozart’s clavichord. Yep. Amazing. I believe it was portable, which he could take with him on his travels. I’d never heard of this kind of instrument. I thought it was some kind of piano forte. It was beautiful! The keys! There was an ink stain on the top of it from where Mozart penned some of his compositions. Incredible. The exhibit also featured one of his violins.

exterior grandeur

After touring the interior of the museum, we ventured outside to enjoy the majestic beauty of the building and garden. The entrance has Doric pilasters and Ionic columns. The library was built between 1902-1904.

Tennessee connection

Guess what? Tennessee pink limestone was used to build this neoclassical American Renaissance library. Dry-laid stone blocks were fitted together using thin lead sheets instead of mortar, an Ancient Greek method of building. In 2022, the building’s $13 million restoration was complete. All of the marble needed to be cleaned and the metalwork and roof repaired.

Roman sarcophagus

This carved stone coffin was a part of Morgan’s collection, not previously shown in public.

they came a long way

These pebble work pavements came from the Ionian Sea! The renovation of the garden also includes flower beds and green space.

porch

This stunning porch was part of the six-year renovation to the building’s exterior and 5,000 square-foot garden. The garden had never been open to the public before 2022 and really wasn’t fully realized until then. The exterior of the original structure had not been renovated since it’s completion in 1906. This is the original entrance to the library. The lantern hanging from the loggia was cleaned and restored, as were the giant mahogany and bronze doors. There are two Tennessee marble (limestone) lionesses on either side of the steps. Designer Edward Clark Potter spent time at the Bronx Zoo, sketching the lions there for inspiration. An Italian immigrant, John Grignola, carved the pair of beauties.

As lions are one of my favorite animals, I LOVED these ladies! And to know they are made of Tennessee marble and a gifted immigrant carved them, makes them all the more special.

The walnut and mahogany 9.5-foot-tall doors feature bronze panels depicting the life of Christ.

The niches on the porch feature marble statues which were added in 1909.

Beautiful, detailed stone carvings cover the porch ceiling.

scale

I’m 5’3” so….gives you an idea of the size of these doors!

Still sporting our museum admission stickers, Hannah and I loved our visit to this incredible library and museum! It made Belle da Costa Greene come alive and made me appreciate her even more.

Always on the lookout for cool subway art. This eagle was at the tippy top of a wall down in the subway station. I will always associate the number “33” with Jesus, as this is the age he lived to before his crucification and resurrection. I took it as a “God wink”.

Met Life Tower

This one caught my eye as we ventured into the Flat Iron District and Madison Square Park. This gothic revival beauty was the tallest in the world from 1909 to 1913.

Shake Shack

There’s no passing up a Shake Shack, especially when it’s the original! It began here as a hot dog cart before expanding all over the world! We were getting peckish and this was conveniently located in Madison Square Park.

dinner in the park

We found a little table and chairs in this lovely park. This bacon cheeseburger hit the spot as we rested our feet and fed our tummies with this deliciousness.

Flat Iron Building

This gorgeous icon rises above the streets next to the park. On this day, it had scaffolding around the bottom of it for restoration. I’ve heard the top of the building is now lighted for everyone to enjoy at night.

park view

What a glorious view of the building from the park grounds. It was a beautiful sunny late afternoon with the lush green leaves of the trees framing this gorgeous structure.

It was built in 1902 and is a perfect right triangle. The 22-story building was originally home to contracting offices and now houses a publishing business and shops on the ground floor. It’s made of limestone and terracotta in the Beaux-Arts style and is only 6.5 feet wide at the narrow end! It has a smaller “cousin” in downtown Chattanooga that still stands today.

Madison Square Park has some roots! The land has been public since 1686! Originally, it was a parade ground and livestock market. It was officially opened as a public park in 1847 and named after our 4th President, James Madison. The park hosts rotating contemporary sculpture and art installations. It has a children’s playground, dog run, free public wifi and seasonal family music series.

Late afternoon shadows and sunlight filtering through the leaves was rather magical.

This lovely tree below, is a horse chestnut, with its feathery white blossoms blowing in the breeze. It smelled amazing! Some European settlers planted this kind of tree in the park in the late 1800’s. I don’t know if this is one of them, but it sure was enchanting.

We headed back to Brooklyn, after a super fun day in Manhattan! We relaxed in her apartment that evening and enjoyed cat snuggles. We had an early night and slept soundly until morning.

time to say ta ta for now (for my Tigger)

The next day, it was time to pack up and begin the journey home. We had a precious weekend together, one I’ll never forget. So many sweet memories made. I can’t wait to go back to make more! Thank you, Hannah.

farewell, New York waters

hello, Tennessee waters

I came home feeling incredibly blessed. Blessed to have a daughter who actually wants to spend time with her mom. Blessed to be able to travel and for travel mercies, to be healthy enough to walk around the vast city, to have the privilege of seeing, with my own eyes, the architecture, history, nature and beauty of the place. Blessed to be surprised by unexpected little happies. Blessed to be welcomed home by my loving husband. Blessed to carry sweet memories in my mind forever. Blessed to have a Father who graciously provides a way to experience all of it. I can’t wait to keep exploring your city with you, Hannah Caroline!