Miss Iggy at a Theatre of Happily Ever Afters

Miss Iggy went on a photowalk right in her Jersey neighborhood last month. Her subject was this eye-catching theatre building which looks like a structure from a pop-up story book! She was excited to use her brand-new Diana Mini camera for the first time, too!

Bell and Barter is a non-profit corporation dedicated to theater arts aimed at acting for children. It's been around since 1972!

Miss Iggy recognized the characters gracing the theatre's walls!

She's a fan of Peter Pan! 

Purple is the dominant color in the building...even on the pathways and stairs!

Once upon a time, Miss Iggy stumbled upon a temple of performing arts. With her new Diana Mini, she snapped away happily ever after!

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark

Holy Week in Miss Iggy's homeland, the Philippines, would include the Catholic tradition of going to different churches for prayer, a Lenten pilgrimage usually done on Good Friday or within Holy Week. This is known as "Visita Iglesia," or Church Visit. Miss Iggy had the opportunity to visit one landmark of a cathedral in Newark, New Jersey: the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacret Heart--right in the heart of the city of Newark.

Built in 1899, this majestic monument of Catholic faith for New Jersey folk was designated as an historic landmark by the New Jersey Historical Society in December 1974. Two years later, it was recognized nationally as a National Historic Site.

Miss Iggy wishes everyone a solemn Holy Week and an Egg-citing Easter Celebration!

Holidaze

More than the presents, more than the food,
It's the presence of family and friends that completes the holiday mood!

Miss Iggy hopes your Christmas was wonderful! She has a cuddly new company which she met on Christmas Day....a Pillow Pet Ladybug! (Popular Christmas gift this year, it's charming, it's chenille!) Something to keep her cozy during winter and beyond....especially now that a blizzard is blazing its way to the East Coast!

Oh, and we have a winner of the Free 2011 Miss Iggy fridge magnet giveaway! The one and only comment/entry was from kayni! Congratulations!

Oh Fudge! It's Ging's Birthday!

Gingmaganda is celebrating a milestone birthday today!

Because life is meant to be savored and celebrated deliciously, here's a birthday fudge sheet cake by Conniechiwa on behalf of the Sisterhood and Miss Iggy! Here's wishing this year will be your passport to plenty of picture-perfect moments! 

Fun & Fire Trucks At The Fall Festival

Autumn spells harvest time in the United States. It's a time when fields yield the fruits of a summer's worth of sowing. It's also the time for Fall Festivals such as this one that Miss Iggy attended for the first time in the Jersey town of Denville.

This annual event was recently revived to the delight of families in the area. It had been extinct for several years.

And there were fire trucks for kids and adults alike to climb and explore! 

 

There was a farmer's market selling fall favorites. It's hardly a "harvest festival" without these!

Painted pumpkins! A pirate one even!

Crafty vendors sold interesting things like these pinecone-shaped "firestarters," presumably to use at your fireplace, not to be pyromaniacs. Or maybe to be used as regular scented candles.

Wooden lawn decor for the "ber" holidays!

This porky sign is actually for the antiques section, not for meats as one might think. 

There was even a "Berry-Go-Round" which Miss Iggy thought was berry cute! Miss Iggy loves strawberries! She hopes next year's Fall Festival will be bigger and better!

Falling In Love With Fall

It's autumn once again! Oranges, yellows, browns and deep reds are abundant everywhere, but Miss Iggy would like to show you a different shade of fall. Correct her if she's wrong but isn't this color called "red violet?"

She is vaguely reminded of bougainvillea flowers of the same hue back in the Philippines. This foliage was recently spotted in Washington, New Jersey. What's your favorite fall color?

Keeping Track of Old Tracks

Miss Iggy stands before what used to be a functioning train track--one of many others--inside the CRRNJ Terminal in Jersey City, NJ. This particular track traveled from certain towns in New Jersey to certain towns in Pennsylvania.

The tracks have been engulfed by grass and its beams have been tarnished by years of rust.

Stationary Trains

Outside the CRRNJ Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey are two old trains that are no longer operational and are simply there for its historic value. The trains stopped traveling in 1967.

They are the rusty remains of what used to be a bustling transportation hub of immigrants entering through this Hudson River waterfront. Now, the CRRNJ Terminal is part of the Liberty State Park vicinity.

Sunny With A Chance Of Pink

Miss Iggy joined the Ninth Annual St. Clare's Breast Cancer Awareness Walk last Sunday. Last year was the first time she participated in this pink-themed fundraiser. Here she is at the starting point of the 5K walk near the Hilton Garden Inn in Rockaway, New Jersey.

Miss Iggy spotted a lot of cute pink things and apparel at the event, including pink pets such as this one!

For more photos from the walk, click here.

New Casino In Town

Miss Iggy was strolling along the boardwalk in Atlantic City past the familiar Taj Mahal Casino when she reached a shiny new structure near the very end of that stretch. 

The building was shaped like billowing waves of the ocean, with even the same hue of the Atlantic! It was architecture imitating nature. Construction was still unfinished, but it looks like it's going to be open real soon.

So what else is new in Atlantic City? There's a new HBO series that features this seaside sin city in the 1920's. It's called "Boardwalk Empire," directed by Martin Scorcese, and it premieres on Sunday, Sept. 19th.

I doubt there's gonna be saltwater taffy!

Wine Not?

Miss Iggy was visually intoxicated by this giant bottle of wine inside Caesar's Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City last July. It just so happened to be the Food and Wine Festival hosted by the Food Network at the time.

 

Miss Iggy unfortunately didn't personally see any Food Network celebrities while she was there.

But she did get a kick out of Caesar's statue with a frying pan!

And the colossal cauldron with fake pasta!

Jersey, Sure!

 

And with Labor Day behind us, we bid adieu to summer. Miss Iggy waves goodbye to the sand and surf of the Jersey Shore, specifically in Atlantic City. 

Until next summer! Then again, it's always summer somewhere else!

A Different Take On Labor Day

 

Miss Iggy had something else in mind when she hears the word "labor." Being a mom herself, she reflected on how a mother's labor actually begins at pregnancy.

The baby growing in a mother's womb is both a product of and a continuing "labor of love."

Miss Iggy's relieved they didn't have to go on labor on Labor Day weekend, though! So cheers to all the moms and hardworking people out there! Miss Iggy sends her love from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, just a ferry ride away from Lady Liberty!

Aunt Iggy Welcomes Baby

Jersey Iggy and Fortuitous Faery have some exciting news to share with you: they just became aunts to this little ladybug of a baby girl! It was a wonderful experience to be there when she arrived early Sunday morning.

Together we shall explore the world!

Let's Get Plowed!

Miss Iggy sings "Let's Get Plowed" to the tune of Jennifer Lopez's "Let's Get Loud" as she scopes the snowy landscape that has forced school closures and flight cancellations across New Jersey and New York today (Wednesday EST). The only thing loud when you're snowed in like this is the sound of snow throwers like this one.

That's a snow sculpture shaped like a car behind her. Wait, that IS a car! As of this writing, we're buried in about 10 inches of snow outside. The snow is still falling!

Miss Iggy just wants to stay indoors and have warm chicken sotanghon soup!

Miss Iggy Loves Lucy!

Lucy the Elephant, that is! She's a national historical landmark in Margate, New Jersey.

Lucy was built in 1882 by James V. Lafferty, a land speculator who wanted to attract real estate business and tourism in his acquired property by the shore. The idea of an elephant-shaped structure was so novel at the time that he even applied for, and was granted, a U.S. patent for his design. It served as a one-time residence but never as a hotel as some stories say.The elephant is made of wood and tin sheeting, with windows for eyes and on its sides. People can climb another set of stairs all the way up to the canopy on her back for a breath-taking view of the Atlantic Ocean.Inside the belly is a lobby with a mini-museum, which is also a place for wedding ceremonies! Imagine exchanging "I Do's" inside a wooden elephant!

Lucy eventually became a gloomy, dilapidated giant in a sandy landscape that prompted concerned Margate citizens to form the "Save Lucy" committee. Through the help of volunteers, Lucy again became an elegant elephant that will continue to delight kids of all ages.

Margate Beach

About 10 minutes away from Atlantic City down the Jersey Shore is the city of Margate which Jersey Iggy visited for the first time last September. She wanted to see a lovely elephant there!

Beach Patrol to Snow Patrol

Jersey Iggy got to beach-comb during the final days of summer last September in Atlantic City.

Now that autumn is nearing its end, Jersey Iggy is bracing herself for the transition from sandy shores to snowy streets.