Feasting and Goodbyes

     

Pic from my last morning commute

     As last week was my last week of working in NYC, I have been very busy and did not get a chance to blog.  The week involved lots of eating, drinking, saying goodbye, and a few tears.  I think it was so hard saying bye to everyone this year because more than ever before, I made real friendships with my co-workers.  

     I had a few really great meals during that week.  First up was lunch at Patsy's Italian Restaurant, right next to the Cash Money office.  WOW.  Growing up with Italian relatives I have had some truly delicious meals, but this is probably the best Italian meal I have had at a restaurant in a longggg time.  I ordered the shrimp marinara and was so full afterwards that I needed a nap.  

     With Ehrenkranz we went to Ammos, a Mediterranean place near Grand Central.  Italian and Mediterranean are my two favorite types of food so you could say I was pretty spoiled this week.  At Ammos I had their king prawns, which were more like baby lobsters.  They came with the head still on and I had to fight every last temptation to pick them up and play with them in Katherine's face.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that as a future lawyer, that kind of behavior is not totally acceptable. 

Me and Katherine

     Another night I went to dinner with one of my oldest and best friends from swimming, Hillary.  We went to Westville, a place I had never tried until that night.  I ordered the grilled salmon with a side of asparagus and was 100% pleased.  I look forward to going back and trying their brunch one day soon. 

     A few co-workers of mine from Ehrenkranz went out for drinks after work one night and had a ball of a time.  We started pretty early, around 5:30, and definitely felt it the next day.  We started our evening at Draught 55 (their long bench tables were great of our large group) and then eventually made our way to a midtown rooftop bar.  I seriously should just make a to-do list of only rooftop bars because I love them so so much.  

Pesto angle hair with shrimp from Grifone

     My last delicious meal of the week was another great Italian place.  A small hidden gem in midtown named Grifone.  More on the pricey side, but well worth it.  It's one of the few restaurants that I have been to in the City that is actually quite and small enough to hear the person across from you without having to yell or lean across the table!  A very small and intimate place that I would visit again if I needed a quite space with tasty food. 

     I will give more updates soon about some of my other activities in the city that I completed before leaving, but I had to get in the last week because I wanted to remember every detail!  Tomorrow is FRIDAY! 

Brooklyn Adventures

     I have been to Brooklyn quite a few times this summer and I don't hate it.  In fact, I greatly enjoy it.  I recently ventured into Williamsburg/Greenpoint for a friend of a friend's birthday party.  The party was at a bar named Northern Territory and aside from the amazing view, the vibe was quite chill and beachy and the drinks were on par.  See above for an unedited picture of the sun setting.

Make out bug

     After hanging out there for a while, we decided to move to another rooftop bar (quite prevalent in the area).  Along the way, Ashley and I stumbled upon one of the coolest things ever--essentially a bar, street vendors for food and jewelry, mini golf, ping pong, and live music, all at night in a huge warehouse.  Plus a photo booth and neon lights.  To say we had a blast would be an understatement.  There was also an old VW Beetle that you could sit in and watch a screen that flipped through car make out scenes from old movies.  This amazing place is named the Brooklyn Night Bazaar.  MAKE A TRIP.

     Once we finally arrived at the bar we planned to visit, we were exhausted and craving some fried food.  So we quickly opted for the fancy french fries that appeared on the menu.  Upon arrival, Ashley took a moment to admire the fries in all of their glory.

     Two other highlights to mention here: I have become quite skilled in cooking mexican food and so I ventured into the shrimp realm and made some garlic lime shrimp and guacamole.  I knocked it out of the park, just saying'.  Not that many things can top my cooking skills, but, the image of Matt Bomer in the flesh did just that.  They were filming White Collar outside of my office at 8AM and so I got to see him in all of his glory.  Not many better ways to start your morning.

HEYYOO MATT BOMER

Goodbyes and Hellos

Me, Adrian, and a friend

     Sadly, I recently had to say goodbye to my friend Alyssa.  She just had to return to Canada for this little wedding where she will marry the love of her life… so saying au revoir to her was a very sad day.  In order to console my pain, I went to a album release party for the artist Adrian Marcel.  If you haven't listened to his music, go check him out ASAP.

     While I did have to say goodbye to Alyssa, I said hello to some very good foods.  Top among them was my trip to J.G. Mellon on the Upper East Side.  They are famous for their burgers, and they definitly deserve that reputation.  I went all out with the bacon cheeseburger and was not disappointed.  I complemented that burger with a side of fries which were pleasantly crispy and delicious as well. (Side note when you visit, they are cash only).

   Since we were on the UES, we decided to visit the Met and check out the Charles James exhibit.  I love how the Met is showing so many fashion exhibits now and this one was just another addition to those before it.  And any trip to the Met is not complete without going to the roof and enjoying the view.

     After the Met I decided to complete my tour of the UES with a visit to an ice cream place that looked quite tasty to me from the images I spotted on Instagram.  Emack and Bolio's, while the cones are very unique and delicious (I got one covered with fruit loops!), has just average ice cream.  If you are on the UES I would recommend a visit, but do not feel the need to go all the way up there just for that.  Plenty of other great ice cream options down town that are much more satisfying.

     During the week I also discovered the amazingness of Little Collins.  Located right near my morning office, this place is dangerously delicious and too cute for words.  Must go back again before I leave!

The Big Dill and an iced latte at Little Collins

Flashback

    

 

      This past weekend my best friend from high school, Kira, came to visit me.  And it was a great visit.  We went all over the city and tried LOTS of delicious foods of course.

     We started off Friday by meeting with a couple of my work friends for drinks at South Street Seaport.  The weather could not have been any more beautiful and we drank refreshing beverages while watching the boats rock back and forth.


     We then left South Street, grabbed some pizza from a great joint by me called Garlic Pizza and fueled up for the night.  Once 11:30 rolled around, we met up with Alyssa and went to Le Poussin Rouge for 90s night.  It was wayyy more fun than I ever imagined.  I guess I forgot how awesome 90s music is.

Le Poussin Rouge

     Some more highlights from the weekend: I had an exception appetizer at a Spanish restaurant by me; squid in its own ink.  I have had squid ink linguine many times, but never squid served like this.  Delicious.  Saturday we went to Tompkins Square Bagels and I got the MOST AMAZING bagels ever.  First up was a sesame bagel with roasted red pepper cream cheese, seasoned lox, capers, tomatoes, and toasted to perfection.  Dessert (yes I do believe in breakfast dessert, obviously) was a plain bagel with birthday cake cream cheese.  New York really does know bagels.



     As a side note, I recently started watching Orange Is The New Black and I am obsessed.  Cannot stop watching.

Company Fun

     Last week, one of the companies that I am working with this summer hosted their summer cocktail party at the Gramercy Park Hotel.  The rooftop was beautifully decorated, and even though it was humid and rainy, they were able to close all of the windows and turn on the air conditioning, allowing us to enjoy the view but not sweat all over the place.

     The best part of the night was that we got to play trivia.  We were divided into teams and then played two rounds of questions.  After the first two rounds, the top teams faced off--one of which was mine.  Unfortunately we lost, and while the first place winners were awarded $50 gift cards, we got chap stick...

     Aside from our disappointing finish, I had a wonderful time with friends and co-workers.  It was great to see everyone in a different and much more festive setting.

Water and Indian

Me on my bike!

Alyssa!

     I have officially done one of the coolest workouts ever: aqua cycling.  Developed in Europe, and now available in NYC, you can do a spin class in a pool.  As a swimmer, I obviously loved it, but aside from that, the class was an amazing workout as well.  The water really forced you to concentrate on your core and using your legs. I went with Alyssa and we had a blast.

     The class is available at Aqua Studio in Tribeca.  While it is a bit expensive ($35 per class), that is not unusual for NYC and the instructor was perfect.  They provide you with towels, a locker, and aqua shoes ($2 rental).  I highly recommend everyone to try it at least once!

     After our intense workout, we went to grab some Indian food.  A friend suggested I try a place named Panna II.  Huddled next two three other Indian restaurants with the same decor, Panna II is by far the best so do not be tricked--you must go upstairs and to the right!  I do not remember exactly what I got, but it was phenomenal.  Panna II is also BYOB if you are interested in combining a bottle of whatever with your meal.

Happy Sunday!