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

Catch Up Fast!

Verrazano Bridge and cannon

     Again, I have fallen a bit behind on my blogging!  But to defense, these past couple of weeks have been crazy full of friends, family, food, and exploration!

     Two weekends ago my cousin got married and so my Mom, Dad, and Sister came into town.  It was so great to see my whole family again and we had a blast at the wedding.  My cousin got married at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, with the beautiful Verrazano Bridge in the background.

     My sister and I did many fun things in the City, but some of the highlights include paddle board yoga, Russ & Daughters Cafe, and cruising around the Hudson on the North River Lobster Company boat.

Halva Ice Cream from Russ & Daughters

     On Sunday night I took her and a few of her friends around Chelsea and then we ended the night at Salvation Taco.  While the roof deck is small up there, the view and atmosphere are pretty amazing.

NRLC Boat Top!

     I had a wonderful weekend with the best sister in the world and got to try out some new activities and restaurants along the way!

Back to Brooklyn

Hard to see, but the ESB lit up for Pride!

     On Saturday I joined a gym in the AM and then made my way back over to Brooklyn.  Ashley and I wandered around DUMBO for a couple of hours and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  I initially wanted to go to DUMBO to see the Tom Fruin Water Tower, but I couldn't get a good view of it so we just explored the area.  Some of the apartments over there are truly beautiful and I can easily see why one would move there--great views and it is much quitter than the City.  But still not enough for me! (as if I could even afford it)

     We walked around the park area, took some pictures by the water, and then watched the children on the carousel.  One of my most vivid and fond memories growing up was when my parents would take my sister and I to the mall to ride the carousel.  Seeing all the children giggling and smiling really made me take a moment and appreciate all the small things in life.  Unfortunately I was all out of cash and so I couldn't ride it myself… next time!

My tacos!

     When we were walking back to the train we became distracted by a fun looking Mexican restaurant named Pedro's Bar and Restaurant.  The reviews online do not make it out to be a great place, but I beg to differ.  The food was very reasonably priced and delicious.  It was much more authentic Mexican than the regular "Americanized" mexican I am used to.

     After Mexican, we made our way back into the City and got off in West Village.  We were happily surprised to walk into a street fair that entertained us for a while.  After wandering, I took us to a gelato place I have been wanting to visit for 3 years!  And it was just as good as I hoped.  At Popbar you can get gelato or sorbet on a stick, choose from three different types of chocolates to be dipped in, and then pick any topping for it to be dipped in again.  I choose vanilla, dipped in dark chocolate, and then rolled in sprinkles and waffle cone crumbles.  It hit the spot.

     Saturday night I had friends over to my place, we enjoyed the view from my roof, and then went out for a night of partying.  

    Oh, almost forgot!  On Friday night I went out to dinner with a bunch of friends to celebrate my good friend Kathryn's birthday.  We went to Lil' Frankies and enjoyed a huge Italian meal.  I highly recommend their pizza! 

Fresh Mozzarella was amazing

I hope everyone is excited for the short week ahead!

Weekend Update

     

Rug stuck in door

     Another Monday, another recap of a fabulous weekend.  I shared a few beers Friday night with a couple of good friends and then awoke Saturday morning to go meet one of my best friends in the whole world at Penn Station.  Megan was to arrive at 10:20 and I told her I would meet her there.  

     Well, when I went to leave my apartment around 10, I discovered that the night before I had close my door on the rug, and the rug and door were refusing to budge. The Super came to my rescue and after climbing in through my fire escape, he was able to open my door and free me.  Just in time for Megan to arrive at my apartment.     

Evolution Store

Ramen Burger!

Once Megan arrived, we traveled to Williamsburg to visit Smorgasburg and try the famous Ramen Burger.  The 15 minute wait was well worth it and we also enjoyed a few other treats while soaking in the sun and enjoying the view of the NYC skyline.  We then went back into the City and visited a sweet exhibit by Lee Bul, stared at many a cool object at The Evolution Store, and then just wandered around SoHo.  I then took Megan to dinner at my favorite China Town restaurant, Wo Hop.  It was my first time eating there where I actually haven't had to wait in line for at least 15 minutes! (Not sure if that is a good or bad thing though…).  

Art exhibit

     After dinner Megan and I got to Skype with our best friend Krista, who is in Ecuador for the Peach Corps right now.  It was so great to see her face and speak with her.  Megan and I then got ready for a night out on the town and ended it by enjoying some late night Insomnia cookies.  Obviously. 

     Sunday I just spend being extremely lazy and lying in bed most of the day.  Just the way I like it.  Hope your week is off to a good start!

Official Resident

My new room!

Since it has been over two weeks since my last post, I will give you a quick bullet style recap of my past events:

·         *Took the LSAT (and hopefully aced it!)

·         *Have loved staying with the Sutherlands on Long Island

·         *Hated the hour and a half commute

·         *Found a room to sublet in Stuyvesant (Stuy) Town

·         *Got the room and moved in last Friday!

·         *Went out to many bars on the Lower East Side

The amazing sunset on Friday

So, my life has taken a huge turn in that I am now living on the island of Manhattan.  After moving in last Friday, I went to Caroline’s sister's birthday party which was so fun. Her theme was “burgers and bubbly” which was a delicious one for sure. She had Pop Burger cater sliders and had many a bottle of champagne, along with other libations as well.  After the party, Caroline and a couple of her friends from LI and a couple of W&L friends went out to some bars/clubs around town.  All in all, it was a great night.

Will and I on the BK Bridge

Saturday morning, I woke up around 9:30 and forced myself to shower and get dressed. I met up with Will and we took the train down into Brooklyn Heights. From there, we walked across the bridge back into Manhattan. We picked a perfect day because there were clear skies and it wasn't terribly hot. There was also a very nice breeze on the water. The bridge was amazing because you could see just how much work went into its construction. The large brown bricks are beautiful you just don’t see bridges like that built anymore.  We also had a great view of the Manhattan Bridge.  A foreign couple asked Will to take a pic of them which is not surprising, but then the guy pulled out an apple and said, “We want you to take a picture of us in the big apple with our own apple!” They then proceeded to put the apple between them and they both bit in and held that pose for a couple of shots. It was priceless.

Will and I then walked around the Financial District and grabbed a bite for lunch. We then went back to Stuy Town together because will was actually working on some sort of video recording there. Stuy Town by the way is completely adorable. It is a little village within itself, kind of situated in a park. There is a large fountain in the center of the village and they have bands play on Saturdays during the summer and have a small farmers market every Sunday morning.  After saying bye to Will, Ashley and I (who lives in the building right across from me!), went to the grocery store to do some much needed shopping.  I then went back and rested for a while because my feet were aching from all the walking. 

Later that night, Ash and I got ready to go out and made dinner for ourselves. We cooked a very delicious shrimp and linguine dish, straight out of the bag. We are top chefs. After our 5-star meal, we got dressed and hit the town. We planned on meeting up with some friends at a bar in midtown, and so we took the bus all the way up there, only to realize that I had forgotten my ID… So then we went all the way back home to get my ID, and then all the way back uptown again, only to realize that the bar we met our friends at was kind of lame and disgusting.  So then Ash and I just went back to the Lower East Side and hung out at some of our favorite spots.

Margherita pizza

At around 2AM we were getting tired and began our walk home. There is this place called Artichoke Pizza right around the corner from where we live, but we had never stopped there until Saturday night. We had always noticed the long lines outside but never thought it would be worth the wait. Well, let me tell you, it is worth it. They sell only three kinds of slices (Sicilian, Artichoke and Spinach, and margherita), but they are to die for. The crust is perfectly crispy but not burnt, and the cheese just melts in your mouth. The prices are a bit high at $4/4.50 a slice, but well worth it. They are a good size too. I got the margherita and Ash got the artichoke-spinach and I highly recommend both.  And the place stays open until 5:30 on the weekend so don’t worry about them closing early.

Gay Pride Parade

After sleeping in until 12 on Sunday, Ash and I made our way to the Gay Pride Parade. I saw this amazing display last year, but Ashley was a gay pride virgin, so she was very excited. The usual display of half-naked, ornate costumes, and flamboyant men and women, paraded all the way down 5th avenue. My personal favorite of the parade was the cowboy saloon float, that was jamming to classic country and had one guy dancing with his boots and underwear with such pizzazz; it really got the crowd going.  After watching the parade for a couple of hours, Ash and I had worked up an appetite and so we wandered around in search of some good greasy food. We settled on Big Daddy's Diner and were thoroughly satisfied. I got an omelet with tater tots smothered in chili and cheese and a waffle, with a banana split milkshake to top it off. Another place I highly recommend. We were exhausted by 4 o'clock and so walked back home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. All in all, a great weekend.

Back in Action

Looking back at the last post on this blog, I realize that I promised to blog when I returned home from NYC but never did. I will conclude from this to no longer make promises on my blog... We shall see how that goes.

Anyways, I am once again back in the glorious state of New York. Although I had plans to live in Brooklyn, those fell through and I am now staying with one of my best friends, Caroline, at her house in Long Island until I find a new apartment in the city. To be honest, I was quite bummed and very stressed that my BK situation got messed up, but I am trying to make the best of it, and living with Caroline is pretty awesome anyways. Her parents are some of the nicest people I know and her house is never boring to say the least.

I am stressed because the fact that I now have to find new housing in the city has been added to the fact that I am taking the LSAT in just about a week. I have been studying for two months now, and although I feel prepared, the inevitable test-day-nearness-stress is setting in (aside from the fact that this test will basically determine the rest of my life). I have one more practice LSAT to take tomorrow and then all next week is fine tuning.

On a happier note, after June the 11th, I will be done with LSATing and on my flight back to NYC (I am flying home for the weekend because it is my sister's high school graduation (which is a whole 'nother story of craziness), and then I will stay in NC to take the LSAT on Monday), I will be consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Especially since my flight up yesterday was crazy turbulent and that just freaks me out. This Monday also marks my first day of interning with Ehrenkranz and Ehrenkranz again so I am pumped. I loved it last summer and I will love it again this summer because now I know everyone and I am prepared to learn more.

I can't wait for happy hour with my co-workers...

Gosh I love NYC. I can't say it enough.

Washington Square Park 

p.s. if you know of an open room for me in the city, please let me know!

Weekend Update

  So aside from starting off my weekend by locking myself out of my room, I did a few other things. Friday after work I wandered around 5th ave for a while, staring into stores I only dream about shopping in one day (Fendi, Ferragamo, Chanel...the list goes on). After some casual day dreaming I walked to John Jay College to swim with TNYA. I will note, that this is New York's only gay and lesbian swim and water polo team. BUT, not everyone on the team is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. I love the team so far--they are all very friendly and actually a pretty funny group of people. I plan on continuing to swim with them.
  Saturday morning, I went to the gym and then went out to Brooklyn to visit my Aunt Helen. Aunt Helen is my Mom's Mom's sister-one of the last relatives I have from my Italian side of the family still in NY. It was actually really great to visit her-I haven't seen her in at least 7 years and the smile on her face made the trip all worth while. I plan on visiting her again this summer. While in Brooklyn I stopped in an antique furniture store--and I have decided that once I get my first apartment, I will furnish it with vintage. The stuff is all so intriguing and packed with history; I love it.
  After wandering around in Brooklyn for a bit, I made my way back to the city. The weather was pretty awful all weekend, although I can't complain about the temperature being cooler. I actually love the rain, it it was perfect for going to a museum. I have a whole list of museums I want to visit while here, and so Saturday I took on the MoMA. I had a great time. Walking through the museum was like taking my Arth 263 class all over again. Seeing paintings in person are much different that seeing them on slides in a class room.
  After the museum, I went back to Great Neck and Seymour and I ordered in Chinese--he proceeded to eat the entire entree I ordered for him. I have honestly never seen an old person eat so much food.  Anyways, I had a great weekend, and have learned that often times I have the most fun wandering around the city all by myself.