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!

Weekend Update

     This weekend I traveled all over New York City, from Harlem to the Hamptons.  It was truly crazy.  As a result of these travels, I am exhausted, and so this post will be mostly be photos. One tid bit of news, I moved out of Ali's apartment and have my own place in Murray Hill!  Enjoy and happy Monday!

I'm going miss my morning jogs around the reservoir 

I get pumped for Manhattanhenge every year, even if it is cloudy 

Alyssa playing with a kitty--Friday night festivities 

Ali and I saw a Jean-Michel Basquite exhibit on Saturday morning 

Cannoli from Brooklyn that I  bought at a street fair---DELICIOUS 

Had to have a Papaya hotdog before moving off the UES! 

Ali on the back porch of a friend's apt in Harlem---absolutely beautiful. 

Randomly went to a club in the Hamptons. Just for the night. 

Beautiful library near my apartment. 

Random parade in the city (can't remember what for) 

Neat flower pot seen in Chelsea on my Sunday afternoon stroll

Weekend Update

    I have started a new job for the summer, something totally different from the NYC law firm I have been at the past two years.  This summer I am working for a beer distributor, one of the largest in North Carolina, Harris Beverages LLC. They distribute Anheuser Busch products through most of the triangle. During my past week with them I have learned the basics of beer: from differentiating between lagers and ales to learning how to pour the perfect draught, I am becoming quite the aficionado. As my friend recently noted in an email, I should tell W&L that I am putting my four years of school/intense drinking to use... 

Beer tastings

    It is very refreshing working for Harris Beverages (and I'm not just talking about the drinks). The offices is much more laid back than I am used to but I like it. I get to sample numerous beers and will soon be going out to local stores to promote our products. Recently, craft beers have become all the rage and that is what I am focusing on. 

    Along with the fun atmosphere and interesting topic, not having to work 9-5 is a big relief. It gives me time to hang out at home, sit on the couch, and read. Things I will not be able to do much of once law school starts.

    

    But I don't want to talk about school... for now I am enjoying the summer! I have already booked a flight to Chicago to see one of my best friends. I have never been to Kanye's home town but I am very much looking forward to it. Aside from the fact that I love cities, there are some great art museums and galleries for me to check out! 

Brian, Me, John, and Kevin

    Part of my to-do list for the summer is visit as many friends as possible. Last weekend I went to Charlotte to watch my friend John play for the MLL team the Charlotte Hounds. He is an amazing lacrosse player and it was fun to watch him continue to play the sport he loves. I also got to hang out with a couple of other best friends from high school. Not sure how I feel about Charlotte (its no NYC...) but I will admit I had a good time while there. 

    The Sunday I got home my family went out to eat at a place in Durham called G2B. It was surprisingly delicious. Many typical pub type ingredients and foods but made in an upscale restaurant type style as far as combinations and serving. My sister and I decided to eat a 1 pound monster of a burger. 1 lb of home ground meet, fried bacon, foie gras, arugula, gruyere cheese, and onions. It was amazing.  

The Madness

  

  The only annoying part of this summer is the fact that our house just went on the market.  This means that the house has to be kept spotless 24-7 and whenever someone comes to look at the place, we have to get the dogs out for at least an hour. I really hope this house sells quickly... 

    I am happy to be getting back into the swing of blogging and I hope everyone else is too. 

Week Late Weekend Update

  I apologize for my tardy post about my last weekend, but I have been beyond busy.  My weekend started off on Friday, as work came to a close at 4.  After work, I went out to eat at a great Italian restaurant called Pescatore with my friend Mona. I highly recommend it. After stuffing my face with grilled mahi mahi and chocolate molten cake, we went to see Midnight in Paris. I also HIGHLY recommend it. For anyone who has a knowledge of art history, Paris, the 20's, or even English writers, you will love this movie. Woody Allen has still got it. After dinner and a movie with my gal pal, we went back to her apartment and enjoyed a much needed, restful nights sleep.
  Friday may have been a relatively mild night out, but Saturday night definitely made up for my lack of adventure. I began my Saturday with a morning swim practice at Columbia, went home to shower and change, and then made my way back into the glorious NYC. I walked by the dyke parade and met my friend Emma and her friend Moe at the NY Public Library. We walked to Qdoba and they used their coupons to buy copious amounts of cheap tex-mex. After some food we went to Moe's apartment in Brooklyn.

  For $500 a month, Moe has got an amazing apartment, so jealous. Not to mention, the view form his roof is breathtaking. Just look at my facebook pictures for further proof. As the night went on, lots of Moe's/Emma's friends showed up and we all hung out on the roof. Around 12:30, we left to go to a gay club called Sugarland. I have never been to a gay club before, but it was an experience. Not to mention the gay marriage bill had been passed the day before... We didn't get home until 5 AM. I can't remember the last time I stayed up that late; at W&L we go out at 8 and I'm usually in bed by 12!
  4 hours later we were waking up and getting ready to head to the gay pride parade! One bacon egg and cheese bagel and a quart of ice cream later we had made our way to 5th ave. I had on idea what to expect from this parade, but it far exceeded all of my expectations. I even got to see my swim team march by in their Speedo's and water guns! Next year, I am going to be IN the actual parade, preferably on top of one of those party busses...

Weekend with Allie

     This past weekend my sister Allison came to visit. And since she hasn't been to NYC nearly as much as I have, there were lots of touristy things she wanted to do; not that I am complaining, I love visiting iconic New York landmarks and taking pictures. Friday, she came into the city al on her own, and easily navigated her way to H&M and Forever 21. When I got an e-mail from Mom later that day asking if I had heard from Allie, I freaked out a little because to be honest, I hadn't heard from her for a couple of hours...but not to worry, she was alive and shopping her way through Manhattan. After work, I met up with her on 5th ave and we made our way down to Little Italy for some tasty Italian food. I chose Vincent's since it is the oldest restaurant left in Little Italy (all 4 blocks of it), and to be honest, I was quite disappointed in the quality of food. I guess just because it has been there for over 100 years doesn't mean its still good... Well, our dinner may not have been outstanding, but our desserts at Ferrara were superb. See my Facebook album to admire the deliciousness. After stuffing our faces with chocolate, we went to the Empire State Building and watched the sunset from both the 86th and 102nd floors. If you happen to go, I would advise not spending the extra money to go all the way up, it wasn't really that much of a difference.

  Saturday we woke up early, an by early, we took the 6:50 train into the city to catch the 8:30 ferry out to Liberty Island. It was amazing to see the statue so close up--the air was nice and cool and there was a mysterious mist on the water. After walking around the statue, we took the ferry over to Ellis Island and explored the museum there.  They have done a great job there with artifacts and and displaying facts. Allie and I tried to look up our ancestors but could only find one on our mothers side--its hard when so many people back there changed their names upon arrival.
  After our morning of island hopping, we made our way to Broadway to have lunch with our Aunt Margaret and watch the Lion King. The last time I saw the movie, was probably when I was 10, and so I did not remember the plot line entirely. It was exciting to watch the show in a new view, especially since I could not remember all the details. That was until, I was standing in line for the bathroom at intermission, and the little girl with her grandmother, explained the whole end of the story to her g-ma: thanks a lot little girl. The show ended up being breath taking and I hope to watch another soon.

  Sunday, for fathers day, we took grandpa with us out to Rockaway to visit our cousins. It was beautiful beach weather and a good end to the weekend. I turned a nice shade of reddish-brown and enjoyed a chocolate mousse cake made by my aunt (the pastry chef). After an hour of cursing and struggling with my iPhone, Allie and I were able to locate Laguardia and drop her off to fly home. All in all, a quality weekend. And I knocked off 4 things from my NYC bucket list!

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.