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!

Girls Nights

Grace and I

     On Monday one of my good friends from W&L came into the city and it also happened to be her birthday!  We both share a strong love and admiration for chocolate, and so the obvious choice of restaurant was Max Brenner.  I always take advantage of any opportunity to make dessert my dinner. 

     I got the chocolate molten cake (came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a shot of chocolate milk, and chocolate sauce to drizzle over the whole thing), and Grace got the waffles with ice cream.  Both were amazing.  I look forward to going back again soon hopefully!

Espresso with milk

     Grace works in the city on Tuesdays and so that morning we both walked to work together.  We stopped at a coffee shop I have been wanted to try for a while called Perk Kafe.  I got the shot of espresso with milk and it was delicious.  All in all, it was a great visit from a great friend, even if it was short. 

     On Tuesday night I hung out with some work friends on a rooftop.  The apartment is on Houston Street and it had a great view of the Empire State Building.  Nothing really beats watching the sun set over the City.  Watching the sky change colors is just simply magical.

Me and my favorite boss!

Art and Food

Sunset view from East Village

Signing a disclaimer...

     I hate lines.  Lines are the worst.  And in NYC you often have to wait in line for just about anything.  I have decided though that I will only wait in line for art and food.  Two of my most favorite things. 

Sugar baby

     Saturday I went to Williamsburg and met my friend Rodney at the Domino Sugar Factory to see the exhibit they have up.  It is only viewable on the weekends and only lasts until July 6 so go see it!  There was a very very long line, but it moves extremely fast so don't be deterred.  The project is by artist Kara Walker and is titled "A Subtlety." I highly recommend it!  The factory smells very interesting--a kind of burn sugar smell.  (Side note, we had to sign disclaimers to enter, mainly telling us that if we touch anything and get sick/die, they are not responsible…) 

     After viewing the sculptures, Rodney took me to an amazing fried chicken restaurant named Pies 'n' Thighs.  I had the chicken and waffles with blueberry compote and it hit the spot.  If you go see the exhibit, you must go here for lunch/dinner/snack/whatever. 

     Saturday night I took a much needed resting night for myself and sat in bed and watched Pulp Fiction.  I had never seen the flick so I was really looking forward to it, and I was not disappointed.  Quentin Tarintino and his point of view is so interesting to me.

     Sunday I met a friend from high school for brunch in Union Square.  We went to the Coffee Shop and it was pretty great food.  A bit pricy, but I recommend it nonetheless. We had some delicious mango mojitos which rocked.  

Mini Kobe beef sliders

     Later that day I met up with a few sorority sisters at Tavern 29 to watch the game.  GO USA!  While I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of soccer, this game was amazing so I quickly found myself engulfed in the atmosphere of wanting America to win.  We drank a lot of beer and had some delicious burgers.  I am such a fan of burgers.  No way I could ever be a vegetarian…  Anyways, after the frustrating end to the game, we went downtown to Houston Hall for a friend of a friend's birthday.  After that we went to the friend's apartment and he had a sick view of the city from his balcony.  All in all, another great weekend with friends food. 

Happy Monday! 

Downtown Exploration

Pic from my last morning run

     A lot has gone down this week.  I got to venture downtown twice to have documents notarized and apostilled (authentication for documents that are going to foreign countries, I had to look it up too).  The financial districts is actually kind of beautiful.  I love the old buildings and courthouses.  The interior of the supreme court house (where I went for the notary) is surprisingly beautiful. 

Corning of the NY Supreme Court House

     As some can discern from my early morning Instagrams, I have been running just about every day here since I am too cheap to join a gym.  Well, that has come to an end.  I woke up Thursday with severe knee pain and so I went to see an orthopedist who told me I have runner's knee.  As an athlete, this is very frustrating because I can't do much physical activity without pain now.  I'm hoping it gets better soon…

     That's enough complaining for now.  I also met up with some friends from my Birthright trip which was a nice blast from the past. One of my favorite things about the city is that so many random people that I know live here and it is so easy to meet up with them.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  And here is a funny pic from my office at the Seagram Building of one of the companies on the 28th floor… 

Rays of Sunshine

   

View from Rare Bar

     This weekend was absolutely beautiful weather wise.  Saturday was sunny, high of 75, and breezy.  It was so nice out that I walked from 34th to 74th without realizing just how far I had walked.   I then put a towel down in the park and tried to get a little bit of a tan.  I just got a new bikini bottom from Cacao Bikini, a company based in Australia who specializes in cheeky bikini bottoms.  And anyone who knows me, knows that I love to show off my rear end.  The suits are a bit pricy, but the quality is top notch and they are very comfortable!

     After spending a few hours lounging and reading, I walked home and spent a little time cleaning my apartment.  I also took a nap because my schedule of working long days and then partying is starting to catch up to me after four weeks… I was actually sick this week but managed to bounce back after chugging some OJ and going to be early.

     Saturday night I met up with a couple of W&L friends at Rare Bar.  Rare is very close to me but I had never been and was very glad I did go last night because the views on the roof are amazing.  I'm such a sucker for rooftop bars and restaurants because I love to be outside and see the NY skyline.  After Rare we went down to the Standard Biergarten and then I went to meet up with some work friends at Ace Bar.  I ended up staying out pretty late last night and did not get home until after 5AM!  I also tried out the $.99 pizza place by me and was thoroughly impressed. I will definitely be making some trips back…

     Because I went to bed so late, I also slept very late today… and by sleeping late, I mean that my friend woke me up when she called me at 11:30.  After waking up, I called my Dad and thanked him for being the best ever, and then headed out for a walk around town.  I am very interested in exploring the Murray Hill area and look forward to trying new restaurants around me.  I then walked towards Union Square to check out at bakery that I read about having good chocolate babka.  On the way I developed a strong craving for a bacon cheeseburger.  The line for Shake Shack was obviously way too long, so I continued onwards hoping to run into some kind of burger place.  I happened upon New York Burger Co., a place I have never heard of, but was pleasantly surprised.  And they have the cutest little bags for their french fries!

     Breads Bakery did not disappoint.  When I lived in Great Neck I used to always visit a place named Bruce's, a place that my Dad used to even visit when he lived there.  Sadly, Bruce's closed last year and so since then I have been on a hunt for comparable babka to the one Bruce's made.  And I think I have found it.  This babka is a bit hard and crisp on top, but then very soft and gooey in the middle.  I had to remind myself twice that eating the entire thing in one night would be regrettable.

Time to go watch the season finale of GOT!!!! 

Happy Sunday :)

P.s. on Friday, on my walk to work, I went through Grand Central and saw a bunch of police officers and their dogs. I inquired as to the gathering and an officer told me it was for the dogs graduation from police training! Too cute. 

Valuable Advice

     Last night I went out to dinner with my "Aunt" Mona.  I put aunt in quotation marks because like many of my "aunts," she is not actually related to me.  Mona was a good friend of my mom's when she was working and living in the City.  Anyways, Mona works at the law firm I intern at and so over the summers I have spent in NYC, she has been a great friend and always gives me valuable advice.  She is so energetic and loves New York just as much, if not more, than I do.  I like to describe her as a walking encyclopedia of NYC.  You can ask her anything about the City, and she usually knows, or if she doesn't, she knows someone else who does.
     Anyways, last night we went out to eat at La Giara, a great little Italian place on 3rd Ave.  It was where we went to eat when I spent the night with her before my first summer ever of interning in NYC.  The food was just as good as I remembered!  We spent hours talking about life and catching up on any news I missed while in school.  Walking away from dinner, she left me with one great piece of advice that is applicable for anyone, no matter your age or position in life.  "If it makes you nervous, do it."  I will spend the rest of the summer with that mentality.  I know that this phrase may seem corny or cliché, but it is very true and sometimes we just need to be reminded of it. 

Happy Friday!

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!

Summer Jam

     Thanks to Alyssa, I have found my favorite song of the summer.  "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit is so catchy and easy to sing along to while having a very happy and upbeat rhythm. Try and listen and not sing along.  Puts me in the Summer mood.

Struggles

   

Photo taken on my morning run

     Everyone has a bad start to their day every now and then.  This morning, today was that day for my co-worker Alyssa.  The best part of her day was the fact that she put her shirt on inside-out.  While on the subway she noticed people looking and then she noticed that the seams were showing on her shirt… altering her to the fact that it may be on wrong.  Well, instead of awkwardly standing their in her own embarrassment, she said to the onlookers, "it's couture."  I die.  What a great statement.

     Meanwhile, my biggest struggle since arriving in The City is the fact that I cannot find my favorite yogurt anywhere.  If you happen to know where I can find the Dannon Oikos Banana flavored Greek yogurt, please contact me ASAP.  Nothing else compares.

That is all. Happy almost Humpday!

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