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! 

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.

Lots of Food, Friends, and Fun

Art Exhibit on Governor's Island 

     Since my last post I have eaten A LOT of good food and spent a lot of time exploring with some great people.  Here are some of my food highlights for the past week:

1. The Melt Shop--amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and sweet tea to boot!
2. Two Little Red Hens--pretty good cupcakes on the UES. To be honest, not my favorite, but at the same time I licked the wrappers… And while everyone raves about the Brooklyn Blackout, I found the peanut butter to be my favorite.
3. Di Fara Pizza--hands down the best pizza I have had while in in NYC.  It is quite a ride into Brooklyn but well worth it.
4. Davey's Ice Cream--the double chocolate and the babka blew my mind.  It is actually quite devastating how few true ice cream shops exist in Manhattan but Davey's kind of makes up for it. 

Di Fara

     Aside from my food extravaganza, I also traveled to Governors Island and explored with my friend Kathryn.  The Island has so much to offer and was really a lot of fun to just walk around and get lost on.  The views of the Freedom Tower with the flowers in front was truly breathtaking.

     On Sunday I visited the Whitney with Alyssa and got to see the Koons exhibit.  While I think that they layout was a bit straightforward and not that creative, I still really appreciated his work and much of it is very aesthetically pleasing.

     His balloon forms really are quite captivating and I enjoyed learning about his life through a kind of time-line fashion.  It really is quite sad that the Whitney will be leaving this beautiful building for Brooklyn this year, but at the same time, I am excited to see what the new building has in store.

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!

4th of July Weekend

     So this weekend I finally made my first trip out to the Hamptons!  And it was perfect.  The weather (except for the 4th) was beautiful; sunny and breezy and cool at night.  We didn't even need the AC because it was so cool! My kind of weather for sure.

Fried seafood!

     I took the train out on Thursday and it was miserable.  It was so packed that there were people who had to stand the whole way--standing by the doors, in the isle, and on the stairs.  It was insane.  But definitly worth it to make it out of the City.


     While out there, we ate some delicious seafood, kayaked, tanned at the beach, drank sangria, and ate lots of s'mores.  Even though it rained all day on the 4th, we still made the most of it by driving into Southampton and walking around to the shops.  Despite the foul weather, there were still many people out and shopping the day away.  All in all, it was a great weekend with some awesome friends, that I will surely never forget.  I can't wait to make it out there again!

Tomorrow is Hump Day AND my sister is coming to visit! 

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… 

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!

Wednesdate II

   

Kira with her lox and bagel

     I don't know how I do it, but I keep lucking out with the hottest dates on Wednesday night.  Tonight one of my best friends from high school was in town on business and so we met up for dinner and dessert.

Matzo ball soup and soda

     I had recently read about the resurgence of old world Jewish restaurants and so I was very curious as to what these might be.  One of the restaurants discussed was Ross & Daughters Cafe, which just opened up this month.  They also have just a deli/store on Houston but this cafe is on Orchard.  The menu look amazing and when we arrived, I was truly blown away.  The decor, food, and atmosphere makes this place a must visit in my book (or for me a second visit at least!). We shared the latkes to start then a classic lox and bagel as well as matzo ball soup.  Doesn't get much more Jewish than that! We also each had a ginger soda that was infused with lavender and very relaxing after this long day. 

The soda counter/bar

     After dinner we walked over to Big Gay Ice Cream on 7th Street, one of my favorite ice cream shops in NYC.  Kira loves the sweet and salty combo and so for anyone who also enjoys that, this is your place.  

     All in all, I had two delicious meals and got to spend time with one of my best friends. Not quite like the Wednesday nights I had in college, but I guess I also can't really go out partying in the middle of the week any more! Growing up kind of sucks, but you learn to appreciate life other than partying, like good friends and good food. 

Happy Hump Day!

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.