Super Swarm

Of course I haven't had time to post since I've been back from LA... back to NY, back to hectic reality. Can't really complain though, I like keeping busy and have had lots of fun stuff going on since I got back.

Had a perfect NY weekend after having withdrawals from my city and my friends. Fun nights out on Friday and Saturday. Highlights of the weekend night outings was definitely the intense 80s bar crawl we found ourselves a part of. Never again will I NOT dress up for a theme party. Who knew you could possibly feel so out of place in a black dress?

Saturday was suuuper relaxing. The first day I haven't really had to be "on" in quite awhile so it was nice to enjoy an Ess A Bagel and chill for a bit. Sunday was my favorite kind of NYC day, which was spent brunching and basically wandering around. We discovered a new brunch fave, The Park (I'd only been there for an event at night - had no idea it was open for brunch), walked the High Line, and eventually made our way to the Big Apple BBQ.

For the second year in a row, I went to Big Apple BBQ and didn't actually eat BBQ... I don't know how to alter my plans for next year so I can actually get there at a good time with no lines, but I've now tried Saturday and Sunday and both are insane! I guess it's just an example of how any good thing that you get excited about in this city just comes with insane lines. That includes everything from BBQ festivals to a trip to Trader Joes (am I the only one excited by shopping there?)... it's just one of those things you get used to in the city. At least now there's an upside to the crazy lines....

New York, I Love You.

Wow, I really haven't gotten any better at updating this thing frequently have I? Been crazy busy with work, friends, and just life. I feel like over the past few weeks I've literally spent a grand total of 5 hours actually awake at my apartment... no complaints though, busy is good. Guess I'll just have to be more realistic about my blogging expectations of myself :)

So Thursday was my *one year in New York* anniversary. One of my longer and more serious relationships I have to say. New York and I have had our ups and downs, but we're doing really well now - better than ever. Sadly we didn't truly get to celebrate the anniversary since I had a 7 a.m. flight to LA on Thursday, ah the life of a jetsetter. Okay my life isn't that glamorous, but I did have an early flight on Thursday...

Well, that early flight didn't keep me from semi-celebrating the big one-year anniversary on Wednesday night.. eh I guess technically Thursday morning. Being the silly girls that we are, my friends and I bought 12:01 a.m. tickets to Sex and the City 2. Yes, the movie got horrible pre-opening (and post-opening) reviews, but we just had to see it. And we had to be among the first to do so. I saw the first movie at the 12:01 premiere two years ago with my roommates at the time at the Times Square theater (insanity) and it only seemed right to repeat the ritual. I'm not going to lie, I liked the first one better (or if we're being honest, the TV series blows either movie out of the water).. but I still love those girls and could have just stared at their shoes for two and a half hours and would have been content. I was a bit disappointed at how little of the movie really took place in NYC, it could have more appropriately been titled Sex & The Desert... but that's just my personal thought. Anyway, still glad we went - no matter how awful the movie was, the energy in the theater was so fun and so New York. I know they have midnight premieres all over the country (right?) but something about seeing it in the city is just fun.


Anyway, enough with that random tangent and back to work. New York, I love you. It's been a great first year and I see many many more together in our future.

Thought it would be appropriate to end with this quote that I recently heard and just love...
"The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding." - John Updike

#5, Check!

I'm proud to say that last night I accomplished my first item off my Summer Checklist - walk across the Brooklyn Bridge! It turned into quite an adventure which included getting slightly lost in Brooklyn, almost getting run over by crazy cyclists on the bridge and $5 martinis but I think it was a success....

heading across the bridge

Elle & I

goodbye Manhattan...

...hello Brooklyn!

sketchy hidden stairs under the bridge

Old Fulton St., thought we'd never find you!

After searching all over, we finally found Grimaldi's... and a TWO HOUR wait. That wasn't happening.

We were about to give up on Brooklyn and head home when we saw a sign for $5 martinis... Lychee & pomegranate pear martinis are better than pizza anyway.

Heading back into Manhattan. I can't decide if the bridge is more amazing during the day or at night.

The End.

What are the odds?

Almost 2 million people live in Manhattan. I know less than 100 of them. The island is about 20 square miles. So what are the odds that on any given day I'll run into someone I know? 


Apparently pretty small.

I can't get over how frequently it happens! I was keeping track when I first moved here but I lost count. Yesterday while walking to Central Park, my friends happened to be driving right past me on 3rd Avenue (I can't decide what is more bizarre - that I ran into them or that they were driving?). This afternoon I was wandering around near my apartment and ran into a friend I graduated with. These are just two of about 20 random run-ins I've had since I moved here!

I used to get annoyed when Carrie would run into Mr. Big at least once per episode on Sex and the City. Come on, the city is packed full of people - how does she see him that much? Apparently it's not that weird. 

Does everyone experience this or do I just have crazy luck? 

One Month Down, Many More Fabulous Ones to Come

I can't believe I moved to NYC a month ago today. In some ways, that month has flown by since I've been so busy, but in other ways I feel like I've been here forever! That first whirlwind week of furniture shopping, apartment decorating, and settling into the city seems like ages ago. 

A lot of people lately have asked me how long I've been in the city, I feel weird saying a month since I feel like I've been here so much longer.  After living here last year, I knew the basics of what to expect so it was an easy transition.  Maybe that's why people are surprised when I tell them I've only been here a month - I'm not stumbling around wide-eyed, taking everything in - I've done this before.  Sure, it was only three months last summer but it made all the difference in the world. Not to mention, I've known in my heart since last summer that I would be back here after graduation so it just seems so natural for me to be living here.

It's nice finally feeling settled, and I really feel like my apartment is home. It's so tiny and cozy, I really love coming home to it and knowing that of all the crowded craziness of the city, there is a tiny little piece of it that's all mine. My internship is going great, everyone is so nice and helpful and I really feel like I've got a good handle on my accounts.  I'm having a blast exploring, going out and meeting people. I really couldn't ask for anything more right now, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be living the dream I wanted to live after college, as cliched as that sounds. Living in a small studio and living paycheck to paycheck may not be "the dream" most people have for post-graduation, but it's all I've wanted since last summer.

Always Carry a Camera, Volume II

Another week, another collection of random pictures.

I pass this every day on the way to work and really wonder how nobody has realized "mistakes" is spelled wrong.

Gramercy Park, the beautiful park right down the street from my apartment that you need a key to enter.  I'll get in there one day...

"Tiles for America," Greenwich Village.

Only in New York... clothing stores for dogs.  I guess they're getting ready for the 4th of July?

Not really sure what this means, but thought it was cool regardless.

Questionable ad for a wine company. Apparently if your small child likes it, that means it's good wine?

Always Carry a Camera

I said I was going to start taking more pictures of random things that catch my eye around NYC, so here are a few from the week...

One of the amazing parks right by my apartment.

The Flatiron Building, my favorite building in the whole city.

Only in NYC can people walk around this and not get strange looks.

Big Apple BBQ... good in theory, but a bit of a letdown.

Washington Square Park.

I love this, it reminds me of something from Europe.

Random festival in Washington Square Park.