Kewpies, a pimp, and Susan Sarandon!

(Most of you know, but for those who don't, my high school mascot was the Kewpie).

Jessica & Maggie came in town last Thursday. Maggie spent that night with a college friend, so Jessica and I were on our own. We went to dinner at my favorite Thai place down the road from where I live, called Yum Yum. It was yum, yum! We stayed in the neighborhood that night...mainly walking through Times Square. I tried to get a picture of Jessica with Shrek, but Shrek had a scary body guard/pimp who told me not without a tip. Times Square is right around the corner from me so I see it quite a bit. I figure I should start posting more pics of things I see frequently so that you can see what I see! Here are some pics Jessica took in Times Square:

































































Friday, Maggie came over in the morning. We all headed up to Central Park. The weather was great this weekend, so walking through the park was really nice! Here are some pics of us in the park:

Maggie & I















Jessica & I with waterfall in the background


























































Part of our long stroll through the park included walking through Strawberry Fields-- an area of the park dedicated in memory of John Lennon. The building where he lived and was killed, The Dakota, is right across the street. Here are pictures of the memorial and The Dakota:































The Dakota




















From the park, we walked through the Upper West Side and found a spot to eat lunch-- a cafe with good salads. We did a little shopping in the area-- found a great and inexpensive jewelry store called Laila Rowe. Then, we hopped on the subway and headed for the West Village and Magnolia Bakery! We enjoyed our cupcakes in the park and then headed back up towards mid-town. Maggie went back to my place to take a nap (she's pregnant!!). Jessica and I headed over to a couple of the cheap stores on 5th Ave...H&M and Mexx. I actually bought a few things at H&M- first time I've had any luck at that store, but this was the first time I'd been in one since moving up here...only been on vacations before. We then walked over to the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). It is free on Friday's from 4-8pm. We only lasted a short while- we were tired! We saw only the 1st floor out of 6, I think. I will have to go back on another free Friday when I haven't been on my feet all day! While in that neighborhood, we walked past Radio City and Rockefeller Center-- they were having a US Open Watch party on the lawn, set up to look like a tennis court. We also walked past St. Patrick's Cathedral.





















































We headed back home for a quick rest and to get Maggie. Maggie's friend Ann came over as well and we all went to dinner. We just wanted to stay in the neighborhood and ended up at an Italian Restaurant that I thought was pretty good. Afterwards, we got dessert at Amy's Bread-- I had a delicious Strawberry Shortcake. By then, we were exhausted and headed for home.

Saturday, we slept in...us Columbia girls are sort of known for that! When we did get up, we walked towards the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. We ate lunch at a restaurant right there that has good salad's and sandwiches, but we were seated outside in the sun and it was really hot! We then walked through the flea market doing some shopping. I bought only a necklace. On the way out, there was a cart selling those Mexican slushy things and that was just the refreshment we needed!

Maggie & I at lunch















From the flea market, we took a taxi to Bryant Park which is where Fashion Week is taking place this week. If you read any tabloid magazine's, you know what this is. Basically all the big designers put on runway shows and all the celebs vie for front row tickets to the shows. We stood outside the main tent hoping to see some celebrity's coming and going. We didn't see anyone we recognized, but it was still fun to be there!

Jessica & I at the Fashion Week tent (notice
my new flea market necklace)















We don't know who this girl is, but people
were taking her picture like she was famous.
Do you recognize her?















We headed for home to rest up and get ready for our 8:30 dinner reservations at Butter. I've been wanting to go to Butter for a long time. It's one of the celebrity hot-spots...Ashley Olsen's ex-boyfriend owns it. I'm glad we went, but I didn't think it was the best meal ever and the atmosphere was interesting, but also not the best ever. Downstairs is a dance club and we did go down there to use the restroom, but there were people eating there-- my guess is they move the tables late at night and turn it into a dance floor then. We did not see anyone famous.

In my room getting ready for our night out















Maggie & Jessica at Butter















After Butter, we walked through the West
Village to Milk & Cookies- a bakery I've heard
great things about. Maggie & I both picked
cookies and ice cream to make an ice cream
sandwich and Jessica got a variety of their
cookies. It is a fun place! You can also "create
your own dozen" there and I'm dying to go
back to try that!

Sunday, Jessica left really early and Maggie & I slept in again. We took the morning slow and only left in time to make our 12:30 lunch reservation at Spice Market...another celeb hot-spot I've been wanting to try. We loved it!! It had a really nice atmosphere, excellent service, and the food was delicious! We were both very impressed. I would definitely try it again. After lunch, we walked around the corner to the Chelsea Market, which I had never been to before. It is kind of a warehouse with different little stores and restaurants in it...very cute. The first place we went into was kind of a clothing boutique/restaurant. It was packed with people having brunch. Maggie and I were just browsing through the store part and I glanced over and there was Susan Sarandon having brunch with her daughter!! This was probably the most exciting celebrity sighting I've had. Just because it was so unexpected and because she's such a famous actress! We finished shopping through the Market and as we were leaving, so was Susan S! They were headed in the same direction as us, so we sort of watched to see where they were going and then followed them into a store-- it was fun!! She walked right past me in the store. She looked exactly like I would have expected her to- just like she does in the movies!

So, that was a great ending to a great weekend! Tomorrow, I leave for Nantucket for the weekend. My mom is spending the next two weeks with a friend so I'm meeting up with them. Expect me to write next week about my adventure up there!