Weekend, etc...

Once each winter and once each summer, restaurant week hits NYC. This summer’s event was last week and this week. I went with my new friends, Christina and Rosella, to dinner at Cipriani Wall Street on Friday night. It was a really good meal! I’ve been wanting to eat at Cipriani for a long time and Restaurant Week makes it seem affordable. Everywhere you go, it’s a 3-course meal for $35. Cipriani is a very well known, elite restaurant. There are several locations in the city and some of their locations are huge event spaces. You may remember last summer when I helped one of my NYU professors with an amazing Engagement Party – well, that was held at Cipriani 23rd Street. Anyway, all are outstanding venues. I wasn’t sure if they were known as much for their food as for their event spaces, but dinner was also outstanding. The Wall Street locale was a smaller venue and felt more like an elite club room. They had a great patio outside for drinks and I’m sure it is a happening spot for mid-week happy hour with all the Wall Street big-wigs. I had a pre-dinner Bellini, their signature drink, that was delicious!

On Saturday, I got my priorities all mixed up. Instead of working on my apartment, I went and laid out, followed by 2 laps around the Resevoir. I am loving the track around the Resevoir – made it back on Sunday for another go around.

Saturday night, I met Joy up the street at this huge Mexican restaurant I’d been to last summer. I was craving a good salad and knew they had a salad with grilled chicken. It was great! We also went to see “Dark Knight”. I have come to the conclusion that I will never be a huge lover of Batman movies. It wasn’t bad, I just usually get thrown off by movies that have any element that couldn’t happen in reality. A flying human kind of falls into that group for me. It’s not as bad as talking animals, but still.

On Sunday, I did double-duty at church. First, I babysat during the Parent’s CG, then I taught Sunday School. It all went really well. I spent the afternoon shopping, napping, and even making a dent in the work at my apartment!

Monday night, I visited my 2nd Restaurant Locale with Joy. We went to Fig & Olive. Good Mediterranean food. My chicken breast with goat cheese was fantastic and seems like something I should be able to recreate at home some time. This was a restaurant I’d like to go back to sometime to experience their tasting menu of cheeses & tapas.

Busy Times

Things have been super busy around here! I really do not know where the month of July has gone. So fast, that’s for sure!

I have officially moved in to my new apartment. “Moved” being used loosely. I’m there and all of my stuff is there, but it is still a complete wreck! I just haven’t been home enough to get to every box and organizing and fixing up/decorating is definitely on the back-burner. I think I love it, but I can’t wait to be completely settled. The neighborhood is so quiet and I feel like anyone who passes by my building is my neighbor. I swear it is 10 degrees cooler up there. I’m not sure if it’s the trees lining the street and providing shade, or the fact that you’re away from all the tall buildings and congestion of mid-town, or possibly because I’m so close to the Central Park Reservoir that seems to always have a great breeze blowing off of it. On that note, I can’t wait to go for my first run around the Reservoir – have always wanted to do it and now I’m sure I will do it a lot!

In addition to moving, here’s what’s been going on:

- Work is really busy. Our year-end is 6/30, so this is busy season for us. Our E&Y auditors come in on Monday and will be here for over a month. We’ve been working hard to have things ready for them when they get here and hopefully it will be smooth sailing while they are in our office.
- I had my first book club meeting ever! We read “The Gravediggers Daughter”. I only got part of the way through since I joined in late, but I like the book and intend to finish it! (Several of the girls did not like it, so I don’t necessarily recommend running out to purchase it). We had our meeting at Socarrat, a new paella restaurant in Chelsea – super cute place and good food!
- Friday night I went to an engagement party for Contessa & Paul. Contessa is in my church CG. I knew they were getting engaged any day as she had told me a few weeks ago that the wedding was already basically planned (date set, venues booked, dress bought). Anyway, the party was fun, but most definitely the strangest engagement party ever. In fact, I left wondering if they even are officially engaged yet. We were all confused and can’t get any answers out of Contessa. I won’t go into all the details here, just know, it was strange!! Anyway, I don’t doubt the wedding will occur and some of the girls and I are talking about a long weekend in San Fran/Napa to go to the wedding next Memorial Day – would be a blast, for sure!
- Sunday, I babysat kids in the morning and then spent a lot of time shopping in my new neighborhood. I had lots of kid’s gifts to buy!!! My CG is providing dinners for my pastor & his family this week as they just had a baby born about a month ago. I was in charge of getting a baby gift and fun games or toys for the older kids. The Upper West Side has great children’s stores so it was fun to shop for this!
- The weekend was a big one for Contessa because she also got baptized on Sunday. I was so happy for her for taking this symbolic step. She had been wanting to do it for a long time and kept putting it off. Kenny, one of the pastors, did a great job of making it a very meaningful baptism.
- Monday night I went to my 2nd Yankee’s game and most likely the last game I’ll attend at the historic ballpark. The new stadium looks near completion and very nice! The game was fun and after an extremely hot weekend it cooled down a bit that night, although, we were still sweating just sitting still. I had my eyes peeled for a Madonna sighting, but no such luck! (But did I tell you that I now know where she lives here?!?!)

-Speaking of baseball, the All-Star games were held in NYC this year. They had a parade right down 6th Avenue, the street my office overlooks! We went down and watched in person for a bit, but it was very slow moving and it was all the old guys so we didn't know most of them. We did see Tommy Lasorda, Yogi Berra, Ozzie Smith! From 14 flights up, we saw A-Rod!!



And in the midst of all this, I've managed to turn down free tickets to the Baseball All-Stars Home Run Derby (probably a $500+ ticket) and the American Idol concert! Geez!

The next week should continue to be just as busy until I leave Friday for Iowa for my cousin’s cowboy weddin’. I will update as I can!!

Blasts from the Past

Last week was very busy and full of blasts from the past!

Tuesday night was CG night. We assembled gift bags for Kristen to deliver to boys at the Kenya orphanage she is going to spend the next month at. We also took a picture she will give to the boys so they know who the gifts came from.

Wednesday night, I volunteered for a ministry called Gifted Hands. I am wanting to find more ways to serve in this city and this was my first attempt. Gifted Hands ministers to young mothers who are at-risk...usually just off the streets in some type of halfway house. They have a program each week where the women get to make an art project and then hear a speaker. I was there to help keep their kids preoccupied. They had more kids this week than ever before. It was very chaotic, so we're not sure how many kids there were, but definitely over 20. It didn't help that the kid's area is basically in the same room as where their moms are. Trying to keep them all inside the gated area was difficult! There were some sweet kids and some difficult ones, too. We had a 3-year-old saying f* you multiple times. Sad.

Thursday night, I went to dinner with a co-worker of mine from EY in Dallas. She and her husband were in town for a few days. I hadn't seen her since Christmas 2006, so it was great to catch-up and to meet her husband for the first time. He was such a nice guy! We went to dinner at Rachel's down the street and then got Cold Stone. I meant to take a picture and forgot :(

Friday, I was hoping to leave work at 2:00 because of NHL Summer Fridays (yeah!). Unfortunately, this week has been CRAZY, so I left at 2:30 and had to come back after 4:00 and stayed until 8:00 - on a Friday night!!! But, I had to leave at 2:30 to meet up with my old college roommate and her daughter Lilly who were in town from Memphis. We were trying to remember the last time we'd seen each other...fall of 2004? I had never met Lilly before and it was great to see her in person! Nicole moved up to NYC right out of college and was here for 4 years attending dental school. I visited her 3 times during those years and she is a big part of why I live here now!! We grabbed lunch at an outdoor cafe near Rockefeller - it was such a pretty day outside! I was hoping to hang out with them longer, but had to head back to the office. I also meant to get a picture of Nicole & Lilly and forgot again :(

Other blasts from the past this week were some random connections on Facebook (if you're not on it, you should consider it!). A pledge sister of mine found me, which led me to several other college girls. I also reconnected with a girl I went to church with from about 3-years-old through high school. She and I do exchange Christmas cards, but otherwise aren't in touch at all anymore. It was great to see here there and reminded me that I'll be in her city in Iowa in a few weeks...we may be able to meet up! I also had an old co-worker "friend" me....he was the delivery boy at the drug store I worked out in high school. Fun (and funny) stuff!

Boston Pops!!

I left Friday morning for Boston with a $28 round-trip ticket on a Chinatown Bus. I really should get out of town more often for that price! However, I wouldn't suggest doing it on the 4th of July again. It was crazy-crowded and they had oversold all the buses. Most people were pretty nice, but there were some very belligerent pushers and yellers. It was scary for a few minutes. But, I got on a bus at 9:30...was supposed to be 9:00, but I wasn't strong enough to push my way on to that bus. The rest of the bus experience wasn't bad at all and we got to Boston in exactly 4 hours. I hopped on a subway and made my way to The Marriott where Tonya, Sean, Tamara, and Elizabeth were waiting for me.

On Friday, our entire day consisted of firework preparation. We walked over and got us a prime viewing spot right on the river and hunkered-down for the long haul.

Many people waited from their boats. Next year, we should take Sean's kayaks!We took turns walking around the area some and Tamara, Sean, and I walked over to Newbury Street to pick up a picnic dinner...cheeses, prosciutto, crackers, cookies, etc.... The 6.5 hours that we waited for the fireworks went by pretty fast. There were a lot of people waiting with us!

Around 8:00, a concert at the Hatch Shell started - we couldn't see the Hatch Shell from where we sat, but I strolled down there earlier in the day to see what it looked like. The concert included Rascal Flatts and we were sitting near a huge speaker, so we could hear it and it kept us entertained.
I was disappointed that it was freaking cold out. It didn't feel like the 4th of July without some sweating! I wasn't prepared for the weather! Tamara bought a t-shirt at the festivities and let me wear it over my tanks and I let out my capris into long pants - it helped a ton! I tried to catch the flyover in action, but they were just too fast!
We got to see an excellent sunset while we waited.We also took part in a Patriotic Sing-a-Long. Tonya was, obviously, very in to it!

Finally came the fireworks. It was probably the best fireworks show I've ever seen...unfortunately, we could barely see the last 15 minutes of it. The smoke became so thick, that it began to cover up the fireworks. Definitely some sort of malfunction...or possibly just the fact that there was no breeze.

We got up early on Saturday morning to catch a ferry over to Provincetown on Cape Cod. I was very excited to get to see Cape Cod!

Our ferry, right as a plane flew over us.

We rented bikes to tour the small town.

There were cute houses, great beaches, and pretty views everywhere.



We had fun riding on the bike paths and got quite a workout!
Elizabeth had fun exploring the beach. The rest of us girls enjoyed relaxing on the beach and resting our legs up for more bike riding! Cape Cod was freezing too-I had to buy a jacket!

After wearing ourselves out and working up appetites, we went back to town for lobster rolls!

Tamara with our lobster beeper.

After lunch, we strolled around town and got in some quick shopping. This is Town Hall.
Then we caught the ferry back to Boston!

There were several lighthouses between Provincetown and Boston

And we also saw this fort near the Boston harbor.

The Boston Skyline
For dinner on Saturday night, we had excellent Italian food in the North End, Boston's Little Italy. Afterwards, we got canolli's at Mike's...yum!

After all that good food, we needed the long walk home. We walked through Boston Commons where I thought this frog might turn into a Prince! Sunday morning, we had a great breakfast at a diner, then walked through the city some more. We saw Boston Commons again in the daylight. I love big city parks!

We also did some shopping on Newbury Street and then stopped by to see Cheers!

My first trip to Boston was short and limited, but I think I like it. I am excited to be going back in September to do some more in-depth exploring! Michelle and Melanie are meeting me there and have never been to Boston, so we will get to do all the touristy stuff!

Proud to be An American

Happy 4th of July everyone!!! After spending the past two 4ths in the city, I'm off to check out how other Northeasterners do it up. I'm going to Boston! Fill you in next week!

Fun Events

Last Saturday, I went to Cari's girl's night out/going away party. Cari is the girl who's apartment I am moving in to. I don't know Cari well - she was in my Community Group for about a month and then we'd see each other occasionally at church until she finally quit coming at all. I guess she invited me to her party since we got back in contact last week. Normally, I wouldn't have gone, but they were going to Nobu for dinner and that is one place that's been on my list ever since I moved here. I had been in Dallas before moving here, but wanted to go to the original that is known for serving celebrities. I was surprised that we saw no celebs that night - it seems like I'm always hearing about someone being there! The food was amazing though. A good dinner experience!

I didn't know any of the other girls, but really enjoyed them! I am joining a book club with 2 of them and the other one lives close to my new place and we might start jogging together. We joked that I was just going to slide right in to Cari's previous life! And, as is typical of my life here, they all have Texas connections. Christina & Rosella both moved up here from Texas a year ago. Cari went to Texas A&M and Emily did a 5-month internship in Dallas. Here are some pics from NOBU:
Cari & I













Emily (new running partner?), Cari, and I













Christina & Rosella on the right - I'm joining
their book club!













Sweaty train ride home!













On Monday night, I went to Desiree's surprise birthday party. Desiree is one of Joy's best friends from home. She and her husband, Jay, moved up about a year ago and immediately started coming to Apostles, so I've gotten to know them there. Jay was so sweet to plan her 30th birthday party. It was held at Gin Mill on the Upper West Side. They have a party room downstairs that is really cute! It had different tiny chandeliers all over the ceiling. There was a good crew there - lots of people from church, but also several other friends/family members of theirs. Jay provided heavy hors dourves that were great and they had a cash bar. Desiree was surprised and seemed to have a great time!

Apartment Search. Done!

Last week, I finally found an apartment!!!! I have been looking non-stop since returning from Greece! Let me say it again....apartment searching here is ridiculous! I have looked at sooooo many apartments and 1 of 3 things happens at each place:

1) I like the apartment and would take it, but 1 or 2 people have arrived before me, getting first-dibs. That’s all it takes to lose-out on a good apartment here. By the end of the process, I learned to show up 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.

2) The apartment is a complete dump. Very old and dirty looking. No, thanks.

3) The apartment is incredibly small. This was the case at every apartment I looked at on the Upper West Side, my preferred neighborhood. One apartment was so small that the girl living there didn’t even have a bed. She had a futon couch that I guess she pulled out into a bed each night, but I don’t think you could have moved in the apartment once it was out in bed formation. Crazy! I have to have a bed and, preferably, a couch, too.

The strangest apartment I saw was 2 weekends ago. I walked up the 5 flights of stairs to get to the specific apartment (yep, walked TONS of stairs throughout this process). When I walked in, I thought it looked fantastic! They’d obviously just renovated it – new paint, new floors, new appliances. Plus, it was a 1-bedroom, not a studio!! Granted, the bedroom was tiny, but it had a good sized living room and the kitchen was the biggest I’d seen. So, first, I walk through the kitchen…um, there’s a shower in the kitchen. Okay, that’s weird. But, I guess I could save some time by cooking and showering all at once! Then, I check out the living room. I’m beginning to think that the bedroom didn’t look big enough to have a bathroom in it, but surely it must be tucked back there, so on to the bedroom I go. Nope, no bathroom. About that time, another guy who was looking at the place said, “so, can we see the loo?” And, off we went, out of the apartment and down the hall. There was a door, which the occupant of the apartment would have a key to. Behind that door was a very, very tiny closet room with a toilet in it. That’s it, just a toilet – nothing else could have fit in there. I thought it was weird, but still thought, okay, maybe I could walk down the hallway to go to the bathroom. If I had a house I’d do that, right? But, still weird. And, you wouldn’t have a bathroom sink and mirror, which would drive me crazy. It was strange, and unfortunate, because the apartment had some great potential!

So, after 3 weeks of running into those scenarios, I heard from a girl in my CG that this girl Cari was moving and looking for someone to take over her lease. (On a side note, the girls in my CG have been AMAZING throughout this process. I have gotten a lot of leads from them, they have given me numbers of their own buildings managers, or made calls for me....they're GREAT!). I contacted Cari immediately. Tonya and I went to see it that very night, last Tuesday after Philharmonic....and now the apartment is mine! Cari moved out yesterday and I move in July 19th! Here are some facts about my new crib:

CONS:

- the kitchen & bathroom are outdated
- it’s on the ground floor and the windows are at street level. Could be weird/scary, but I’m not too worried. There are bars outside. And I’ll keep shutters or something on them, which will probably always be closed!
- It’s expensive. Crazy expensive. (Tonya, I’m swearing you to secrecy on that).

PROS:

- It’s on the Upper West Side – the neighborhood I’ve been wanting to live in since I moved up here!
- It’s ½ a block to Central Park
- It’s ½ a block to the B-line subway…the subway that goes directly into my office building! Yea for quick & easy commutes!
- It’s on a quiet, cute, tree-lined, brownstone-lined street
- It’s in a brownstone! I've always wanted to live in one. Not that you can tell you're in one the minute you walk in the front door, but it's the principle of it.
- An actress lives in the building…apparently she plays a secretary or something on “Lipstick Jungle”
- It’s a studio – it never crossed my mind that I’d live in anything other than a studio- but, it’s a pretty good sized studio…room for all my furniture and maybe more!
- It's on ground level - no 5 flights of stairs to trek back up each time I forget something!

Here are some pictures of my new street (pics of the inside to come once I'm settled):

My Brownstone-- the two
windows on the bottom left
are mine (behind the car).

















My side of the street













Across the street from me