After an exam on Thursday afternoon, I left for New York at 7ish, an hour past my supposed departure time. Got into the city 3.5 hours and a timezone jump later where one my bestest high school friends, who I also crashed with, was waiting to pick me up. She just moved to the city last month all the way from Manila.
Started the morning much later than my usual 7:00am (my friend is basically the complete opposite of me). Convinced her to try bagels for a super late breakfast at Black Seed where I got the vegan buffalo cauliflower. It was filled with a tofu cream cheese and was de-freaking-licious.
We then wandered around downtown, seeing the Oculus, Freedom Tower, the 9/11 Memorial then made our way toward Battery Park. On Friday we also hit up MoMA for their free admission afternoon. My friend took me out that evening (again the complete opposite of me) to a couple of bars where I sipped a moscow mule to ring in my 22nd birthday on Saturday.
On Saturday, one of other besties from high school was headed into the city for a few days too. Before meeting up with her, however, we went to Central Park and dog and people watched, then explored about 1/3 of The Met. Seriously so much to see in just an afternoon so we selected our priorities; mine were the 19th and 20th century (think Monets, Van Goghs) + my personal favorite art movement, the modern/contemporary pieces.
We then met up with said friend and her boyfriend in Smorg Square, an outdoor food park in Lower Manhattan. More than a tad chilly for my taste but luckily did not get rained on though the forecast predicted otherwise! Walked along The High Line for the views until we ended up in Chelsea Market, where we grabbed something to eat before heading out to another rooftop bar. This time I tried a frose (am I basic yet?). It was meh but THE VIEW WAS AMAZING.
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| Definitely does not do this justice |
We dedicated our last day to exploring Brooklyn. The four of us took the Manhattan subway and rode over the river together. On our schedule there: brunch turned an early linner at Egg in Williamsburg, a quick ferry to Dumbo, plus a whole bunch of walking around the fun Brooklyn streets and stores.
Another one of my friends had recommended I try this place called Juliana's pizza but the wait was an hour long. Didn't have the patience for that so instead grabbed dinner at Artichoke Pizza, known for their huge, creamy spinach and artichoke, white pizza slices.
Split off from my friend and her boyfriend for a bit since they had a concert to attend. The turned New Yorker friend and I then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, another unforgettable and unfathomable experience. I'm still in awe of the sheer history behind the bridge. Made our way back into Manhattan where we stopped for Ben's Cookies and at Strand. We walked around the Upper West Side and stumbled across Lincoln Center, Juilliard and the Empire Hotel (my inner Gossip Girl fan was so happy) while waiting for my other friend to return so we could say our goodbyes.
Because I make poor life choices, I took the 6:00am flight out and back into Dallas to make it back in time for my 11:30 class. So exhausted that I succumbed to having caffeine in the form of a chai latte despite disliking how it makes me feel all jittery. Even with the extra kick and getting some rest on the plane, I could not for the life of me focus in class. Another accomplishment was taking a quick mid-afternoon nap before it was time to really go back to reality.
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| Peace out to the city that never sleeps |
Although it wasn't my first time in New York City, it was my first time there as an adult and sans family, which makes a huge difference. 100% recommend travelling by yourself even if you start off small by going to a new part of your own city.
Unfortunately, there was a lot of walking and surprisingly not enough eating on this trip. Definitely a challenge for my recovery. It was a long and packed weekend. I never slept before midnight. My feet and back and legs ached every night. I barely thought about school. A good reminder that there is more to life than food, than to having everything planned out, than to playing things safe. It was a challenge for me to take a step back, to let go of control, and be more flexible and spontaneous. I was pushed out of my comfort zone but I think that's what friends are and growing older is for.
Questions:
Have you been to New York City?
What is your favorite art movement/artist?
Best thing you did over the weekend!
