It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

On Wednesday Jenn and I braved the cold and the crowds (I know, this seems like a running theme for me these days) to go see the tree lighting at Rock Plaza. To be honest, it was not nearly as cold and miserable as we were anticipating! We had a pretty decent view of the tree and one of the screens so we could watch the performances. It was fun, and I'm glad I went but I'm not sure I'd recommend it as "must do". I say this because 1/3 of the performances were pre-recorded (yes, I'm a little sad I didn't get to see Justin Bieber & Usher in person) and what I saw really isn't any different than what you saw sitting at home on your couch. The performances took place down on the ice rink so unless you were in the center plaza surrounding the rink (and that space was very limited) you couldn't see them unless you were watching a screen. Still, it was fun to sing along with Christmas songs and of course to spend time with Jenn. I loved all the Michael Buble action, and Cee Lo's rendition of Silent Night was surprisingly very sweet and tearful, and then there were a few duds between Carole Kings bad duet partner and Neil Diamond's "Very Cheery Christmas".

As soon as the tree was lit we bee-lined it out of there and went to meet some friends at Cask Bar + Kitchen. It was such a fun little place with really yummy food! I really loved the atmosphere and I don't know how to describe it other than to say it's a classic, vintage bar. I will definitely be going back here.

Jewelry Update

About a month ago I wrote about some great jewelry that I got at the J.Crew clearance store in VA and I finally uploaded my pics. So fun right?

    

ok, this isn't J.Crew,
it's Michael Kors and i'm in love with it.
it's my "investment" piece for years to come!

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg!!!

I hope you've all had a wonderful holiday spent with family and friends! I'm so blessed to say that this year I had both with me! My sister Emily and her roomie Jessica came to visit me in NYC and we were able to make several new friends together, and visit with a few old ones.

I wish I would have done a better job of writing down each day all that we did because looking back it all seems like a blur! I'll try my best to hit the highlights, just prepare yourself for an onslaught of pictures.

Wednesday
    The girls arrived in the evening and we headed up to Central Park to see the parade balloons being inflated. While it was a complete madhouse of people it was fun to preview the balloons before the parade the next day. After finally getting through the crowd we took a train down to the meatpacking district to have dinner at this scrumptious French restaurant, Pastis. With full bellies we went home and hit the bed since we had an early morning the next day.

Em, me, & Jess @ Pastis

Thursday (Thanksgiving)

   We were up at 5, and out the door soon after to get a good spot for the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I camped out at a spot and sent the girls to take some pics and see if they could find a better location...which they did, so we moved up to the NW corner of Bryant Park @ 42nd & 6th. We really lucked out, not only in our spot but also with the people around us. We had a sweet mother/daughter duo from Columbus, OH who pulled us into their front row corner and used their chairs as a blockade behind us so we wouldn't get smashed by the crowds! Watching the parade in person is nothing like watching it on tv. There are actually several blocks completely blocked off from the public for "quiet taping zones" where the performances take place. Sadly the singers don't perform throughout the whole route (you broke my heart Ingrid Michaelson), but the 610 Stompers did and they were definitely a parade highlight of mine! Since we were on a corner and in the pre-taping zone often floats would stop in front of us and we were able to have several conversations with various parade performers. We heckled the Naval Academy Glee club to sing for us to which one guy responded "I'm singing, and I'm on a float, in a parade" (Elf shout out!). I yelled out to figure skater Johnny Weir that his outfit was fabulous to which he graciously replied with a thank you and a pose. I'm sure there was so much more but it's hard to remember! (Please don't judge the bags under our eyes and lack of color/makeup).

 

 

   After the parade we met up with my friend Katie and found a random old school diner. We went back to my place for a quick cat nap & shower before heading to Top of the Rock for some killer views of the city. If you're looking for a 360 degree view this is the place to go! We went around 4 so we could catch the sunset and it was perfect!

 

 

I left the girls to explore for a few hours before our dinner reservation and took a chance to get in a quick nap. I'd worked the previous 3 nights and between the cleaning and excitement of their visit I only had about an hour of sleep before they came.

Chi joined us at Fagiolini for a Thanksgiving dinner and I can definitely say this is the first year our table topics ever included "royalty", handy root, urban African legend about sugar, and so much more that's not appropriate for table let alone blogging conversations :) We moved the party back to my place where I was quickly fading and shamelessly washed my face, put on pj's and got in bed. I don't remember much of what happened other than a lot of laughing and everyone finally got the hint that I needed to go to bed since I had to work the next morning...ugh.

Friday (Black Friday)
   I went to work with a killer headache (probably from sleep deprivation)but had a fairly decent shift. Meanwhile, Em and Jess braved the MADNESS I mean "Magic" of Macy's to buy me a Christmas tree so they could decorate my apartment! I met up with them after work for dinner and it wasn't until 10ish that we got home and that's when I found mistletoe on my door! Inside it was even more magical as they had strung lights, hung snowflake decals on my window, and my little desk was illuminated by a mini tree! I couldn't help but cry at their display of love. They even got me the sweetest ornament to commemorate my NYC Christmas. Best hostess gift ever, and I did not deserve it. I'd been so snappy due to lack of sleep and mother nature. Fortunately this was the turning point and now that I didn't have to think about going to work and had some sleep I was ready for running around the town with them!

Saturday
   We grabbed some Vic's Bagels (amazing bagel bar that is the "Coldstone" of cream cheese) and Dunkin' Donuts coffee before heading down to SoHo. Surprisingly this was my first time going to that part of town and after visiting I don't know how why I didn't go before! It is a shoppers paradise! The cast iron architecture is beautiful. The maze of stores and boutiques makes you feel that you could spend forever here and you'd never see it all. We came upon some great street vendors where we all picked up some scarves and sweet little pendant necklaces. Em is in the market for some new glasses and heard about this NYC business called Warby Parker and they had a pop up shop near SoHo so we headed that way. It was actually really cool as they were sharing a garage space with Christmas tree vendors and had a tent inside an old garage with all their glasses on display. We even got to talk with their media guy and really learn about the company's background, growth, how they can be so affordable (only $95 for frames and prescription lenses!!!) and how their "Buy a Pair, Give a Pair" program works.

Afterwards we visited Kate Spade (our alter-jewelry ego) and took advantage of her free cab ride promotion. Kate, yes we are on a first name basis, was so kind to wrap 10 Lincoln Towncars in her candy wrapper paper and have them come pick up her fans outside of her SoHo and 5th Ave locations and deliver them anywhere in the city...for FREE! I'd read about it on her blog, told Em and Jess who took one on Friday and I just had to do it too! Our driver Nelson was fabulous! He usually drives a Heineken truck to Yankee stadium but he seemed to enjoy being a party cab and blasting some music for us to sing along with as he drove us to Magnolia Bakery in the Village. We grabbed some yummy desserts then headed uptown to the theater district to meet up with some Ohio friends @ John's Pizza. I'd been to this place before and their white pizza is to die for! Our company included the Beres family, they used to live near & attend our grandparents church so we've known them for years. In town visiting them was the Miller family who live about 40 mins from my parents in OH. It's a crazy small world. As much as I love the pizza there, I think the true highlight was when the whole restaurant started singing and cheering for Joey's 12th birthday. I'm sure it will be a lasting memory for this little boy from Amish country :) We ended the night with some Pinkberry froyo (shout out to my CA days) and parted ways.

I love you Kate!

Party Cab!
"We fell in love on a hopeless night"

Sunday

   We logged about 8 hours of sleep and were out the door by 10 to grab brunch at Penelope's. After some yummy granola, a fakin' bacon BLT, and punkin' pancakes we set off on a mile long journey to visit The Strand, an 18 mile long bookstore (not kidding). On our way their we walked through a fun holiday fair at Union Square and snapped these:

Just a few blocks before we reached the bookstore we came across this old church and couldn't resist a mini photoshoot. Here's just a small sampling.

We eventually made it to the bookstore, and then walked an additional mile to SoHo to visit a few more stores and vendors. While there an acquaintance from my Palo Alto days met up with us. It was fun to see Andrea and get to know her more in this one hour than I did while living in CA for 7 months.  We headed over to Kate Spade for our last attempt at a free ride, with hopes of getting Nelson, our driver from the day before...and we did!!! We were so excited! We crammed in, turned the music up and started our party ride through the city! Nelson was so nice and dropped Andrea off at her place then took us all the way to the Upper East side so we could pick up a snack at Zabar's before going to church. We have so many great memories just from a 30 minute cab ride and I would definitely include this time as a highlight of their visit! Nelson shared food recommendations, stories about his own family, stories about the Russian mob and KGB from when he had a car repo business, and the most poignant was sharing his memories and feelings regarding 9/11 as a local and as a Veteran. 

After exlporing Zabar's (Kosher grocery store on the ground level, kitchen gadgets on the second) we walked a block and went to the evening Redeemer service which is held in this beautiful, old First Baptist Church building. Jenn joined us and afterwards we headed for some quick apps at Fig & Olive before heading to Serendipity 3 for dessert! I'm embarrassed to say that I had an entire frozen peanut butter hot chocolate all by myself and I definitely regretted it afterward! While in the moment it tasted so good it was just way too much for one belly to handle! We came back to my place where again I donned PJs and got in bed half asleep and the girls ordered in Chinese and chatted away.

Jenn is really, REALLY excited.

lookin' good pre-sugar coma

Monday

   We walked up to Central Park South (1.5 miles) for breakfast at Sarabeth's (so yummy!) and ate outside since it was 60+degrees which is unbelievable since it's the end of November. 

Jess & coffee

sister talk

i don't even know

"...and I said what? Oh..."

   Next we headed across the street to stroll through CP and of course, another photoshoot ensued. Em and I decided we'd go ice skating there when she and the parents come for Christmas. We really could not have asked for better weather!

Next we headed south on 5th Ave, made a quick stop into St. Pat's Cathedral then I left the girls at Dylan's Candy Bar while I made a quick trip home. We met up a little later in the Financial District to visit the World Trade Memorial and St. Paul's Church where the workers actually slept, were fed and treated by volunteers. It's so crazy to see so much empty space in NYC where the towers used to stand. There are lots of volunteers walking around with Ipads who will show you pictures of before the attack, during, and also what the site is projected to look like. It was very sobering and I'm really glad we visited and allowed ourselves to be reminded of the darker days and the strength our country had to survive it.

World Trade 1 being rebuilt, currently
at 92 floors and counting.

All too soon it was 5 and we had to catch a train home for some last minute packing, and at 6 the girls were in a cab headed for the airport! It was such a whirlwind and wonderful time! I can't remember the last time I've been awake that many "days" in a row and I'm thoroughly exhausted but the bags under my eyes and tired feet are definitely worth it! I have so much to be thankful for!!!

        

                           

Joy-ful weekend

Working straight night shift has really thrown me off kilter when it comes to keeping my days of the weeks straight and remembering the few things I do get to do during the daylight! I've been sitting here on my couch wondering "What did I do 2 weekends ago?" and it finally popped into my head, I played with Jenn & Joy!

Jenn's friend Joy came into town from SC and they were gracious enough to let me tag along in some of their fun! The girls are friends from volunteering at Camp Joy and I had the privilege of meeting Joy a few months ago when she came to visit Jenn in SF...or should I say Joy had the privilege of watching my parents try sushi for the first time?!

Anyway, a few of our fun last wkd included a fat-i-licious dinner of corned beef & pastrami from Katz's Delicatessen (think fake orgasm scene from the movie When Harry Met Sally) complete with their own homemade pickles and dessert of cheesecake and carrot cake. After that we moved just a few blocks down to a bar to meet up with a few friends, but we decided to call it an early night since we were planning to be up at 5 am the next morning.

On the way home we had the best cabbie ever! We all dream of being on Cash Cab, but sometimes you have to make your dreams come true so we tried to convince our driver to play along with us. He started off rusty, so it really was more like "Reverse Cash Cab" where we asked him questions. Eventually he got into it and asked us a few questions with a revolving theme around the 5 boroughs. Of course we didn't even know the 5 boroughs but we do now: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

The next morning we got up bright and early to get in line for standby SNL tickets. I'm still pretty upset about these wasted hours of my life. Basically, we stood in the COLD for almost 4 hours (the intern who was supposed to hand out the tix at 7am was almost 2 hours late!), got to the front and were reassured by said intern that we had a great chance of getting in, to then anticipate seeing Florence + the Machine perform later that night and laugh at Jason Segal's skits and have that hope dashed as we waited in line from 10:30-11:35pm without one word from any of the NBC reps regarding if any of the standby's would get in. Seriously, they could have had the decency to announce around 11 or 11:15 that it wasn't looking like there would be any standby's accepted. Nope. They let us just stand there and waste our time. Turns out NO ONE, that's right, NONE of us 200 standbys got in, and that has been happening for the last few weeks. My opinion of NBC has definitely gone down a notch. Oh well, it's a memory and I had good company.

It's really early and really cold!

Perfect Fall Day in NYC

Saturday was THE perfect fall day in NYC. The sun was shining, the air was warm yet a little crisp, I had a pumpkin spice latte in hand and Michaela by my side as we set off to do some exploring in Central Park (CP). We passed a street fair near Grand Central but only allowed ourselves to look for 5 minutes since we were meeting our friend Lauren, and of course that's never enough for all the sights and smells a street fair has to offer! We took the train to the Upper West, met up with Lauren and started our journey.

Usually when I go to CP I enter from the Southeast side so I was excited to explore some new areas. We started off at Strawberry Fields, the memoir to John Lennon, then made our way to The Mall. The colors were just perfect and there was just the right amount of leaves still on the trees and on the ground. Unfortunately, my camera battery died but Michaela was gracious enough to let me borrow hers so that way I'd have something to show you to prove what a wonderful day it was!

John Lennon tribute

Lauren & me

YAY for Fall! please excuse the ICS
(Inner Child Syndrome)

Lauren & Michaela

Michaela led us to the Boathouse in CP for drinks and some good people watching. A few more friends joined us and while it was fun, we all lamented about how sad it is that it gets dark SO early now! The Boathouse was closing so we made our way out of the park, each making our way to various places in the city. Michaela, Erin and I made a quick dash into Tiffany's but the crowd was a bit too overwhelming so we made our way home.

After a little down time, a quick change of clothes, a PB&J, and some phone calls it was time to meet Micheala (MC) for round 2! We were supposed to meet Fiona & Sean, some Irish travel engineers (I met them a month ago at an Irish Bar and they were hilarious!) down at the Pour House but the PATH (transportation from NJ) was shut down and it took them forever to get a cab so we had our own little Prosecco date. They FINALLY got a ride so we went to catch a cab downtown. We probably spent at least 20 minutes trying to hail a cab, but they were all full so we gave in and got a "gypsy cab". These are the black town cars that don't charge rates based on distance, it's just a flat rate, cash only, and usually runs about $25 no matter how near or far you're going. MC worked her magic, bargained a lower rate, and we were off.

We didn't have to wait too long for the Irish crew, and soon enough it turned into a mini Irish convention as they found several more countrymen. There's something about the accent, everything just seems funnier and their reactions to things are more comical. One "bloke" was telling us about the date he'd had earlier in the night and couldn't believe that the girl wanted to end it with going out for tea. It's not really that funny, but to hear him tell it and see his face, it was! Needless to say, many good times were had last night and I can now check off "a great night out in NYC" from my Bucket List!

Boston in the Fall

I love Fall. I love the cooler weather. I love the wardrobe change. I love the colors of the leaves and the crunching sound they make beneath my feet. I love the pumpkins and apples and fresh cider. I love that it triggers the idea that Thanksgiving is coming, and then Christmas is right around the corner.

We all have different dreams or aspirations, and one of mine has been to be in Boston in the Fall. I had really wanted a travel assignment there, but there wasn't one open so visiting for a weekend would have to suffice...and boy did it!

One of my best friends, Mihoko, has been living in Boston for about 2 years now. Sadly it's been over a year since I last saw her when she visited me in DC. It's been hard to keep in touch with people while living in CA, but she's that constant friend that can jump in right where we left off as if we didn't miss a beat. I was so excited about moving to NY since she'd only be a 4 hr. bus ride away! She was so kind to switch her schedule so that we could have a solid few days together, and that means the world to me! We had both worked the previous night shift and were a bit tired but managed to be awake long enough for a delicious dinner at Grappas, an Italian restaurant literally in some lady's living room. It was SO good! We went home, watched some tv, talked, etc. It was just so nice to be together.

That evening my back was starting to hurt, but I assumed it was b/c I'd slept in a funny position on the bus. Bell, Mihoko's bf was kind enough to give me a massage. Now yes, for those who know me, that was a bit awkward! I'd only known the guy for a few hours and it's a little different when you go to a spa for a massage than getting one from your friend's bf! However, he is highly qualified and trained in the family business of acupuncture and gives massages and treatments daily so I agreed. I felt so much better, and much more relaxed. Needless to say I slept great that night, but when Friday morning came I could barely even move without bringing tears to my eyes. It was so weird, I've never had back pain like this before and it was really scary! Mihoko was so great about it, we laid low, watched a movie, she gave me a massage, we tried a heating pad, hot shower, etc. Eventually I got to the point where I could move w/o tears, but still had some very painful spots. Bell came home from work early to see if he could help me feel better and was so kind to bring lunch straight from Chinatown! He knew that I liked pork buns and brought me 2 different kinds! He really earned some brownie points! He was so gracious with his services and gave me another massage and acupuncture tx and I feel much better!

Since I'd already been to Boston before we didn't have to hit all the tourist highlights. Friday afternoon we ventured down to Newbury St. to do some shopping and get our nails done. We headed over to Prudential Center Mall and I picked up a few items at Michael Kors. I'd been wanting one of his signature, gold men's inspired watches for the past year and I finally took the plunge and bought one. I like to call it my "incentive pay" watch as I'd worked an OT shift and it had an incentive bonus which covered the cost of the watch. It's definitely a statement piece, and something I'll have for years!

That evening we grabbed dinner at a local brewery then headed across the street to the House of Blues for a sold out Mat Kearney concert. I think this is the 4th time I've seen him, and it always amazes me how well he sounds in person! Mihoko and I used to be concert buddies and it'd been years since we'd last been to one with each other. I forgot how much fun she and I have singing along and being silly! So thankful we both share good taste in music :) We even made a few friends who conveniently were really tall so they took a few pics for me when MK came out into the crowd. After the concert we headed home and played the new Dance Central with some of Bell's friends. This was a bit of a stretch for me as I am NOT a dancer, so to do this in front of 6 Chinese people that I just met...it was literally a foreign experience ;)

I <3 MK!

Bestie Concert Buddies

Can you see the floating blueberries? Also,
check out the ginormous watch!!!

MK's in the crowd!!!

is she not the cutest?

Saturday we went to Harvard Square and brunched at Tory Row, then wandered the streets popping in and out of shops. I'd heard that there was an Urban Outfitter's bargain basement and it's literally just the basement of the regular UO. While I'm not hip enough for their clothes, I did pick up a few fun presents for my sister. (Em, if you're reading this don't worry, I'm not posting pics!). We visited the Tannery which is a fabulous shoe store and I think I've finally found a pair of waterproof boots for this winter season! Of course I didn't buy them there since I found them on Amazon cheaper, but now I know what size to order! We even wondered onto Harvard's campus and took some pretty pics.  

the entrance gate to Harvard

 



By mid-afternoon we'd exhausted Harvard Square and took the T to the North End to get some delicacies from Modern Pastry. Jenn just raved and raved about how we had to get a Lobster Tail from there, so we did! The line was long, but definitely worth the wait!

Afterwards we caught a cab over to Prudential where we were able to grab dinner at Top of the Hub with my old college roomie Sarah. (I visited her last in Austin, she's now traveling in NH). She and her friend had come down for the ballet and it just all worked out perfectly to get together! I'm so glad we got to catch up as she and I'd been exchanging schedules but couldn't find a wkd that worked to visit each other. Check out these great views of Boston from the restaurant.

me & Sarah @ Top of the Hub

Mihoko and I headed home, attempted to eat the Lobster Tail (filled with vanilla custard, creme, and who knows what other goodness!) but failed! It's so rich I think we're both diabetic now. In our sugar coma we somehow managed to get to the movies to see Like Crazy. If you've seen commercials and are thinking about going just ask yourself this question, "Am I ok with unresolved endings?". Hope that helps your decision making. When we got home we facetimed our friend Jenn out in Cali and it's the first time the 3 of us ex-Dukies have all been "together" at the same time. It was so fun for all of us to catch up and it just reminded me of how blessed I've been in regards to my friendships. I'm so thankful for all the quality girl time I had with Mihoko, but also for the time spent with her boyfriend. I'm always so happy when my girls end up with good guys, and I could definitely leave town feeling that she was in good hands.

Mihoko modeling our Lobster
Tail, I think it weighed
a few pounds...and we tried
several times to finish it!

Sunday morning Mihoko dropped me off at my friend Karoline's house. When looking at the bus schedule home I wasn't going to make it in time for church, and Mihoko had to work Sunday night and I wanted her to get some sleep and have some personal time so I msg'd Karoline and it all worked out perfect. I'd get to go to church, see a friend, and still get a ride to the bus station! Karoline and I both attended Providence when we lived in NC, and she's been in Boston for about 3 years going to grad school as Boston College. We didn't really know each other well in NC but have several mutual friends, and plus, we're sisters in Christ...outgoing sisters to boot! She was so sweet to let me join her, church was a blessing, and her friends were so sweet to welcome me and include me in their lunch plans. We walked a block to this cute (and super cheap) Thai restaurant called Sugar & Spice and I successfully ordered something non-spicy so I didn't cry...but I almost cried from laughing so hard. Two other friends joined us late and we had one of the most entertaining and lighthearted lunches ever! None of us were particularly close, especially me since I'd just met everyone but Karoline, but it was just so comfortable. We openly picked on each other about being public transportation snobs, my ridiculous hiccups, a principle who dresses up like Dr. Seuss, and we even brought up various sermon points in good humor (now that's the ultimate post church luncheon). It's times like this that make me want to stay somewhere so I can experience friendships like this on a daily basis. Everyone was so nice, and I really do hope that I get to visit them again...or take a travel assignment in Boston soon!

me with new friends from Hope @ Sugar & Spice:
Grant, me, Karoline, Bryan, and Kimberly

Unfortunately we had such a great time at lunch that I missed by bus by a few minutes, but was able to take a later one without penalty so it all worked out! All of our lunchtime fun was definitely worth missing the bus! I've decided I can't go another year without seeing Mihoko so I better start planning another trip North!