When In New York…

“I’m completely relaxed right now.”

Those words make my heart happy,  even though my skin is crawling so badly from the thought of having needles all over my person. I’m with my friend at her acupuncture appointment (when in New York,  right?) and I must admit to you… I hate needles. My darling ultimate,  like me,  has crazy anxiety, as well as awful back problems rolled into one (great combo…) but lately,  she has been doing so great,  and it makes me smile! There has been a lot of stress going around (it’s like the common cold…) Some of our family (oh yeah,  my best friend is my cousin, a bunch of times removed. It’s okay if that doesn’t make sense. It usually doesn’t to everyone else.) deserves to have our bridges burned. But, us being the sweet,  loving individuals we are, continue to put ourselves out there and make attempts to try and keep those relationships alive.  This really has nothing to do with what I want to blog about today,  but my serendipidees tend to take me where they will.

Anyway,  she does acupuncture for her back and anxiety, so I’m currently sitting in the room,  a single lamp on,  and her covered in needles. My body feels weird! But since it’s the only free moment I have had to share some amazing get things with you, here it goes!

1. Goodbye pre-law!! As pumped as I was to become a paralegal for a criminal law firm, I just wasn’t happy with where I was.  I then looked into a graphic design school and fell in love. So,  for those who are not aware,  I am going into graphic design. Why not do something you are crazy passionate about?

2. I extended my stay in New York for another week because (drum roll, please!!!) a friend of  my cousin got me a meeting with the head editor of one of the biggest publishing companies in America. Obviously,  I can’t give names quite yet,  but this is an amazing opportunity. How many small town girls come to New York,  decide graphic design is their thing, and then get a meeting with a magazine publishing company?? I am counting my blessings.

3. I must share pictures! I have a few days worth, so brace yourself. The leaves, I must say (just to make you jealous), waited for me to get here before they came together to form a glorious real life water-color painting. New York has honestly surpassed my expectations, and though my cute outfits that I mulled over before packing are hidden under a wool coat and thick scarf this time of year, I can walk down the streets confidently in my high heel boots. I feel at home, though I do miss seeing stars at night. Here I go, rambling. Picture time!

So, we began my night tour by tossing me on a crowed subway car, the first thing I hear being an announcement about crowded train cars not being an excuse for sexual harassment…”Welcome to the Subway, Dee!”… But when I got off, I was met with a breathtaking view (I’ve had a lot of those this week…)

Find Dee! I’m in there somewhere!

I’m here too, but much easier to find. I mean, I can’t be in Grand Central Station and not re-enact one of the most famous scenes from Gossip Girl, now can I?

Oh, allow me to put a beautiful face to the ultimate best friend/cousin/biggest fan I’ve been talking about:

Isn’t she just the cutest??

We just so happened to pass by the New York Public Library when they were having their annual Lions Gala. So many pretty dresses!

The fact that we were at Rockefeller Center and there was nobody out on the ice (it was during the break) was awesome. They started calling me their lucky charm (everything has been amazing since I have arrived, so much so that we went out and each bought a lottery ticket.) and so far, the name has certainly stuck.

A building pretty much 100% dedicated to chocolate? Yes please.

Times Square!

Hey, it’s my people!

On to the next day…It started off with (wait for it) a chocolate filled scone, an apple turn over, and, yes, a slice of lemon cake. Delicious.

Also, two Russian coffees. It was so good. And we got a little artsy with the saucer…

Then, for one of the best evenings ever, we went to see my first ever Broadway show. Now, for those of you who are Dexter fans, you will love this. For those of you who either don’t know what Dexter is or don’t understand it, this wont excite you a bit. Buuuut…

Yeah, that’s him. His handsome eyes are covered in blue eye shadow and glitter. He played the role of Hedwig, a man-woman. I could have cared less about what the show was about… Michael C. Hall was there. I met him!!! Whaaat? But yes, we were right next to his silver Lincoln SUV (which said “Slice of Life” on the back) and boom. There he was with his little dog after the show. Amazing. My cousin’s husband is a professional photographer, and he got the shots of his car and us meeting and such. Those will be following.

Yummy.

Then… the next day we went to see Les Miserable after swinging by Starbucks for some morning jumpstart.

Then we had an afternoon in rainy New York after touring the Federal Reserve where 1\4 of the world’s gold is stored. They were performing an audit so we got to see it being transferred. It was awesome!

Best little coffee shop ever!

Then…the next day (I told you it has been a while since I blogged)…We graced Central Park with our presence!

Then we made it to the Hudson just in time to see the skyline of New Jersey be painted with the sun’s goodbyes.

At this point, I was a frozen little popsicle, so we went back to the apartment and ordered take out Chinese. It got delivered to our door. I’m telling you, reader…I live so far out in the middle of nowhere that pizzas don’t even get delivered where we are.

Then… the next day…tehehehe!!!

All we did was go out and have a Girl’s night, which consisted of a shared bowl of spaghetti and meatballs at the cutest little Italian restaurant, the a random stop for a delicious cup of espresso, and a walk in the park.

And that, dear reader, gets us all caught up to today, where I’m snuggled up on an air mattress with my ultimate, who is anxiously awaiting a blog to read while we nurse our cups of coffee. So off I go, the publish button beckoning me. I promise I won’t dilly dally as long next time before posting. As long as I get enough coffee.

Until next time,

Dee

Come One, Come All

Dressed in my bright yellow Nike tennis shoes, fleece lined leggings under yoga pants, and topped off with a sweatshirt and a wind breaker, I braved the windy streets of New York for the first time in the daylight. Because the New York City Marathon was yesterday morning, we stayed inside until all the chaos has subsided and the streets were unblocked by droves of people who are passionate about running that they brave the freezing temperatures and piercing wind that will blow you right over like a cartoon. We started off by taking the dog to the park to do his business, surrounded by leaves that are just beginning to change.

Though it’s slightly blurry because he was just too excited to be outside, here is Houdini!

After he took care of things, off we went to Columbia University. On our way there, I realized how to tell a tourist from a local: tourist walk around with their heads up, taking in the tall buildings, while the locals are on a mission to get somewhere.

The buildings are quite breathtaking. As the daughter of an architect, I’ve grown up with the appreciation of beautifully designed buildings. New York is certainly full of them.

With hot apple cider and a fresh cider donut, we parked it on the steps of the Columbia University Library, basking in the sunshine.

It’s crazy to me that this is every day life for some people…not just some people, a lot of people. This busy city is home to tons of people, and this kind of life is normal to them. It’s so foreign to me (leave it to the little country girl to be blown away at the little, not so little, things) and I can’t imagine walking around on this campus because it’s where I go to school. Whaaaat? But hey, that’s some people’s life.

Anyway, I’m off! New York, here I am!

Until next time,

Dee

This City Really Doesn’t Sleep

“I wanna wake up in a city that doesn’t sleeps!”

Good morning, dear reader! Here I am! New York City! I almost can’t believe it.

When I flew in last night, it was raining and overcast, and most people on the plane were craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the Big Apple. Our first indicator that we were close was the deep amber glow that appeared in the clouds. Then suddenly, we broke through the clouds and millions upon millions of lights met our eyes, like someone made a giant welcome sign with lots and lots of gold glitter. My seat mates were a little redhead, freckled faced 6 year old boy, who appropriately watched the Pixar movie “Planes” on his dad’s tablet on the flight, and his dad, who was very nice but smelled strongly of cigarettes, which isn’t the most plesant smell in such tight quarters. The dad asked “See any tall buildings yet?” And I said “No, just lots of lights!” But then, I saw the faintest outline of a tall building in the distance, and like a little kid on Christmas who got exactly what they wanted, bounced up and down in my seat and exclaimed “Tall buildings!!! I see them!!!” The man laughed and replied “Are you excited at all?” And with a smile the size of Manhattan said “Just a liiiiitle bit.”

When we finally made it out of the plane, and darted over to baggage claim, anxious to be with my ultimate best friend (who I can see right now, people!!! The separation is OVER!), only to find that it takes them about as long as the wait for Christmas to get your luggage off the airplane and to the claim. All of us were bundled up, ready for freezing temperatures, and boy we were shedding as many layers as we could because it was so hot in there. Finally,  and cheer rang out followed by others as one by one the bags slowly made their was down the conveyer belt and onto the giant loop. My bag was third, and it was soaking wet. Welcome to New York, right? I bundled back up and made it outside to passenger pick up, where my bags were quickly discarded because they would slow me down in my sprint to wrap my arms around the neck of my two favorite people. Reader, I had tears in my eyes when I saw my ultimate (leave it to me to be emotional…) I was so happy!

Once we got everything loaded in their car, off we went to our first destination. I know our general plans for the week here, mainly because I helped plan it, but they wouldn’t made a peep about what we were doing for my very first night in the city. Every time I would ask, I would get a giggle and mischievous smile in reply. On we drove, and at one point I said “This is so weird, but this looks just like a town in Kingston, Jamaica. Like I feel like I’m there, only if we were there we would be driving on the wrong side of the road.” They laughed and he leaned forward from the back seat and showed me the GPS. It read “Jamaica, NY.” So if you want a taste of Jamaica without the heat (which I would honestly prefer over the cold, but that’s just me) this is the place to go. After we sang along with Frank Sinatra’s serenade to NY, finally they told me “First stop, Brooklyn!” To be honest, I was so excited to be there that they could have taken me anywhere and I would have loved it. We got out and started walking, the wind biting into us. We rounded the corner of a block and they stopped, and she turned me to see or first stop.

The famous Grimaldi Pizzeria. Perfection. It was everything a pizzeria should be, with its exposed brick walls, red checkered table cloths, and men with Italian accents. And oh my God. You must go. No, I haven’t had any other New York pizza yet, but I doubt it will beat this. There is Italian, and then there is Italian. This was the real deal. Real pepperoni, thick, delicious cheese, amazing crust (and I never eat my pizza crust!)…topped off with a root beer. My belly was so happy.

Then out into the cold we went. We walked to the Riverside Café, a little square by the river (obviously) where the trees are all wrapped in lights, and since it had just rained, their reflection twinkled on the cobblestone, creating the most beautiful ambiance. Then they walked me around the little ice cream shop there and bam. There it was.

I still can’t believe I took this picture, but I did. Straight from my phone, no edit, no nothing. Ah. I still get chills. Then (yes, it gets better!) she turned me and there she was….

Way off in the distance, so far you can barely see her…The Statue of Liberty. I’m sure some of you reading this will giggle at my awe, but I live in the middle of nowhere. Seriously. 300+ acres of woods surrounded by acres upon acres of the National Forest. This is absolutely incredible to me.

Then off we went to their apartment in Manhattan! We crossed over the Brooklyn Bridge, and the drive rest of the drive consisted of me with my face pressed to the cold window, taking in as much as I could. When we made it to their street, my ultimate and I once again sealed in excitement and disbelief that I was actually here.

Their street is picture perfect. Seriously so gorgeous. Anyway, to finish this post off this morning, at 1:30 in the morning, we wanted cookies, so they ordered cookies and milk and they were delivered to the apartment. Whaaaaaat? The very concept of that it insane. Back at home, if I was craving cookies at 1:30 in the morning, sucks to be me. No cookies. This is just amazing. I’m so ready for brunch and a stay at home day today to just relax and spend
time together. The New York marathon is today, so all of the streets are blocked off to some degree as thousands of crazy people run in the wind and freezing cold. I’m more than happy to be right here with my people. Hey, we could be anywhere, but we are being lazy in New York. That is just amazing to me.

Until later,
Dee

Frank Sinatra In My Head

Start spreading the news…I’m leaving today…I want to be a part of it! New York, New York…

Frank Sinatra’s handsome voice is echoing in my mind as I sit here at my gate, anxiously awaiting 5:02 when they call us to board our non stop flight from ATL to JFK. So many emotions are flooding through me right now as I snuggle with my rich (but over priced) peppermint mocha, already in anticipation for the blustery streets of New York City.
If you’re a traveler, you would have giggled (flat out laughed, let’s be honest) at my flustered attempts to “follow the signs” like everyone told me to do. Though this is not my first time flying, it’s my first time by myself and fully alert. The last time I was at the airport, I was with a group of 25 other people, most of which were very experienced flyers. We were on our way to Jamaica for a mission trip, it was four in the morning, and I had consumed zero cups of caffeine, so I was out of it. I was ushered along with the rest of the group like a herd of baby ducklings. So today, my heart pounding and stomach in a knot, I frantically somehow made it to gate B-20.
It’s amazing, I must mention, the amount of people who brave the long trek through the airport in high heels. And I mean stiletto high. I can work all day in heels, walk around all day in heels, but I certainly can’t carry all of my luggage in heels. Brave souls, they are. And one lady just walked by in bright orange boots, a bright orange purse, and a bright orange suit case. Either she really wants to be found, or she just loves orange.
All different walks of life can be found in an airport. I must say that so far,  Miami International takes the cake. But then again, I’ve never been to JFK…I will let you know when I get there. The stories that could be uncovered here…I wish I could write them all! 30 minutes till my flight is called, so there is no time for that. I’ll just be blogging about my time and adventures as I brave the concrete jungle, finding little serendipidees along the way, complete with pictures!
Until I land,
Dee