My First Saturday

The first week in my new apartment has come to a close and I finally got to spend a good amount of time in NYC. I woke up bright and early at 6:20 am and was out the door for a run by 6:45. I ran to the river, then stayed along the path until I completed three miles. Here are some shots I couldn’t resist taking:

I returned home and made myself the tastiest egg white omelet with onion and spinach. On the side I sauteed some apple slices with cinnamon.

After relaxing for a bit I showered and stopped by the bank before hopping on the Path train for the city. Once on the train it took about 8 minutes to get into Manhattan. It was so fast! I immediately walked to Union Square for the farmers market. The winter produce is nothing like summer produce, so I only bought a few things- apples, pears, and a parsnip. All for maybe 3 bucks.

 

 

I got hungry for lunch and ventured into the East Village. By chance I happened to settle on Veselka and got a seat at the counter right away. This was finally my chance to try their borscht, so I ordered the vegetarian version. It was delicious!

I stayed in the city until 3 pm just wandering around and exploring. I visited some of my favorite spots from the summer. Recognize anything?

 

I returned to Hoboken near 3 pm and was struggling to stay awake. I wasn’t ready to go back to the apartment, though, so I got myself a coffee at Starbucks and read the AM New York papers I got from the city. I spent about an hour reading, sipping coffee, and doing the crossword puzzles. What a perfect way to spend my afternoon! Then out of the blue some guy starts tapping on the window in front of me and motioning for me to go to the next window. I was paranoid that some of his friends were going to steal my seat or my stuff, so I stayed put. But, some other guy sitting near the window told me there was a note on the glass. I grabbed my purse and slowly walked over to check it out. Here’s what I found:

I don’t know if he was serious or just doing something nice to make my day, but it sure made me happy! Guys never did things like this for me at UGA. How cool!

Now it’s 8:30 pm and I’m still struggling to stay awake. Tomorrow I’ll probably stay in Hoboken for some exploring, grocery shopping, and cleaning.

A Visit from Mom

My mom spent the weekend with me here in NYC! She flew in on Thursday afternoon and just now got on the plane back to Georgia. She stayed in my dorm on the extra bed so she got the true experience. Here’s a quick recap of everything:

Thursday

I took her to dinner at Mancora after I got off work. Luckily, I was able to show her around the office and the test kitchens when she first arrived at Chelsea Market from the airport. Of course, I ordered the delicious ceviche.

It was still a bit light outside, so we walked into Stuyvesant Town and sat by the fountain. It was so weird having my mom in the city with me. I’m so used to telling her about all these places instead of actually being able to show her. On the way home, we stopped for a Mr. Softee. Only the best for us.

Friday

My mom explored the city while I worked, but she met me for lunch on the High Line. We picked up some soups at Hale and Hearty and found a table with a gorgeous view of the Hudson River. We explored the area, then I went back to work.

I found a super cute place for dinner, Pepe Giallo, where the food was delicious and the atmosphere was one-of-a-kind. The front of the restaurant looked like a typical Italian place, but we asked for a table in the garden. The hostess led us to a back part of the restaurant that was uncovered and surrounded by European decor.

Mom ordered the eggplant parmesan while I got the salad with grilled shrimp. Both delicious!

The New York Philharmonic held a free concert in Central Park on the Great Lawn so we quickly made our way over to join the crowds. There were thousands of people there so we settled in a spot near the back. The music was beautiful and made me wish I still played the violin.

Saturday

I always wake up hungry so we started the day with a filling breakfast at Stage Restaurant. The food was delicious and the people were so friendly. The diner is literally a hole in the wall with only a few seats at the bar, so we became quite friendly with the diners around us. It was fun getting to ask the locals about their lives in the city and receiving advice from them. My mom ordered the Challah French toast (Gigantic portion) and I ordered a vegetable omelet with egg whites.

Then we strolled around the Green Market so I could pick up some veggies for the week. My mom loved the fairy tale eggplant.

The rest of the day was dedicated to shopping. I ended up with some new shoes, jewelry, and a hat. Not bad. We also scored some great student tickets to Mamma Mia for the 8 pm show, so we made dinner reservations at Otto for 6 pm. I would definitely recommend Otto (one of Mario Batali’s restaurants) because it’s a fancy dinner without fancy prices. We each got a salad for 8 dollars and split a pizza for only $11. We ordered the margherita which was right up my ally- thin crust and lots of tomato sauce. It made me realize how much I miss fresh basil from home.

Mamma Mia was fantastic! The music was upbeat and the characters were all very likable. In fact, I would go see it again if I had the chance.

Sunday

Since yesterday’s breakfast kept us so full for way too long (no lunch yesterday) we wanted something lighter today. We ordered some items to go at Veselka (She got a cranberry muffin, I got oatmeal, and we both ordered coffee) and ate on a bench in a nearby park. It only cost us $6 and was delicious. In fact, I could only eat half the oatmeal so I know what I’ll be eating tomorrow before work.

Then I took her walking down the East River towards Chinatown so we could explore. Even though she was exhausted the markets were fun enough to keep her walking. We took a little break in Little Italy then walked to lunch at Congee Village. She stepped out of her comfort zone and ordered the vegetable congee like me. I also ordered some pork buns for us to split. Luckily, she loved the soup and wants to find a place at home that makes it so we can eat it in the winter when it’s actually cold outside.

The weekend was busy, but so much fun! I loved being able to show my mom the many places that I tell her about on a daily basis. But, I’ll be seeing her again in two weeks when I return home. I can’t believe my time here is almost at an end. Tears are coming, I just know it. I love New York more than any other city I’ve lived in. How am I supposed to return back to school after this?