day 1 - june 25 [monday]
my flight was originally supposed to have left a 1:45 pm by of course something went wrong. the window seal next to the pilot was having issues so they had to make sure the cabin was pressurized properly. it ended up not being safe so a whole new plane from NY was coming for us. at this time, i was supposed to land in NY at 2 am - and since i was staying with a friend, i didn't think showing up at her apartment at 3 am would be a great way to start my vacation. long story short, i ended up being able to get on a 9 pm red eye that got to NY at 6 am.
day 2 - june 26 [tuesday]
my dear friend, christina, had to go to work from 9-9. so what was a tired tourist in NY supposed to do? take a nap, of course. then i walked around her area. she lives in east village and there are some pretty cool shops around there. after indulging in an incredible vegan lunch accompanied by some amazing vegan ice cream, i made my way back to her apartment for nap #2. hey, it's my vacation and i'll do what i want. christina got off work at 9 and we went to S'Mac for dinner - a cool macaroni and cheese place that makes bunches of varieties of mac and cheese. they even had GF/DF macaroni and cheese, which was perfect for me. we walked around the city and she showed me where she goes to school and works. we ran into some incredibly crazy people- including, but not limited to, a drunk girl with crazy hair who wanted to initiate a fight because we wouldn't help her, a guy [probably on drugs[ who was pretending to be a velociraptor and got way too up in christina's business, and a plethora of homeless people. we went back to the apartment and watched Chopped. epic day.
day 3 - june 27 [wednesday]
got up at 11. met christina at her school [she had to take a final]. we walked from east village to chelsea marketplace and then along the hudson river and somehow ended up in chinatown. it was just a really fun and casual day. in chelsea marketplace we found a pop shop art festival and bought some cute things. we had another great lunch [christina said new yorkers don't kid around about food] and relaxed in her apartment for a few hours before dinner. it was super hot and humid, so the heat took a lot out of us! we dressed up really cute and went out for dinner at this posh place called beauty and essex. her friends, grace and gabriel, joined us and i LOVE them.
day 4 - june 28 [thursday]
slept til 11. again. it was super hot. again. duh. when i got to NY on tuesday christina had a little itinerary waiting for me with cool neighborhoods to walk around, cute shops, good food, safety tips, etc., so today i walked around the east village and went to some of those cute little boutiques. one shop was half trinkets and clothes and i wanted to buy EVERYTHING. for those of you who know my love for [useless] trinkets, you probably understand. you might even share the same love for them. because who does't want a mini plunger to hold up your iphone? or a deck of cards in a cassette case? anyways, NY is gorgeous. i kept taking pictures of the landscape and buildings and christina was like "don't you want to be in the pictures?" and i jokingly said that i'd draw myself in if i ever felt the urge. christina interned today so i met her at her work and we got dinner at this amazing mexican food place and then went to this comedy club to watch some stand up. for those of you who know my love for 30 rock, judah friedlander [who plays frank] concluded the show. i was so excited- it was a little ridiculous. at the end of the show i got a picture with him [he said he liked my old school disposable camera] and then we walked over to another comedy club called UCB, which is the comedy club established by amy poheler. jim parsons from the big bang theory was there with some actor from mad men who's name i forgot. so it was a fun night of comedy.day 5 - june 29 [friday]
woke up and got dressed. went exploring around the east village. the good thing about NY is that it's like impossible to get bored - there's always something to do. i walked along broadway and went shopping. i got a cute dress and some shirts. more boutique shopping and exploring. picked up christina and went to dinner. those of you who know me know that i am a foodie. i appreciate food as much as the ex fat girl. i am not joking when i saw that this meal was in the top 5 best meals i've ever ate. oh my gosh. i got this flank steak with balsamic sauce and these perfectly crunch fingerling potatoes with some sautéed spinach [with pine nuts, raisins, garbanzo beans, in a vinegar-y sauce] and christina and i shared this saffron tomato rice that i'm still drooling over. it's called Boqueria and if you are ever in manhattan i command you to go to that restaurant. after dinner we went to watch some 30 rock cast members and writers do improv. it was hysterical!!! it was only 45 minutes long, so that was kind of a bummer. i wish it was a little bit longer.
day 6 - june 30 [saturday]
today we explored brooklyn. there's this little food market called schmorgesburg [i apologize if i completely butchered the spelling] with a bunch of different vendors who sell everything from beer cookies to loaded has browns to asian cuisine to bbq. epic. i got these has browns with scrambled eggs and pork. #winning. we saw Oprah's bff gail at the market too. we sat in a little park overlooking the brooklyn bridge and enjoyed the shade. then we shopped in some cute little stores. i got this dress and christina got an old school night gown - the one with lace and it's all frilly. when we got back to the apartment she put it on and kept twirling around and saying "i'm a cupcake. i'm a lemon drop." haha after a subway ride back to her apartment and 2 downton abbey episodes later, we went to dinner at this amazing raw/vegan place. then we walked to the flat iron building and took pictures. amazing end to an amazing vacation with an amazing friend.
disclaimers:
[1] i apologize if i misspelled anything. my fingers are tired.
and that's my vacation. definitely a wonderful adventure.
xoxo ollie the new yorker
