Two Little Red Hens

I don't think I've ever eaten so much sugar in my life before I moved to NYC... I partially accredit Jessica... She is an acclaimed bakery hopper and knows all the best places! And she is so kind to share her desserts with me. One day I got a text at work from her that said, "When will you be home?? I went to four bakeries today and we need to try this stuff!"

Today we ventured over to the East Side to try Two Little Red Hens. I've heard, though I can't testify, that if you're going to have cheesecake, this is the place to get it. I got this in stead...

Red velvet cupcake!

The Met - Alexander McQueen Exhibit

It's SATURDAY! An excellent break to get some much needed R&R. Today, my roommates and I went to the Met to see the new Alexander McQueen exhibit. It was insane... He is such a talented fashion designer and it was interesting to read about his thought processes in creating these very designs. This exhibit is just a very small part of the Met. I plan on going back SEVERAL times this summer and hopefully make it through the entire museum.

Main entrance to the Met

Throwing pennies into the fountain

Such a beautiful day!

Brooke and I

Another best kept NYC secret... the ticket prices for the Met? Suggested... Yeah, that's right. It's strictly donation based... So you want to pay $1 to get in? Go ahead. It's totally legal.

Crepes on Columbus

It's no secret that living in New York is expensive. But I'm going to let you in on a little secret... frequent deals... Yeah, that's right. It's amazing how many specials are going on in this city regarding food, museums, you name it!

Tonight my roommate and I went to Crepes on Columbus and they had a special - buy a $30 certificate for $15! I have to say, I've never had such good crepes... Jessica, Julia and I shared three different crepes - one with chicken, mushrooms and spinach; one with apples, carmel and creme; and the last with mandarin oranges, carmel, cinnamon and creme.

Crepes on Columbus is amazing!!

I have to give credit on this post to my good friend Carlie Recht. Thanks for the recommendation Carlie!!

Subway Stance

One trait every New Yorker must acquire is a perfect subway stance. According to Urban Dictionary, the perfect subway stance is...

The stance one assumes in order to brace for the sudden start of a subway or train. A good subway stance makes holding onto handrails unnecessary.

(Image taken from Google)

So please take note, a good, solid stance is necessary in order to survive a cramped subway commute where holding onto handrails isn't possible...

Pizza Delivery!!

Tonight my roommate wanted to try a new Thai restaurant so I went with her to go get takeout. We waited outside while they got her order ready, I noticed there were SEVERAL bikes with carriers on the back sitting in front of Dominos right next door. A few minutes later, a couple of guys came out, strapped pizza's on the back of their bikes and got ready to make their deliveries. I said out loud, "I have to take a picture!" So this guy posed for me. I'm such a dork, but I thought it was kind of fun...

A Historic Day...

Today started out as a typical day. My alarm went off at 6:00am and I rolled out of bed around 6:05am. I then proceeded to get dressed and headed out the door and over to Riverside park for my run. It was a beautiful morning. The fact that it was overcast allowed for the perfect temperature. When I got home an hour later, I was headed back into my room when my roommate opened the door and said, "Did you hear what happened?" My response, "No..." She said, "Osama bin Laden is dead."

It took a minute for the reality of what happened to sink in. Then the thought came to me that I am so lucky to be able to be in this city at this time during this historical event.

During work later that day, my roommate Jessica sent me a text saying that she was down at Ground Zero and that I needed to go down that day sometime. So after work my coworker and I rode the subway down to see what was going on. As we rounded the corner to the site, we saw a massive group of people along with various media crews crowded around the fenced in wreckage area.

This was a very tender sight. This flag you see here is composed of the casualties killed during the 9/11 events here in New York City. The man in the corner of the photo looked, found and poured over the name of a loved one he had found on the flag.

A building going up as part of the memorial sight.

This is the gate entrance to the 9/11 sight. There were policeman everywhere you looked within several blocks of the sight. The one you see in this photo is holding a very large rifle. I think this could intimidate any potential attacker...

It was amazing the number of media crews set up in front of the sight. The crews that I saw down there included AP, NBC and CBS.

This is an arial view of the sight hung on the fence that surrounds it.

Overall it was a very tender day. It's been almost 10 years since the 9/11 attacks and I can still remember that morning and exactly where I was when I found out about the attacks. Back then I don't think I quite understood how catastrophic and traumatizing this event was. Being here on this day has definitely brought new perspective to the reality of what happened on that early September morning. There are people just like you and me living here in New York City. People with family, friends and loved ones living normal lives. Working for what they want and trying to be happy. This is their town and neighborhood and they hold this city close to their hearts. Today was a historic day for all of us, but especially those here in New York City.

Riverside...

It's interesting the climate differences on the east side of the U.S. compared to the west. The atmosphere here is much more humid and the climate is consistent and cool. Spring here seems so much more green and lasts a lot longer compared to what I grew up with. It's very therapeutic to go walking through the parks and enjoy the beautiful nature that seems impossible to exist in such a city.

One of my favorite things to do in the morning is get up early and go running in Riverside Park. It's only a block from my house. Look how gorgeous it is!

One of my favorite things about NYC is all the history that exists out here. I've been reading up on the history of the City Beautiful Movement and how the city works hard to keep New York a beautiful place to live. The following is an excerpt from the Riverside Park website.

"With the beginning of the City Beautiful Movement in the early twentieth century, the landscape evolved. The Park began to serve as a repository for monuments and sculptures exalting the city’s heroes, and its border was extended north to 155th Street. F. Stuart Williamson designed the extension with its decorative viaduct, castle-like retaining walls and grand entry ensembles. In 1937, during Robert Moses’ administration, the Park underwent another growth phase, with the addition of 132 acres of land along the entire expanse of the Park. In planning the new area, landscape architect Gilmore D. Clarke and architect Clinton Loyd focused on the recreational needs of the city. After more than a half century of development, a park combining nineteenth and twentieth century landscape ideals was created. Its beauty was recognized in 1980, when the section from 72nd to 125th Street was designated a scenic landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission."