October NYC trip

I arrived much later than was scheduled, but coming over the bridge and seeing Manhattan all lit up and bright, got me excited and gave me energy. call me a walking cliche, but big cities pump  me up. I took the subway up to my friend's neighborhood, and enjoyed the 2am night walk. Really, I did. When there are so many other people up and around you, it just feels like you are sharing something.

Lexi graciously woke up to greet me, and we chatted for a while before getting some sleep.

The next morning I got up and explored Washington Heights a bit. I really like the neighborhood. It feels real, and down to earth. Families are there, people are working and living. There are fruit stands and flower shops, and it is spotted with pretty churches. Columbia med school is there (which Shay attends) so I gave that a wave as I passed. My sites were mostly set on Mike's, where I got an amazing bagel (jalapeno cream cheese please), then set off to walk the George Washington bridge for some beautiful views of the city over the river.

Heading back to the apartment, Lexi and I made our game plan and set off! We hit the Museum of Natural history (so fun! Get a map and hit the best exhibits), and then rented our bikes for the day. Cruising around the city on a bike is incredibly fun. I highly suggest it to anyone who feels comfortable riding around a city. We covered so much ground, could see the neighborhoods changing as we passed through each one, and it's so much easier on your feet than walking (though we did a LOT of that too, and my feet were shredded by Saturday night).

A gorgeous ride through central park was refreshing. We enjoyed the mall and all the elm trees, a jazz band, fountains, people watching, and peeking in at the dog run for Lexi ;)
Pastries at Mason Keiser, were next, which we enjoyed in columbus circle while teenagers skateboarded on the monument, and dancers did flips around us. (it sounds like I'm making that up. I'm not). We stopped off to walk the High Line for a bit (crowded, but pretty cool) then snagged a lunch at Chelsea market.

Evening came and we biked through more charming neighborhoods. SoHo, Greenwich village, Tribeca, West Village...I loved them all. Of course, what I was really after was momofoku milk bar, and rice to riches ;) Yes, both in the same evening.

The Strand is such a great book store. We wandered around in there for a while, I got my only "souvenir" (a book I plan on gifting). I could have spent hours there. But there were sunsets to watch, city lights to admire, and people to see.

A fun highlight was getting to meet up with Tash, one of my very best friends from England. I love that girl so much, and it has been years since we had seen each other. I got to meet her husband, and we caught up a bit. I loved that our trip to New York coincided!

Wow, this post was heavy on words AND pictures. That might be a first ;)