I’m BACK! Back from my week away from blogging, back from a week of bliss doing a little of this and a little of that. I’m back from “The poor man’s vacation”, as I’ve been lovingly calling it this week— only because a lot of my teacher friends went on cruises and trips to warm places (WHAT? I KNOW). Because of lack of funds and Zan having to work all week, I had to make due with where I could get myself sans plane ticket. I joke about it, but in all honesty I did exactly what I wanted to do this past week— spend quality time with good friends. Also, I got to see my family, which was amazing, if even it was just for a short while.

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Well, should we begin? First stop on the journey… the wonderful CITY OF NEW YORK.

Can’t stop won’t stop, my friends. I just cannot get enough of this place.

Blogging about New York City is my favorite because going to New York City is my favorite. There is so much to see and do it just never gets old to me. And even when I do the same things more than once (which I do, because I’m a creature of habit) I still find new things to discover.

Usually when I make my way to New York I am coming from my grandmother’s in Greenwich. Sometimes I go straight from Boston for the weekend, but a lot of the time I’ve just taken the train in for the day, which is really easy, and fun, too. When I take the train from Greenwich it pulls right into Grand Central Station, and it is, without a doubt, the most magical. From there we usually walk down 5th Avenue to get to wherever we’re going. Most always, we pass the New York Public Library, which is another one of my favorite spots in the city.

Of course you remember the tragic scene in the Sex in the City movie where Carrie gets abandoned right before her wedding? In that absolutely BEYOND GORGEOUS white dress with the turquoise feather in her hair? And it all takes place at the New York Public Library? Well, yeah, I ALWAYS ALWAYS think of that when I pass by there. Historic, I tell ya.

Our friend Laura, who lives in New York, met up with us for the morning. Meg and Laura went to college + abroad  to London together. I still remember making the trek to visit them there so many years ago.

Laura recently got a fancy camera so we spent some time talking manual mode near the library, then before long we were on our way to photograph some more of the city. Before anything too serious, though, a coffee pit-stop at the famous Magnolia Bakery.

This place is a dream…

It’s never too early for a cupcake in my book, but coffee was all we really wanted at this point in the day. I did make sure to snap a good amount of photos, just because I love the feel of the place so much. And if you ever find yourself there in this life time, get the banana pudding. Outta this world.

After Magnolia we headed towards 30 Rock, for the big tourist attraction I had planned for the day…

I have been wanting to ride the elevator to the Top of the Rock for awhile now, and this trip I was determined to make it happen. Laura suggested the Brooklyn Bridge when we first met up, but No, thank you! I said. I want a view of the Empire State Building that only the Top of the Rock can give me. And so we went up. And it was terrific.

Stunning, right? It was a really great experience that I HIGHLY recommend if you’re ever looking for anything cool to do in NYC. A very pleasant experience, too. LOVED.

For lunch we met up with our friend Andrea, who just recently moved from Boston to New York. We ate at Fig and Olive, which I thought was really delicious. We got crostinis, paninis, and dessert (pictured above!). On these really cold winter days it’s important to take a few breaks from the cold and wind to warm yourself up a bit. This place did the trick, and having good food at the same time is not a bad way to go.

After lunch, we started off to our next destination…

Soho is another place I really wanted to go on this trip. It’s one of my favorite places to visit in New York. Lots of cool things to see and all my favorite shops in one place. I took the most photos in Soho because it’s just so photographable. Is that a word? Well I hope so, because it’s true. So much goodness in the matter of a few blocks I JUST LOVE IT.

After I visited Purl Soho, I took another SERIOUS VOW to learn how to knit this year. This place is absolutely the most wonderful dream. The yarn! The fabrics! I could have stayed inside this colorful world for hours.

We also were sure to pop into our most favorite store, Madewell. Another dream world among the walls of all the glorious dresses and tees. I WANT EVERYTHING AND I WANT IT ALL THE TIME. If only my closet could hold all the clothes (and my wallet could afford them).

Balthazar always reminds me of another day and another trip I took to Soho/Nolita. Delicious cookies!

And we went here to Bread that last time, too! I love that place.

This particular day took us to a little hole in the wall cafe called Lovely Day. Meg had a pick-me-up snack and I warmed up with a hot apple cider. Exactly what I needed to get some energy back. It’s EXHAUSTING walking around all day. We stayed here in this warm little place for a good hour or more. We twiddled with our phones and just took a break from the outside world.

After warming up we still had an hour or so before dinner, so we made use of the time at a book store I found through google. (Thanks, google!) There were places to sit and plenty of books to pass the time, so that is exactly what we did.

After reading and relaxing for a little bit longer, we headed out to meet up with Colleen, Tina, and Molly for dinner. We went to Jane Restaurant and had such a fun time. Good food (clean plate club!), good wine (2 bottles), and wonderful company. I always love spending time with these ladies… THE BEST!

Like I said, blogging about New York is my favorite. And spending time there? Even better.

What a great way to kick off my vacation. I love this city and I LOVED THIS DAY.